Something was happening. The shadow's words weren't just filler—they held a weight, a mechanical significance. I didn't understand the meaning yet, but my Psychokinesis was vibrating, telling me not to miss a single syllable.
"Give me a damn minute to think!" I barked.
The spirit's body surged, elongating into several tentacles—much like my own Slime—and lashed out at me.
"Magic Archer... Tenfold Fire Volley!"
I fired the spell without a focus key, but I pumped enough SP into it to make up for the lack of ritual. The arrows were faster and more powerful than a standard incantation. Evangeline would have called it "brute-forcing with idiotic amounts of mana," but it worked.
I manipulated the arrows, sending them on curved, erratic trajectories toward the target. It was a technique I had mastered by practicing with my Phantom weapons in the past. The arrows slammed into the shadow, erupting in a series of explosions.
"Good. That bought me some breathing room."
I took a breath, replaying the spirit's words in my mind.
Swallows all. The darkness of the beginning. Primordial Chaos.
The darkness is the start of everything? The "Chaos" from which all was born? If Darkness is Chaos... Wait, I was missing something. It felt like looking at a puzzle with only the final piece missing. Or like holding a book that contained all the answers, but being unable to read the script.
"Do you really have time to be daydreaming?"
"Tch! Accel!"
I boosted my speed again, narrowly dodging a shadowy tentacle that pierced the ground like a spear. But this time, the attack changed. The moment the tip hit the ground, it snapped back like a rubber band, tracking my movement with terrifying speed.
I was still in mid-air from my leap. I couldn't use Shundo effectively without a surface... No, I had another way!
I focused my mind and spoke.
"First Shadow Spear!"
A spear of solid darkness erupted from my own shadow in mid-air, clashing with the spirit's tentacle.
"Bind it!"
The Shadow Spear responded to my will, twisting around the spirit's limb and pinning it to the white floor.
"Hoh? You used a basic Shadow-Stitch spell to completely neutralize my attack. Your mana is indeed worthy of the Magic of Darkness. Though, as you are now, even that is ultimately meaningless."
Meaningless? Why? Because I couldn't kill it? No, the tone wasn't one of mockery. It was... a hint.
Then it hit me. One of its earlier phrases echoed in my mind: The dark hole that swallows all.
Swallows all. Consumes. To make something your own.
It was a revelation. The final piece of the puzzle clicked into place. The "language" I needed to read the book was my own history of power.
"Let's see how you handle this," the spirit challenged.
It unleashed a blast of flame—a jet of fire so black it seemed to absorb the light around it.
Previously, I would have dodged or countered. But if my theory was correct...
"..."
I stood my ground. I reached out my right hand, not to block, but to welcome the black fire. The flames roared over my arm, searing my flesh with an agonizing, white-hot pain. I felt the heat trying to reduce me to ash. But I didn't flinch.
I closed my fist, "crushing" the fire. An instant later, the pain vanished.
"Ghh... aaaagh!"
In its place came a sensation of pure, unadulterated wrongness. It felt as if something—something vast and alien—was being forced into my very soul. A normal human, or even a veteran mage, would have had their mind shattered by the invasion. But I gritted my teeth and held on.
I had felt this before. This sensation was identical to the moment I used my Slime's "Absorption" skill to take in a new ability like Psychokinesis or Geass. In fact, compared to the soul-wrenching experience of a full "Absorption," this was almost manageable.
"Impressive," the spirit's voice held a trace of a smile. "To face that sensation for the first time and remain standing... your talent for the dark is truly monstrous."
As I listened, the knowledge of the Magic of Darkness began to flow into me naturally—or rather, the black fire I had just "eaten" was acting as the medium for the data.
Following that instinct, I spoke the final keyword to complete the ritual.
"Enshir—Capture!"
The black flames erupted from my body, but they didn't burn me. Instead, they formed a flickering, ethereal cloak of shadow around my limbs. I felt an incredible surge of power—my own mana, recycled and amplified by the very spell I had absorbed.
"So, you have mastered it. I suppose I should say... well done."
"The Magic of Darkness," I muttered, looking at my hands. "The art of accepting, swallowing, digesting, and absorbing all things to make them your own... Right?"
"Not quite, but close enough. Though your use of 'absorption' as a process is a nuance I didn't expect. Now, try to strike me. My body is constructed such that only an attack fueled by the Magic of Darkness can damage it. When I vanish, your training will be complete."
I felt the dark flames merge with my spiritual body. I activated Shundo, leaving a trail of black embers as I blurred across the white void. I slammed my fist, wreathed in the abyss, directly into the mass of shadows.
"Whoa!"
There was no impact. My fist passed through the shadow as if it were smoke.
"What? Did I fail?"
"No," the spirit's voice was fading. "Your strike was more than enough. You felt no impact because that is how Master Evangeline designed me. I am but a phantom of the art itself."
The mass of darkness began to shrink, dissolving into the white light.
"You have successfully mastered the Magic of Darkness. My purpose is fulfilled. You have done well, Axel Almar."
"Yeah... thanks."
"With my task done, I shall fade. Farewell. May the guidance of the darkness be upon your path."
With those final words, the spirit vanished. The white world began to crumble at the edges, dissolving into nothingness. As the void took me, my consciousness drifted away once more.
Status Report
Name: Axel Almar
Level: 38 PP: 625
Melee: 262 Ranged: 282
Skill: 272 Defense: 272
Evade: 302 Hit: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to enhance Slime performance)
Spirit Commands:
Accel (SP 4) | Effort (SP 8) | Focus (SP 16)
Direct Hit (SP 30) | Awaken (SP 32) | Love (SP 48)
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9, SP Regen, Concentration)
Psychokinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9 | In-fight Lv.9
Morale Limit Break
Geass (Grey)
Magic (Fire, Shadow, Summoning)
Magic of Darkness (Magia Erebea)
???
Total Kills: 376
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read + 70 advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"