9 The Interlude

At Kyros's death, his soul began to change and gather energy.

All over the universe, the Ancients, the Fallen, the Gods, and other Divinities all felt the shaking of space.

"So he's finally dead... Time will finally revert. He will be born as a mortal, and when he dies, Time will finally be ours..." A Greater God smiled as he could feel the entire universe changing.

Time began to move backward at a quick pace. The grand spell of the Ancient God, Calaminus Slimus Eternal, was activating.

[Time Survivor] was activated.

Yet even though the gods. Devils and deities could feel it. They were helpless against this magic. Everyone knew this would soon happen. They had heard that Calaminus had already been cursed and became a mortal.

Some of these eternal beings tried to activate a special power to send their thoughts back through time, but without Calaminus guiding these souls, all the power they were sending back in time became lost.

Calaminus gazed at the soul of Kyros.

"You are still holding on, eh? We didn't find out who killed your parents, but that last confession really brought me to tears." Calaminus laughed.

Kyros didn't respond. He was spiraling through the universe and moving back in time. Such a state was very nauseating and strange that Kyros couldn't respond.

Calaminus laughed as he recalled the following events.

"It seems that De-Smart and De-Wise were weakened, and that gave you a rather smart idea. Brilliant! I can't wait to break those two curses in your reincarnated body!"

At those last moments, Kyros knew Mechiel had some terrible secret in her past. When Mechiel revealed that she was 'that' slave, it meant that Mechiel's past was full of suffering. Kyros didn't want that. Kyros hoped that his plan would succeed, and Mechiel would live a more comfortable life.

"You made it look like that she is your sworn enemy so that the Greater Gods will help her grow stronger. Since she will soon suffer from the effects of the curse Enemy of Fate, you are allowing her to be strong enough to resist it! Brilliant! You gave her name and made the Greater Gods focus on the realms of the Higher Planes! And that name! Brilliant! Well, I thought of it. But still, Cracky Battcheeks the Naked Offender! That is one amazing title!" Calaminus laughed.

"Those Greater Gods will exert effort in finding a Cracky Battcheeks! You are truly a genius! It seems that you are quite smart. So how about this! We have a few years of traveling like this. Let me train you to know. I will talk all about the things I know. From cultivation to skills, to items, weapons, alchemy, forging, beast taming. You name it! Hopefully, you can still listen to what I can say." Calaminus laughed.

"Now, let's see... what should we talk about first? Cultivation? Magic theory? The possibilities are endless! It's a good thing that the curses of De-Wise and De-Smart had weakened when I merged with your soul. This gives you more chances of hearing what I have to say." Calaminus pondered.

"I know! Since you are Cracky Battcheeks, the Naked Offender, let's talk about streaking! The art of running naked! And then, we will talk about the magnificence of exhibition! Oh! We also have the magic of nude art! We've got time! Let's talk about all these things!"

Calaminus began his lecture.

"Streaking is not just about running naked. It's about being comfortable! There is no better way of saying I am confident and I am comfortable than running naked! Clothes were invented to hide the shame. But if you are confident, you don't need clothes! You only need you!" Calaminus passionately explained.

Kyros was crying as he heard this lecture.

Months passed, and Calaminus continued to talk about various things he had learned about in the God realm. He talked about his most passionate hobby. He was a master herbologist and a famous alchemist, even among the gods.

"So basically, the poisonous herb is a cure to many known diseases! Most of the mortal world don't know about it! It's actually funny! Most gods laugh, and the more cruel ones try to gift these mortals the Pungent Shackling Poison Fruit, and they don't use it even if they are an inch away from death! You see, the Pungent Shackling Poison Fruit is poisonous, and even their stench can kill you if you inhale too much. But the seed of a ripe Pungent Shackling Poison Fruit can absorb several of the greatest mortal poisons around! The reason why a Pungent Shackling Poison Fruit is stinky is because of its ability to absorb the poisons of those around it! That's why these fruits only exist near poisonous places!" Calaminus explained.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!" Kyros roared.

"Oh? You can talk?"

"...! You can hear me?" Kyros wondered. He had finally managed to regain consciousness during the travel through time, but it was like he was suffering from a severe headache.

