Lev's brain needed a few moments to return to reality. The moose had sat down, yet that did nothing to diminish his grandeur. If anything, the way he still towered over Lev was more terrifying, requiring him to crane his neck to look into its eyes.

  Shaking the distractions away, he summoned a cushion for himself and sat down atop it. The moose hadn't given his name so far, and Lev wasn't going to risk stepping on his toes by asking for it.

  …

  I swear to Monarch, he's enjoying my discomfort, Lev thought to himself, not looking up except to occasionally confirm that the moose was still there and stationary. He didn't even know what to expect if the Tyrant did move.

  "Ask, and you will receive your answers."

  The words were spoken so casually and sincerely that Lev had no reason to doubt them. Even then, he refused to phrase his questions like demands. Offending the being would be catastrophic for humanity, so he began with a simple question to sate his curiosity and start the conversation.

  "Why is everything… paused right now?"

  "We're merely in an isolated bubble, plucked from the normal flow of time," the tyrant answered. "Tell me, what do you know about time?"

  "It just passes?" Lev replied lamely. "I don't know anything about it beyond the passage of time."

  "But how does it pass?"

  "Like a river? It flows endlessly, and everything follows."

  "A river… that is a good comparison, not dissimilar to our own," the moose mused, turning his head slightly to look at something beyond the Deadlands. Lev followed his gaze, finding nothing new or moving. Then the majestic being continued.

  "It is inherently wrong to compare time to such a tiny body of water, but it is a good example. Time does more than just flow. It is responsible for stability in the universe. Be it mana, souls, life, or anything else, time is the sole reason they do not stagnate endlessly and turn the universe into an abominable wasteland. It ensures that reality keeps moving forward, ever-changing and ever-evolving.

  "Many have theorized the origin of time, as well as the planes in which it flows. I, even at the peak of my strength, haven't gotten any closer to the answer. At most, it is possible to influence the "flow" of time slightly around you, accomplishing small tricks such as momentarily stepping out of the river. Time may seem frozen to you, yet it is anything but. I've merely extracted ourselves from its influence, and the cost to do so rises with every passing perceived instant."

  Lev rapidly digested that new information, drinking in every word. His mind stubbornly clung to one detail, though.

  "Can I share this with other humans?"

  The tyrant laughed. "Of course, young one. I shall only share with you knowledge that won't bring you harm."

  "Thank you," Lev bowed his head slightly for a second. "Why is the cost to keep us here rising?"

  "Because, essentially, I'm going against time to keep ourselves here. There are ways to circumvent this cost limitation to a great degree, of course. We only need to be present here for a short time, rendering those means excessive. As it stands, the more this isolated pocket is "stretched," the harder time will try to fix the anomaly. Since the scale is so negligible, it won't do anything more than push the pocket back into place, which requires a steadily increasing cost to resist."

  "So, basically, we're outside of the normal flow of time, and the humans I was present with earlier are completely untouched. Is it only the two of us that are affected?"

  "Correct."

  "And they won't even realize what had happened once we're done?"

  "Indeed."

  "That's… scary," Lev voiced. The weight of the situation that was slowly becoming lighter dropped back on his shoulders, reminding him not to become too casual.

  "Time is only scary until you can perceive it," the Tyrant remarked, his voice understanding. "Once you learn about this field of mana, the primordial force stops being elusive and mysterious."

  "Which just happens to be pretty much impossible. I mean, humans didn't even know that time mana existed. The closest we've gotten is space mana, and… wait, are space and time linked?"

  "They are. On a level far more fundamental than most concepts in the universe."

  "Right, so we basically know nothing," Lev concluded, holding back a smile at the ridiculousness. He couldn't wait to talk about this stuff with Alec. "I don't think I can hold back this question anymore. Why are your antlers so special?"

  His heart sank when the moose moved, slowly enough not to scare him, yet the act itself was terrifying. His massive face lowered and moved forward until Lev was looking directly into his eyes.

  Then a puff of spectral mana grabbed him and threw him on top of the tyrant's head, right on top of the antlers.

  His armor smacked into the bone surface, not passing through like he was expecting. Instead, he held on for dear life, unable to comprehend what he was living through.

  Then a few moments passed. Deep breaths echoed in the area, and a distant part of his mind also realized that the moose had yet to inhale even once. He didn't have an aura, didn't leak any mana, avoided smothering Lev with his presence, and now didn't even use any of the frozen oxygen for himself.

  It was frankly unreal how lucky Lev could be at times.

  Then his usual stupidity reared its head, and he peered into the antlers with his mana perception.

  It was also comical how dumb he could be, which the Tyrant was already learning as an unconscious Lev tumbled off his head.

  ****

  "Curiosity is indeed a curse."

  That was the first thing he heard when Lev opened his eyes, immediately groaning in pain. His head felt like it had been used as a mop to wipe the floor, and the coppery taste in his mouth also reminded him of what he had just done.

