Chapter 76: Discovered a Dungeon?
Ethan scooped up a small amount and hesitantly drank.
Nothing happened.
Ethan waited.
Still nothing.
He took another sip, then another, and suddenly, warmth spread through his entire body.
His eyes widened as the lingering fatigue from the Rift mission began disappearing almost instantly. The soreness that had remained in his muscles after pushing himself far beyond his limits faded away, while the dull aches he had been carrying since returning to the academy simply vanished.
Ethan straightened in surprise.
"What?"
He flexed his fingers, then his arms and shoulders, testing his body as he slowly realized that the exhaustion was gone.
Every trace of physical heaviness seemed to have been washed away.
He felt energized.
More than energized.
He felt as though he had just woken up after the best sleep of his entire life.
Ethan looked at the waterfall again with shining eyes.
"I found heaven."
He immediately scooped up more water and drank.
"This is heaven!"
He laughed, unable to contain his excitement.
He didn’t even know how to put it but, discovering a place like this felt almost unfair. Not that he cared.
He continued exploring, and the more he looked around, the more amazed he became.
Near the enormous tree standing at the center of the realm was a wide patch of fertile spiritual soil filled with small glowing shoots.
Ethan remembered what he had read in Aster’s book, and his eyes immediately lit up at the realization.
Higher-ranked Guides could cultivate spiritual fruits once their Mental Sea had developed enough to support them.
At his previous rank, he had not possessed enough spiritual stability to grow them properly, but now...
He crouched beside one of the patches and stared at the soil.
"So this is where I can grow spiritual fruits?"
The realization immediately made him grin.
I can finally start earning money once I grow fruits and start selling them!
Spiritual fruits were not ordinary fruits. Depending on their type and maturity, they could restore spiritual energy, strengthen the body, improve Mental Sea stability, assist with purification, and provide other effects that could greatly benefit a Guide.
A properly cultivated spiritual fruit could take weeks or even months to mature, but the stronger the Guide and the better the cultivation environment, the more efficiently the process could be carried out.
And this place...
Ethan looked around at the dense spiritual energy surrounding him. This place was practically overflowing with everything he needed.
"I’ll definitely start cultivating and growing some fruits when I have time."
His gaze shifted toward the enormous tree, and he watched as the tree itself seemed to be absorbing the spiritual energy in the surrounding environment, its roots buried deep into the earth while faint streams of light travelled through its trunk.
Ethan couldn’t explain why, but he had a feeling that the tree was important.
Very important.
He also noticed something else.
Lumi.
"Lumi?"
He looked around, searching the surrounding area, but there was no sign of the fluffy little spiritual companion.
"Lumi?"
A tiny ball of glowing light suddenly shot past his face.
Ethan flinched.
"Whoa!"
Lumi flew straight toward the enormous tree before circling around its trunk, apparently delighted with the new environment. She then disappeared into a patch of glowing flowers and began rolling around among them as though she had just discovered the greatest playground in existence.
Ethan stared at her, unable to help himself.
"So you like it here?"
Lumi popped her head out from between the flowers, her fluffy ears perking up before she nodded enthusiastically.
Ethan laughed.
"Of course you do."
It seemed his spiritual companion had already claimed this entire place as her own.
He watched her happily explore the realm, and something warm settled in his chest.
This was not merely a place where he could store spiritual energy. It was a place where Lumi could grow, where he could cultivate spiritual fruits, where he could recover his strength, and perhaps, as he became stronger, where he could build something of his own.
Ethan felt as though he had gained something that truly belonged to him, even though he didn’t know exactly what it was.
He glanced back toward the enormous gate, his curiosity returning as countless questions began filling his mind.
There were still countless things he didn’t understand.
Why had this world appeared?
Why was it inside his Mental Sea?
Why wasn’t anything like this mentioned in Aster’s book? Or was this the dungeon space Aster’s book had talked about?
And most importantly, what else could this place contain?
Ethan’s curiosity immediately began screaming at him to explore further.
Unfortunately, his body had other plans.
He suddenly yawned, a very long, very obvious yawn that made him blink in surprise.
"Ah..."
It was already late and he had classes tomorrow.
He had only just been moved into his new class, and he definitely did not want to arrive late on his first day, especially when he had finally escaped the grumpy instructors from his previous class.
"Fine."
He sighed reluctantly.
"I’ll explore the rest tomorrow."
Ethan took one last look around his strange new world before returning through the enormous gate.
He emerged back into his Mental Sea, and even now, the sight of the enormous spiritual ocean still made him feel a little dizzy with excitement.
He had actually advanced.
Not merely from F-rank to D-rank like before, but far beyond that.
His body had changed.
His senses had changed.
His Mental Sea had changed.
He had Lumi.
He had discovered an entire world hidden inside himself.
And he could finally cultivate spiritual fruits and earn money from it.
Whatever rank he had reached, Ethan knew one thing for certain.
He was no longer the same weak Guide who had entered the Imperial Academy.
He reluctantly left his Mental Sea and returned to his body before collapsing onto his bed.
"Tomorrow..."
He pulled the blanket over himself, already feeling sleep beginning to take over.
"Let’s see what a higher class holds for me."
For once, Ethan smiled at the thought of tomorrow.
At least he wouldn’t have to deal with those grumpy instructors like Alex from his previous class anymore.
With that comforting thought, Ethan closed his eyes and finally allowed himself to sleep.