Ray's refinement of the spatial portal had finally begun to show results. The portal now had a noticeable curvature.

Of course, "noticeable" was only relative to its previous state. The actual tilt was less than one degree, but even that represented a massive breakthrough.

And the benefit was clear: the spatial portal's frame had become significantly more resistant to pressure. Now, Ray could open it in water with ease.

However, while opening and maintaining the spatial portal in air required