  He held out his hand to summon his refillable canteen— it didn't work. Tilting his head, he tried again, only for the ring to remain inert.

  "Erm…"

  "That trinket is trying and failing to interact with space in this pocket. Why do you need to use it?"

  "I just wanted to bring out some water to rinse my mouth," he replied with a shrug, about to move on when the tyrant peered at the ring. A noticeable surge of spectral mana rushed into the item, and then it was done. Lev quickly identified the result.

  [

  Storage Ring - Superior

  Disguise: Storage Ring - Rare

  Enchantments: Impeccable Stability, Enlarged Space, Disguise.

  ]

  … Should I even question it? I mean, sure, I only had one Superior item, and they are extremely rare, but like… we're sitting outside of time right now. Though the enchantments don't talk about how I can summon items here, too.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Indeed, the moment he willed it, a water canteen appeared in his head. He rinsed his mouth and cleaned his nose, not bothering with anything except his face. The skinsuit underneath would clean those anyway.

  Ignoring the ring that had five times more capacity than before, as well as the capability to store a crap ton of cores inside, he looked at the Tyrant's antlers again. A moment later, he was deposited on top of them, and this time, he sagely kept all his senses to the absolute minimum.

  "They don't feel like anything unusual to the touch," Lev commented, glancing at the Tyrant. By now, most of his worries about offending the being had melted away, so he patted the bone twice just to make sure. His hands slapped it like they would bone, which further proved his point. The antlers weren't made of mana.

  "They are inert right now, young one. To avoid revealing too much, all I can say is that they become active only when battling. I have not had to use them in quite some time."

  "Whoa, so they're like a focus? Don't answer that, I'm just mumbling," he added and flew back down. It was about time he got to the real questions. "Why am I here?"

  "What do you think, human?" he questioned back, showing some amusement.

  "Because… well, I know a name and a word. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say either out loud."

  "If you are already aware of them, there are no more restrictions on how you may use them. The System would've removed your memories otherwise."

  Lev nodded slowly. "Who is Kassavin?"

  "What do you suspect?"

  "A god," he replied plainly. "Nothing else makes sense. I mean, you're sitting right in front of me, and The System has yet to intervene."

  "To see someone so young and fragile refer to gods so carelessly," the moose snorted, the stars in its eyes swirling to show its mirth. "It is refreshing, for you are also the Favored of Kassavin."

  A thunderbolt went off in Lev's head, and half of the memory from fighting the Shade Brute was suddenly unlocked. He had called himself the Favored of Kassavin without realizing, and the meaning now unfurled in his mind in all its glory.

  [

  You have Revealed a Hidden Title.

  ]

  [

  Favored of Kassavin:

  To reincarnate means to possess an undaunting will, and to do that as a human means you are truly something special. You have caught the eye of The Sanctuary and have been chosen as favored.

  Being a favored means that the title will have no effects on your progress and evolutions. It is merely a mark of recognition.

  ]

  ****

  The Tyrant watched as the human sank to his knees, a side effect of having memories unlocked. It wouldn't take long for the boy to regain control of his body.

  Leaving the human with his realizations and notifications, the moose looked to the side again. Beyond his domain, the continent, and several oceans, Granath leisurely flew around them. The dragon's domain let it circle the small entrance of the Underworld several times during the short conversation. Connected to the isolated pocket of time, he could ensure the human's safety even better than the Tyrant himself.

  "Do you think it was worth it to tell him about our Lord?" Granath sent, tone casual. "It does not impact him positively in any way, and neither will raising awareness about the title."

  "He's smart," the tyrant replied. "The boy has not once tried to pry into my identity, nor has he offered anything about himself. Misguided, but the ability to keep his wits even in this situation speaks volumes about the quality of his willpower and instincts."

  Granath didn't say anything, very much aware of how their reputation preceded them. It was pretty much impossible for both of them to meet other sapients without being showered in reverence.

  "Misguided?" Granath asked instead.

  "It's becoming obvious that the boy puts a lot of emphasis on names for unknown reasons. You know how reincarnators operate. The human is as normal as it gets."

  "Surprisingly whole and stable," Granath added, agreeing with the sentiment. "He's returning to his senses. You know what not to reveal."

  The Tyrant didn't reply. Domains were the most personal part of one's arsenal during the fourth threshold, and revealing anything about them too early could hurt one's progression. For someone as important as the human in front of him, causing such harm could earn him the ire of a god.

  No amount of power would save him in that case.

  ****

  Move you fuck, Lev thought angrily at his body, still unable to get back up. Somehow, the armor skill had remained active, though it still wobbled dangerously when he lost control of his body.

  At least, it had let him avoid the embarrassing fate of faceplanting into black grass. He didn't give up, forcing all of his limbs to move— to do anything. A subjective minute passed that way before a finger finally twitched.

