During the entirety of the battle, Strafe was very much impressed at Dyne’s movement and direction.

He had seen Dyne’s memories, but his actions were unimpressive since cultivators could do so much more. But now, Dyne was only at the fifth level of the Martial Advent stage, and he defeated and killed a creature that would have been only possible for those at the later stages of Martial Advent. In fact, to face this monstrosity alone, it would have to be a mid-leveled Martial Novice!

Yet as for Dyne, he even withheld himself from leveling up. Though he could, Dyne was purposely refusing to cultivate, but now, Strafe understood.

“You wanted to see your limits…” Strafe smiled.

“Sort of. You cultivators really lack imagination. I mean, fighting is not just about using techniques. But I guess that’s how your world was built. You just need to be stronger and more powerful and have techniques that beat out the opponents. Earth created martial arts, and it is called an art. Because there are no stronger techniques, it’s how you use it and make an art out of it.” Dyne laughed as he tapped on Grim and channeled Soul energy.

“Oh? It looks like Jedo’s also out for the count!” Dyne laughed.

“Fate is cruel. His making it easier for Zeto to find you.” Strafe laughed.

“Yeah. Well, I did sort of outstepped my boundaries.”

“Outstepped is a massive understatement. At this point, I didn’t expect you to be capable of wielding the Imaginarium Arts. Jedo feared death because death meant losing Yami forever. And because you offered him and showed him the truth of this world, he would naturally be very willing to help you.” Strafe explained.

“So Fate never thought that I could do that this early in the game. It couldn’t calculate what it would be if Jedo aided me.” Dyne laughed.

“Yes. Your start in this game is rather impressive. I have selected a very interesting world. I have a feeling you will like the place where you begin.”

“Oh?”

“Cultivators like me naturally have the eyes of destiny. What intrigued me that night when we met was that I couldn’t see your destiny. And even now, it is shrouded from me. I thought it was because you belong to that world. But now I know… it’s because you are also someone who can fight destiny. Not only do you have the eyes, but you also have the power to change your destiny. Even gifted cultivators with your eyes could not change their Fate. Yet you’ve changed your Fate in this world so much that I am confident you won’t be detected in the cultivation world.”

“Detected?”

“Yes. Remember, your enemy is someone with eyes that can see the future. But because you are an aboriginal being, and you naturally have the power to change your own even before your severing, you can definitely cause havoc in this world.”

“Hmm… It sounds like some crazy conspiracies are happening in your world.”

“Indeed there is. And I am dropping you off in a place that is doomed to die. However, if you succeed in foiling their plans, you will not only grow stronger, but you can hinder and weaken my enemies.”

“Eh… When can I come back here?”

“Truth is, once you go back there, I planned to send you in and out of this world every month. Doing so will cause my lifespan to decrease, and that’s why I said that I only have a year left. I planned to give you an innate ability that will allow you to transfer when my life has ended.”

“But doesn’t Jedo have Time and Space? With the abilities Songi had in the game that could teleport great distances, I think he should be able to open the gate to enter the Imaginarium Bond. You could have just given him to me, you know? Cheapskate.”

“It isn’t that simple. The problem was, I feared him to be stronger than you. You could have acquired Jedo later, though, in the same manner you could acquire it in the game. You see, Jedo’s soul belongs to the many prisoners that were hidden in Alos Vasilous. Jedo’s original soul was a master of Time and Darkness. So when I said the three games are perfect for you, it is because I already took into account the many prisoners and the powerful cultivators in the original world of the Imaginarium Bond.”

“Oh. So if I'm not strong enough, Jedo would have betrayed me. And here I thought you were a cheapskate!” Dyne laughed.

“Betray? More like torture and kill. He hated my Master. But now, I doubt he will do this. If he begins to remember his past memories as a cultivator, he would want to stick around and be your Ra-Seru. Meta was right. If he sees your potential, even as a Ra-Seru, he would suffer endless pains and disappointments.” Strafe laughed.

“Well, now that Jedo is with me, is it possible for him to use his portal magic to move in and out of the Imaginarium Bond without your help?”

“Yes. So you’ll have to figure out how to hatch him. Not only that but Time and Space mages and cultivators are highly valued for their dimensional space. Kind of like an inventory where you can put items and stuff inside.” Strafe explained.

“I hope the planet you will send me in has a lot of opportunities to hatch him.”

“It’s the Cultivation World. It exists. A rat can cultivate to become a shark and a pig to cultivate and become a god.” Strafe quoted.

“Still… The world you will go to is a populated world full of monsters and humans and a deadly war. I have seen the future of this planet, and it looks like you will enjoy this world.”

“Enjoy?” Dyne was curious.

“Yes. I’m very… very sure you will.” Strafe added.

