Pure Blue Space

Benjamin held the Water Element Crystal that had entered his Consciousness Space, observing it carefully.

At this moment, the Water Element Crystal was no longer the ordinary-looking blue stone it had appeared to be. Amidst the darkness of the Consciousness Space, it emitted faint blue rays of light, appearing profoundly deep.

Even just holding it in his hand, Benjamin felt a closer connection to the surrounding water elements. Ordinary mages used it to hone their elemental affinity, and there was certainly merit to that.

However, since Benjamin had embarked on this path, he no longer needed to train his own elemental affinity.

After some thought, he held it and walked toward the Triangle Glyph.

The Triangle Glyph grew stronger by absorbing water elements; the more it absorbed, the stronger it became, with neither limits nor bottlenecks. He wondered how much water element content this crystal held.

If he let the Triangle Glyph absorb the entire stone, what would happen?

Benjamin felt a sense of anticipation, yet he was also somewhat reluctant. After all, this item was rare; if he used it all at once and found a different use for it later, what would he do?

However, this hesitation did not last long.

Soon, he made up his mind.

The Triangle Glyph was the source of everything. Benjamin's ability to cast spells, his elemental affinity, his mental power... all of his growth was inextricably linked to it. It was the manifestation of the essence of magic, containing infinite wonders and mysteries.

While the Water Element Crystal certainly had other uses, they were nothing more than crafting external objects. By comparison, making himself stronger was more reliable.

Others could take away his pistol and bullets, or even cut off his arms, but as long as he lived, the Consciousness Space and the Triangle Glyph would not disappear.

Moreover, Benjamin had a premonition: when the Triangle Glyph was strengthened to a certain level, it would refract some of the fundamental laws of this world. At that time, the entire Consciousness Space would also take on a brand-new appearance.

With that, Benjamin made his decision. He raised the blue stone in his hand and brought it close to the Triangle Glyph.

Hum!

The moment the Water Element Crystal touched the glyph, it emitted a buzzing sound. Like a block of solid ice meeting the sun, it began to melt rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The blue light it transformed into was completely absorbed by the Triangle Glyph, leaving nothing behind. His hand, which had just been holding the crystal, now grasped only air.

Benjamin stared at the Triangle Glyph, stunned.

Damn, it's gone just like that?

After eating such a large thing, it should have at least made some noise.

Just as he felt it was a bit of a rip-off, the Triangle Glyph suddenly vibrated, emitting the crispest, most ethereal "ding" he had ever heard. An invisible ripple swept quietly across the entire Consciousness Space, as if a calm lake had suddenly been stirred.

It felt as if ten thousand triangles were being struck simultaneously inside Benjamin's head.

This is...

While he was still immersed in that physical and mental shock, the Triangle Glyph before him emitted an exceptionally brilliant light!

He had arrived at that marvelous pure blue world for the third time.

However, this time he did not see those blue characters. The entire world was so blue it looked as if it had been formatted, with only some strange sounds echoing within.

Benjamin tilted his head to listen, discovering that these sounds were repeating a single syllable.

It was a syllable that sounded very short, yet was stranger and more awkward to pronounce than an incantation. To his ears, however, it sounded ancient and profound, inexplicably surging with a deafening power.

He had never heard a language like it, yet he instinctively understood the syllable.

It meant "water."

The entire world seemed to be echoing with this sound, growing louder and louder. At first, it was like the hum of an engine starting, but in the end, it was almost comparable to rolling thunder, exploding in Benjamin's ears from all directions, continuously.

"Water!"

"Water!"

"Water!"

"..."

Benjamin was shaken out of that pure blue world in sheer terror.

He returned to the Consciousness Space.

What was that thing?

Once he regained his composure, he immediately tried to recall the syllable he had just heard in his mind. However, the moment he tried hard to think of it, he felt a splitting headache. The syllable became exceptionally blurry in his mind, and no matter what, he could not remember it.

After trying for a while, he had to give up due to the severe headache.

But...

It didn't matter; he still had the system.

"Did you record the syllable that kept echoing just now? Play it for me again," he asked the system.

"What syllable? Are you crazy? There wasn't any syllable," the system said, puzzled. "You were just standing there in a daze. Are you having auditory hallucinations?"

Benjamin froze.

The system hadn't followed him into that world?

Realizing this, the status of the pure blue world and that syllable rose even higher in Benjamin's mind.

Ever since the system appeared, it had been like it was rooted in Benjamin's brain, hearing everything he heard and seeing everything he saw. It could even guess what Benjamin was thinking with high accuracy. Even if Benjamin lost consciousness, the system could record everything that happened around him and tell him when he woke up.

What exactly was it that even the system couldn't see or hear?

Benjamin didn't know if souls existed in this world. If they did, anything capable of severing the connection between him and the system must be something on the level of the soul. And if it were on the level of the soul, it must be incredibly powerful.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but make a secret resolution.

The next time he entered that world, even if he were shaken until his seven orifices bled, he would definitely remember that syllable!

"Hey, hey, did something happen that I don't know about? Tell me quickly!" The system seemed to have had its curiosity piqued and began to pester Benjamin.

Benjamin had originally wanted to explain, but thinking of the system's usual behavior, he decided to punish it.

"This thing is too troublesome to talk about, and you want an explanation? You are so annoying! I can't be bothered to explain," he said, mimicking the system's usual tone.

"..."

From its silence, Benjamin could imagine the system's frustrated expression—if the system had a face to make expressions with.

That feeling was quite satisfying.

After bullying the system, he recovered from the shock of the pure blue world and turned his gaze back to the Triangle Glyph.

After absorbing the Water Element Crystal and undergoing such a massive change, the blue of the Triangle Glyph had deepened. At a glance, it felt like looking into the vast, boundless deep sea. Its volume had also grown by a circle, changing from the size of a fist to larger than a human head.

So, what about the Water Ball Spell?

Filled with anticipation, Benjamin cast a Water Ball Spell.

Consequently, accompanied by a tidal surge of water elements, a massive water ball condensed before him in the blink of an eye.

It was a perfect sphere, a water ball a head taller than Benjamin himself.

Benjamin was deeply shocked.

He could walk inside this water ball and go for a swim!

Was the Water Element Crystal really this powerful?

Recovering from his surprise, he began to try compressing the water ball. Soon, under the control of his intent, the water ball shrank to the size of an orange. A small water ball now danced lightly in his hand.

If he threw this seemingly inconspicuous water ball at someone, how much power would it have?

This wasn't a water ball anymore; this was a damn water bomb!

The key was that he could condense these water bombs in a very short time. Compressing the water ball might consume a bit of mental energy, but even with continuous casting, he could produce six such small water balls in one go. If he had a moment to catch his breath in between, he could produce even more.

Even a Paladin with strong physical constitution and blessed armor would likely be left dazed and confused if hit by six such water bombs.

Thinking of this, even the peace-loving Benjamin couldn't help but feel his hands itching.

If he weren't afraid of alerting The Church, he would have been tempted to test its power in reality.

Thanks for the tip from H.E.V.