Although Leon became quite mad, one hour later, he ended up letting Shadow return. Not because he was feeling guilty or anything like it, but because Shadow worked really hard and also begged Leon to get away from Rem.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Bullet of Darkness.
Cost: 100 mana
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Punch of Darkness.
Cost: 750 mana
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Lance of Darkness.
Cost: 1000 mana
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Sword of Darkness.
Cost: 2000 mana
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Arrow of Darkness.
Cost: 2000 mana
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Cannon of Darkness.
Cost: 10000 mana
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Unholy Spike.
Cost: 5000 mana
You obtained 01 status points.
"Well, I guess it is fine… obedient kids have to be rewarded," Leon said while he was reading those notifications. "However, if something like that happens again…
"I got it. I got it!" Shadow said anxiously. "It won't happen again! I will do anything as long as you keep me away from Rem!"
"As long as you understand that…" Leon said.
"I guess I was wrong…" Volt said. "Leon is just too lenient."
"I bet he is the type of man who becomes a father and spoils his kids rotten," Undine smirked.
Now Leon finally could understand how Sekundez would feel whenever he tried to speak his mind out loud as if no one was hearing. He wished that his spirits didn't talk on his back when he was listening, but Leon couldn't complain about it since that was a flaw that he also had.
Regardless, even though Leon managed to find a way to motivate Shadow to work hard, Leon couldn't relax yet. To make his spirits evolve now that they reached the max level, he would have to give them huge amounts of mana and to do that. He would have to increase the Mana Magnetism output.
"In the end, I can't wait for my recovery to get more efficient… it is the only way," Leon muttered.
"It is not the only way. You can always obtain more mana by absorbing mana from enemies," Sekundez said.
"Yeah, but you can't see any monster here, can you?" Leon asked. "I was lucky in finding such world because harvesters probably aren't monitoring this place anymore. If I go to another world and drain the monsters' mana, they eventually will find me. While I want to fight those bastards as soon as possible, I can't take any chances while my friends and Earth are on the line. The big shots will probably come to Earth if the conflict escalates there or anywhere else."
Sekundez couldn't retort Leon's logic because she knew he was right. Although Leon was the one who was having a hard time convincing himself, he didn't let himself rush toward the battles. At that point in time, a single mistake would cause thousands of deaths, and Leon's hands were already dirt with the blood of too many.
"Sekundez, when you reach the max level, can you teach me a way to make time to pass faster and my recovery work faster?" Leon asked. "I think Accelerate was supposed to have such effect, but I have the feeling that isn't the case.
"… Why are you always thinking of ways to die faster?" Sekundez asked, visibly shocked. "Don't you have any concerns about your own well-being?"
"I don't think I have I have…" Leon frowned. "Can you answer my questions now?"
"… Yes, it is possible," Sekundez said after a long sigh. "And you are right. Accelerate can't help you to make your recovery work faster. There is another spell that can do that… obviously, the effects are much weaker than Accelerate. But are you aware of the effects of such skill on your body and mind?"
"Yes, it will make time pass faster only to my body and mind," Leon nodded. "Although that will be useful, I will age faster than other people."
"Yes… even if you survive the use of Mana Magnetism for more than a few years, you will decrease your lifespan considerably," Sekundez added. "Also, that skill only is effective to make someone age faster and to make recovery stat more frequently useful. So, the effectiveness of Accelerate or any other spell won't grow."
That was a very troublesome effect… in the end, Leon could solve the problem of damaging his spirits, but the price would be his lifespan. All roads lead to Rome… In Leon's case, it was more accurate to say that all paths lead to his doom.
"Well, I will think about it once I cross that bridge," Leon shrugged. "I need to make you level up, after all."
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Bullet of Light.
Cost: 100 mana
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Punch of Light.
Cost: 750 mana
You obtained 01 status points.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill: Lance of Light.
Cost: 1000 mana
You obtained 01 status points.
In the end, it would be faster to make Sekundez level up inside his mindscape. Still, Leon hesitated in doing that because Sekundez was also draining his mana to increase the training of his replica. If Leon leaves Sekundez there, the efficiency of the training will decrease by half. Leon hesitated and only assimilated his replica's experience and then left.
"What would you recommend, Sekundez?" Leon asked. "Keep expanding the scope of Mana Magnetism or use the skill you mentioned."
"I can't choose either," Sekundez shook her head. "Both skills will cause your death, and I can't choose the way you will die."
Sekundez talked as if Leon had control over that, but in the end, the only thing he could really do was work hard in order to die after reaching his goals.