Free Web NovelChapter 312: Chapter 300: Shadow Perception
Perhaps due to the effect of [Harmony of All Things], the toxins in the mysterious liquid were completely neutralized after being heated.
The subtle pulling sensation had become extremely faint, almost imperceptible.
If not for Roland’s keen Perception, he likely would have never noticed it.
’Strange...’
He frowned, mulling over the fleeting anomaly.
’It’s not Elemental Magic Power, nor the rarer Positive and Negative Energy, or even...’
Recalling his brief contact with Shire, he gently shook his head.
’It’s not an aura related to Deities either, so then...’
Just as he was pondering, a strange feeling surfaced without warning.
It was like a cold strand of spider silk brushing against the edge of his Perception.
Roland held his breath, concentrating completely, trying to capture this fleeting trace.
Under his highly focused Perception, it seemed some extremely subtle transformation was occurring within the liquid he had just treated with [Harmony of All Things] and swallowed.
The frenzy and filth of the Abyss had been thoroughly purged, yet some deeper substrate was preserved during the purification and was now quietly transforming.
It was like a raging flame burning away weeds, only to give the seeds buried deep underground a chance to sprout.
He sensed an extremely fine, cool current slowly spreading from his stomach.
It was different from the burning heat or icy cold of Elemental Magic Power, different from the vitality of Positive Energy or the stillness of death from Negative Energy, and completely distinct from any known Extraordinary Energy.
This was a...
More ethereal, more clandestine existence.
But the feeling was fleeting.
Before he could analyze it, it vanished without a trace, as if it had been a mere illusion.
Roland’s brow furrowed slowly. He focused his Spirit to inspect his body, but found nothing.
After confirming that nothing was amiss, he let out a soft breath and looked up, preparing to pack his things and leave.
However, when his gaze swept across the abandoned, moonlit courtyard before him, his movements suddenly froze.
Something...
Was wrong.
The cold, clear moonlight cascaded down, casting long Shadows from the dilapidated stone pillars onto the cracked ground.
Everything should have been still.
But now, in his eyes, the edge of the stone pillar’s Shadow seemed... no longer sharp and stable.
Faint, almost imperceptible ripples flowed silently along the Shadow’s contour, like heat hazes shimmering in the sun, yet they carried a nocturnal chill.
He blinked instinctively, suspecting it was a hallucination brought on by his prolonged focus.
Yet when he focused his eyes again, the strange ripples hadn’t vanished. In fact, they had grown even more distinct.
It wasn’t the Shadow itself that was moving; it was more like the Darkness covering it had grown viscous and... "active."
And it wasn’t just the stone pillar’s Shadow.
The messy Shadows cast by the pile of rubble in the corner, the pitch-blackness under the crooked half-door in the distance...
All the Shadows within his sight seemed to have been infused with an indescribable "sense of life."
They remained silent, but they were no longer dead.
They remained dark, yet they seemed to possess deeper, flowing layers.
An extremely faint sense of affinity emanated from those "different" Shadows, quietly resonating with the cool wisp of energy inside him—the one transformed from the mysterious liquid.
This wasn’t a direct visual change. It was more like a sudden, heightened Perception of the "boundary between light and dark," allowing him to glimpse what he could never normally detect...
The subtle pulse of "darkness."
After a moment of careful inspection, having confirmed this sudden, strange sensation had no negative effects, Roland thoughtfully raised the Crystal Bottle, gazing at the viscous liquid sloshing inside.
’Could it be that the [Harmony of All Things] Trait converted the harmful Energy in this mysterious liquid into some kind of... unknown, beneficial Energy?’
Having reached this conclusion, Roland focused his Perception again.
However, the Shadows that had seemed to come alive moments ago were now silent once more.
"Hmm?"
He grunted in confusion, shook his head, and after scanning his surroundings to confirm he was alone, he hesitated no longer.
Flame ignited at his fingertip once more, heating all the remaining liquid in the Crystal Bottle.
He dipped in a finger to taste it. After confirming the harmful substances had been completely removed and that the pulling sensation had entirely dissipated, he downed the rest of the liquid in one go.
The treated liquid slid down his throat with a hint of coolness, causing no discomfort.
After a brief moment of silence, an extremely faint tremor, seemingly from the depths of his consciousness, ran through his nerves.
Immediately after, a series of new, gold subtitles appeared abruptly in his vision.
[Analyzing ingested substance...]
[High-purity converted energy carrier detected...]
[Analyzing Energy Traits...]
[Matching...]
[Trait attribution confirmed...]
[Trait Awakening: Shadow Perception]
[Shadow Perception: Grants a special sensory ability transcending conventional sight. Regardless of ambient light, you can precisely perceive the distribution of all Shadows and Darkness within a certain radius. You can not only define their area and contours but also keenly discern their origin—be it natural shifts in light or an anomaly caused by unnatural forces.]
Before Roland could even finish reading the subtitles, the strange sensation washed over him again.
It was as if...
His Perception had been wiped clean by some invisible force, becoming exceptionally sharp.
Especially regarding the boundary between "light" and "darkness."
The once-faint sensation suddenly became crystal clear.
But now, he no longer needed to concentrate. The surrounding environment’s Shadows simply flowed into his "Perception" naturally.
This was no enhancement of his sight; a completely new, independent sense had been awakened.
Through his Perception now, the moonlit courtyard took on a peculiar, layered quality.
The lit areas remained as they appeared to the eye, but the regions covered in Shadow...
Behind the stone pillars, beneath the rubble, on the far side of the broken wall.
...were no longer just areas visually "lacking light." They had become tangible presences he could "perceive."
They were like cool, still pools of water, silently saturating every corner.
Roland could clearly "feel" the range and depth of these Shadows. He could even vaguely sense their extremely slow "flow" as the angle of the moonlight changed.
This Perception didn’t reveal every detail; it was more of a holistic grasp of the dark areas, one that transcended sight.
He closed his eyes, attempting to block the interference of his vision.
Just as he thought, the Shadows didn’t disappear from his Perception. They remained like a faint schematic, clearly imprinted on his mind, marking every obstacle and gap within the Darkness.
Roland raised his hand, looking at the small Shadow his fingers cast in the moonlight.
He could clearly "perceive" that tiny patch of Darkness connected to his fingertips.
He tried waving his arm. The Shadow he perceived moved with it, perfectly in sync with his sight.
Just as Roland was immersing himself in this marvelous experience, another line of gold subtitles materialized in his vision.
[Detection complete. Possessing any Shadow affinity skill unlocks the Upper-tier Profession: Wanderer.]
[Requirements: Power 5, Agility 10, Spirit 5, Short-Handled Combat Skills 3/3, Full Level Deceit Skills 0/3, Successful Stealth Penetrations or assassinations 0/30]