“Sounds interesting.”

“And we are in luck! The Fate of the mortals on this planet has a rather interesting one. Thankfully, this entry of yours on that planet can help me accomplish my plans!”

“Well… As long as you heal me up. I overexerted myself, and apart from some healing leaves, I’m all out.”

“Of course. You will be healed back with the energy I'll draw from the Basilisk. You took the risk and fought a Basilisk. I wouldn’t be so cruel as to prevent you from gaining any spoils. I will channel the Basilisk's body and place it inside your Earth Jewel. It’s the perfect thing to make an egg.”

“An Egg?”

“A Basilisk Egg. Only this time, you can send your energy in it and make it your pet.”

“Pet? That Basilisk was like… evil.”

“And you are the Neutral that brings to Light. You can convert it. Aside from that, the Earth Jewel will also transform into something else.”

“An Earth Ra-Seru Egg?” Dyne was shocked. Had the cheapskate Strafe gone mad?

“Nothing so awesome. But it’s close. A Basilisk is a Primordial Creature. It traces its ancestry to the Serpentarius. One of the first cursed Dragons of this world. But they are still dragons after all.”

“Oh? That’s interesting. Who would have thought that little Wormy would be so strong.”

“That is why he was after Jedo. He is one of the powerful beings here that can control it. When the Evil God made the Basilisk, he didn’t know what this creature could do. I gave the inspirations to do so. But the truth is, a matured Serpent, even a Basilisk, can take on three Evil Gods.” Strafe laughed.

“So he’s going to be around my Earth Jewel and grow there?”

“Yes. It needs the right energy source. He won’t become an egg per se, but all Basilisks has what you call a Prime Offspring. It is a very small worm that the Basilisks nurture. Actually, all serpents do these. When monsters eat the Basilisk, it will feed on this host and eventually absorb the host from the inside. I am going to put that Prime Offspring in the Earth Jewel.”

“I’d rather not take Wormy. I’ve seen enough Alien movies to know where this is going.”

“He won’t bite you. Brimstone is a very tasty delicacy for him. You can easily tame it just by feeding him your Brimstone energy.”

"Oh, alright. I guess I can tame him.”

“Good.”

Suddenly, a strange sound was heard, and a small wiggling object approached Dyne. It floated over Dyne’s chest.

It was a two-headed worm that had two different colors.

“Here is its Prime Offspring. The breed of the Serpent depends on its elemental affinity. If it’s Earth, it becomes a Basilisk. The Ostrich down south is of Earth element. If you spent hours reading the game guides in your life, and I’m sure you already know this. Frogs have Water elements, and Ostriches have Earth. The surviving Serpent was a creature that became a parasite and lived on the Ostriches and Frogs and kept feeding and transferring host. When it had enough energy, it allowed itself to become an egg in the Ostrich and was hatched by the frog to retain its reptilian form. Since it has Earth Energy, it became a Basilisk. But you’re lucky. The Basilisk fed on the Gimard and Zenoir down south and would occasionally hunt Gizams. So it fed on Fire and Ice. So the offspring it created is this.” Strafe explained the anomaly of the twin-headed serpent offspring.

Dyne took one look at it.

“Aha. Gotcha. Twin-headed Serpents that kill their hosts like the face-huggers in Alien. Grim, kill it before it lays eggs.”

“N-no!” Strafe immediately sent the small Serpent to reside in the Earth Jewel before Grim’s fireballs attacked.

“Are you crazy?!”

“Are you? You want me to have those? For what purpose?”

“It’s a twin-headed Serpent with dual Elemental powers! It normally dies at a young age because its Soul requires high soul energy! One thing that you have!”

“No way am I carrying a creature that can eat me from the inside out!”

“Alright. How about this. I send you off to your world. Keep it with you until you and wait for about ten or twenty minutes! If you still want to kill it, then go ahead.”

“Fine. Like anything is going to change my decision.”

“I’m pretty sure you will.” Strafe rolled his eyes.

“The body of the Basilisk will be converted and placed into that Earth Jewel. It will now have the innate power of the Basilisk. If you channel soul energy or MP into that jewel, it can give you the power to petrify. Normally it would affect its users, but you’re a freak! So…” Strafe grumbled. When he was younger, he never got to own a Basilisk Core.

“Whatever. When I get on that planet, the first thing I will do is throw this Earth Jewel as far away as possible.”

Strafe wanted to smack Dyne. This was a Basilisk Core!

“Never mind. I’ll send you right now. Zeto is coming.”

“Wait. You seemed confident that I wouldn’t throw and kill that Serpent. Why?”

“Do I even have to say it? Because you are the Nostalgic Gamer in a Cultivation World.”

Dyne’s vision suddenly became dark.