Mystic Collector Of Time

Chapter 3: Princess of Time System

Alfonso and Maria both wore lightweight yet durable silver armors. Alfonso wielded a heavy and thick sword made from a class A dragon scale and class A Fire Griffin core, while Maria carried a Rapier crafted from a class A dragon scale and a class B Thunder Rat core. Alfonso's element was fire, and Maria's element was lightning.

Alfonso's weapon was classified as a class D, despite being made from high-quality materials. It lacked the necessary strength due to the requirement of a larger quantity of materials. As for Maria, her weapon was classified as class E. The rankings of weapons varied depending on factors such as the skill of the artisans, materials used, mana inputs, and the crafting process.

The final match began when the referee shouted, "Fight!"

Alfonso was the first one to attack. He raised his sword and swung it vertically at Maria, but she skillfully dodged the attack. She retaliated with a stab, which Alfonso shielded with his large sword.

Both of them exchanged swings, stabs, and defensive maneuvers. Finally, Alfonso decided to use his mana, covering his entire body and sword with fire.

At the top of the arena, a woman sensed that something was wrong. She detected the presence of a class B Berserkers Flower.

"Hmmm... a class B Berserkers Flower," she murmured.

"It looks like someone used this flower's powder and put it in Alfonso's drink... Is it Levia? No, that's impossible," she thought.

The woman observed the unfolding situation, curious to see if her "precious little sister" would be able to win the fight.

The woman's name is Aurora Goldfall, the first child of the Goldfall family. She is a level 5, two-ringed swordsman and is stronger than her father, who is at the peak of level 4.

After Alfonso covered his body with flames, he blacked out. This was noticed by Levia and Maria.

"What happened to you?" Maria asked, concerned.

Alfonso didn't reply and attacked Maria in a crazed state.

"Sh*t," Maria murmured, realizing the danger.

"What the f**k happened to him?" Levia said, wanting to stop the match but unable to due to the rules.

Maria found it increasingly difficult to defend against Alfonso's attacks. She also used her mana to cover her entire sword and feet.

Only level 2 swordsmen can cover their entire bodies with mana.

Alfonso's relentless attacks overwhelmed Maria, leaving her desperately running and dodging. The Berserkers Flower enhanced his strength and speed twofold, but it came with a dangerous side effect. When he calmed down, all the pain and damage he had taken during the berserk state would be tripled.

Alfonso managed to hit Maria's feet, causing her to stumble in the middle of the arena. All she could do was sit and defend herself.

The audience grew alarmed, questioning the referee's inaction.

"Hey, what the f**k is the referee doing? Maria has already lost! Why isn't he stopping the match?" one of the audience members exclaimed.

"Why is he doing this? Is he going to kill her?" Levia said, concerned.

"Hey, stop!!!" Levia shouted, desperately trying to intervene.

But Alfonso didn't stop and finally reached Maria. He raised his flaming sword, intending to slice her.

This put the entire arena in a panic.

The referee just stood there, and one of the audience members punched him. They discovered that the referee was a dead man being controlled, which scared the entire audience. Although they were scared, all they could do was watch, as not all of them were capable of breaking the barrier set around the arena to protect the audience.

Aurora, alarmed by the situation, was about to dash forward.

The sword was about to hit Maria, and she closed her eyes, expecting her demise. But to her surprise, everything came to a halt.

She opened her eyes and saw that the sword had stopped. Confused, she looked around and noticed that everything and everyone around her was frozen in place.

"Even sister Aurora is here? And she's frozen in place?" Maria said, feeling a sense of dread.

Maria felt fear because Aurora, a level 5 swordsman, should not have been affected by the frozen state.

In the Time Realm, Jade watched in fear and worry as Alfonso succumbed to his berserk state. He attempted various methods to influence reality but failed. Then he saw Alfonso slicing Maria's leg, growing even more afraid and concerned. He witnessed the events unfold, unable to intervene, and his helplessness filled him with anger. He stared helplessly at the screen, feeling powerless.

Jade closed his eyes, expecting to hear cries of despair, but there was silence. When he opened his eyes, he realized that everything was frozen in place.

"Wait, time stopped? I didn't do anything! I don't have any lifespan at my disposal," Jade thought.

Then he felt a burning sensation on his right wrist and saw a negative number, -15. It gave him a glimmer of hope. He used another portion of his lifespan to establish a connection with Maria, and his hand deducted another five numbers.

Jade directly communicated with Maria's mind and said, "Hello, Maria."

As Maria tried to understand, a voice spoke to her mind, saying, "Hello, Maria." It sent chills down her entire body. She quickly said...

"Who's there?! Who are you?!"

The voice said, "Calm down, I won't hurt you," before adding, "I'm a god. Nice to meet you, Maria."

She then replied, "God?? What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm a god," Jade replied, trying to calm her.

Maria quickly started to think and managed to calm down a bit before saying...

"Hello, Lord God. What can I, a lowly mortal, do for you?"

The voice replied, "Nothing much. I just want you to become my chosen one."

Maria heard what the voice said and was confused for a bit before asking...

"Lord God, why me, a lowly human? There are many powerful humans around the world. Why choose me?"

The voice said, "Because I liked the way you act and fight, Maria. Don't look down on yourself. Be proud. You're a good human."

Maria pondered this for a moment, still wondering why she was chosen.

"Come on, Maria. Do you want to be strong?" Jade urged.

Maria hesitated but still said, "Yes."

"Then accept my offer," Jade insisted.

Maria asked quickly, "Lord God, are you going to consume me as a payment for granting me power?"

The voice replied, "No, no, no. I only need lifespan."

Maria thought for a bit and since she had 7,000 lifespan, she didn't care and said, "Lord God, how many years should I give?"

She's a human, but her family has a dragon bloodline, and dragons have 10,000+ years of lifespan, while half-bloods have 5000 years of lifespan. The reason she has 7,000 years of lifespan is that she unlocked her Dragon bloodline on the day of her birth. This is why she is strong even at level 1, while her siblings unlocked their bloodlines later in life.

The voice said, "I know you have 7,000 years of lifespan."

The voice continued, "I only need 1,000."

Maria felt a chill run down her spine as the voice accurately knew the exact number of years in her lifespan. She thought losing 1,000 years was a significant sacrifice, but she was willing to do it. She replied, "Yes."

"Thank you, Maria," the voice said in a happy tone.

Then, using its power, the voice made Maria stronger and bestowed upon her a poorly made system called the "Princess of Time System."

   --End Of Chapter 3--