After a comprehensive maintenance, the Dawn's Voice was returned to port.
This comprehensive maintenance cost Alka and his crew 50 gold sails.
Fortunately, it was worth it. The Dawn's Voice now looked like it had just left the factory, completely refreshed.
A faint melody could be heard all day long.
This good girl was in a wonderful mood.
For Alka and his crew, spending money on a boat was completely acceptable.
They didn't feel the slightest bit of pain.
Not to mention, Alka and Simon were watching the entire maintenance process.
These shipbuilders had no fear of their methods being leaked, as they weren't particularly skilled.
They had already learned some techniques and were incorporating them into their daily maintenance routine.
But they also confirmed that the 50 gold sails were indeed worth it.
Because the cost of the materials alone, from what they knew, would be at least 30 gold sails.
So the difficulty wasn't the technique itself, but the expense involved.
These people truly only cared about earning a hard-earned income.
No wonder they weren't worried about others stealing their skills.
If they wanted to learn, they could, since several of the materials were unique to this island.
It was a win-win situation anyway.
Meanwhile, Alka was sitting in the ship's observation room, sitting cross-legged and floating in the air.
The magic gathering stone above his head was distributing the magic energy it absorbed from the surroundings around him.
The magic energy was pouring into Alka's body at a visible speed, making him like the eye of a whirlpool.
And his aura was steadily rising.
However, absorbing such a large amount of magic power also brought a visible burden to Alka. Sweat dripped from his head like a stream, forming a small puddle below.
Such a fluctuation of magic power eventually alarmed everyone on the ship.
Although the fluctuation caused by the third stage of advancement was not large, it was at least felt on the ship.
"Is Alka advancing?" Jason asked, looking up at the observation room at the top of the mast.
"Didn't he say it would be in a few days? We've been on this island for four or five days now, haven't we?"
"I didn't expect him to be so much faster than me. I have to speed up too," Simon said, feeling his internal organs.
The speed of strength improvement brought by two treasures is indeed faster than that of just one treasure, not to mention Alka's greater soul strength and his efficiency in absorbing magic power is also higher than theirs.
If they don't speed up, they will only be left further and further behind.
Although everyone was chatting, they had already taken up positions on the deck, guarding Alka.
In the observation room, Alka's absorption of magic power slowed down.
But the spiral circuits within his body were already undergoing a different transformation, just as they had during his transition from Stage One to Stage Two.
The overlapping spirals, each consisting of three spirals, began to tighten, eventually folding together completely.
This became a combination of nine spirals, and a brand new spiral circuit appeared at the periphery. Its tiny size, compared to the surrounding circuits, looked unusually awkward.
But the appearance of this spiral also signaled that Alka was attempting to break through Stage Two and enter Stage Three.
The absorption of magic power was about to stop, and Alka, floating, landed on his feet.
His clothes were completely soaked, clinging to his body. He looked at the small puddle of water formed by his sweat at his feet.
Alka waved his hand to clear it away. "Huh."
He let out a long breath.
The changes brought about by the increase in strength hadn't completely stopped. The surge of mana was strengthening his physique.
At this rate, the changes might continue until tomorrow morning.
This might lead to instability in his power, so he needed to be well prepared.
He turned off the magic gathering stone.
He opened the door and swung down the rope.
Several people on the deck were already waiting for Alka.
"Congratulations."
"Haha, thank you, but I'm exhausted. I need to go back to my room and rest."
Alka waved briefly to everyone and returned to his room.
He showered, changed into clean clothes, and lay down on the bed.
He sank completely into the mattress.
"Comfortable..."
The physical and mental exhaustion from his promotion caused Alka to sink into a dream after just a short while in bed.
Exhausted, Alka didn't even wake from his dream, instead enjoying a rare, normal sleep.
When he opened his eyes again, it was already dark outside, with only the faint glow of starlight filtering through the window.
A food box sat on the table next to him, its edges gently warming it with spells.
It seemed he had slept quite a bit.
His stomach growled.
Hungry, Alka ate quickly. The food was specially prepared by Juanlu, ingredients designed to quickly restore his physical strength and magicka.
As the food went down, Alka felt much better, his strength returning.
He lay back on his bed.
He began to carefully examine his body, observing any changes since before.
The magical boost had passed, and the resulting physical improvement was now fixed.
The feeling of ever-increasing power had vanished.
Compared to the second stage, Alka's physical condition was now even stronger.
He clenched his fist and gently waved it through the air.
Instantly, the air crackled, and the wind from his fist swayed the lantern hanging on the bedside table next to him.
"Guess I'll have to get used to it for a while."
The upgrades from one spiral to another didn't bring about significant changes in physical condition, so it was easy to adapt.
But the changes from one stage to another were more dramatic, requiring time to adjust to the new power.
The spiral within his body was slowly spinning.
Feeling this rotation, Alka frowned. As it spun, the surrounding magic power was automatically drawn into his body, a portion of which would be used to increase his strength.
The magic power brought by the rotation was indeed much greater than before. But the problem was... the amount of magic power he could absorb into his body had decreased.
