525 Chapter 523 (1/2)

”One more question... do you know how many days, months, or years have passed on a planet called Earth since I arrived here?” Leon asked.

”This place works following a pre-determined set of rules since it is a place lost in time and space,” Sekundez explained. ”One of them is that the time passes according to the challenger's notion of time and level of power. It is hard to say how many days and nights you stayed here since there is no day or night, but according to the cycle of mana in your body, three hundred and twenty-three days have passed since you appeared here.”

Leon bit his lips, that was roughly eleven months. The harvesters might have already arrived on Earth. Still, there was a chance that he could return on time. Ilyana already proved that she wanted Leon as an ally, so she would do her best in order to help the human race and make Leon feel indebted to her. If she at least manages to protect his family and friends, her goal could be accomplished.

”I want your cooperation, not only your power,” Leon declared. ”What do I have to do to deserve that?”

”It is pretty simple, just keep your sanity while you experience the same amount of time and things I experienced so far,” Sekundez answered.

”... Will time continue to move at the same speed here and on Earth if I decide to take the test?” Leon asked. ”There is no meaning in obtaining your power if I return to Earth in thousands of years in the future.”

”You can rest assured, just like you can't afford to waste time, I also don't want to wait for so long to see if you deserve my cooperation or not,” Sekundez said. ”I will transport you to a place where the concept of time doesn't exist, so while you will experience thousands of years of solitude, only an instant will pass on this reality.”

”Thousands of years...” Leon said.

”Yes, I can't tell the precise amount of time you will have to stay there since that is also part of the trial,” Sekundez added. ”While you will be able to use powers and make them stronger, you won't be able to receive help from the spirits you already have with you.”

”Hey, this isn't fair,” Celsius protested.

”My, my... she wasn't joking when she said thousand years of solitude,” Undine said.

”I thought the mental torture couldn't become worse,” Volt said, and Leon felt the uneasiness in his voice. ”I was obviously wrong.”

”Right! It isn't fair!” Sylph said.