Leonel now had the body of a 20-year-old.
These years, he had made unexpected leaps in his comprehension, and if not for the fact it was much slower than when he was in the outside world, he would wonder why it was everyone didn't take advantage of this.
Unfortunately, the laws of Incomplete Worlds were exactly that, incomplete. As such, even with far more time, it was difficult to make advancements.
That said... this Zone wasn't normal by any means. When Leonel first entered it, it gave him a great deal of pressure.
After some time, he realized that part of that was because he had been in the body of a child. Still, that didn't mean that this world couldn't exhibit a great deal of influence and power, and that likewise made its laws very interesting to study.
In the end, while Leonel didn't make as much progress as he would have in the outside world in the same 10-year span, he had made about three years' worth of progress.
Essentially, that meant that Leonel had exchanged a single year for three, a huge boon.
Likewise, as one might expect, his strength had exploded forth.
The only shame was that his original body was already too weak to display all of his Force Manipulation, and this body was even less capable of doing so...
But did it matter?
Holding an ordinary wooden spear in his hands, a light smile played Leonel's features.
'Three days should be enough... Three days to bring this to a close.'
...
Leonel moved through the world, crossing large distances as the ground shrunk beneath his feet.
He seemed to be at complete peace. If there was anything that made him sad, it was the fact he hadn't seen his wife in so long.
Even a few days was too much, but a decade?
If not for his strong mental fortitude, he would have already given up on this Zone.
Leonel was only 27 years old to begin with. A decade was more than a third of his life. Even if Aina had been by his side, wasting so much time in this Zone would have been difficult.
But now that it was all coming to a close, he could finally exhale a breath.
Leonel came to a stop.
He stood at the edge of a sheer cliff that fell toward a vast black ocean. The skies were storming, and the waves crashed against the cliff face with such force that large boulders fell into the dark depths from time to time.
Leonel gave this only a glance before he lifted his head and looked off into the far off distance.
It was hard to spot, but there were patterns of waves that seemed... irregular.
It looked like in the middle of the ocean, there were rivers running through. They seemed separated as though in an entirely different world, and it was precisely these currents that was the Force Art Leonel was looking for.
'The Barbarians aren't even a Race well known for their Crafting, and yet they're capable of such things. Then there's the Minerva who are capable of constructing a city of Natural Force Arts. There's still much to learn.'
BANG!
The sound came suddenly, but Leonel had already moved before it reached him.
The cliff he had been standing upon exploded as though a wild beast had taken a huge bite out of it.
He stood at the edge of the new end of the cliff, his simple linen clothing fluttering as though he had never moved at all.
His gaze shifted upward, and he saw a Sea God standing in the skies with a fierce gaze. However, he could tell in an instant that it was a disguised Barbarian.
'As expected, they don't have the capability of shedding the bodies they had been transferred into. Since they're trying to destroy this Zone, there's no need for them to put in so much effort into trying to maintain this form if they don't have to.'
Leonel was confident in using the Life Tablet to return to his former body. The reason he didn't was because he wanted to clear this Zone perfectly. But the Barbarian Race obviously didn't have the same goal. So the only explanation was that they couldn't.
Of course, after ten years of preparation, Leonel had long since confirmed this. But this was the first time he was clashing with them head-on, so it felt good to confirm the truth.
After confirming this, Leonel's wrist flickered.
The Barbarian Race man in the body of a Sea God couldn't even react.
His glabella was pierced through, his eyes opening wide before they slowly dimmed.
As Leonel had said... he had made a great deal of progress.
He couldn't advance his Dimension, nor his body, and he couldn't fully access his Force Manipulation either...
But if he made three years of progress with Forces...
Then he had made ten with his spear.
His spear mastery was already on a level that most would never be able to fathom in a lifetime.
Trapped in the body that wasn't their own.
These Barbarian Race members didn't stand a single chance.
Leonel took a step off of the cliff, but it looked as though he was still walking on flat ground.
The raging waters beneath him were forced into a state of calm, the tsunami-like waves being suppressed into a steady and cool surface.
Barbarian Race members disguised as various Races began to surge out of the waters, but every time one appeared, Leonel simply struck out a single time.
The black waters were quickly becoming dyed in red.
"This is very disappointing," Leonel's voice boomed. "Don't tell me I spent all of that time preparing for no reason.
"Show me the strength of a Demi-God Race!"
Beneath Leonel's roar, an invisible sphere pushed a crescent shape out of the water, forming a crater that extended for miles.
At that moment, Leonel spotted a bright red light streaking out from below.