Chapter 1371 - 540: Corridor_3
Chapter 1371: Chapter 540: Corridor_3
Can a Time Hound’s mind maze really be so easily deciphered?
Or perhaps what he holds in his hand now is actually the key to a deeper trap?
Just as he was caught in this mental struggle, the entire Inverted Potion Workshop began to undergo dramatic changes.
The ceiling and floor started to rotate, the walls flowed and restructured like liquid.
Countless clock gears emerged from the void, interlocking and emitting a "tick-tock" mechanical sound.
Time fragments drifted like snowflakes, each reflecting historical snippets from different eras.
The entire space reconstructed into a circular arena composed of innumerable clockwork mechanisms and time elements.
This was Carlos’s mental arena.
Stands made of clock gears formed a circle.
Time fragments slowly rotated in the air, creating an atmosphere that was both solemn and eerie.
In the center of the arena was a throne made of obsidian, carved with intricate time runes on its armrests and backrest.
Carlos’s figure appeared on the throne, then slowly stood up.
"Congratulations, Ron Ralph."
His voice echoed in the arena:
"You truly have grasped the essence of Magic Potion Making—creating harmony, rather than simply following a formula."
His human guise crumbled away like a shattered mask, revealing the true form of a Time Hound.
His body was composed of translucent time crystals, with four eyes gleaming like precision instruments emitting a cold blue light.
Every time he moved, the flow of time around him subtly changed, like a stone casting ripples in a pond.
Ron took a deep breath, ready to face a fierce battle.
He had already strategized in his mind:
First, summon the projection of Leila to probe, then use Fenrir’s projection’s time-slowing ability to control the pace of battle, and finally look for an opportunity to use the Pocket Watch’s time stasis for a deadly strike.
Magic Power began to surge within him, the [Radiation Field] poised for action.
Nari’s Chaotic Power and Aselia’s Dragon Mighty also gathered in the depths of his consciousness, ready to provide support at any time.
However, at this moment, an unexpected event occurred.
Carlos suddenly paused, his four eyes fixed on Ron:
"Let it end here; there’s no need for this battle to continue."
As soon as he finished speaking, he surprisingly dissipated the protective field around his body.
The time fragments, which previously rotated slowly, providing formidable defense, scattered away.
Then he slowly bent forward, fully exposing the core at his chest, which rotated like a cosmic nebula.
This was a completely defenseless posture, open for anyone to strike.
"I surrender."
Carlos’s voice gently echoed in the arena:
"According to the rules of the arena, I concede."
This sudden change left Ron utterly dumbfounded.
An elite Time Hound, in full advantage of the home field, actually chose to surrender?
What was going on?
Aselia, equally puzzled, softly asked Nari:
"This... what’s happening? Why is he surrendering?"
Nari’s voice was full of caution:
"Darling, be careful! It might be some kind of trick! Maybe he wants you to let your guard down and then launch a surprise attack!"
Faced with his family’s doubts, Ron was equally baffled.
But his keen intuition told him that Carlos’s surrender was sincere.
The posture, the tone, didn’t seem like an act.
Seeing Ron, Nari, and Aselia’s uncertain expressions, Carlos seemed to have anticipated this.
He slowly spoke, his voice like the low hum of machinery in operation:
"My ability isn’t in combat, but in ’calculation’. I can vaguely see the several most probable future branches in the river of time."
As he finished speaking, the nebula core on Carlos’s chest began to slowly rotate.
Countless silver threads extended from the core, weaving into three-dimensional patterns in the air.
The patterns resembled a three-dimensional star map, each node representing a possible future.
"Before you entered my mental realm, I had already calculated all possible outcomes."
Carlos’s voice was devoid of any emotional fluctuation, like reciting a mathematical formula:
"Leila fell due to ignoring ’genuine emotions’, probability of defeat: 91.7%."
"Fenrir fell due to being overly impatient, probability of defeat: 87.3%."
Two nodes in the star map dimmed, representing the defeat of two elite hounds.
"I saw their ends after being defeated by you.
The core devoured by your Pocket Watch, consciousness crushed into fragments, ultimately becoming historical projections you could wield at will."
This level of precision in prediction chilled the trio to their cores.
If Carlos knew the outcome beforehand, what was his true intention?
"I also calculated the outcome of a battle with you."
Carlos continued his analysis:
"In this state weakened by the ’Land of Mirrors’ rules, I can’t simultaneously withstand ’Leila’s projection’s Illusory Dream Mist’ and ’Fenrir’s projection’s time rip’.
And afterward, still have the energy to defeat you, who possesses Chaotic Power, Dragon Language Suppression, and the Clock King’s relic."
The final node in the star map also began to flicker uncertainly:
"My victory rate is: 0.0%."
"Since defeat is certain, the purpose of the battle shifted from pursuing victory to how to exchange for the maximal survivability with minimal losses.
Thus, I chose to surrender."
This purely rational decision-making process reminded Ron of the thinking patterns of advanced artificial intelligence.
But then, he realized a deeper issue:
"Wait... if you knew the outcome all along, why did you put us through those tests?"
Hearing this question, Carlos nodded with satisfaction.
"That’s precisely the key question."
His tone became even deeper:
"If I can calculate the future, I can also influence it to a certain extent.
By exerting subtle influence at critical nodes, I can guide events towards a specific direction."
The star map began to replay the scene from earlier in the Inverted Potion Workshop.
Ron saw himself searching for the formula, inspiration triggering, and the realization of innovative truth.
"I intentionally exhibited a ’cooperative’ attitude during the guidance process, even offering praise when you succeeded.
This overly smooth progress inevitably sparked skepticism within you."
"Doubt is the instinct of the wise, but excessive doubt leads to mental collapse.
When you start doubting every deduction you make, you’re already trapped in my second layer of the maze."
The star map displayed a branching path, one leading to "blind confidence", the other to "overwhelming doubt".
"If you chose the latter, you’d be eternally stuck in a cycle of self-doubt.
Even possessing the correct answer, you’d be too afraid to implement it; in this psychological state, you’d be the easiest to defeat."
Ron felt a chill run down his spine.
This layer upon layer of psychological manipulation was more terrifying than any direct attack.
Carlos not only predicted his actions but meticulously planned out his mental trajectory.
"Fortunately, you ultimately chose to trust your judgment."
Its tone carried a hint of regret:
"This proved that you possess the ability to remain calm in complex situations, a quality I need."
Nari glared furiously at the cunning hound:
"You sly fox! You’re even craftier than those politicians!"
Aselia frowned as well:
"This level of psychological control... is indeed the toughest of the three hounds."
"Thank you for your evaluation."
Carlos calmly accepted these "compliments".
Beyond that, Ron perceived a deeper intention on Carlos’s part.
In essence, all of Carlos’s actions had only one purpose:
To secure a path of survival for himself, retaining room for maneuver even in the worst-case scenario.
What he did during the test fully complied with the ’Land of Mirrors’ rules, leaving no place for criticism.
No matter the outcome, Carlos did fulfill the role of an examiner rightfully.
If one couldn’t solve the problem, it was a lack of ability;
If successful, it proved that his guidance was just right.
This kind of meticulous scheming earned Ron a newfound respect for a Time Hound for the first time.
Carlos truly was a formidable opponent.
Now that he surrendered, it indicated he might also be a valuable ally to win over.