Leon didn't have time to think about motivation or things like that. He decided to use the research center at his own convenience to get stronger as fast as he could. So, after giving Darya the tower and the knowledge of how to create mithril, he flew to the research center and went to the archives room while Darya was telling everyone what Leon wanted to do there and how things would proceed for a while.
Much to Leon's surprise, several sections had information about how to learn some warrior's techniques. Those would be useful, but Leon wouldn't have many chances to train it.
Congratulations! The skill Sunburn has leveled up.
Cost: 50 mana per second
Duration: 30 seconds
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! The skill Prison of Fire has leveled up.
Cost: 100 mana
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! The skill Prison of Ice has leveled up.
Cost: 120 mana
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! The skill Prison of Earth has leveled up.
Cost: 100 mana
You obtained 01 status points.
Leon started learning the first spells he found, and that seemed easy to replicate. He also practiced them until they reached level thirty, the last three were somewhat easy to learn because Leon saw a similar spell before... the Prison of Light. Leon just had to create elemental arrows around the target, and then he learned it... after practicing and becoming fast enough.
After spending the first-night practicing those spell and leveling them up, Leon sparred with the soldiers of the building. Leon vs. ten mages... and he couldn't use magic. However, that much was fine. He wasn't practicing with them to obtain fight experience. It was to obtain mana for Soul Eater.
While he was flying around the massive training field and dodging the numerous magic projectiles being shot at him, Leon attacked them using Telekinesis and Soul Eater. The power of Soul Eater was the same as the strength of its user, even though it wasn't a weapon that was made for the battlefield, Leon could easily behead those soldiers... after he absorbed the mana that kept their Mana Armor active.
Although Leon went easy on them to absorb their mana, they didn't last even two hours. Another group came, but they weren't much better... in the end, Leon obtained fifteen million points of mana after defeating ten groups of ten soldiers.
"Hunting krakens and ancient whales is more efficient to store mana... but I guess it can't be helped. Regardless, now that I can face several targets... I guess it is a good time to level up Slow."
Congratulations! The skill Slow has leveled up.
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! The skill Slow has leveled up.
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! The skill Slow has leveled up.
...
The cost to keep that skill active was absurd, but once Leon gave the order to someone plant his blue angel plants, the problem had been solved. To speed things up, even more, he planned to hire one hundred people to produce mana liquid for him. But Darya managed to hire the people for free... at least that was what Leon thought, she just used her influence. Besides, the information of a stranger using the research center at his own convenience couldn't spread, so she choose a group of people who wouldn't spread the word... she was preventing information leak.
"I guess she is a totally different person now. The current Darya is the person this world needs, and it would be too cruel to reveal what I know. That being said, not revealing it would be cruel. I guess the best option is the one who makes her suffer less... Regardless, I guess training isn't enough. I will ask Darya to investigate the other worlds in order to find a possible connection to the earth. It would be advantageous if they find a spirit, but the chances of that are low..."
The chances of Darya risking her soldiers to do that were also quite low, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Anyway, Leon also decided to transfer some coins to Darya in order to make her duplicate the production of blue angel leaves. Most likely, Soul Eater could work against all enemies, but Leon had no intention of getting close to the shadowy figure or even attack with it to absorb mana. At least, not until he has a good grasp of the enemy's skills. So, if that weren't possible, Leon would use the blue angel leaves to increase the mana stored.
Congratulations! The skill Swordsmanship has leveled up.
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! The skill Swordsmanship has leveled up.
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! The skill Swordsmanship has leveled up.
You obtained 01 status points.
...
Despite the growth of Swordsmanship, Leon wouldn't use Soul Eater up close, no matter what. Still, he could only hope that the shadowy figure wouldn't notice the effects of such a weapon. Otherwise, Leon would be in dire straits if the weapon would break in the middle of the battle.
"Now that I have the means to store mana and recover my energy, I guess I should invest all my free status points on intelligence. That way, my raw power will increase, and I will be able to damage the shadowy figure more... Thus decreasing the chances of myself getting hurt."
It was a risky plan, but against a creature that managed to kill a high-leveled fragment of a spirit and is continually absorbing the mana of several worlds... such risks were necessary. Besides, it wasn't like Leon would have all that many chances to escape in the case is defeated... If he fails, perhaps it would be less painful die than return to Earth after five hundred or maybe one thousand years...