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Mai seemed extremely unhappy as it took me just an hour and a half to ruin the living room configuration in Nexus beyond normal repair. Though she didn't voice it, her tone made it clear that she was furious.

"Master~ Would you allow me to clean up the mess you made?" Mai finally asked, in an eerie tone that made me realize the extent of the damage caused by my ninety minutes of research.

Feeling embarrassed, I coughed awkwardly and replied, "Please do."

"As you wish, Master~" Mai replied cheerfully, before swiftly engraving cleaning enchantments into every nook and cranny of the room. She erased all the blood and guts littering the floor and furniture, leaving the living room spotless.

As I reflected on the last ninety minutes spent experimenting with [Creature Creator], I could only utter one phrase: "This. Skill. Is. Insane."

After creating my first creature with the skill, I gained more than just the ability to create life. I also earned a new title to reflect my newfound powers.

[Life Weaver]

- The user's creations possess a natural affinity towards the user and are fiercely loyal to them.

- The user's creations are imbued with a fierce vitality, making them highly resilient and adaptive.

- The user's creations become capable of reproducing, allowing them to propagate and spread throughout the world.

- The user can create creatures that are attuned to specific elements or forces of nature, allowing them to learn how to manipulate and control them.

As I tinkered with [Creature Creator], I felt like I was reliving my Spore-playing days, but with the added thrill of real-life consequences and even more creative freedom. The skill was simply insane! I could create beasts, monsters, animals, or even humanoid entities, customizing them down to the last proteins and lipids. It was an imagination-based process that required a deep understanding of biology and all its functions.

But my first few attempts were disappointing. Without proper circulation or neural systems, my initial creations simply rolled over and unceremoniously died. It took me a few tries, but I finally succeeded in creating a mundane snail. It functioned like a snail, moved like a snail, and ate like a snail. However, it had an embedded magical core in its shell, which, once removed, caused the snail to stop moving and die moments later.

Unyielding and undaunted, I persevered and ascended the hierarchical ladder of creation, birthing forth a tiny avian marvel. In mere instants from its inception, this wondrous creature took to the air, demonstrating its primal prowess as it gracefully soared across the room. Yet, in a heart-stopping instant, it met an abrupt collision with an unyielding barrier, the living room wall itself, imposing its unwavering presence upon the delicate creature. With a resounding crack, its fragile neck succumbed to the forceful impact. Astonishingly, the resilient entity refused to succumb to defeat, swiftly rising from the aftermath as if unfazed, mending its shattered bones with a resounding crunch, and ascending once more into the air.

As I continued to experiment with the [Creature Creator], there were both successes and failures. Each creation cost a nice quantity of mana, and its requirements increased with the complexity and size of each creation. Despite some setbacks, I discovered that the creatures I created, even without the title, had a tendency to follow my commands, as if they knew I was their creator. Yet, even with the title, I had no complete control over them, and they often acted like normal animals. Although, if I could grant a creature enough cognitive capacity I could probably communicate with it. I could even use [Mental Domain] and teach it a language, or I could simply engrave runes into its body to gain complete control over it. There were countless possibilities, and I truly fell in love with the skill.

One of the most exciting aspects of this skill, however, was that even though the skill did state that they were the product of magic, the creatures were made of actual matter and not mana. Therefore, I could convert their DNA into race cards using the Race System, allowing me to create new races almost instantly.

[Unnamed Avian Race]

+1 AGI per Global Level

- Gain the skill [Mana Core], augmenting your mana generation and capacity, while tying directly into your life force.

At present, the only skill that I managed to acquire through my creation was not at all attractive, as it could potentially create a dangerous vulnerability for me. But fortunately, I had access to the Skill Management System, which allowed me to remove the skill completely.

However, there was also a disappointing aspect to the skill. I needed to test it out with Olivia, but to my dismay, the skill did not provide any experience points when a creature died by my hands. As a result, I couldn't endlessly create and farm creatures for experience points, although the materials they provided could be useful, they could also be reproduced with the replicator and a bit of mana.

On a side note, my guess was correct, [Disassemble] worked on carcasses.

Despite my many attempts at experimentation, there were certain things that I simply couldn't make the skill produce. While I was able to acquire some information about exotic alien lifeforms through the replicator's database, my knowledge of biology was limited to mundane animals found in non-magical worlds. So, sadly, my creations, couldn't have any inborn magical trait. Don't get me wrong, with the title I could give them fire affinity or water affinity, but that didn't do anything without creating proper mana channels for them, and currently, I had no idea how they should look or work within a non-humanoid entity.

