Chapter 681: Remember

Clyde continued to train day after day, steadily refining his skills and pushing his limits.

Two weeks passed since Seff first told him about the ancient ritual but he still hadn’t taken a single mission from the Council.

For the time being he deliberately kept his distance from the Ruins and their various assignments. Most missions offered little that could help him achieve his goals and he saw no reason to waste his time collecting resources or fighting monsters when he could make better use of those hours training.

Until something worthwhile appeared, he would focus on becoming stronger through training alone.

The results were already apparent.

Clyde’s control over nature energy had improved a lot. He no longer needed to struggle to sense the vitality flowing through nearby plants, or have to concentrate as intensely to guide their growth.

He could now draw energy from grass, roots, and vines while moving, replenishing his stamina or accelerating the recovery of minor wounds without interrupting his actions.

At first, maintaining that connection while moving required nearly all his attention. Even a brief distraction could disrupt the flow of energy, forcing him to start again.

But through repeated practice he gradually learned to make the process more natural.

Now, he could draw energy from the surrounding plants while running or fighting, allowing him to preserve his strength throughout a prolonged battle.

This was a significant improvement. In a dangerous fight, even a moment spent standing still to recover his stamina could leave him vulnerable. With this ability he could maintain his combat rhythm while replenishing the energy he spent.

His other abilities were progressing just as well.

Pure Lightning became more responsive to his commands. Clyde could direct it with greater precision, concentrating its destructive force into specific strikes or releasing it in rapid succession.

Burning Hand had also grown more powerful. He could maintain them with less effort than before. Although he still had room to improve, the ability had become another reliable part of his arsenal.

More importantly, his total magic power reserve continued to expand.

He was satisfied with his progress.

His ultimate objective, however, remained as distant as ever. He still lacked the information needed to destroy the Higher Realm, and his search for the Ancient One had yet to produce any definitive answers.

The Council was occupied with researching the Demon artifacts, while Seff continued struggling to recover her fragmented memories.

There were days when the lack of progress felt frustrating, but Clyde refused to let impatience dictate his actions. Strengthening himself was a necessary part of his plan.

While Clyde focused on his training, Mina was making progress of her own.

She continued practicing her combat skills, but unlike Clyde, she also accepted missions from the Council.

The Ruins offered countless opportunities to gain practical experience, and each expedition exposed her to monsters and situations that training could never fully replicate.

She also learned to recognize danger more quickly and make decisions under pressure, gradually closing the gap between her current abilities and the level she wanted to reach.

Clyde occasionally trained with her and could see the difference for himself. At this rate, she would become strong enough before long.

For now, he let her continue at her own pace.

Then, finally, the day Clyde had been waiting for arrived.

He was in the plain dimension as usual, practicing his control over nature energy. Several vines stretched across the grass around him, their tips moving according to the subtle gestures of his fingers. Green light flowed along their surfaces as he guided them through a series of increasingly complicated movements.

Just as he finished the exercise, Seff’s voice echoed inside his mind.

"Clyde, I have remembered most of the ritual."

His fingers stopped moving. The vines settled onto the ground, and he turned his attention inward.

"Most of it?" he asked. "How much do you actually remember?"

"Enough for you to attempt it, I believe. I remember the symbols, the chant, and the materials required. Some of the finer details are still unclear, but the essential parts are coming back to me."

Clyde’s expression grew serious.

After two weeks of waiting, this was the first meaningful breakthrough Seff had made regarding the ritual.

He had spent the time strengthening himself precisely because he didn’t know what awaited him beyond the hidden dimension’s entrance. Now that the opportunity was finally within reach, he intended to learn everything he could before taking the next step.

"Start explaining," he said.

"Very well. First, you need to understand that the ritual isn’t simply a means of opening a passage between two worlds. It establishes a connection with the hidden dimension and allows the entrance to reveal itself. Without that connection, it’s impossible."

Clyde listened carefully, committing every word to memory.

"The first step is to prepare the ritual ground. You need a place where the surrounding magic power won’t interfere too much. The ground must be stable, and the symbols must remain undisturbed until the ritual is complete."

Clyde nodded. "Okay. What materials do I need?"

"Several things. Some of them are ordinary materials used to establish the ritual’s structure, but others serve as conduits for the hidden magic energy of that dimension. Most importantly, you need your own blood. The ritual requires a living connection between the person performing it and the destination."

"So my blood will be used to act as the connection?" Clyde asked.

"Yes. Your magic energy gives the ritual power, but your blood establishes the link. The symbols alone cannot accomplish that."

He leaned against a nearby tree, his arms crossed as he considered the explanation.

The involvement of his blood raised further questions. If the ritual relied on a living connection, then its consequences might not end when the entrance appeared.

"Continue," he said.

Seff began describing the symbols. She explained their shapes, their arrangement, and the precise relationships between them.

She said that each symbol served a different purpose. Some of them gathered magic energy, and others directed its flow, and several others formed the connection required to reach the hidden dimension.

Clyde listened without interruption. Whenever Seff described a symbol, he visualized its structure and memorized its position relative to the others. He also paid close attention to the order in which they needed to be drawn, knowing that a mistake could disrupt the entire formation.

"The chant comes after you finish drawing the symbols," Seff continued. "You must recite it while channeling your magic energy into the formation. Don’t release all your power at once. Feed the symbols gradually, following the rhythm of the chant. If you lose control of the flow, the connection may collapse before it stabilizes."

"What happens if the connection collapses?"

"I don’t remember the exact consequences."

Clyde gave a quiet sigh. "Of course you don’t."

"I’m telling you everything I can remember."

"I know. Just keep going."

Seff continued with the chant, repeating the unfamiliar words slowly so Clyde could memorize their pronunciation.

The language sounded ancient, with a rhythm he had never encountered before. Even as he repeated the phrases silently in his mind, he could sense that they carried a peculiar structure, almost as though the words themselves were designed to guide magic energy along a predetermined path.

Once the chant was complete, the ritual required one final step: Clyde needed to focus his consciousness on the hidden dimension while maintaining the flow of energy through the symbols. The blood would establish the connection, the chant would guide it, and his magic energy would provide the force necessary to awaken the entrance.

Only then would the hidden world become accessible.

Clyde remained silent for several moments after Seff finished explaining. He reviewed the entire process in his mind.

He wasn’t satisfied with the uncertainty surrounding some of the details, but he understood that waiting for Seff to recover every last memory could take months or even years.

He couldn’t afford to remain idle indefinitely.

"Is there anything else?" he asked.

Seff paused before answering. "There is one thing. When the ritual begins, you must not allow your concentration to break. Whatever happens around you, keep your mind fixed on the destination. The connection may be unstable at first, and I cannot guarantee what you will experience when it opens."

He exhaled slowly and looked toward the distant horizon of the plain dimension.

The ritual was more complicated than he had hoped, and Seff’s incomplete memories left too much room for uncertainty. But he now possessed enough information to begin preparing.

"All right," Clyde said at last. "I’ll prepare everything. Until then, keep searching through your memories. If you remember even one additional detail, tell me immediately."

"I will."

Clyde rose from the tree and returned to the center of the training ground.

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