‐‐ Compared to before, it had increased, but compared to his current total strength, it was far less.
‐‐ Sensing this change, Alka immediately sat up, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.
‐‐ As meditation runes appeared within his body, stabilizing the magical energy channels, the surrounding magic power began to slowly flow into Alka's body.
‐‐ After a short while, Alka stopped meditating and opened his eyes.
‐‐ "The speed at which I absorb magic power has slowed... The amount of magic power I can absorb into my body has also decreased."
‐‐ This discovery made Alka ponder.
‐‐ If this change wasn't unusual, but rather normal,
‐‐ this meant that the third stage's strength increase would no longer be as rapid as before.
‐‐ This was what Baraz had described as a bottleneck.
‐‐ The rapid increase in strength during the second stage and before kept his magic power in a perpetually volatile state.
It was for this reason that Baraz discovered something was amiss with Alka and the others.
At that time,
Compared to spending time calming the surge of mana, spending time meditating was clearly more helpful in improving strength.
So, unless there was a problem, most people would choose to meditate quickly until they reached the perfection of the second stage, when the advantage disappeared.
Then they would spend time stabilizing their already slowed and difficult-to-improve strength.
Stabilize it, and then achieve a breakthrough.
Now, at the third stage, such rapid strength gains were no longer possible.
To achieve even a slight increase in strength, one had to stabilize their mana again, or rather, they could only do so because there was nothing else to do.
And this change taught Alka something new.
For those who possessed treasures, their treasures would also participate in the absorption and conversion of mana during meditation.
This is also why those who possess treasures improve much faster than those who don't.
If the strength increase and magic power absorption rate from meditation is 1,
Due to differences in physical constitution and talent, the standard of 1 will certainly fluctuate, but the difference won't be too great.
A Holy Grail-level treasure will add an additional 1 to this, and the difference will vary depending on the level of the treasure.
For example, Arca's Mirror only adds 0.9, while the Dreamcatcher adds 1.2.
This is the difference caused by the different levels of the treasure.
Among the treasures controlled by everyone, the one with the greatest bonus is Jason, who recently experienced a change due to the birth of the Crystal Dragon.
The Crystal Dragon's appearance gave Jason an additional 1.5, but the problem is that the Crystal Dragon is clearly not a "treasure" that can be judged by common sense.
She is a true ancient creature, and even in her infancy, she was a treasure.
Among normal treasures, the one that provides the greatest boost is Pororo's [Winter Flower], with a bonus of 1.3.
The lowest is Lucilia's Flag, at 0.9, but slightly lower than Alka's 0.9.
According to calculations, the bonus for Holy Grail-level treasures should be between 0.8 and 1.3.
Think back to the treasure information when the [Winter Flower] was obtained.
The most powerful batch of Holy Grail-level treasures.
The reason for such precise calculations isn't because they're particularly powerful, but entirely because they've obtained the legacy of the Vastva city-state.
Those blue dots bring incredible items and knowledge.
These blue treasures aren't necessarily meant for combat; they each fascinate in their own right.
A ring-shaped device appeared in Alka's hand. It was double-layered, with a light blue line of magic running down the middle.
After channeling magical power to control it, Alka entered meditation again.
The device began observing and recording nearby.
After meditating for only a minute, Alka stopped.
He began collecting data from the "Soul Detection Ring."
This was one of the blue treasures they had obtained from Vastva, allowing them to collect precise data about the body.
It could almost be called a universal human body detection device.
It was a brand-new, well-preserved experimental device. Because it was stored in a special storage box, it had survived tens of thousands of years within the overlapping space without damage.
It was primarily used by Alka, Simon, and Matresa.
They were the only three who had such a need.
And it was incredibly useful.
As the data came in.
"Only 0.2? Such a significant decrease!" The feedback surprised him.
The 1 increase in individual strength that had once been achieved had been reduced to a mere 0.2.
The third stage seemed to make it even more difficult to convert magic power into the body, like a bottleneck hindering it.
However, the changes brought about by magic power in the feedback had not decreased, remaining unchanged.
He picked up his notebook and wrote down his findings. After some thought, he wrote down his speculation at the end.
"Based on the data changes described above, the strength increase of those who have touched upon the third stage will be greatly slowed.
However, the increase brought about by the treasure has not decreased. This means that those who possess the treasure will be far ahead of those of the same level in the third stage.
At some point, normal touchers will have little chance of further strength increase, and they will need the treasure to advance.
There may also be other means..."
He wrote his speculation in the notebook.
To verify this, he would only need to ask Baraz later.
This wasn't information worth hiding.
Simon will also advance to the third stage in a few days. Whether this is an isolated case will be apparent from his changes.
Therefore, the treasures of the others on board must be quickly put on the agenda.
Jason already possesses a treasure thanks to the birth of the Crystal Dragon. If he wants to possess a treasure, he must ensure that it is compatible with the Crystal Dragon before he can use it.
It's like searching for a second treasure, creating a certain level of difficulty.
