A large magic mirror soared high in the sky.
The gentle breeze made the mirror move with unusual speed, gliding through the sky in a flash.
Atop the mirror...
Alka and the others sat there.
"I wonder what's become of Pororo and the others?" Juanlu couldn't help but ask.
He was following Alka and the others because they had previously stayed in Return Town.
When Alka was preparing to advance to the sixth stage, Jason and the others were still carrying out their mission and hadn't returned.
As for why Alka's advancement to the sixth stage was celebrated with such fanfare, it was because the Devouring Mouth would surely not miss such an opportunity.
Furthermore, Alka had been sensing increasing levels of hostility lately.
This guy had repeatedly sent cults and demons to attack Return Town.
Clearly, he knew Alka and the others had a special relationship with Return Town.
"According to them, they've already obtained the treasure. It took so long, but it's a reward, isn't it?
By the time we get back to town, they should be almost there."
Lucille said, leaning against Alka's lap.
She had just learned about Jason's situation through the puppet girls' internal network.
Yes.
Jason and his team had separated because they had formed a team to search for a treasure without Alka.
Of course, the treasure they were looking for was one Alka had already found on the map, a target they thought was obtainable and had sufficient information about.
That was one of the orange treasures Alka had previously thought was obtainable.
[Shattered Armor]: The quest wasn't difficult, nor did it require high skill.
At least it was within their capabilities.
They also knew the exact location, and the treasure information could reveal something.
The rest naturally depended on Jason and his companions' own efforts.
Alka's communication with them was limited to exchanging maps and information.
Jason and his companions searched for information related to the treasure, gathering information about its location.
They continued their search based on Alka's feedback.
Then, the information was relayed through the puppet girl. After Alpha learned the information, he expanded on the treasure's information and passed on his possible scenarios.
It must be said that this method was indeed feasible.
This wasn't the first time Jason and his companions had gone out alone.
This time, their target was an orange treasure.
As they chatted, Alka controlled the magic mirror to fly to the ground.
As everyone jumped down, the magic mirror stood upright, its surface twisting, transforming into a vortex like a portal.
"Is this still quite far away? Has your increased strength extended the distance you can teleport?" Sofia asked.
Alka nodded.
In the past, they would have needed to travel closer to Return Town in the magic mirror to reach it via mirror teleportation.
This was the kind of mirror teleportation that allowed them to quickly return to the ship.
Because this teleportation wasn't related to space, but primarily through dreams.
But now that he had reached the sixth stage, the process could naturally be accelerated significantly.
Everyone entered the mirror.
When they emerged, it was already Return Town.
Or rather, it could no longer be called Return Town.
It could be called Return Fortress or Return City without issue.
Because this city had far surpassed the scope of a town.
It had been about two years since Alka and his companions obtained the Cloud Staff, almost three.
During these two years, the Vastva people had, of course, been developing Return City, and Alka and his companions had been searching for treasures while also improving their own strengths.
With Vastvalen's rapid development, the city grew exceptionally fast.
The location chosen by Alka and his companions was quite strategic.
Here, there was a clean river; of course, the necessary removal of the Abyssal aura was essential.
There were two safe passages on either side of the temple. Although they weren't very close, the Vastvalens, with the help of Alka and the Stonehoof Clan, had built a road connecting the two.
They also deployed defense stations and more advanced weaponry, such as thermal weapons, along both sides of the road.
These two factors allowed them, with their limited strength, to at least withstand attacks from ordinary monsters.
If a demon attacked, the station could quickly report the news.
Additionally, Vastvalen's specialty was the construction of munitions, which made it a very bustling city.
Add to that the original construction by the Moon Worshipers, making the surrounding Abyssal aura much thinner than elsewhere.
For all these reasons, it was impossible for this city not to develop.
After all, this was a newly established city, and the Vastva people had proven their worth.
They were even implicitly considered human territory, not an alien race.
The place where Alka and his companions appeared was directly beneath the vast basement beneath the ruins of the former temple.
However, this basement had long since been expanded, now comprising three floors.
Various experimental research projects, as well as the most sophisticated technological production lines, were all located here.
As Alka emerged from the teleportation array,
Waku, who happened to be passing by, looked at Alka and smiled, "Congratulations, Master Alka."
Alka smiled and chatted with acquaintances, then left the basement and returned to their residence in the Honesty of Return.
