Luke ran out of ideas.
Rather than contemplating further, he continued pushing as best he could with the remaining mirrors. The dodge training would likely help against the Spectral Lord’s sword, but he came up blank for training his essence or whatever else Reavers were supposed to practice.
The Interface popped up with his post-battle stat gain, or rather, what he took by force. The gains should be decent, considering he repeatedly wailed on several monsters while cycling through Infusion.
[You have stolen 40 HP and 20 Strength]
His Roll of the Reaver must’ve given him two great rolls this time. He’d take it with a smile on his face. Per the pattern, no loot was dropped in these realms, at least by the monsters inside them. Feeling like Luke had recovered enough, Sooty started to peck at his hands.
Luke chuckled, “Yeah, it’s time to go now, right?”
Jumping up, the two of them left the mirror realm. He didn’t want to bother with a blindfold this time, so Luke closed his eyes as he went. Waiting in place, Luke gave Sooty a few seconds to give over some of her light to the last gray crystal for the left side.
The crystal beamed a deeper mist-like beam, hitting the wall nearby. That section lit up a silver-blue color resembling a pylon. With the job done, Sooty returned to Luke, choosing to land on his head rather than his shoulder this time. Leaving that section of the hall, they made their way toward the right side.
Once they were on the first row on the right side, the two paused at the first echelon of mirrors. Both were already broken earlier while stacking light for Sooty to “spend” on these gray crystals. The gray crystal for this row was floating peacefully above the left mirror in the second set.
“Be my eyes, pal,” Luke said as he placed Essence Bond on his companion, Sooty.
With the distance only a few steps away, she flapped twice and then landed crisply in front of the desired mirror. Sooty turned her head, hopping this way and that way, using different angles to get a better picture of what was in front of her.
Her deliberation was short, and Sooty sent Luke an emotional signal of battle intent through Reaver’s Link.
More detailed information was challenging to procure through the connection. A direct affirmation this was something they could face would be enough for Luke. In its current state, Reaver’s Link wouldn’t facilitate the transfer of more detailed information so readily. It would seem stupid to leave those two artifacts behind for now, especially when it immediately caused a pain point like this. Wayfinder or Xera could solve this information issue for him.
But Luke didn’t want to be the sort of man who constantly doubted his decisions. He desired to grow self-confidence and not depend on those who barely respected him. More importantly, he needed a more dire situation, only able to rely on the abilities of his class or part of his class, like Sooty.
Xera would be a borderline case, but Wayfinder now provided not one, but two trump card abilities. Most mirrors couldn’t squeeze more potential out of him with the two safety valves in place. With just two mirrors without the near cheat that was Wayfinder, and he was seeing results.
Luke could feel it. There was more to force out of him. It was only a question if he could figure out how in time. With that mindset, Luke stepped into the next mirror, only Sooty and Whispering Edge at his side.
Trying to fluctuate Essence throughout his body, most of it naturally surged to Luke’s eyes. He scanned the unknown zone. Several sets of flowers infested the fields around him. A tree line of dark, twisted oaks grew in a wide circle, surrounding him. A barely visible barrier enveloped the tree line.
That must be the edges of this mirror realm.
The entire place resembled a mixture of meadows and fields. The temperature of this mirror realm was the most temperate and sunny one he’d entered so far.
“Curious.”
The sound of crickets and various songbirds filled the air. The cadence was relaxing and peaceful. The gentle wind naturally put one at ease.
All the more reason to make Luke tense. He wasn’t a complete fool. This place would never give him peace. Not until it killed him. Infusion was already applied to its maximum over Sooty, himself, and Whispering Edge. Luke’s fingertips were ready to use Essence Bond or Essence Fissure at the first sign of trouble.
The ambiance of nature continued to draw Luke in like an irresistible illusion.
No, it was an illusion.
Luke took the simple route, not the type to have an incredible solution to every issue. He stabbed Whispering Edge into his upper leg. The pain shot throughout his nervous system, and he bit his lip.
