With the condensation of time, Sterl was ejected from the Crystal Barrier Galaxy, his body reassembling as the energy spheres around him reappeared. Then, he fell toward the ground.
As the bright light faded, the energy surrounding Sterl dissipated, and he found himself firmly planted on solid ground.
It felt as if he had returned from another world.
"Finally made it out," Sterl thought, feeling a bit of a headache. If it weren't for the items he had previously acquired, he would not have been able to comprehend the Law of Time to escape this ordeal.
It would have taken decades to return to the main world, and Sterl doubted whether his willpower could have endured that long.
However...
Sterl pondered, "The Law of Time is something that no one in the lower realm can comprehend."
"Related items are extremely rare, and for the instance Dream of Lalaye to produce an item containing complete Law Power...
"This instance is definitely not simple!"
He recalled that Lalaye, as an existence, could transform into an instance simply from a dream.
At the time, Sterl hadn't understood, but now he speculated that the entity he had slain at the end of the instance was not Lalaye's true form, but rather a mental projection born from its slumber.
Regardless, the rewards had been explosive.
With this experience of acquiring the Law of Time, Sterl felt he should seek out more instances with similar characteristics; the benefits could exceed his expectations!
As for what those characteristics were...
"This kind of instance seems somewhat reminiscent of the so-called Cthulhu Mythos stories from before I transmigrated?"
That's right!
Sterl's eyes brightened; he had previously collected who knows how many special instance activation permissions on the battlefield.
While idly summarizing the gains and losses of being a player during the time-warped folds, he had noted a plethora of instance items that matched the Cthulhu Mythos style.
- [The Call of the Secret Lock]
- [Challenge Level: Adaptive]
- [Description: Upon entering this instance, your energy and memories will be temporarily sealed. Rewards will be granted based on your performance after solving the puzzles.]
- [Note: Use this item directly to enter the instance.]
- [Plymouth Islands]
- [Challenge Level: Demigod – Weak Divine Power]
- [Description: Strange stories have circulated from a group of mysterious creatures inhabiting the islands. Countless depths of darkness lie hidden within this small area.]
- [Upgrade: You need to visit the map: Ruin Islands [Invest consciousness, check detailed coordinates] to open the instance.]
- [Nightmare Corridor]
- ...
After confirming, Sterl found a total of six instances suitable for his demigod level or above, four located in the main world and two in different layers of hell.
Among them, the location of Nightmare Corridor was in the layer of hell once ruled by Licitris.
He decided that after advancing to legend status, if he had some free time, he would attempt to challenge a few of these instances and see if the rewards would be as explosive as those from Dream of Lalaye.
Once Sterl had finished organizing his thoughts, he realized he was surrounded by emptiness; he had stood there for quite some time with no one approaching.
Looking around, Sterl found himself in a temple dedicated to a respected deity.
He observed the peculiar flickering lights surrounding him, and the stone walls shone a brilliant gold.
The sheer vastness of the temple made it feel oppressively dim, creating a sense of discomfort.
A few prompts popped up in front of Sterl.
[You have discovered a new map: legend points +3.] .net
For him, legend points had become meaningless...
Next was—
Time Rewind was the ability from a previous item; in high-stakes battles where time to determine victory was extremely short, being able to rewind three seconds infinitely could keep Sterl undefeated in most situations.
If he found himself at a disadvantage against an opponent, he could repeat that moment dozens of times until he emerged victorious!
The last two abilities, Time Rift, offered an incredibly domineering control effect.
Nothing could evade it, except for life forms of special races!
Including...
Sterl felt that the earlier Frost Giant would likely have no way to resist such an effect.
If space is an objective existence, then time is an extremely abstract one.
It cannot be resisted or immunized...
Because time flows relentlessly and unfeelingly.
This ability would become Sterl's most powerful means of control.
He would no longer have to rely solely on Shattered Void to immobilize his opponents.
The final effect simply increased Sterl's own resistance to time-based abilities.
He mused—
If the various bizarre time forces in those Cthulhu Mythos instances were repeatedly activated, mastering the Law of Time would make it much easier for Sterl to clear them.
At this moment, Sterl was in high spirits!
He thought for a moment and decided not to linger any longer in the empty temple.
At this time, the Holy Spirit Bloodline was still active.
Because the time spent in the folds of the Crystal Barrier Galaxy only appeared to be a few seconds in the outside world.
With his keen perception, Sterl quickly chose a mountain peak after leaving the temple.
He sat cross-legged.
"Time to advance to legend."
Sterl chanted silently.
In an instant, a radiant light shot upwards.
The will and data symbolizing Transcendence surged into Sterl's body!
Legend represented the most crucial stage in a player's journey to climb the heights of Transcendence.
At this moment, a player would etch their story into the world, affirming their existence!
Before this, regardless of one's strength or innate talent, to the entire world, they were merely a handful of worthless dust...
Stepping into legend meant transformation!
At this moment, information flickered before Sterl's eyes.
[Player Sterl, congratulations on officially stepping onto the legendary path!]
[Player Sterl, you will be etched into the history of Transcendence!]
Even the cold prompts seemed to carry a hint of joy in their tone, as if the Transcendence system was in a good mood.
Sterl smiled broadly.
Legend had significance among the human race on Earth.
Typically, it was viewed by young boys and girls as a lifelong dream and pursuit.
Well, calling it a pursuit wouldn't be quite right.
It was simply a dream.
Back then, Sterl had never even dreamed of becoming a legend; his boldest act was merely reading some novels from the human race's base and imagining himself as the protagonist, aiming to rise to legendary status and become a prominent figure among the Earth's human race...
And now...
He was really about to become a legend!!