Parallel Memory

I had reached quite a high place after walking for quite a distance.

I think that I have walked for almost two days since I have been inside this dungeon.

Sleeping in the Gate was no problem since I had a tent and all the gear I needed to survive in the wild.

Although I did not sense Professor Mia's presence, nor did I see her from up in the mountains.

While I could see many parts of the Gate clearly from above but the Gate was goddamn so big that even with my heightened senses, I could not see any end of the Gate.

It was truly like I was teleported to a different world. It felt that I could never finish exploring this place even if I tried running for months.

I don't know where Professor Mia is either. It seems hopeless to search for her in such a huge place. And the possibility of encountering monsters increases with traveling.

Luckily, the mountain I was spawned on has fewer monsters.

With very sparse vegetation and food, it seems that only a few monsters stay on this mountain. From the place that I was standing, I could see that appeared that there was more vegetation in the other mountains than in this one.

In addition to lack of food, the lack of monsters could be because the temperature in this mountain is colder than other places that the monsters are avoiding.

It was good news for me since I would encounter fewer monsters if I stayed here. In addition, it might be a smart idea to climb to a higher place than this.

I have food in my spatial ring and I could be safer if I climb higher. Since the temperature was colder at higher places, a higher place might have fewer monsters.

With a new objective in mind, I continue to climb higher and higher. Along the way, I got something unexpected.

"This… Amodaisy!!!"

A rare mana herb that grows in extremely cold temperatures and needs a high density of mana.

It was good for increasing mana capacity and its biggest benefit was for Ice energy. The Ice energy will be more refined after consuming this.

I didn't think twice before consuming the mana herb right away. It was extremely useful for an Ice Mage like me. It could help me to increase my mana capacity as well as the quality of my Ice energy.

-CHOM! -CHOM!

Chewing on every part of it, I could feel some change in my mana. I released some Ice energy from my hand to see whether there is any change in my Ice energy.

However, I was disappointed to find that there was no change at all.

It might be because I practiced the highest level of Ice Art, and my Ice energy quality is already so high that eating one Amodaisy would not affect it at all. Or the change in my Ice energy is too minute to be noticeable.

Anyway, it seems that this place has some treasure waiting for me to grab.

-THUD! -THUD!

Over the next two days, I continued to walk, carefully observing the surroundings for any mana herbs and treasures.

I got more mana herbs, one was called Unableine and another Aphirlamire which are also good for Ice mage but it was not as effective as Amodaisy.

There was quite a lot of mana herb in the area that I am in right now. I continued to stay there, picking up the mana herb and exploring the area.

******

It had been quite a few days since I stayed in this area. The reason I stayed here was that there were many rare mana herbs in the vicinity.

-GGGGRRRRRR!

"Oh! It was time for you to show up."

Also, the place that I decided to stay for now was home to these monsters. Their fur was as white as the snow and was quite hard to notice in this place full of snow.

These monsters are called White Fox, whose appearance is quite similar to the Arctic fox found on Earth.

However, they were far more powerful and vicious. Their rank was generally in between Rank-C.

I met them three days ago when I was picking up some mana herb. It looks like I have intruded into their territory and taken their resources.

I could have run away if it was not for the mana herb. The mana herb grown here was quite beneficial to me and there was no such thing as having too much mana herb.

So I continued to fight with them while collecting the mana herb.

It seems that I kind of formed an enmity with their tribe.

They would always show up at this time to interrupt my happy time with the mana herb.

The White Fox would appear in a team of 3. They seem quite capable as a team, though they were no sloth when it came to one on one either.

I was able to kill them even though they were in Rank-C -. Due to my experience in dungeons, I was efficiently able to deal with them even though they were higher in rank and number.

Though sometimes I needed to use Dual Art when the situation turned a little dangerous.

*****

"Hah…Hah…"

Fighting with them was definitely difficult but the rewards that I got were also equally good.

Fighting with them was like training for me. They were difficult to defeat but not something that I can't handle, a perfect opponent for me.

I stored their corpses and the mana herbs. I have been taking these mana herbs every day and there has been an increase in my mana stats.

[ "Status" ]

===Status===

Name: Zero Elea

Rank: D

Strength: C -

Speed: D +

Stamina: D +

Mana: C

Luck: B +

Charm: A +

- - > Skill:

[ Rank SS: Parallel Memory ]

A skill that enables the user to get memories of their alternative self from another world.

Side Effect: The user may sometimes be overwhelmed by the emotion and personality of the alternative self.

- - > Art:

[ LVL 3: Shadow Style proficiency: Proficient ]

Art that enables the user to use the sword as if the sword is a shadow. The sword slash will be faster and stronger than a normal swing. After mastering the Shadow Style, the user will be able to move and attack using the shadow.

[ LVL 9: Cryomancy: Proficient ]

Magic Art is said to have been made by the strongest Ice mage in history after fighting the Ice dragon. The user will be able to use ice magic to freeze the enemy to death. The Ice related skill will be twice effective and the user will gain tolerance to Cold. After mastering the Cryomancy, the user may be able to freeze the world.

[LVL 6: Dual Art: Practitioner]

A unique Art created by Zero. The Art combines two Art into one. The power and effect depend on the Art that has been combined.

= = = = = = = =

My mana has reached Rank-C. It was quite impressive also considering that I am just Rank-D, to get a stat to Rank-C is nothing short of a miracle.

After Luck, the mana stat was definitely the hardest to rank up. Even a Rank-C Mage might still have Rank-D mana stat, and therefore to have mana stat at rank-C is absolutely shocking.

And I also feel that my next rank is coming up. With the mana density being high, it was easier for me to rank up here. If I continue to advance at this rate, in three months, I might be in Rank-C.

Taking out the dry meat, I continued to chew on it. The only thing I hate about staying here is the food. Though I had food to eat, there was no fire to cook the food.

After staying at this Gate for a few days, my initial fear has gone down quite a bit.

The monster that I met for the first time in the Gate seems to be rare. The enemies I regularly encountered were all Rank-C White Fox.

It might be because it is their territory but even when I had gone quite far from their place to search for new things, I could not see other monsters beyond Rank-C.

After surveying the area, I would come back to this area because I felt safer here than in other places. Since I was sure that this territory belongs to White Fox, I don't have to worry about other monsters.

I only needed to fight with White Fox and at night they are pretty much holed up in their home. I have never seen a White Fox after the sun has set.

Don't ask me how there is a sun in the Gate. I don't know either. With the sun shining, the place really felt like another world instead of something like a dungeon.

I don't know when I can find Professor Mia nor when the reinforcements will arrive.

I kept those things for after ranking up.

After my rank increases, I would have a higher chance of surviving in the Gate. I want to go to other mountains to search for Professor Mia.

It had been quite a while since I had entered this Gate. I would not be at peace until I find Professor Mia.

Although I was profiting from all the mana herbs I had collected, I knew the Gate was a dangerous place.

I always remember to remain cautious whenever I venture into new areas. Currently, the area I surveyed was relatively safe, but I knew that it was because it was a low-rank monster area.

"Let's just hope everything is fine at Professor Mia's side."