World Evolution Apocalypse: I Possess The Extraction Ability

Chapter 140: Proficiency in Elements

Although it took some time, Thyra finally managed to convince Leon to add that particular suffix to her name, even though he was reluctant.

"So... what are you planning to teach me?" He asked.

This time, Thyra’s amused or teasing expression had disappeared. She looked strict and serious, making Leon wonder if she had suddenly become a different person.

"Your current Darkness/Shadow Manipulation is still an unranked ability and cannot allow you to use most of the techniques I know. However, I should be able to teach you one or two tricks that would reduce your Mana consumption."

Hearing this, Leon’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. While it was true that he felt pleased with himself since he discovered the Shadow Teleportation by himself, it was a bit frustrating too. The mana drain was too high, and he could only use it up to two times before he no longer had the mana to try it again.

Seeing that he understood her point, Thyra was satisfied. Then, she started to explain.

"The Darkness and Shadow elements are practically the same. Shadows are merely weakened manifestations of darkness since the light around them weakens it."

Leon couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow in surprise as he heard her words. On the internet, it was always argued that darkness was different from shadows. Now, Thyra was saying they were the same.

Who should he believe? Normal humans who were merely speculating, or a Shadow Demon that had lived for decades and had a deep understanding of the two elements?

The answer was obvious. So, he continued to listen.

"Shadows are the manifestation of darkness in the presence of light, especially when there is an obstruction in the path of that light. This is the reason why my ability is not useless during the day."

Leon nodded absentmindedly, "Shadows are always around us, anyway."

"Correct," She nodded. "At this stage where you are, shadows are the easiest for you to manipulate. You can control them to manifest into solid forms—though, at the cost of mana. However, here is the shortcut I’m planning to teach you."

She gestured at the shadow of the couch, turning Leon’s attention to it.

"Every shadow has its own innate properties, as they are reflections of what they are cast by. Take the shadow of this couch for example, if you want to create a sword from it, you’d naturally waste more mana than necessary."

She moved her hand, and the shadows twisted, solidifying into a longsword similar to the one Selene had.

"Although that kind of cost is negligible to beings of my level, it’s not the same for you. So, instead of trying to create a sword from it, you can simply create a foam-like or wood-like object from it."

Leon scratched his head, a puzzled expression on his face. "So... the nature of the shadow being casted determines what it can be turned into without much effort?"

"Yes!" Thyra clapped her hands, a smile forming on her stoic face. "I know I’m not the best teacher, and I’m not good with explanation, but you’re smart! That’s good."

Leon nodded indifferently to the praise, still processing her words.

’So, if I turn the shadow of a metal beam into a spike or any other metal weapon, the mana consumption will be very low...?’

He blinked several times, feeling his heart beat faster in his chest. If this was true... no, it had to be true!

Eager to test it out, Leon took out his greatsword from his storage ring, then placed it before the fireplace. Instantly, the sword’s shadow was cast on the ground, and Leon focused on it.

’Shadow Spear!’

The darkness hiding from the light solidified and rose as a long spear similar to the Blood Spear. Holding the pitch-black weapon, Leon glanced at his mana stats and couldn’t help but be surprised.

[Mana - (197/199)]

Leon’s eyes widened. Just two mana points?! He remembered the first time he had tried using the shadow spears. Back then, he had used all his mana to create several shadow spears to kill the zombies on the ground floor of the male dormitory.

Back then, the spears were weak and only worked well enough because the zombies were weak too. But now, holding this spear that had been created with just two mana points, Leon felt like it wouldn’t lose against an original Blood Spear until after five clashes!

’This is insane!’

Instantly, he turned around and looked at Thyra. The woman was smiling at him like a teacher seeing her student finally understand why one plus one equals two.

"Thyra, I wasn’t... no, that’s wrong," He shook his head. "Thyra-sensei, you’ve really opened my eyes to see Mount Tai."

"Mount Tai?" She tilted her head, confused.

"Ah, forget it. You won’t understand anyway," Leon answered indifferently, then continued. "What I meant was that you’ve made me see this ability in a new light. You must be a genius among Shadow Demons, right?"

A flash of pride appeared in Thyra’s eyes as she nodded. "Of course, I’m a genius. It’s just... that thing I showed you isn’t anything special for us Shadow Demons. We instinctively know the nature of the shadows around us, so we know what can be forged from them."

Leon’s lips twitched, and for some reason, he felt offended.

’Is it just a feeling, or I really feel like a naive fool?’

Scratching his head, he entertained the thought for a while before shrugging.

’This would definitely help me more. But that means I’ll have to study the material before knowing what can be formed from its shadow. Although that won’t take long, time is an important asset in battle. How am I going to avoid lags in my combat fluency?’

Sitting down to think, he fell into contemplation and began to simulate battles he had fought in the past.

The first that came to his mind was naturally his first time using the Darkness Manipulation against the zombies in the dormitory.

’Instead of using the shadows of the zombies, if I had used the shadows of the surrounding walls and shelves, the spears would have been far sturdier and I might have spent less mana than needed.’

As for his battle against the Tier One Evolved spider, it was still fresh in his mind. After all, that was the first time he experienced the true pain of being beaten until his bones were broken.

’There was a billboard next to the female dormitory back then. If I had used its shadow to create the giant spear, then...’

His eyes widened, and he felt something flicker in his soul.

[You have deepened your understanding of the Darkness/Shadow element]

[Darkness/Shadow proficiency: 0.1→1%]