A spacious, four-story building, with a vast courtyard, looked particularly unique, simple yet elegant.
A small manor in the city.
When Alka and the others pushed open the door, they entered the large living room on the first floor. Pororo and the others had already returned.
Matlisa saw Sofia and the others enter and smiled as she came over to hug them.
Alka and the others entered the living room and plopped themselves down on the sofa.
Jason sat on the other side of the sofa and looked at Alka.
"Congratulations! You've reached the sixth stage. Your meditation speed is getting faster and faster. What's going on?"
Jason had just reached perfection in the fifth stage a while ago, and it would take a little while before he could advance to the sixth stage, about a month or so.
You have to remember that his fusion and sharing with Urulius meant his advancement was already very fast.
But compared to Alka, he was always a step behind. There was a time when he was faster than Alka, but then Alka inexplicably became faster and faster.
Hearing this, Alka couldn't help but rub his brow.
"You seem to have forgotten I have another identity."
"But you've always been the king of the Dream Kingdom. Why are you growing faster now?"
"Then guess how big my kingdom is now?"
Hearing this, Jason suddenly realized.
It was mainly because Alka's Dream Kingdom was constantly under construction and expansion, so much so that he had almost forgotten that it was still rapidly developing.
Indeed, the expansion of the Dream Kingdom, which Alka had begun several years ago, hadn't yet been completed.
The expansion was exponentially greater.
But at least his dream had basically connected with the World Scar region.
This was also why his Devouring Mouth was able to unleash such incredible power during his current power boost.
They even manipulated a vast abyssal aura to attack him, forcing him to call upon his current trump card, the Great Elder, for assistance. This was because not only the Devouring Mouth, but even the rift connecting to the Abyss had sensed something was amiss.
Every demon could feel their strength dwindling at an imperceptible rate with each passing day.
And the massive entrance to the rift had clearly shrunk, at least a fraction smaller than it had been two years ago.
After investigating, the demons easily discovered that a vast kingdom had emerged in the dream world corresponding to the area they had invaded.
It's important to remember that they had previously made special arrangements with the Devouring Mouth to prevent any influence from the Dream King.
This prevented the dream world corresponding to this area from establishing an effective kingdom, thereby curbing the spread of the chaos of the World Scar.
They even knew some of the Dream King's plans and could prevent the establishment of a dream kingdom in this area. Naturally, the Dream Kings would also seek ways to establish a capital city in this region.
The Devouring Mouth had repeatedly thwarted the plans of these Dream Kings.
After all, to these Dream Creatures, the Devouring Mouth's ease and efficiency in reality were more reminiscent of something from their native world than those of these Dream Creatures.
There was no way around it. For this world, the barrier between the spiritual Dream World and the real world was too thick.
Even after being shattered, the reconstructed world remained remarkably stable.
It would only occasionally have weak points.
Pros and cons were normal.
And now, a kingdom had been connected to the World Scar, a place where no Dream Kingdom had appeared for hundreds or thousands of years.
Naturally, there were problems.
The root cause of this problem was easy to guess, as the kingdom's emergence coincided with Alka's appearance there.
And Alka was a Dream King with a physical body. Anyone who wasn't a fool knew this was definitely Alka's doing.
So now, it wasn't just the Devourer who wanted to kill Alka. It was just that the Devourer was the most active and the most obvious.
Another demon of the same rank as the Devourer was also targeting Alka.
Even the demon lord was doing the same.
Even the auras of the Abyss began to repel Alka, because Alka's dreamland was constantly expelling these abyssal auras that didn't belong to them.
This was a protracted battle.
After a while of small talk,
Juanlu placed the prepared snacks on the table, then sat down beside them. Looking at Jason and the others, he asked, "How was the treasure hunt?"
"Of course it was great. I have to tell you all about our experience this time."
At this point, Jason immediately stopped feeling tired and sleepy, and stood up excitedly.
Urulius excitedly added to the story.
This treasure hunt team consisted of Jason, Urulius, Matlisa, Pororo, and Simon.
The total timeframe was nearly nine months, the better part of half a year, almost a year.
Of course, this was largely due to the fact that their destination was quite far from here.
But the reward was also a guaranteed one: a suitable scepter-level treasure.
Aka and the others sat around, listening to Jason and the others' vivid narration. Even Simon would occasionally chime in, adding details.
There were even some pictures and images captured through the mirror to supplement the story.
