Because the flow of time in this world is constantly changing.
Moreover, those living through this change are unaware of it and cannot synchronize with it.
This resulted in the Mystic Radiance students, who were the first to explore the Gear World, being completely unaware of the abnormal flow of time in this world before Wen Jing joined the team.
In their eyes, the monsters here were sometimes slow-moving, sometimes as fast as teleportation, and some even rose from the dead after being killed, attacking again.
The real reason wasn't that the monsters' speed changed, but rather that they were in different time flows at the time.
The so-called resurrection is a reversal of time.
Wen Jing was able to discover this thanks to his Clone within the Spacetime Amber.
That Clone's time was frozen, but its consciousness was free, so it could synchronize its perception of time with another active Clone.
This synchronization is not a complete copy, but rather similar to two identical but independent clocks.
Normally, when the sealed consciousness malfunctions, it should be able to use the active consciousness that can be 'connected to the internet' to calibrate the time.
However, the situation is reversed here. Wen Jing's consciousness is affected by the Gear World and cannot detect the anomalies, but the unaffected sealed consciousness can quickly detect them.
When she voiced this conjecture, Mystic Radiance's teammates were immediately enlightened and astonished.
At the same time, once this crucial information was deciphered, the pattern of time flow was quickly discovered—the rhythm of the sounds of surrounding mechanical movements represented different time flow rates.
During that expedition, the team ventured into areas they had never explored before, returning with a wealth of knowledge and experience.
Wen Jing, of course, also recorded the coordinates of this place.
Her biggest problem right now is the Spacetime Amber. There are two directions to solve it: one is to create more advanced Clone, and the other is to develop abilities related to time.
Having learned from the experience of the Chess Game World, she will definitely prioritize cultural relics related to this aspect this time.
Over the past month, Wen Jing has learned many new courses in Mystic Radiance. In addition to the gains from the " Star Core Meditation Method " and exploration, his Skill Points on the panel have exceeded two thousand.
Ideally, one could directly acquire the ability to resolve the Spacetime Amber; otherwise, it would likely be converted into Skill Points to directly upgrade the Clone ability.
Of course, recalling the investigation that followed his previous absorption of the Knotted Rope World, Wen Jing was still very cautious this time.
It has been ten days since she last teamed up with the Mystic Radiance students to explore this world.
If Wen Jing successfully devours the core of this world, the original exploration team will most likely be unable to enter this world at all, and the probability of them suspecting her will be even smaller...
*
"De... de..."
Wen Jing stood at the entrance of the complex of buildings, waiting quietly.
To achieve anything in this world, you must act in accordance with the 'rhythm'; otherwise, you will only achieve half the results with twice the effort.
"... Tick-tock!"
Until they heard the 'world clock' around them chime at the known 'double speed', the insect flashed and suddenly rushed into the dark portal that resembled the gaping maw of a giant beast.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Almost the instant Wen Jing stepped into the building, two sharp whooshing sounds suddenly rang out from the shadows on both sides.
Two bluish-gray figures attacked, moving so fast at 'double speed' that they could only leave Afterimage on the retina, flashing with a sharp, metallic glint.
However, Wen Jing was even faster!
"Clang! Clang!"
Two crisp, metallic sounds rang out.
The thin sword, as thick as a baby's fist, pierced Wen Jing's exoskeleton, but it didn't even leave a white mark. Instead, it bent and trembled beneath the incredibly hard shell.
The two wispy green figures were forced back, revealing their full forms.
These were two half-human-sized monsters with pointed ears, fangs, and bluish-gray skin. They had a pair of large bat wings on their backs and each held a slender, sharp sword that gleamed with an ominous gray light.
Judging from its appearance, it is a gargoyle, a common sight in Western fantasy works.
They are the main monsters of the Gear World. They usually turn into stone statues in places like rooftops and corners. When you get close enough, they will transform from stone statues into living creatures and attack nearby targets.
Don't let their small size fool you; these gargoyles are actually quite powerful.
They are almost immune to all forms of energy attacks; only physical attacks can cause them damage.
At the same time, the slender sword in the gargoyle's hand contains strange rules; if it pierces the flesh, the flesh near the wound will petrify.
Of course, this was no problem for Wen Jing; those two swords couldn't even break through her armor.
After repelling the gargoyles, Wen Jing's forelimbs danced like killing weapons, leaving behind Afterimage.
