Re-Awakening: I Became a Pay To Win Boss Monster

Chapter 577: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (idk)

It didn’t take long for Rael to find yet another past ruler, but there was just one teeny-tiny problem.

The shadowy figure in front of him was by a lake in the garden, its legs crossed and unmoving. This ruler seemed to be in deep concentration, so much so that no matter how many times Rael poked it, it wouldn’t reply.

“Hey, if you can hear me, can you give me a test or something?” Rael asked, sitting down beside the figure.

But even then, the figure didn’t move or reply.

Noticing that this one might be a lost cause, Rael was about to stand up and search for another ruler. However, it was almost like his ass was glued to the ground.

He thought of turning back time by a couple of seconds, but if he did more than 3 seconds, his mana would go poof.

And I don’t want my mana to go poof right now. Rael sighed, relaxing.

“Is this your trial?” he mumbled. “Do you want me to just sit around here and wait for you to wake up? Or do you want me to meditate as well?”

“…”

“Good talk.”

Leaning back, Rael hummed to himself, secretly trying to teleport somehow. However, that, of course, didn’t work either.

He really was stuck on the ground beside this ruler.

Maybe this lad here was a monk of sorts? Hmm… Well, since I’m already here, I might as well indulge him.

With that in mind, Rael covered both the figure and himself in his Time Domain. Since it was so compact, Rael didn’t have to worry about the mana cost. Also, since it was so small, he could distort the time further.

So now, every year he spent in here would roughly be a minute on the outside. It was a cheat, sure, but he didn’t really age anymore because of his races.

Speaking of…

I should be able to merge all of my races when I’m done here. Well, except the dragon race since that’s a little on the nose, Rael thought, and after sitting upright, closed his eyes.

He really wasn’t some monk who could sit around for so long doing nothing, so he opted to try practicing his mana and laws in the meantime.

Yet he very quickly realized that he couldn’t even manifest his mana anymore. The only thing he had some control over was the Time Domain itself.

And only then did Rael realize the ruler’s intent.

He wanted Rael to gain discipline.

Unlike the previous ruler, which wanted him to stay true to his identity, this one went about it in a more roundabout manner.

But in the end, since the Time Domain was in place and no actual fighting was involved, Rael decided to give it a go.

After all, just how bad could it be sitting in place?

Right…?

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Some time had passed, and by now, Rael was lying flat on the ground, his back hurting from sitting uncomfortably.

If he had to estimate, a few weeks had gone by. Maybe a month, but definitely not more.

And yet, the ruler still hadn’t moved.

“You know, if you wanted me to sit around here for such a long time, you could’ve at least let me come to you last. Now I’m just kind of wasting my time here.”

For the first time since he sat down, Rael heard the ruler’s breathing. It was calm and strangely rhythmic. But just as fast as he heard it, the ruler’s breathing stopped, and silence once again returned.

But Rael wasn’t dumb enough not to catch onto the hint. Those breaths were likely a breathing technique of sorts, and so he went ahead and copied it. Follow current novels on ɴovelfire.net

At first, he found it difficult. Every time he took a wrong breath, he felt his lungs compress, sending a wave of pain through his body.

However, after what felt like several days, Rael finally got the hang of it, managing to complete one set of the breathing technique.

To his genuine surprise, it felt like his whole body was rejuvenated. It was a different kind of healing from what he was used to since instead of mending his wounds, it was almost like it mended his spirit.

And it also gave him the energy to sit up again and sit silently. Once again, he was back in a meditative state, feeling exactly like he felt when he first began his meditation nearly a month ago.

Time passed once again, and after a while, he began feeling fatigue once again. But he was prepared to counter it.

Performing the breathing technique, he was once again rejuvenated.

He didn’t stop there, however, as he continued using the breathing technique over and over again, practically turning blind to how much time had passed.

And just like that, Rael sank into meditation.

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<Ding!>

Hearing the bell chime he hadn’t heard in so long, Rael slowly opened his eyes, feeling as though his body had been reborn.

But not only that, his beard had completely enveloped him, extending several meters around him.

Yet despite that, his mind was strangely clear, so much so that he soon realized the ruler that had been beside him earlier had vanished.

And it was very clear why the ruler had vanished when he looked up at the pop-up.

<Objective: Be acknowledged by 3 of the former rulers within 3 hours.>

<Current progress: 2/3>

“15 hours?” Rael muttered, rubbing his temples.

But then, he froze.

He had said those words out loud without really taking in their meaning. And only then did the long beard and the passage of time come back to him.

“One year inside is a minute outside…” Rael’s gaze hardened as he suddenly stood up.

His clothes were dirty and old, so he quickly got naked, tossing them aside and destroying them by imbuing the Law of Plasma and Law of Destruction within his Time Domain.

Not only that, he used the two laws on himself, or rather, his abnormally long beard, hair, and the stink.

After he was done, he bought a set of new clothes from the Premium Shop, then dispelled his Time Domain.

Just then, the aroma of the surroundings hit him, refreshing his body. However, his breathing, which had previously been normal, was now following the technique the ruler had taught him.

It wasn’t a skill, nor did it use mana. It was just a simple breathing exercise, which greatly confused him.

But his mind was elsewhere, especially after glancing at one tab in particular inside his status screen.

Age: 93 → 993 years

“Well… shit.”