Skill Maker In A New World: Start By Creating A 10x SP Skill-Chapter 70: Cosmic Realm

While Darien was still awestruck, the shimmering avatar trudged forward until it stood right before him.

It was no longer an enormous celestial giant, but even now, Darien had to tilt his head slightly to meet its vacant, faceless glow.

Like a mirror of light and gas, the being's surface reflected the boy's image back at him.

That was when he realized that he looked like himself even when he hadn't deactivated his illusory ring.

Quickly, Darien understood that such power and skill were petty here. In a place like this, everything would be stripped bare.

As the divine doll stared down at him, its body flowed softly like vapor. It appeared present, but not truly there.

Darien's idea of gods had never been of such a form, but the sheer pressure of power radiating from this being impressed him beyond words.

Steeling his nerves, he decided to demand its identity.

"Whose realm have I intruded?" the boy asked.

To Darien's surprise, the avatar answered quickly.

Its tone was frigid and unobjectionable, echoing through the infinity and somehow bouncing back.

"You stand in what's left of me. I am what comes after peace, what remains when purpose is gone. I am what happens when things stop obeying their order. I am a living consequence of the end of two parallel lines. Do you know what I am?"

Darien grimaced.

"I am not fond of riddles," he replied.

The avatar didn't move, only faced him with stillness, studying the young warrior.

The boy appeared normal for what a holocaust should look like.

The being couldn't imagine countless worlds trembling at the sight of something so human.

He had just two arms, two legs, and a tasty face.

A bestial creature with two heads, a swollen chin, and a bulky frame would've been a more fitting image for the ruin he was destined to bring.

But the avatar admired his audacity.

None could stand and speak so plainly in its presence. It was a commendable sign of worthiness.

As the avatar turned away, Darien wondered if the encounter had come to an end.

"So, are you a god or not?" he asked.

The androgynous being swirled in a slow drift of dust and replied, "This is but an echo of what once was. I was slain long ago. All that remains is this fragment—my consciousness and the realm it holds."

Darien tried to imagine the scene of celestials clashing, heavens burning, and the universe splitting under their might.

He frowned.

For this being to recount its death meant it was one of the weaker among the Pantheon.

If so, this might just be some desperate hero-summoning attempt.

Darien scoffed.

'Why be the vessel of a weak god? I'll pass.'

The moment he thought that, he instantly regretted it.

It was expected that gods could read thoughts as easily as breathing, and Darien might've just signed his own death sentence!

As prideful beings, they were often unable to stomach any form of mockery!

But then he remembered the being had said this was only its consciousness, not its true form. That meant it likely didn't possess the power of its real body.

Yet the moment he settled on that, the avatar spoke.

"You are being chosen to vessel my power and purpose. It is a grave responsibility, as power unearned demands pain as its price."

Darien stayed silent this time, watching as the empyrean humanoid moved in dreamlike shimmers.

When it turned again, something began to form in its palms. It was a mirage of the golden sphere, prismatic like the avatar.

"This is the Discord Sphere you possess," it said as the light hovered weightlessly between its translucent hands. "It is your tether to this celestial realm, and through it, you can acquire my power.

With it, you will unlock the first half—the mastery of all basic elements."

Immediately after Darien heard "mastery of elements," his intrigue deepened.

That was exactly what he had been struggling to achieve before pulling himself into this strange realm.

Apparently, the purposes were interlinked.

"When you master them all, the sphere will vanish," the avatar finished.

Darien watched as the glowing image of the Discord Sphere dissolved into a gentle spray of light before fading completely.

"How do I master them?" he asked after a pause. "Cultivation has been… nearly impossible for me."

The being's vacant gaze seemed to pierce through him.

"That is because you've been doing it in the mortal plane. Only here can your body and essence align. This realm is the one place where all elements converge in balance. Cultivate here, and you can even forge a Rupture core."

If that was the reason he'd made no progress, then Darien was honestly bummed.

But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense that this realm did feel like the perfect place for balance.

The air in the realm felt tangible, seeping through his pores, flowing through his veins. The nebula-like vapors around carried traces of all affinities, each existing without overpowering the other.

This was harmony in physical form, a place where elements didn't conflict but conversed.

If he cultivated here, he might finally bring that same balance within himself!

"So, do I get to… keep seeing you every single time I come here to cultivate?" he asked.

The being paused, seemingly unfazed by the boy's words.

"This is only a single encounter," it replied calmly.

"What you see before you is but my remaining consciousness. I've been the thread holding this realm together. Once I fade, this place will begin to shrink piece by piece, until you are strong enough to take control of it yourself."

Darien got excited at the thought of his own realm.

Owning realms wasn't something even Magi Paragons could dream of.

He imagined weaving this realm to his own will, but he also wondered what the time scale was compared to the main world.

But then, with his usual curiosity, he rubbed his chin and asked, "So… how do I leave?"

"Just by will alone," came his answer.

This meant that he could easily enter and leave the realm at any time.

"I want to master Water and Fire first," Darien said with determination. "I'll prepare myself properly before coming here again."

He had spent his stamina uselessly sitting on his inn room's floor, and activating the sphere seemed to drain his strength.

The boy wanted to replenish himself with food and rest before returning. This time, he would stay until he succeeded.

He also planned to calculate the time scale to avoid losing track and spending excessive hours here.

He might have spent two days here already, and he didn't even know.

"Thank you for the privilege," Darien said to the shimmering humanoid with a bow as he focused on the thought of leaving.

The avatar remained still, saying nothing, only watching as the boy focused his will to leave.

Gradually, Darien began to fade, his body dissolving slowly into a soft haze of white light.

Water, fire, wood, earth, wind, lightning, ice… all these basic elements shouldn't be difficult.

The avatar observed in silence, expecting that the young mortal would claim dominion over this realm within days and advance to the next phase of his summoning—

If his dexterity was as sharp as his tongue.

As Darien faded completely from the realm, the shimmering being pondered about him.

It wondered why Darien wasn't docile and obedient. The boy was a warrior who thought for himself.

A defiant aspirant, however, was a dangerous one, one who might stray from the very purpose for which he had been summoned.

Hopefully, the young man would be consumed and corrupted by the power he was yet to attain.

The breadth of Primordial Forces affects every soul.

As these thoughts drifted through the avatar's mind, its glow intensified, swelling until it shattered into countless motes of light and cosmic dust, leaving the realm vacant with Energy alone.

Back in his inn room, Darien received an impatient knock on the door.

When he opened it, he was met by a dapper man who looked like a butler, holding his day's meal on a tray.

"I've been knocking for two minutes," the man said firmly.

"I'll answer quicker next time," Darien replied, taking the tray and closing the door in the man's annoyed face.

It turned out the time scale between his world and the realm wasn't far apart, but it wasn't identical either.

Unlike the Primordial World, where time flowed exactly the same, this one seemed slightly displaced.

Darien calculated he had spent roughly ten minutes speaking with that cosmic avatar, meaning the scale was 5:1.

This was an archaic world, so Darien couldn't make precise calculations, but that was still good enough.

He could tell more time had passed in the realm than in the real world.

It was perfect—more time there meant more cultivation time for him.

Storing the golden sphere back into his inventory, he refreshed himself and ate his meal in peace.

An hour later, the aspirant was ready to return.

Bringing out the sphere, he focused on it, and within seconds, light enveloped him.

His surroundings blurred, and he reappeared in the vast cosmic realm once more, now completely empty.

When he confirmed the avatar was truly gone forever, he smiled happily.