With eyes widened to their limit, the essence in his eyes reached a critical mass. Around the once vibrant fields and meadows were ethereal ghosts, barely visible to him.
[Ghastly Shade]
Level: 15
HP: 300/300
Luke thought, They’ve got Sooty and I surrounded. There’s nearly a hundred of them. No pain, no gain.
“Let’s put your Quicksilver Feather to use,” Luke said, signaling to Sooty.
The passive for piercing through unholy energy would come in handy. As if in response to a new threat, frost radiated intensely from Whispering Edge. But that wasn’t surprising. Instead, thin lines of shadow rotated around Sooty.
What had happened to him with frost should be happening to Sooty with shadow or darkness. Luke wasn’t sure which one to call it yet. In an excited state, the crow let Essence Screech rip the air. Threads of shadow intertwined with the visible sound waves.
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Reacting with his recently gained inhuman speed, Luke cast Essence Bond on the furthest ghost he could target. The Bond overlaid the ghost, and it became far less ethereal in appearance. Essence Screech’s last sound waves caught onto the ghost, and Essence Bond reappeared onto nearly all the ghastly shades surrounding them.
The monsters Luke was previously straining his essence to see became all too real before his eyes. The shades hovered low to the ground as if Essence Bond refused to let them fly. Sooty became curious, nearly entranced by the shadow essence unearthed from within her.
Not to mention its subtle strengthening of her abilities, even her regular attacks benefited. Focusing on providing Sooty back-up as her tunnel vision had reached an unsafe level, Luke swung Whispering Edge rapidly.
Sooty had adjusted to her newfound element, and shadows permeated her beak and talons. The element resonated with the bird’s two methods of attack—Sooty dove to where Luke couldn’t reach her.
The corvid knew her toolkit well by now. Shadow Wing hung around her. The shadow was perceivably more solid, its eyes red. The shadow guarded Sooty while she was on her murder spree.
Luke ran into a different problem. Once the Infusion stacks were gone, Whispering Edge barely dealt damage to the ghastly shades surrounding him. As soon as his essence didn’t envelope the blade, Whispering Edge felt like it was cutting through water. The ghosts would reform, barely harmed.
Even that tiny amount of success was due to Essence Bond forcing the creatures to become more physical in form.
Sooty had a hay day with her Quicksilver Feather, almost jolly during the battle. Luke wanted to use Essence Lance but resisted the urge. The Reaver’s expression became relaxed, and his body reflected it. The swarm of ghastly shades was perfect.
This is what I wanted. As a Reaver trial, there’s no way a mirror would be too item-dependent. What was the way the first Reaver intended for?
Bits of frost caught Luke’s attention. Before any ghost did its regeneration, the frost would slow it down. Catching onto this thread, Luke slowed his strikes, only speeding up again when he could refresh the stacks of Infusion over Whispering Edge and Sooty.
The dynamic vision with essence flowing to his eyes was a blessing in this situation. Despite being surrounded, the ghastly shades rarely landed a full-fledged blow. As the frost mist coming from Whispering Edge grew denser, Luke grasped a slight connection.
Reaching into a deeper layer, his spatial sense expanded. The mist would slow those coming near him, and awareness of their moves became highlighted to Luke, even if he wasn’t directly looking at them.
The sense was far from perfect, only in its initial stages, but it was the proof he needed. Like this frost, learning to unlock more aspects of his essence was another puzzle piece to finish this survival game. He tried concentrating the frost on the sword’s edge.
Slashing Whispering Edge, a white-blue icy edge would flicker on the blade. Close to the pulsing of a failing light bulb. The wet dew of grass underneath Luke’s boots froze. With each strike, the targeted shade would take more damage.
The process was taxing. His Essence felt like it regenerated less. Even with his frost resistance stat, the constant cold made him shiver. Regardless of the fact he was the source of the drop in temperature.
His body had only begun to use Essence for three days. Of course, it wouldn’t be the perfect vessel for the power yet. Not wanting to interrupt Sooty’s moment to explore her new changes, Luke cast Essence Lance near himself to create breathing room.