Keeping this in mind, I set myself a new goal - to gather as much biological information as possible about magical creatures. To achieve this, I needed to visit a world where these types of creatures were abundant and collect biological data on them.

Upon further reflection, I realized that there was one particular creature in this world that I had yet to encounter in person. Despite its rarity, I was confident that at least five of these creatures were still alive somewhere on the surface, as even the quest system had confirmed it. I decided that this creature would be my primary target for gathering biological information, at least in this world, and I made plans to locate and study them as thoroughly as possible.

[Fall of the Kings| Description: Kill or Tame, the Five Dragon Kings. 0/5| Reward: 4,000 WP]

As my time with the skill drew to a close, and after Mai had cleaned up the room, I picked up where I had left off before being interrupted by the invaders, and delved deep within the task of becoming a temporal singularity.

Thanks to the evolution of my [Physics] skill and my newfound understanding of time, I realized that I had three options. The first option was to take the mad scientist route and create a Tachyon particle chamber that would bombard my body with tachyons, in an attempt to separate myself from the time stream. However, this approach was extremely risky, as it could put my life on the line and the result was not guaranteed.

The second option was to attempt Quantum entanglement with an object or a person. However, this approach was also risky, as it would create an unnecessary vulnerability for me. If anyone found the object and destroyed it, I could cease to exist. Also, it felt like the equivalent of a Lich's phylactery, and that idea repulsed me. While having a soul bond with someone is useful in more ways than one, tying my whole existence to someone, even if I fully trusted them, was utterly foolish.

The third, and in my opinion, the best option, was to wrap myself in a blanket of time separated from the rest of reality. Fortunately, creating this temporal bubble didn't require designing a machine or even an enchantment. Instead, it demanded tremendous concentration, unwavering dedication, and a lot of power, which I thankfully held enough of.

I possessed several skills that could assist me in accomplishing my goal. [Mana's Blessing] flared up first, quickly followed by [Intuitive Aptitude], [Adapt], [Focus], [Archive], and [Parallel Processing], boosting my attributes, concentration, thinking speed, and information analysis ability to the utmost level.

I settled into a seated position, crossed my legs, and closed my eyes. [Space-Time Manipulation] and [Time Affinity] sprang into action as I allowed my senses to expand and interact with the temporal plane of existence. I sensed the fabric of time, an endless branching line of reality, shift around me, and I began to forcefully manipulate it.

The concept of past, present, and future blurred together, leaving only a momentous now that reverberated through time and space. I was awestruck, and the sheer enormity of it almost overwhelming me. Yet I refused to be deterred from my mission, instead focusing all of my energy on the task at hand.

With unwavering determination, I grasped the timeline with all my might, while channeling tens of millions of points of mana into [Time Affinity]. The resulting ripples echoed throughout the fabric of time, propelling me forward as I surged toward my goal. The walls of the Nexus began to crumble, disintegrating into dust within milliseconds as the force of my power consumed everything in its path.

But I didn't stop there. The very atoms around me were reduced to nothingness as entropy devoured the last vestiges of energy. And at that moment, as everything disintegrated around me, I refused to be swayed from my purpose. With a resounding crack, I shattered the very fabric of time and propelled myself forward. The world around me dissolved into nothingness, replaced by a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes, yet somehow, a complete void.

Here, in this timeless space, every instant of reality occurred simultaneously, yet never. Here time itself held no meaning at all. Existence had no definition, and yet, somehow, I felt an overwhelming sense of belonging... I felt... At home.

As I stood in the vastness of that eternal realm, I felt its pulsating energies envelop me in a warm embrace, and saturating every fiber of my being. Suddenly, a primal force surged from deep within, setting off a chain reaction that ignited the world around me. Time and space dissolved in the face of the raging energies that consumed everything in their path, lifting me up to a new, elevated level of existence.

And then, in a burst of euphoria, it happened. The words flashed before me:

[Skill: [Temporal Singularity] gained.]

[Chains of infinity broken.]

[Tier of your being has increased to 4.]

My heart raced as I realized that this was the very skill I had sought. A thrill unlike any other shot through me, leaving me breathless and shaking.

[Temporal Singularity LVL: N/A]

- The user's existence becomes unbound by the constraints of time, allowing them to exist only in their own present.

- The user becomes immune to paradoxes, time loops, temporal locks, and temporal erasure, as they are no longer bound to any timeline.

