Dimensional Descent

Leonel entered the Abode Setting of the Segmented Cube. Without much thought, he made his way to the bath house and dove into a serene pool of water. 

The soothing waters felt so good that a moan almost escape his lips. 

Leonel floated in the waters, looking up at the beautifully crafted ceilings of the bath house. Whoever it was who constructed this treasure was a true genius. Leonel could hardly make crafts with five or so parts, he couldn't imagine the number needed to make a treasure of this level. 

In truth, Leonel was quite used to the aches of his body. He was a student athlete, after all. Compared to others, he was far more ready for this new world order. He had always been in tiptop shape. 

But… being a good sprinter didn't mean you were a good long distance runner, and being a good long distance runner didn't mean you could run the 400 meter race..

There were different aspects to being an athlete and not all forms of endurance were the same. Leonel thought himself to be a great athlete, but a single battle had completely shredded his body. 

The good news was that Leonel felt that just an hour or two would be enough to recover thanks to this pool. The bad news was that he wouldn't always have time to recover. 

Leonel activated the Nodes in the walls of his heart. His heartbeat quickened, causing the run of blood throughout his body to accelerate, thus speeding up his recovery process. 

The blood was exceptionally important to recovery. Whenever one was injured, it would be the first responder in every case. This was the reason why bruises swelled and torn muscles reddened. After opening his Seventh and Eighth Nodes, Leonel gained access to this ability. 

'It should be safe in here…' Leonel thought to himself. 

"[Minor Heal]…"

A rush of wind surrounded Leonel and a soft glow of light enveloped his body.

In just a few minutes, Leonel's body recovered to its peak state. Since he could recover so quickly, there was no need to wait. This situation was too dangerous to waste time in. 

'Interesting…'

Leonel felt that his strength ticked up by a measure. In addition, his body also more thoroughly absorbed the Urbe Ore Essence he had been refining. 

'So if I break down my muscles and use [Minor Heal] on them, I can train faster…'

[Minor Heal] was actually a One Star Magus Art despite its humble title. It was because of his ability to cast this that Lionus was so valued. If the prince knew that Leonel thought to use it just to enhance his training speed, who knows how he would react. 

'My mind is erratic and all over the place…'

Leonel stood up from the bath, cleaning himself off and putting on another robe. He didn't like the style of dress of this world very much, but he had no choice. 

'I need a focus, a plan, a goal. If I keep going like this, I'll aimlessly wander around and fail to live up to my potential…'

In Leonel's life, there had never really been anything in his control. His profession was chosen for him, his meal plans and training schedule was set out for him, and he never truly figured out what he wanted to do in life. 

It was no wonder he seemed to be going on aimlessly. This was the first time he had no choice but to take charge. 

His mind was filled with bits and pieces of information, but he realized after battle today that this wasn't good enough. It was alright that he wanted to learn everything he could about this world, but what would he do with that information? How would he execute with this new knowledge? What goal was he trying to reach?

That feeling he had had before the battle begun, that stifling feeling that made him feel uncomfortable to the depths of his soul… It was the first time Leonel grasped on something he wanted for himself. 

This wasn't about his father, this wasn't about Aina, this was something that he, Leonel Morales, wanted for himself. 

If he couldn't beat Lamorak into the ground, he would never feel at ease. 

Leonel entered the Lab Setting. In this world, he had always had to be exceptionally careful about using the Segmented Cube so he had rarely entered it. If it wasn't because the Large Barracks were in turmoil, preparing for war, and as such had no time to mind him, he wouldn't have dared to even now. 

Leonel cast a glance toward the snowglobes and frowned. 

'Hm? Something feels off about this atmosphere…?'

After a moment, Leonel realized what it was. There was a density of Dark Elemental Force in the air. 

Understanding this, Leonel didn't pay it anymore mind. The Border Region had a higher concentration of this energy. It wasn't surprising that the Segmented Cube which was always absorbing and purifying Force for Leonel's use would react in this way to such an environment. 

Leonel sat at his Crafting Table. The more time he spent near it, the more he realized that this odd desk with different sized wells on its was most definitely a treasure in its own right. But, Leonel hadn't quite reached a level where he could dig out its secrets. 

'What I need is a focused structure. I've already learned all I can about Mage Arts. The only thing holding me back in that regard is the Crystallization of my Spirit Pressure.'

Though Leonel could cast Magus Arts now, their power was lacking in comparison to true Magi. This wasn't something he could fix in a short time. After all, Magi spend decades meditating to crystallize their Spirit Pressure. It was something only time could do. 

Of course, Leonel's meditation was far more beneficial than one might expect. He suspected that it would only take a year or two to crystallize his spirit to an extreme. Once that happened, his combat prowess would be enough to run through this world unimpeded. 

As such, Leonel made a decision. 

'After awakening the Wisdom Branch, I could split my mind six ways. After crystallizing my Soul Force a bit, I can do so eight ways now. I'll save one to focus on meditation. As for the remaining seven…'

Leonel crossed his legs and closed his eyes. He used one of his eight minds to meditate, another to monitor the situation outside the Segmented Cube, and as for the remaining six… He sent them all into the Spear Domain!

Leonel's mind appeared within the dark world. Rolling clouds thunders above his head and pale black-grey earth crunched beneath his feet. 

At this moment, he stood at the peak of a large hill, a familiar black spear wrapped in chain before him. 

The immediate surroundings of this spear was empty. As though showing reverence to its superiority, the other spears that dotted this hill were at least three meters away. 

This was the first peak of Spear Domain that Leonel had conquered. But, he knew he hadn't done so correctly. 

One's spirit was only meant to be auxiliary in this world. The main strength should have been his Spear Force. If it wasn't for his awakening his Snowy Star Owl Lineage Factor, Leonel would have no right to stand in this place, and the spear before him seemed to understand this as well. 

This standoffishness placed a veil between Leonel and the spear, making it more difficult for him to comprehend the secrets surrounding it. 

Leonel smiled lightly. 

"You're quite an arrogant spear. There are hundreds on your level in this world, yet you still have such pride…"

As though hearing the taunting nature of Leonel's words, the Spear vibrated slightly, but didn't do much else. It was as though it disdained to respond. But, Leonel didn't mind. 

"There are 2879 spears that make up the foundation for your Spear Domain. I'll start at the bottom just like you want me to. It won't be long before you become obedient."

With a thought, Leonel sent his mind toward the spears around the bottom of his Spear Peak, grasping out at six simultaneously. 

At that moment, he entered six different worlds and experienced six different lives.