Journey Of A Legend

As the six were looking down at the bottomless pit before them, suddenly Alice's voice sounded in Greg's head.

"This place is dangerous. It is full of traps and seals. With your current power and strength, I wouldn't try to go down. Even if you try to use your masks' power, it won't work. For some reason, this place... Feels unnatural."

The moment Greg heard Alice's hesitant tone of voice, he turned surprised and glanced at the other on his side.

"I think we shouldn't try to go down. Alice said it is filled with traps and seals that not even my mask's nullification would counter."

Mila and Emma listening to the unfamiliar name looked at each other in confusion, but before they could have had the chance to ask who was Alice, Russ started to talk.

"I agree. Even with my level of strength, I feel that this place is way too dangerous. I don't know what has been hidden down there, but we are not ready to find it out. We would only die, for 100% sure."

Next to Russ, Wayne nodded in agreement and said, "Now I understand why they put such a complex seal on the trapdoor. Even though the whole place had been hidden inside the Skyfall Mountain, they made sure not to let anyone inside here."

As they looked at the pot with a nod, Russ sighed and turned around.

"We will think about a way to go down, but for the time being let's leave. This place is not safe."

With that said, the six left the underground spot and closed the trapdoor. Or at least wanted to, but couldn't because Greg made it explode into several pieces.

"Just let me seal this place with my power.", said Greg calmly, and with his earth element, he sealed that gap just like he did with the other one which led to the pond.

"Now then, Greg, can you show me the place where you fused with your Soul Creature?", asked Russ as Greg stood up from the ground.

Glancing at Russ and the others who looked curious Greg nodded and led them toward the place.

Crossing the small bridge that went above the small lake and arriving back at the jade path, Greg showed the way for his friends.

However, the moment he arrived at the spot he sealed the earth and opened the passage for them, he stepped to the side and said, "You can go on your own. I still have to breakthrough with two of my elements."

Russ knew that the sooner Greg finishes with his breakthrough the sooner they will be able to collect the remaining keys, so nodded and waved his hand.

"Sure, go. Just let us know when you have finished."

As he said that, Russ went inside the underground tunnel, with Wayne, Joe following him from behind.

Mila and Emma glanced toward the three, but after seeing Greg has already walked away, they decided to follow Russ and the others.

Entering the building and climbing all the way back up to the 26th floor, Greg day back down again and closed his eyes.

"Now I only need to form 10 connections for my Fourth Layer and 5 to my final one. With the speed I have consumed the energy and formed the connections, altogether with the time for rest, I will easily finish under 5 hours."

With that in mind, Greg smiled and started to move the Fourth Flow's layer. Or at least wanted to, but the moment he made it to move, his face distorted with pain.

"The... Hell? Why does it hurt so much?", asked Greg with clenched teeth and several huge drops of sweats on his face.

As he could remember, so far every time he created a connection between two of his Flows, he would feel a kind of pain that was neither physical or mental one.

However, that pain so far was not big enough to make him think he would die. It was quite tolerable.

Yet, this time was different. The moment he started to move the layer around his Flow, not only did the pain instantly appear, which never occurred before, but it was several times bigger than ever!

If until this moment the pain was similar to small needles piercing his muscle, then this time it was like someone started to saw his bones and muscle from the inside.

The two feelings were like heaven and earth. He felt like dying right at the moment.

"I told you. The more closer you get to the Mind Grade, the greater the pain will become. But as I said before, the pain will only become to your advantage the longer you can bear with it."

"I know... But still... How can I concentrate next to such immense pain?", asked Greg as he tried to straighten his back, but failed every time.

Until he does not undo his attempt to move the layer, the pain was all the time around, making him unable to move even an inch. 

"Dunno. That is your task to find it out.", said Alice inside Greg with an unconcerned tone of voice.

"..."

Greg hearing this frowned even deeper and stopped making the layer to move, making the pain to vanish instantly.

"This is not good at all. I still have 15 connections to form, and yet the pain is so unbearable. What will it be after I reach the final one?", thought Greg, not daring to imagine the pain he will feel.

"I guess, I need to do everything I can to bear with it, right?", thought Greg and after exhaling his great to relax his body, he closed his eyes again.

When every muscle in his body calmed down and he readied himself, Greg straightened his back more to get a better posture and without hesitation started to move his layer.

"!"

And just like before, in the instant he did that, an almost inhuman pain appeared inside his body, making him to start sweating and trembling profusely.

"You can do it. You can do it. You can do it."

The only thing Greg could think about to avert his mind from the pain was to think non-stop.

Because nothing else would be able to help him, that was the only thing he could do.

Bit by bit, the layer moved inside his body to move toward the closest point on the Fifth Flow, making Greg doing everything he could not to stop.

After more than 10 minutes that felt like a whole eternity, the layer finally arrived before the Fifth Flow, and with a small outbreak, it connected to it.

*BAM!*

"!"

Opening his eyes extra wide and holding himself from almost collapsing, Greg breathed heavily and looked at his body.

Currently, his body was covered with so much sweat that it was almost looked like he just came out of a great bath.

Calming himself down, Greg stood up slowly and walked down to the 25th floor, right toward the gap he created.

Sitting down onto the roof outside that was still intact, Greg sighed a huge and wiped the sweat away.

"Like this... I have no clue at all how long it will take me to form the remaining 14 connections."

"You mean 15 right?", asked Alice, making Greg to turn confused instantly.

"15? 14. I just created one so it leaves 14 more. 9 for the Fourth Layer and 5 for the Fifth."

"Are you sure about that?", asked Alice from Greg, visible knowing that Greg missed something very important.

Frowning, Greg closed his eyes and checked the complex Flow system inside his body.

However, no matter how many times he checked it over and over again, he was able to see only 14 points to form connections, making his face to turn even more confused.

"Yes, I am sure it is 14. Did I missed something?", asked Greg, still trying to figure out what he missed.

However, as an answer, Alice just chuckled and asked, "Do you think if you finish forming the remaining '14' points in your body, will the element form a complete cycle?"

Greg hearing this nodded and wanted to say yes, but suddenly realized something.

Glancing at the Flows inside his body, Greg was able to see that if he succeeds in finishing forming the remaining 14 points, each element will be in connection with the one next to it, but except for two Flows.

"My First and Final Flow... They will not have a connection."

"Exactly. And do you think without a connection between those two will make you break into the Mind Grade?", asked Alice curiously.

Realizing what Alice wanted to say, Greg's eyes widened with surprise immediately.

"But how? There is no close point between those two Flows, it is impossible to form a connection!"

"Who said it needs to be a close point between the First and Final Flow to create connection?", asked Alice calmly, making Greg to turn silent instantly.