The nearest shades became solid ice, with a portion shattering to the slightest breeze the mirror realm naturally had. The ice age around Luke made connecting with the frost within more accessible. Three shades pounced, using a triangular formation.
Icicles slowed their movement. The radiating frost around Luke made touching him even more difficult. With his previous training against the stone men, the shades didn’t have the agility to make contact. For the first time, the white-blue edge remained solid during the entire strike.
A blue line lingered, and each shade took irrecoverable damage. Gliding along the north-most ghost’s spiritual body, Luke positioned him behind it. Whispering Edge was thrust out, and the ghost died.
“I’m getting the hang of this.” Luke’s blue eyes began to radiate confidence.
Allowing himself a moment to check on Sooty, the crow was adjusting to the shadow she’d learned to harness far faster than he did with frost. Each strike became imbued with a stream of darkness. The aesthetic fit the black-feathered crow perfectly. He was happy for her.
The initial success spurred Luke on. Each failed swing brought him closer to the subsequent success. With these ghosts likely unable to give him stats anyway, he stopped using Infusion. Now, he’d need to imbue his blade with frost skillfully, or the ghastly shades would nullify nearly all physical attacks.
Swarms of monsters danced around him. The frost aura around him slowed them just enough to prevent overwhelm. While exploring on her own, Sooty didn’t forget to prioritize survival. She sent Luke a vague question through Reaver’s Link. Asking if Luke needed help.
Sending back a feeling of denial, Sooty still circled closer around Luke, having adjusted partially to the shadow essence streaking around her. Having his partner watch over him in case he overstepped or made a grave mistake let Luke push closer to the edge.
Employing the endless wave tactic, increasing amounts of ghosts tried to attack Luke. Deathly whispers resonated in his ear—a previously unnoticed mental skill. The interference lowered his state of insight. More strikes began to stack up.
Luke didn’t let the setback stop his progress. A large cut appeared on his right cheek. Without thinking about it, his essence rushed to the injured area. A close look would reveal ice particles slowed the bleeding and accelerated his healing.
This paired well with his Coven Lord Pendant, the passive regeneration receiving a helping hand. The longer Luke was in this state of using frost, the less his essence regenerated. Soon, he would consume faster than he restored naturally.
Sooty also looked to have an identical drawback, having stopped using her shadow essence. Realizing the time for training had ended, the two rotated through their abilities, covering each other. Sooty often would circle behind Luke, placing a Reaver Beak through an eager shade. Luke maintained Infusion and Essence Bond, never letting too many monsters take Sooty on.
Sooty, of course, could strike these ghosts without any help of her essence or Luke’s Infusion. The Quicksilver Feather was a near-perfect counter to the challenge here. With the two no longer pumping the brakes, the creatures surrounding them thinned at a heightened pace.
Whispers surrounded Luke, which consumed his sense of hearing—working to wear him down mentally. But the skill felt suppressed, unable to portray its full might. If this world followed some of Earth’s game logic, then level suppression could be on his side this time. Luke was five levels higher than the ghosts here, after all.
The amount of shades left reached a critical low. Subtly guiding the pests to group up, Luke landed an Essence Fissure on the remaining fifteen. Sooty released her Essence Screech, imbuing it with shadow essence once more.
Shadow essence’s extra kick enhanced her damage, and most shades returned to the afterlife. Whispering Edge sliced apart most of the remaining few, and Sooty’s talons took care of ghastly shades out of Luke’s immediate reach. Thrusting his blade through the last ghost’s lower back, nature’s music replaced the deathly whispers.
The battle’s aftermath made a mess of the vibrant area. The white-blue frost replaced the once-dominant green landscape. Observing his and Sooty’s handiwork, the two caught their breath.
Once Luke no longer tried to radiate out his frost, the ice-covered landscape rapidly began to melt. Returning to a temperate cool before long. The Reaver and his crow sat down in a mostly intact patch of grass.
“Any idea where this frost and shadow stuff is coming from, Sooty?”
A confused caw was Luke’s only answer.
“Yeah, me neither, pal, me neither.”