Warlock and reloading time

Fortunately, an organization like that would not bare its fangs unless it had to, which was why they had managed to return safely.

"Mr. Nightmare, are you heading back to the manor today?" Since Kronos did not know his name, he simply called him Mr. Nightmare.

The Nightmare was somewhat puzzled, but he still answered, "Yes, I am."

"Good. Then the three of us will go together. Let's head back now." Kronos had no intention of betting on everyone in that organization being levelheaded. The gaze of the God of Steam and Machinery was far more reassuring.

But both the Nightmare and Gner assumed that Kronos had finished digesting his potion and could no longer wait to advance, so neither objected.

Kronos did not even plan to return to the villa. He bought a carriage right there on the street, and Gner drove them straight to the manor.

By the time they reached their destination, everyone at the manor was getting ready for bed, so the Marquis was quite surprised to hear that they had returned.

He knew his son was not someone who lost his composure so easily. Otherwise, how could he have endured a five-year speech-ban period?

The Marquis therefore got out of bed specifically to see Kronos.

"Well, tell me. The gentleman who served as your bodyguard said you were too impatient to wait any longer before advancing," the Marquis teased.

But Kronos remained solemn. "I may have provoked something big."

"Tell me exactly what happened." Hearing that, Marquis Argyle dropped his teasing manner and grew serious.

"The East Balam Restoration Society is behind the Black Skull Gang. Above them is the Eternal Life Society, and beyond that, the Numinous Episcopate. I saw five or six wraiths stronger than Sequence 7. If I hadn't mentioned Marquis Argyle's name, they might have torn us apart on the spot."

"That's why I didn't dare return to Empress Borough or West Borough. It's safer here, under the gaze of the God of Steam and Machinery."

Marquis Argyle had not expected anything so serious. After thinking for a while, he asked, "Did any wraiths follow you afterward?"

"I didn't see any. Probably not."

Marquis Argyle rang the bell on the desk. Before long, the old butler knocked on the door.

"Bring me the Sun Ring," the Marquis instructed, and the old butler withdrew again.

The Marquis then told Kronos, "I'll purify you in a moment. Stay at the manor for the next few days. You can spend some time with your mother and sister, too. The fleet's purchasing is almost finished. Once it's done, you can head straight out to sea and lie low for a while."

Even Marquis Argyle could not be certain how an organization like that operated. He could only take the safest approach.

Before long, the old butler returned with a golden ring.

This was the Sun Ring. Whoever had named it-most likely an ancestor of the Argel Family-had certainly been blunt and unimaginative. It sounded awful, too.

It had been crafted from the beyonder characteristic of a Sequence 7 Solar High Priest of the bard pathway, and could summon holy light to purify undead creatures.

After the Marquis picked up the ring, a beam of holy light fell upon Kronos, who felt warmth spread throughout his body.

"Good. No wraith has possessed you, and no marks were left on you. There probably won't be any retaliation," Marquis Argyle said after the purification.

Kronos breathed a sigh of relief. He had not yet grown strong. How could he be unlucky enough to run straight into such a major obstacle?

Since the problem was not serious, Kronos and the Marquis returned to their respective rooms to rest.

Early the next morning, Annie was utterly astonished. She had not expected her brother to return so suddenly.

He had even brought a friend back. Indeed, Gner had reluctantly come out to have breakfast with everyone.

Refusing to join them under these circumstances would have been rather disrespectful to Kronos's family.

Fortunately, the Marquis and the Marquise already knew about him and understood his personality, so they did not pay him too much attention.

Only little Annie kept hovering around Kronos and Gner, asking about everything under the sun. But she was just a little girl, so she hardly made Gner nervous.

The Marquis and his wife left the table after finishing their meal. Once they were gone, Gner relaxed further and entertained little Annie with stories from the army.

To Kronos, Gner was both a capable subordinate and a friend. He could hardly remain a stranger to Kronos's own family, so he would have to get used to this.

These next few days happened to be a good opportunity for Gner to adjust.

"Gner, we'll be staying here for a few days. Once the fleet has finished purchasing its cargo, we'll head straight out to sea," Kronos told him after Annie finished breakfast and left for her lessons.

"What? Can't I stay somewhere else? I'll go back to Backlund." Gner was reluctant.