But it was not just the power of the skill that made me feel alive. In this limitless expanse, I found myself enveloped in a sense of peace and clarity that I had never known before. The turmoil and confusion of the outside world faded into nothingness, replaced by an all-encompassing serenity. Here, I could bask in the boundless possibilities that lay before me, unencumbered by fear or doubt. And as much as I wanted to explore those infinite horizons, a part of me longed to stay, to remain forever in this transcendent state.

Amidst the tranquil calm of that boundless realm, I sensed a subtle pull, a connection that tugged at my consciousness and refused to let go. At first, I resisted, not wanting to relinquish the peace that enveloped me. But as I delved deeper, the truth dawned on me.

This was not my place to stay, at least not yet.

Though it pained me to leave behind the serenity of that timeless place, I knew that my journey was far from complete. There were still battles to be waged and obstacles to be conquered in the realms beyond, and I was ready to meet them with all the strength and courage I could muster.

As the tug I felt grew stronger, I felt a sense of anticipation building within me, as I knew Olivia was waiting for me. Even though I was leaving behind the infinite potential of the timeless realm, I knew that I was taking with me a newfound strength and understanding that would serve me well in the trials ahead.

So, with a renewed sense of purpose and a heart full of excitement, I focused my mind and shattered space and time stepping back into reality, ready to embrace the infinite possibilities of the world around me.

As I materialized into existence, chaos erupted around me. Flares blazed, alarms blared, and the air was thick with the smell of burning circuits. Millions of runic inscriptions littered the floor as Mai, unable to contain the gaping hole in reality that my reckless experimentation had caused, had opted to trigger the self-destruct sequence.

As I gazed into the abyss before me, a sense of trepidation washed over me like a tidal wave. The darkness seemed to emanate a palpable malevolence, and a nagging feeling of familiarity tugged at the corners of my consciousness. But try as I might, I could not place the source of my unease.

My mind raced, spurred into action by the gravity of the situation. With a burst of willpower, I called forth my skills and focused all my strength on gripping the tear in space with all my might.

"Cancel self-destruct, Mai!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the chaos around me.

This was no ordinary rift in space, I realized with a sense of dread. This was the result of my most catastrophic experiment yet, a catastrophic fusion of the planes of time and space that had left a gaping wound in the fabric of reality. Space itself was struggling to repair the damage, but the overwhelming energies pouring through the breach prevented it from doing so, causing the rift to rapidly expand.

The very fabric of reality threatened to unravel, as the boundless abyss loomed over my small sanctuary, ready to consume it entirely. But I refused to let that happen. With every fiber of my being, I channeled my immense power, drawing upon my mastery of [Dimensional Wave Manipulation], [Space-Time Manipulation], and [Space Affinity], to seize hold of the very fabric of space itself.

Sweat poured down my face as I strained against the overwhelming force, refusing to give up in the face of certain destruction. As the rip slowly began to shrink, the pressure of the escaping energies intensified, and the process grew harder and harder with each additional centimeter. But I held fast, clinging to the very edge of possibility, as I poured every last ounce of power I had into the effort.

Just when I thought all was lost, a breakthrough occurred. My [Space-Time Manipulation], which had previously stood at level 99, finally reached its evolutionary threshold, sending out a devastating shockwave that shattered the limits of my power. With a thunderous snap, space itself was forced closed and mended back together, averting disaster.

I breathed in deeply, feeling the rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins. Despite the danger, I couldn't deny the thrill of using my abilities to manipulate space and time on such a grand scale. It was a reminder of the power that I possessed and the responsibility that came with it.

"Wow, that was intense," I muttered to myself, a grin spreading across my face.

Mai's voice broke through my thoughts, "Master, repairs have been initiated. The estimated time for completion is two days."

I nodded in approval, grateful for Mai's efficiency. "Good work, Mai. And the cost?"

"One hundred million points of mana," she replied.

I winced at the high cost but knew that it was a small price to pay compared to the potential consequences of my actions.

With a sense of satisfaction, I turned my attention back to the newly evolved skill, [Space-Time Manipulation]. The power it had displayed during the crisis was incredible, and I couldn't wait to see what new possibilities it would unlock for me in the future.

[Space-Time Manipulation II LVL: 100/200]

- Enables the user to manipulate space and time to their will with greater precision and control.

- The user can manipulate the fabric of space and time on a larger scale, allowing them to warp, bend, or fold it to their will.

- The user can manipulate gravity on a larger scale and create gravitational waves that can propagate through space.

- The user can create and manipulate cosmic strings, which can have a significant impact on the structure of the universe.