He described their nine-month adventure to Alka.
In short, their treasure-hunting destination was an area occupied by an alien race. Coincidentally, the treasure was found on the border of this tribe, and on the other side, they were also bordered by another alien race.
The two sides appear to be in conflict, and neither is particularly friendly toward humans.
It's said that the two alien races actually originate from the same planet.
After being stranded in this world, they continue to target each other. If it weren't for the demons and humans, they would have long since fought each other.
It was in this environment that Jason and his companions obtained the treasure.
And during their treasure hunt, they encountered a cult stirring up trouble.
After finding the treasure, they joined forces with the two alien races, destroyed the entire cult, thwarted their plot, and killed the attacking demons.
During the battle, the conflict between the two alien races was somewhat alleviated, and through their improved relationship, they resolved the most crucial issue: the treasure.
A truly classic and entertaining treasure hunt.
"What about the treasure?" Alka asked.
He was concerned about this item, wondering if it was suitable.
"Isn't this treasure perfect for Pororo?"
Jason nodded. "It is indeed perfect for Pororo, but we need to bring it over so everyone can try it out before we can determine its ownership, right?"
Alka nodded in response to this question, not arguing. It was as it should be.
Then they took out the treasure.
No wonder it's called Shattered Armor.
Because it's made up of individual plates, connected by some hair-thin metal thread.
Spread out on the ground, it truly looks like a pile of metal sheets stacked together. And from the angular details, it seems this was once a suit of armor.
Everyone tried it one by one, but none of them fit.
"Then it seems this treasure is yours, Pororo."
Pororo nodded and took the treasure.
Without hesitation, magic power poured into the treasure.
As the magical power surged in, a mass of metal fragments seemed to come alive and floated in the air. They then joined together, forming a hollowed-out armor pattern.
However, it was clear that there were still many pieces of metal outside the armor, and it was unknown what they were used for.
As the magical power fully infused itself, the metal threads on the armor began to break, and each metal fragment became a separate entity.
Pororo remained with his eyes closed.
But the armor began to form around him.
Only then did everyone realize that the armor was melting, even automatically forming a suitable armor based on Pororo's body shape.
Additional features were incorporated into Pororo's body at vulnerable points for protection.
Soon, a battle armor tailored to Pororo's form was formed, transforming him into a giant, like a battle beast with a metallic skin.
The metal conformed to Pororo's form, fitting him perfectly without hindering his movements. It gave him an unnaturally wild presence, yet also a whirlwind aura, like a tsunami.
As the metal was fitted, Pororo opened his eyes, a glint of lightning visible in them.
Armor plates were attached to his legs and claws, clearly forming weapons.
Even his existing belt and arm armor were integrated into the metal.
There was no awkwardness, making the overall look incredibly harmonious.
"How do you feel?" Jason couldn't help but ask.
Because Pororo now looked like a war giant
Like a beast, he looked mighty, tall, and incredibly handsome.
"Excellent...very good. I feel like I've improved in every way."
As he spoke, the power of his belt began to manifest, and Pororo's appearance underwent an even more exaggerated and wild transformation.
While the belt's attributes were enhanced, a side effect of the appearance change occurred, though for Pororo, this was a positive one.
The metal armor fitted Pororo's new form, seemingly blending seamlessly into it.
He had transformed into a giant metallic beast, brimming with power, like a creature purpose-built for battle.
"Arka, attack me!"
Hearing Pororo's words, Arka didn't hesitate and charged forward with a punch.
With the sound of metal clashing, Arka's fist slammed heavily into the metal shell.
The rebounding force forced Arka to throw his hands apart, and he shook his arm, feeling incredibly sore and swollen.
The force rebounded, penetrating even into his bones.
The metal shell he'd attacked remained untouched, not even scratched, as if it had never been struck.
The elemental card appeared beside Alka and hurled itself at Pororo.
Flames, ice, and lightning flashed as various energy elements pelted forward.
However, they were completely absorbed by the armor, and the energy absorption could be clearly seen.
Pororo suddenly opened his mouth and spit outward.
The elements Alka had attacked unexpectedly blended together and emanated from his mouth, forming a breath resembling some kind of monster.
Watching this, Alka was convinced that this equipment was indeed perfectly suited to Pororo.
Because he had truly not held back, he simply hadn't unleashed his true killing move.
But that elemental attack was enough.