"Gner, you've known me for quite a while now. Do you really think I came back yesterday because I was in a hurry to advance?" Kronos asked.

Only after that reminder did Gner realize something was wrong. "Was it dangerous yesterday?"

"Dangerous doesn't begin to cover it. A whole group of wraiths stronger than Sequence 7 were staring us down in that little room yesterday. They could have torn us apart in an instant. I nearly wet myself."

Imagining that scene, Gner shuddered. He had walked right up to death's door yesterday without even knowing it.

"Scared now, aren't you? So just stay here. We'll be setting sail in a few days anyway. You can ride horses and practice shooting here. Whatever you need, we can provide it."

"All right." At the thought of how dangerous it was outside, Gner compromised. A couple of days here would be fine.

After breakfast, Kronos entered the family storeroom once more and personally prepared a Sequence 7 Warlock potion of the mystery pryer pathway.

Of course, he could not drink it here. Although he was still a weakling and the Hidden Sage was unlikely to choose him, who could say for certain? Better to play it safe.

Holding the potion, Kronos went to the study on the first floor.

Following Marquis Argyle's procedure, he entered the small chapel.

Before doing anything else, Kronos thoroughly cleaned the chapel.

Then he used the materials kept there to set up a ritual.

"Great God of Steam and Machinery;

You are the embodiment of essence;

You are the protector of artisans;

You are the radiance of technology;

I pray for your attention and protection."

As he prayed, Kronos drained the potion in his hand.

Pathways unsuited to combat, such as the Monster and Mystery Pryer pathways, generally possessed abundant spirituality.

His previous advancement had been an exception. Melee Scholar was the only sequence in the entire mystery pryer pathway that did not bring a substantial increase in spirituality.

That was why his body had gone numb during his previous advancement: his physical capabilities had been improving. This time was different. One moment, Kronos felt as though his brain were splitting apart; the next, he felt as though he were floating in bliss.

The alternating sensations continued for a full ten minutes. Kronos felt that if they went on any longer, his mind would fracture. The instant they ended, his whole body relaxed.

Kronos had successfully advanced to Warlock. He was no longer a weakling with barely any fighting power. At the very least, he could now use materials to cast numerous spells.

Although the procedures were cumbersome, he finally had offensive abilities, and an extremely comprehensive range at that. The spells passed down through his family over a thousand years encompassed almost every beyonder ability of the middle and low sequences, though all were weakened versions.

Besides that, the Time Stone should also provide abilities from another system, but Kronos did not dare examine them under the gaze of the God of Steam and Machinery.

So, after carefully putting away the materials left over from the ritual, Kronos left the small chapel.

He returned to his room. Although the gaze of the God of Steam and Machinery could probably still reach him, even a true god did not have the energy to watch an insignificant person every moment of every day.

Only then did Kronos begin examining the Time Stone's abilities.

First, the duration of Concealment of Time had increased tenfold again, reaching three hundred days.

As for the Eye of Time, Kronos could clearly sense that its power had increased, but he would still have to test it properly to determine exactly how far it could see.

Next came the ability the Time Stone had granted him upon reaching Sequence 7.

"Time Stone Sequence 7 ability: Time reload. Once each day, you may select a point in time to save. When facing danger or in extremely poor condition, you may choose to restore your state from that saved point in time. This ability may be used once per week."

When Kronos saw this ability, he was overjoyed. It was practically an extra life.

In short, he could instantly return to his peak condition. Whether for survival or combat, this was an incredible ability. The only drawback was that he could use it just once a week, so he would have to be cautious during its cooldown.

Kronos was about to venture out into the world. Gaining this ability now was undoubtedly a good thing.

It also reminded him of Doctor Strange's battle against Dormammu. With unlimited reloads, even an opponent vastly stronger than him could do nothing about it.

Of course, the same caveat still applied: he was nowhere near that level yet, but there would always be opportunities in the future.

Now that he had successfully advanced, he could not keep leaving Gner to his own devices. He still needed to show him around the manor.

That afternoon, Kronos took Gner on a gradual tour of the entire Argyle Manor. A closer look, however, would have revealed the reluctance written all over Gner's face.

But if Gner was so opposed to it, why did Kronos insist?

Naturally, because taking Gner around the manor gave him a perfectly reasonable excuse to test the Eye of Time's current abilities. Otherwise, going directly to see so many people would have seemed rather abrupt.