CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER 51 – GARDEN OF EDEN

Chapter 51 – Garden Of Eden

"What...?" Jack muttered. "Another dimension?"

"Let me see," Liliana said as she touched his shoulder and read the new skill, only for her eyes to widen. "Oh my. What a rare skill you have received, Jack. A pocket dimension of all things? That’s pretty good!"

"... If I understood correctly, I can simply enter this world and completely disappear from the real world?"

"Indeed. Awakeners with the ability to open other dimensions are extremely sought after. They’re incredibly useful in battle, logistics, protection, and many other areas. You’re basically invincible to most things within such worlds."

’That definitely sounds very powerful. If what she said is right, then I can definitely escape horrible situations with it. But I doubt it would be that strong from the start.’

Immediately, Jack felt curious to experiment with this new skill. He wanted to see how it worked—and what this Garden of Eden really was.

’That name is clearly after the biblical Garden of Eden, but I doubt that’s what it actually is.’

"Jack! Your arsenal of skills is shaping up to be ridiculously strong. You now have amazing offensive and defensive abilities."

"Would this even be considered defense if it’s basically just an escape route?"

"Hmm, you’ll learn with time that escaping is as good a defensive strategy as any. Some battles are better off not fought. If you take on every single fight you face, you’ll be dead before you even realize it."

"... You’re right."

Jack knew he was far from the strongest and bound to face enemies much stronger than him in the future. If he foolishly fought them all, then he would simply die—there was no other possible outcome.

’I already almost died twice in a single day. I won’t have the same luck every time. I have to be careful,’ he mused.

"Now, what are you waiting for? Try the new skill. I want to see it with my own eyes," Luna said, clasping her hands together.

"You’re right."

Jack stood up from his bed and looked around. "I wonder if this is a good place to use such a skill. What if someone notices?"

"Don’t worry, I’d tell you if someone’s approaching. So, just don’t worry and use it," Luna said, her eyes sparkling with sheer excitement, like a small child waiting to open their gifts.

"Hm." Jack nodded before focusing on the skill. With a thought, he activated it, and almost immediately, all his Aether condensed in his hand as a beautiful halo surrounded it.

The halo rapidly expanded until it formed a giant cloud floating before Jack’s eyes. The cloud appeared calm and motionless as it kept condensing—turning from a thin halo into an almost physical shape.

An oval shape, to be exact. Within this cloud, darker lines started forming, twirling, and moving like snakes.

A few seconds later, the condensed cloud finally stopped shifting, and what it ended up forming was...

"A gate?"

It was indeed a gate—a magical one. It looked like the fantasy gates Jack knew from books and animations. However, this one was very much real, and its presence alone gave him an odd feeling. It was blue in color, dark, and radiated a heavy, oppressive aura.

"The Garden of Eden... is beyond these gates," he muttered.

"Are you ready to go in?"

"Yeah..." Jack nodded after staring at the gate for a few seconds. He felt a strange connection to it, as if it were part of his very body.

’Well, it kind of is a part of my body, so that would explain it.’ He sighed before readying himself and stepping through. He didn’t feel anything when making contact with the gate—almost like walking through nothingness.

However, the moment he stepped in, he was met with a blinding bright light that made him squint. Covering his face with his arm, he took a second to adjust to the sudden brightness. A few moments later, he opened his eyes again and looked around.

"..."

It was... gorgeous. A scene so beautiful that it took his breath away and left him stunned. Jack had seen beautiful gardens before—amazing natural sceneries and even magnificent forests spanning hundreds of kilometers.

Yet, this was by far the prettiest natural scenery he had ever laid eyes upon. The beautiful green grass, the small and large trees, and the vibrant fields of flowers stretched as far as he could see.

He stood before a stone path that led to a gazebo furnished with soft chairs—perfect for admiring the scenery.

"Wow..."

"What a beautiful place," Liliana whistled. "It truly is the Garden of Eden. That old bastard is known for his love of nature."

"Wait, Eden exists?"

"Yeah, he’s one of the ’True Ones’. He’s considered the God of Nature and Deception."

"Nature and Deception? How are those even linked?"

"He’s as much a nature lover as he is a liar. It runs in his blood. He’s one of the nastier bunch, even by the standards of those old scum."

’I guess... in a sense, lies can create beauty—or the illusion of it. Perhaps just like how this world doesn’t technically exist in the real world.’ Jack rubbed his chin before walking down the stone path, gazing at the nature of this breathtaking garden.

He couldn’t get enough of its vibrant colors and peaceful air. Reaching the gazebo, he sat down on the cushioned seat and admired the view. The gentle gushes of warm air only made it more pleasant.

"Mmmm... This is nice."

"It’s not disappointing, is it?"

"Absolutely not. However... It’s definitely consuming a lot of Aether. I can feel it constantly draining from my body. At this rate, it would only last for... a couple of hours?"

"Yeah, dimensions aren’t as stable as you think. Creating and maintaining one requires a lot of Aether and mental fortitude. That’s why you shouldn’t overuse it until it levels up and your control improves."

"Yeah..."

’This world will be a huge help in battles. I can come here to recover or plan. It gives me some well-needed time in urgent situations.’

"And since we’re already here, how about we do some practice?"

"Here?"

"Isn’t this the perfect place? Nobody will bother us~"

"Yeah... you’re right..."

Since this dimension was completely detached from the real world, it was the perfect place to test and train without fear of being interrupted.

"Okay, but let me use my bonus points first. I want to see how much stronger I can get."

Then, he opened his status sheet to check his current progress. After leveling up more than ten times, and gaining several new skills and a new title, the sheet looked completely different than before. It almost seemed unrecognizable to Jack, who felt immense satisfaction with his progress.

[Name: Jack Ashenblood]

[Age: 17]

[Status: Alive]

[Realm: Earth]

[Level: 12 (250/1200)]

[Bloodline: Unknown]

[Skills: Mind Manipulation- Martialist- Red Lightning- Hypervision- Garden Of Eden]

[Title: Nameless Lord]

[Stats:

Strength: 37 (+5)

Agility: 35 (+5)

Stamina: 38 (+5)

Aether: 170 (+5)

Health: 33 (+5)]

[Bonus Points: 24]

’Looks good enough. All my stats are in the higher 30s except for health. My Aether has progressed a lot, too.’

Then, the natural question came. How was he supposed to allocate those 24 bonus points?