  Hah!

  With vengeance, he shook himself free of the foul paralysis, getting up to his feet after a few seconds. Even then, his breathing was ragged, but the evil spell was rapidly fading, letting him move around without trouble.

  Lev took a deep breath once he felt himself break free completely, hopping around a few times in zero gravity. It was extremely gratifying to be in control of his bodily functions once again, and he was going to ensure that he didn't have to go through that again by making additions to his armor.

  Being paralysed sucked.

  Then he turned towards the moose and bowed deeply. "Thank you. That question was on my mind for years."

  "I suspect you would've figured out the answer soon enough, young human. You had all the cues already, along with the desire to find out more."

  Lev debated asking about whatever "Challenger" meant, then decided against it. At that point, it was obviously related to his second big secret, Reincarnation. It would also be revealed in time.

  Also, he just had a hunch that the Tyrant wouldn't give him an answer.

  "What does me being a Favored entail?" he asked, sitting back down.

  "You will be recognized by those who can sense such marks as one of the chosen. For most, it will evoke respect and reverence. Few, however, may see you as a challenge to overcome. Not from misguided animosity, mind you, but to test their mettle against the Favored of The Sanctuary."

  Oh, you've got to be shitting me.

  "Are you serious… well, of course you are. I would also challenge such a being to a spar if it were safe to do so," he added with a light chuckle. "I don't need to be afraid of dying, right?"

  "Human, the challenges I speak of are still far off and based on the assumption that you survive the trials arrayed in front of you. This planet is one of the most dangerous in the universe, and even the landmass we're currently standing on is full of secrets."

  Which means that such beings are definitely fourth-threshold and above. Why do I have this title again?

  Complaining was useless, so he simply buried that thought. There was plenty more in that place in his mind, and one more terrifying fact wasn't going to change how he kept avoiding anything related to therapy. Hugs worked better, anyway.

  The moose once again looked to the side, somewhere far past Lev's range of sight. It then stood up in a smooth motion before speaking, "It seems our time here is coming to an end, youngling. While I can sustain this pocket for a while, staying longer can be seen as rude by the others."

  Lev didn't bother asking who the others were. If someone could be offended by the Tyrant's actions, they had to be similarly strong. He didn't want anything to do with them.

  "So…" Lev nervously began when the moose started moving back to the first layer. "Do I pass whatever test you came here for?"

  He didn't receive an answer at first. They silently moved side-by-side, both lost in thought. When they neared the boundary of the second layer after ten or so minutes, the Tyrant spoke again.

  "You did."

  Lev's shoulders slumped in relief. He knew from the start that someone as important and strong as the being in front of him wouldn't come to the plains for no reason. The moose was testing him, asking questions while freely offering information.

  He hadn't tried to act in a certain way for that reason. Lev simply asked what came to mind and refrained from being greedy for more to make a good impression, and it had worked.

  "Just one last question, then."

  "Go on."

  "What is this region? How did it come to be?"

  "Oh, this?" the moose remarked off-handedly. "This place is merely an anchor for me to teleport to from anywhere in the universe."

  Lev froze mid-step, his mind going over the answer again and again. He absently stared ahead, towards the suspended humans, while digesting the not-so-subtle flex for what it was. He turned his head after a few seconds, only to find that the Tyrant was gone, and in its place hovered a small blob of spectral mana.

  Time returned to normal just as the mana impacted his armor. The frozen Exalted immediately dropped to battle-ready stances, their auras rolling out as they scanned for danger. Lev had suddenly appeared in front of them, and Sherron quickly flew closer.

  He didn't notice any of that, too engrossed in the spectral mana doing what he had deemed impossible earlier. It imbued his armor, and suddenly, air could phase through its rigid structure.

  Lev eagerly dove into the mental feedback and memorized every single bit of it. The Exalted also did the same, their auras and skills bearing down on him with almost startling intensity.

  It's actually fucking intangible, he noted, looking for other effects. Fluidity has improved a lot. No effects on speed, nor any on strength or weight.

  Then the spectral fuel ran out.

  "FUCK!"

  He took a deep breath, surprised by his outburst. Glancing up, both Sherron and Drakys looked at him with dozens of questions in their eyes. Lev held their gaze, their frozen figures overlapping with the two deadly combatants in front of him.

  That made him laugh. The sheer absurdity of the fact that two of the strongest humans had been rendered so powerless in a blink overshadowed how rude he must seem in that moment.

  He laughed because, once again, he had survived an unimaginable scenario and made it out with a treasury's worth of information. The fact was setting in now that he had made it out again. His luck had continued to hold, like it always did.

  And above all, he laughed because, even after going through potentially the most significant encounter in his life, absolutely nothing had changed in his schedule.

  [End of Book 4]