The only ones without a treasure right now are Juanlu, Julia, and Matresa.
Julia and Matresa have even reached the ninth spiral. Without a treasure,
Once they reach the third stage, their strength will stagnate.
Having understood this,
Alka began to examine the impact of his increased strength on his treasures. The mirror reappeared on Alka's face.
Then, the figure of the Dream Death appeared in the mirror.
Alka instantly transformed into the Dream Reaper, feeling the change in strength it brought.
The Dream Reaper still caused Alka's body to undergo various changes, but the enhancements were no longer as dramatic as those of the second stage.
Which meant that the high strength boost provided by this form was no longer there, but it was still a very useful transformation.
After all, the Dream Reaper's teleportation, the protection provided by the Light and Shadow Cloak, and the scythe that could damage souls were all very impressive.
Furthermore, he had no idea how to wield a scythe, but the Dream Reaper's scythe was like an arm, allowing him to manipulate it instinctively.
This undoubtedly improved his melee weapon skills.
He needed to find some more powerful creature to simulate, not necessarily one as comprehensive as the Dream Reaper.
Then, a mirror two meters tall and one meter wide appeared before Alka. Looking at the mirror before him, Alka swung his fist and punched it.
A heavy punch landed on the mirror, cracking it instantly, but it didn't shatter.
"The mirror's strength has improved, and its magical conductivity has improved."
"So... can my previous idea be realized?" Alka thought.
The mirror before him was repaired, and a rune, its exact shape unclear, appeared on the surface.
As the rune merged, the mirror rippled like water.
Alka gently raised his hand and reached in.
It was like reaching into the water, but no arm emerged from the back of the mirror.
At that moment, a mirror appeared behind Alka, its surface also rippled like water, but what emerged was Alka's Hand.
Observing this transformation, a smile crossed Alka's face.
"It works, it absolutely works. Since I can pass through with my physical body, then Sofia and the others can too."
The surprise on Alka's face was visible to the naked eye.
The reason for this effect was that the inscription on it was a spell Alka and his companions had obtained in the city-state of Vatva.
The original effect of the [Seal of Link] was to connect two objects.
The effect was vague, after all, it was a spell from 30,000 years ago.
According to Alka and his companions' research on Vastva literature, spells were not common in that era of the gods.
They generally used their own magic to communicate with the runes of nature, integrating it with nature's magic to produce even more powerful effects.
Simply put, they used methods similar to magic.
The spell was more of a supplementary tool.
But after the war of gods, the shattering of the world rendered magic useless.
Then the spell took center stage, though Alka and the others were unaware of the changes that had taken place.
Alka applied the spell to his own mirror, successfully linking the two mirrors.
Then Alka fused a very simple, yet inexplicably suitable spell.
[Wall Passage]: This spell allows one to pass through obstacles. The thickness and material of the obstacle will affect the mana required to cast the spell.
Alka had already completed this fusion during the second stage, but his magic power wasn't strong enough to control the [Linking Seal].
As a result, he could only use the form of the Dream Reaper to travel. The light and shadow cloak and the Dream Reaper's inherent dream attributes allowed him to reach from one mirror to the other.
While still effective, its effectiveness was greatly reduced.
Simply put, it's not that practical anymore.
Now that his strength has reached the third stage, his increased magic power and refined control of it have allowed him to successfully realize his vision.
"From now on, it'll be called the Mirror of Travel."
With the ability to allow others to travel through the mirror, his mirror maze tactics are becoming increasingly powerful.
Now it's no longer a mirror maze for one person. Given his current magical power and control,
When a real battle breaks out, he could definitely create a mirror maze covering the entire battlefield.
Coupled with Sofia's absolute darkness.
Thinking of this, Alka's expression grew increasingly ferocious.
With this kind of strength, he should be able to protect himself, right?
After understanding the changes in the mirror, Alka turned his attention to the Dreamcatcher.
However, figuring out the Dreamcatcher's changes in reality was clearly not easy.
Alka lay back down on the bed.
He closed his eyes and entered the dream world.
He opened them and was in his own dream bubble.
Behind him was a gigantic, irregular, transparent crystal, five meters tall and three meters wide. Inside the crystal, spirals of gold and silver energy intertwined, slowly rotating within the crystal like a pillar of light.
It was no longer just a tiny glimmer of light as before. Around the crystal pillar lay a vast amount of materials and various dream objects.
These were all spoils of war.
There was no other way.
After arriving in the Infinite Sea, there were so many dream creatures that even if he didn't actively hunt them, they would still come to haunt his dreams.
It could only be said that Alka was acting in self-defense.
He hadn't left at night to hunt for a long time. It was mainly because he had spent only a few dozen days and nights exploring almost every corner of the Broken Isle.
And every now and then, you'd spot a gathering place that inexplicably appeared in the distance, only to disappear the next day.
Alka looked at his dream bubble.
I'd been too tired to fall asleep just now, so I hadn't noticed it yet.
My dream bubble.
It had grown much larger, at least twice as large as before.