With a sweeping right forelimb, it slammed into the left gargoyle's sword-wielding arm. At the same time, the body suddenly spun, and the left middle limb stabbed towards the right gargoyle's head with lightning speed.
"Snap!"
"Bang!"
The gargoyle's left arm shattered instantly, sending gray stone chips flying, and the slender, pointed sword flew out of its hand.
The other gargoyle was blasted away by the immense force, its head shattered, and it crashed heavily into the wall covered with gear reliefs.
Having swiftly and decisively dealt with the two monsters, Wen Jing had also completed his warm-up.
At the same time, the two slender swords in their hands floated to her in front of them under the influence of the Gravitational Field.
Gargoyles themselves are not edible, but the rapiers they carry are a rare treasure; the last expedition team returned with this very find.
With twice the time flow rate, the combat power of these gargoyles is actually amplified.
The reason Wen Jing chose this moment to act was that the probability of turning into "time reversal" after "normal" and "slow" was greater than under "faster" conditions.
If time reverses halfway through the fight, the gargoyles will turn back into stone statues, and the longswords in their hands will turn into ordinary stone swords, losing their value as treasures.
Knowing the 'strategy,' she certainly wouldn't make that mistake.
"Click..."
Wen Jing opened his mouth and performed a sword-swallowing act on the spot.
Chapter 163
Wen Jing continued deeper into the intricate architectural complex.
During this period, time reversed, and those gargoyles that had died not long ago were resurrected on the spot and restored to their original state.
However, the swords she had already devoured completely disappeared, turning into a single-digit number of attribute points.
In addition, these gargoyles will only approach creatures within a certain distance of them; otherwise, they remain in a stone-like state.
Therefore, this phenomenon occurred—wherever Wen Jing went, the gargoyles there lost their weapons.
After passing through the stone ruins and long corridors, she entered the most dangerous and deepest part of the complex, a wide circular courtyard.
The atrium's structure was complete and enclosed, making the ambient light much dimmer.
All the light sources come from those few huge, twisted stained glass windows on the towering dome.
They filter the empty light from the outside world into distorted spots of scarlet, dark blue, and dark purple, like a dim rainbow, projecting onto the walls and ground that show gear marks, forming a circular spiral structure.
There are no other exits here; the colored light spots are the passageways, and each different colored light spot is a 'step'.
The color order of the steps is not fixed, but constantly alternating.
When a person steps on it, there is a noticeable sensation of the space descending, and at the same time, some special monsters will emerge from the light spots.
Different colored light spots indicate different types of monsters.
The last time Wen Jing and the Mystic Radiance students teamed up for an exploration, they chose to retreat from this very spot.
The team tried to descend two steps, from which two types of monsters appeared.
Both of these monsters are a level above gargoyles in terms of basic strength and possess different abilities.
But this wasn't enough to make everyone choose to retreat. The Mystic Radiance Elite Squad's combat strength was still quite good. Wen Jing assessed that they were roughly at the same level as the Lava Giant Lizard back then.
With cooperation and combat skills, these monsters can usually be defeated with some time and effort.
The real reason was that during the battle, everyone discovered that only some members of the team could deal normal damage to the monsters with their attacks, while others' attacks were significantly weakened when they hit the monsters.
The reduction applies to all attack damage, not just the energy-only attacks like those of gargoyles.
After testing, it appears that it is unrelated to the combat skills or innate abilities used.
Moreover, the number of these monsters that appear directly corresponds to the number of people, not to the specific number of people who stepped on the steps.
Initially, only one member of the exploration team stepped onto the stairs, but five monsters were spawned.
This significantly increased the pressure on the team.
If some people's attacks don't do much damage to the monsters, it means the remaining people need to deal with the five monsters.
Furthermore, the situation changes again at the next level. Those who were effective at attacking on the first level will become weaker when facing new monsters on the second level, while those who were ineffective at the previous level can now exert their normal combat power.
The Mystic Radiance team members had no clue why there was such a difference.
Although Wen Jing was there, the team still managed to climb two steps.
However, precisely because of this, they had to consider that there were seven steps in total. If Wen Jing's attack was ineffective on the monster when they stepped onto a certain step, the situation would be dire.
With the addition of the Gargoyle Longsword, the team voted to leave.
At this moment, facing the mysterious light-spotted staircase alone, Wen Jing did not hesitate and stepped directly into the bizarre and colorful world.
When you're not close, it doesn't matter which color you step on, because the rules stipulate that you 'can only' step onto the first step.