"Amazing! Could it be? Through our travel, the Soul Shackle was weakened? Well, that makes sense. Soul Shackle bounds the soul, but a soul traveling through time isn't staying in one place. Amazing! Your soul is strong enough to resist this place! How did you manage to stay awake? You nearly fell asleep three weeks ago."

"How can I not fall asleep! You kept ranting and making guesses of how Mechiel would live a poor life if I don't get better!"

Calaminus was a master storyteller and made guesses on how a Vampire of her bloodline ended up a slave in the Midlands. Calaminus made one horrifying story after another and used his imagination on how the Enemy of Fate curse would attack her at an early age.

His stories ranged from serving several disgusting, fat, and smelly perverted masters to being offered as a sacrifice to the Serpents of the Swamps, which was located on the Higher Planes.

"So it was helpful! Good to know! Look at you! Already talking to me! So have you heard what I kept ranting these past months?"

"I don't know... This place is very... difficult for me to sustain my consciousness."

"Of course it is! We are traveling not across distance but time itself! To me, it's easy, but to you, I bet you're hearing past, present, and future conversations being made in this space. The thoughts of your soul couldn't even stay at one point in time. It's surprising that you woke up, honestly."

"This is very uncomfortable. Do I really... have to stay this way for the trip? This is very exhausting."

"Hence I told you that it is only through will and determination that you can stay awake. You can give up right here, right now. And you will awake when you were reborn. But again, you might only awaken after whatever incident it was that took you out of your berserked state." Calaminus shrugged.

Kyros felt as if his head was constantly being split and pressed. The pain was so staggering. But he remembered Mechiel's last moments and how her beautiful lips curved into that smile.

"I will... persevere. Fine. Let's continue to talk. You said that the seed of the Pungent Shackling Poison Fruit could absorb the poison. Then wouldn't it be possible to create a weapon of poison by forging a sword with that seed used as a core?"

"You can't use a seed as a core! It's too weak!" Calaminus laughed.

"Yes. But around eighteen days ago, you said that one of the Saint Forgers believed that it is possible to create a weapon using seeds and soul fruits, but they don't have a working framework. Why not make an Earthen weapon? As long as the wielder has powerful Earth magic or can attach earth cultivating artifact on it, can't it sustain the fruit to grow and gather poison?"

"Are you even listening to yourself? How can Earth Element contain poison? The poison would corrode the Earth!"

"Use the ground where the Pungent Shackling Poison Fruit is grown. You said that plants always create a means to cultivate the ground for it to be capable of carrying its properties. Isn't that the basis for most god-tiered plants? A mortal level poison fruit ought to be the same. Also, is it possible for the Pungent Shackling Poison Fruit to reach a god-tiered level? A month ago, you mentioned this miracle. What if the Pungent Poison Fruit is cultivated to absorb poison slowly so that it can sustain itself from mortal to saint to god? Will that work?"

Calaminus wanted to rebut Kyros strongly. But fell silent on his statements. He realized that while it looked like Kyros was spouting nonsense, it was an educated question in truth.

"That... sounds possible... Wait. You can remember my words?"

"Sort of. Aren't we in a place where past, present, and future is compressed as one? I feel that if I keep thinking like this, I can ease the pain."

Calaminus looked at Kyros and began to feel a sense of dread.

"You're theories are wild and crazy. You're mistaken when you said those statements. But being wrong is a step close to being right! It's like you gave an incorrect answer to a math question that I asked. You didn't just randomly guess a number. You followed an equation, and while this equation is wrong, it shows you do understand the principles of the math!"

Calaminus fell into a trance as he began to pierce through the strange changing scenery around them as they traveled in time.

"Calaminus?" Kyros asked.

"Two years. This trip will still take two years! That's enough! Kyros. In this place, your memories are all jumbled up! But this is also an advantage! You can easily remember everything I said. This makes it easier for you to learn! So these two years... let's talk, debate, and argue about all the stuff I know! By constant discussion of these theories and facts, whatever memory we shape here might be instilled in your mind once we get out of this place!" Calaminus declared.

And so began the longest class in all of history.