MTLNOVEL Chapter 256: Virtual Opponent Projection Chamber
The Ice Sovereign could sense the boy's surging emotions, making his answering of the question all the harder. "She's still alive," he said. "But to get to her with the soured relationship that your father has with someone very, very powerful, she might as well be no different from dead. It's highly likely that you'll never see her again in this lifetime, even with your unique Fate—"
"That's good," Cassius said with a relieved sigh.
"???"
"Did you not hear what I said, boy?" The Ice Sovereign asked. "Getting to see your Mother again will be more difficult than ascending Heaven itself. You know of the Dissonants, do you not? What they've been searching for? Why they're so keen on controlling you? It's all for the sake of getting to your Mother. Don't you understand?? With your Mother's kind and loving personality, she would've come to you as soon as she could, regardless of the danger. But do you know why she did not—"
"It doesn't matter," said Cassius, absorbing all the new information. "None of it matters. As long as she's alive and well, I'll figure out a way to bring her back. And as for those Dissonants…" shadows darkened his face as his aura grimly fluctuated. "Well, don't worry about them; I'll deal with it," he said, suddenly all smiles.
Even the extremely ancient Ice Sovereign felt a cold chill looking at that scary smiling expression of his. Yet, this only further solidified the belief that he was that man's son.
Shaking his head in mock exasperation, the Ice Sovereign said, "Very well. Then you'll wish to know where your Mother is being held, won't you?"
Cassius nodded.
Another sigh escaped the Ice Sovereign's lips as he motioned for the giant crystal to begin spinning again. "Your mother is being held there," he said, pointing at the massive, infinitely branched tree of splendor being reflected from the crystal's surfaces. "The Divine Sanctuary of Yggdrasil, or what is often referred to as the secret 8th Dimension of the Ascension Tower. Also being the most mysterious and eldest of the Dimensions."
Cassius's brows instantly furrowed seeing that tree and hearing its name. 'That place again,' he thought. 'If there has ever been a sign for anything, then this is that sign.'
"Well then," said Cassius. "It seems that in a few months, we'll be heading to the Divine Sanctuary of Yggdrasil. Only then will all these mysteries be unraveled."
"You don't mean the… Tournament of Yggdrasil held every century, do you?" asked the Ice Sovereign, sensing a bad premonition coming on.
And just as he feared, Cassius nodded. "Yes, I'm planning to enter the Divine Sanctuary of Yggdrasil and participate in the 7-day-long Ascension Tower-wide Tournament," he said. "The one that begins approximately two and a half months from now. Also one that I'll be winning."
"...."
"Following in your Father's footsteps," the Ice Sovereign mumbled to himself.
"What was that?"
"Nothing," the Ice Sovereign said with a sigh. "Still, you really are insane, aren't you? You're aware that the most talented heirs and young masters of the 7—no, 8—dimensions will be participating, aren't you? They will all surely be at the peak of the SSS-Rank, with a few even possessing battle power beyond their Rank."
"Kid," he said seriously. "You'll be fighting opponents with power equivalent to that of a Transcendent. As you are now, I'm afraid…"
"There's two months and a half until the Tournament begins, no?" asked Cassius.
"Yes, but what does that change—"
"It changes everything," Cassius said. "Such a period of time is more than long enough for me to surprise everyone. Trust me on this one."
Silence.
It was only after a while that the Ice Sovereign broke the silence with the cracking of a crooked grin. "You really are his kid," he said almost hysterically. "Well, regardless of whether you actually can accomplish the impossible, I'll tell you right now that you have a tribulation you have to overcome here first. In this small, isolated plane I built on the behest of your Father for your sake, the Nexus Event dangerously nears. You're surely in for quite a challenge when the following days come around, as it'll certainly seem like all of existence is against you. With your unique Destiny, this much is certain."
"!!!" 'The creator of this plane!? Then, that means he is—'
Noticing the young man's drastic change in expression, the Ice Sovereign faintly smiled. His wrinkled face and decrepit body began to rapidly contort and morph into something far more youthful. All signs of old age disappeared in an instant. Appearing from the top of his forehead to his nose bridge were three progressively smaller ink tear droplets. In addition to his curled eyebrows and whirly mustache, the ink droplets finished off his scholarly look very well.
"You asked for my name," said the handsome scholarly man, his eyes closed and his smile benevolent. "It is the Great Sage—the one who endlessly pursues Immortality. And this Isolated Solar System as well as everything within it were things I created in my free time."
Before Cassius could pop up any more questions, the ethereally floating man conjured a small golden scroll. "Here, treat it as both a meeting and farewell gift," he said, dropping the radiantly glowing scroll in Cassius's hands. "Hopefully, it'll assist you on the arduous journey that lies ahead of you."
"Wai—" But before Cassius could finish his words, the smiling Great Sage vanished, leaving behind Cassius, the crackling fireplace, an Ice Palace, and a… scroll.
Looking down at this scroll, Cassius was surprised to hear a System Notification:
*Ding!*
[Obtained the EX+++ Rank Technique Scroll 'Virtual Opponent Projection Chamber' or VOPC for short]
— [Would you like to begin the Automatic Learning process of the Skill? This will also be your first use of Idle Benefit #7—Automatic Learning Idle Benefit.]
— [Allows the wielder to simulate a virtual dimension and put within that dimension temporary projections of opponents whom the wielder wishes to simulate battles with.]
Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire
— [Effectiveness of the Technique depends on the comprehension and proficiency the Wielder has of the Technique.]
[System note: This Technique is similar to the System's 8th Idle Benefit, but still inferior, hoho~!]
"This…"