Eric's suspicion was confirmed the moment he stepped into the study. Sitting comfortably in the corner of the room, casually flipping through a book from his small library, was a bald woman in a flowing yellow robe. The moment she sensed his presence, she calmly closed the book and placed it back where she had found it. Then, turning her gaze toward him, she offered a small, knowing smile.
Before Eric could react, the world around them began to crack like a mirror. Fractures of light spread through the air, distorting the very fabric of reality.
However, before the Ancient One could comprehend what was happening, a shadow loomed. A towering figure clad in dark armor reached out, his gauntleted hand extending into the fragmented void. The mirror dimension—what should have been expanding—was halted in an instant. The fractures stopped, frozen in place, before darkness swallowed them whole.
Egris who were standing in front of Eric took action.
A brief moment of emptiness.
Then—everything returned to normal.
But despite how unchanged the surroundings appeared; Ancient One immediately realized the truth. Everything had changed.
She was no longer in the material universe, nor in in the mirror dimension.
She was in his.
A unique dimension—unlike any she had encountered before.
Ancient One's sharp gaze shifted to the shadow standing in front of Eric.
Egris, one of the oldest shadow soldiers, who followed Ashborn, a master in energy manipulation. That was why Eric first choice was Egris. If Eric had entered alone, he would have been forced to break through by overwhelming energy. But with Egris, he could neutralize the dimensional shift without conflict and simultaneously bringing her to his dimension.
It could be said that Egris could manipulate the shadow realm even more effectively than Eric himself, for now.
You know, only two months ago, he truly got access to all of Ashborn power, it will take time he can use it effortlessly.
The Ancient One stood bewildered. The overwhelming difference in power was evident. But this was not a battle — it was a test. A test of dominance in conversation.
She raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. Seeing this, Egris, who had been about to unsheathe his sword, paused and looked at Eric.
Observing his calm expression, Egris stepped back, refraining from further action. Neither of them escalated the situation.
The Ancient One had come to talk. After all, Eric was from Earth and had not done anything wrong—at least not yet. If they could resolve things through conversation, she would certainly welcome that approach.
"So, who are you?"
Eric's voice was calm, devoid of hostility or excessive curiosity. He already knew who she was, of course, but there was no need to let her know that. More importantly, he wanted to see how much she was willing to reveal on her own.
The Ancient One was taken aback. She had expected something different. Most beings who possessed dimensional energy—especially those who had newly obtained it—were reckless. Some attacked first, blinded by their inflated confidence. Others cowered, realizing they were hopelessly outmatched. And then there were those who attempted to negotiate, assuming themselves to be on equal footing without truly understanding their position.
After losing to him, she totally expected to treated as a lesser being.
But this young man…
His unwavering calmness was beyond her expectations. This was not the reaction of someone who had stumbled upon great power by accident. Nor was it the arrogance of a mortal-turned-god.
No. This was the demeanor of someone who truly left behind as petty matter as blind arrogance. Someone who fought hard for reaching his current state.
—Fascinating.
She studied him carefully. He, in turn, observed her with equal scrutiny.
There were two ways for a being to become what some would call a "Dimensional Demon," an entity capable of bending space and time to their will.
The first—being born with it. Some were inheritors of power, granted abilities through bloodline or the will of a higher entity. These beings usually had control from the very start.
The second—stumbling upon an ownerless dimension and claiming it.
These were the wild cards. Mortals who had, by fate or accident, gained access to a realm of infinite potential. These individuals were unstable, their control erratic, their power dangerous.
At first, she had assumed Eric was the latter—a reckless mortal who had stolen power he could not comprehend.
But after watching him, after feeling the waves of energy subtly radiating from him—
She knew she had been wrong.
This one…
He was trained.
His power was not something he had stumbled upon.
It was given to him.
By someone who had carefully prepared him to wield it.
Another thing she noticed—his power was still growing.
Even as they sat here, conversing, she could sense it.
Waves of pure energy pulsed from his core, subtle yet undeniable.
This was not a sign of lack of control.
No, his power was still evolving.
Like an ever-expanding universe, it was adapting, continuously expanding, releasing excess energy at intervals.
That was concerning.
Because if he had already reached this level, yet was still growing—
Then his full potential was something even she could not begin to imagine.
Eric walked forward, taking a seat directly in front of her. Behind him, Egris remained motionless, his towering figure exuding an undeniable presence.
The Ancient One remained silent. Her neutral expression did not waver.
Eric narrowed his eyes.
She was testing him.
Deliberately stalling to gauge his temperament.
If it was Eric before he went to the solo leveling world, he would have already attacked out of impatience.
But he is different now, Eric simply waited. Unbothered.
His arms rested casually on the chair; his posture relaxed yet firm.
The Ancient One studied his face carefully.
Power had not clouded his judgment.
He had been forged through countless battles, tempered into someone who did not act recklessly.
A rarity among those with his level of strength.
—Good.
This was good.
Finally, she spoke.
"Some time ago, I sensed… a disturbance."
She lifted her hand, tracing intricate patterns in the air.
"A foreign presence entered Earth at unimaginable speed. It ignored every barrier set in place… as though those barriers did not even exist."
She gave him a pointed look.
"That presence was you, wasn't it?"
Eric smirked but said nothing.
The Ancient One continued.
"As the self-proclaimed protector of this world, I naturally investigated."
After hearing self-proclaimed protector of the world, he remembers another bald guy, Nick fury.
The knock-off Batman of Marvel.
A competent enemy was far less dangerous than an incompetent ally. And Nick Fury? He was precisely the latter. A fool who overestimated his abilities. Just like Batman, Fury wanted to control everything around him. But unlike Batman, who could back his words with overwhelming skill and intellect, Fury lacked both. The ambition of a hero without the capability to support it.
Even now, Hydra roamed freely under his nose, probably serving him coffee every morning.
In the end, he couldn't hold back.
A small chuckle escaped his lips.
Seeing Eric small smile, she was little surprise, but she did not care much, because there more important thing now.
Anyway—
"When I used the Time Stone to look into your arrival…"
She leaned forward, her expression growing serious.
"I saw nothing."
Eric's smirk faded slightly.
The Time Stone could perceive past, present, and future.
There were only two reasons why it wouldn't be able to see something:
One—if the individual possessed a power related to time itself, blocking its sight.
Or two—if they were simply beyond its reach.
Stronger than the Time Stone itself.
Judging from her tone—
She had already confirmed it to be the second one.
Eric leaned back, resting his hand on the armrest.
"So what now?"
The Ancient One tilted her head slightly.
"That depends on you."
A knowing smile played on her lips.
"I just want to know your purpose."
Eric chuckled.
The room fell silent.
Then, finally—
He answered.