Leon couldn't help but chuckle when Shadow became a sphere of energy and entered his body. Putting that aside, the skills he obtained had quite fearsome names. Absolute Destruction, Black Hole… those didn't look the powers a depressed spirit was supposed to have.
"Mmm? This is place is larger and more comfortable than I expected," Shadow said. "It is quite surprising that someone managed to find Sekundez, and I didn't find the other spirits yet."
"The others are training in my mindscape," Leon said while he was studying his new skills. "I guess I will send you there right now."
"It is fine. I would rather regain my powers alone…" Shadow said.
Leon couldn't help but wonder if he really obtained the cooperation of one of the three more strongest spirits or if he created a mind of a shy and depressed teenager. Regardless, Leon didn't listen to Shadow's protest and just sent him to his mindscape. He and the other spirits would have to work together alongside Leon, so getting used to each other was necessary. Besides, time would pass faster in that dimension.
"I guess it is time to assimilate the knowledge of my replica, but before that, I have to see what those skills can do." Leon nodded to himself.
Absolute destruction was exactly that, a spell that destroyed everything without leaving any trace. Most likely, even though he couldn't understand, Leon could create dark matter using that skill… it wasn't that surprising that darkness could have the same effects of dark matter in some spells, but it was terrifying.
Dark Aura was the spell that Donan used before, and much for Leon's surprise, it didn't have a cost in health, nor did it hurt Leon when he tried to use. Still, the spell only increased his status by twenty points per level, and it didn't increase his health, mana, and stamina.
"Donan probably received damage because he didn't have a fragment of shadow with him," Leon concluded. "In any case, it is a buff, and it is better than most of my current buffs, so I will use it to my heart's content."
Absolute Stealth was self-explanatory, a skill that erased all traces of Leon's physical and magic presence… but just like other spells that had the sole goal to keep the user hidden, it didn't let Leon keep himself hidden while using other skills. Intangibility was similar to that, but Leon could be seen and couldn't attack. However, he couldn't be damaged either.
Although all those skills were useful, Leon was more interested in Black Hole than in any other spell. Leon's imagination was running wild, but he didn't hesitate to experiment with it. Still, since the skill didn't have a clear cost, Leon could determine the power of it just by thinking, so he started with baby steps by creating a Black Hole of the size of a grain of sand… despite that, Leon felt the planet trembling and winds being pulled by the small Black Hole. Although the spell was quickly sucking wind, other grains of sand, and the dust in Leon's clothes, it didn't grow larger… Meanwhile, Leon was spending only five hundred points of mana to keep that active.
Congratulations! The skill Black Hole has leveled up.
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! The skill Black Hole has leveled up.
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! The skill Black Hole has leveled up.
You obtained 01 status points.
…
"The power behind it is fearsome… but it is a spell that can't be used when allies are nearby," Leon nodded to himself. "Not until I obtain full control over it.
Maybe Shadow could help Leon with that. Even though Leon just obtained his cooperation somewhat, the spirit would be much more skilled at using it. Now that Leon thought about that, he also wondered if Sekundez could help him to increase the flow of time in his Mindscape Transportation… there was only one way to find out.
"Sekundez, can you use your powers and duplicate the effectiveness of Accelerate?" Leon asked.
"… Do you want to damage your spirit even faster?" Sekundez said, visibly astonished. "It is possible, but like all your other ideas, I wouldn't recommend it."
Leon would have to increase the scope of Mana Magnetism and thus increase the strain in his head, but he was more than willing to accept that because that would instantly duplicate the speed of his replica training. Still, Leon started to wonder if he shouldn't listen more to Sekundez's warnings.
"Sekundez, you can see my spirit since you are one, right?" Leon asked. "Can you see my spirit being damaged?"
"Yes, I can," Sekundez replied.
"If I continue to increase the effectiveness of Mana Magnetism, how much time do I have before I damage my spirit too much, and something bad happens?"
"If you maintain the current effectiveness of Mana Magnetism, I think in four or five years, you will reach the point of no return," Sekundez replied.
He still had some time but considering that Leon wasn't planning to stop from increasing the range of Mana Magnetism, it was clear that he had much less time. To make his body get used to that amount of mana restored, Leon would have to increase his recovery. That would probably counter somewhat of his actions somewhat… but Leon's main goal was to increase his mana and intelligence, and he wouldn't change his mind about it.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Electric Rage.
Cost: 700 mana
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Flood.
Cost: 800 mana per second
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Extinguish.
Cost: 500 mana per second
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Evil Eye.
Cost: 1000 mana per second
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Sharpness.
Cost: 50 mana per second
You obtained 01 status points.
Leon was walking on a dangerous road, but he couldn't stop thinking about it. So, he just assimilated the knowledge and the battle experience of his replica to change his mood and think about his next step.