He opened the Darkness Magic tab and saw the abilities.
[Tendrils]
Create animated limbs of darkness to restrain, crush, or pull enemies from a distance. Cost: 5 Energy per second, plus additional cost for distance and force applied.
He read the description and smiled. 'Is this like tentacles?' The thought made his smile falter for a moment. He remembered a job where he had to assassinate a politician.
On the target's computer, he had seen... strange videos.. about tentacles. He didn't know whether to be pleased with having tentacle powers or not. He shrugged and chuckled at his own train of thought.
He moved to the next ability.
[Annihilation Sphere/Orb]
Create a small, contained sphere of absolute void that disintegrates anything it touches. Energy cost depends on the size of the sphere. The effect only disintegrates matter significantly weaker than your own power.
He nodded. This was a powerful skill, similar to the fireball but with a different, more absolute effect.
[Binding Vows/Oaths]
Use darkness to enforce magical contracts or curses that are incredibly difficult to break. Base cost: 100 Energy. Final cost depends on the power and will of those bound by the contract.
This was also useful. If he needed to extract information or secure a truly binding agreement, this was the tool for it.
He saw that was all for Darkness Magic. These were strong abilities, offering control and destruction. He was starting to feel slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of new options.
His fighting style would need to change. He would need to practice and test all of these abilities to understand their potential.
He now had a clear picture of his new strengths. He possessed the raw power of Sand and Fire, and the subtle control of Darkness. Only one category remained. He clicked on [Death Magic].
He opened the first ability under Death Magic.
[Soul Sight]
The ability to perceive spiritual entities, including lingering souls and spectral beings. This perception also allows you to interact with them physically and sense the approach of death in mortals.
He paused. 'Sense when someone is about to die?' That was a profound kind of power. He also noted the other feature. 'So this is why I was able to punch the phantoms.' It was the passive form of this ability that had been active during his fight.
[Entropic Aura]
Creates a personal field that weakens attacks passing through it. Kinetic energy diminishes, spells dissipate, and materials decay. Cost: 10 Energy per second.
He considered it. The ability was powerful for defense. It was a good ability, but he felt it wasn't that entirely good as the others... maybe he was just tired.
The next ability caught his attention more than any other so far.
[Mummify]
Wrap a living being in your linen, sealing them within. This process transforms them into a lesser mummy under your command or allows you to absorb the mummified figure.
[Slots: 0/2]
Cost: 200 Energy per use.
This was interesting, primarily because it allowed him to create subordinates. The "slots" implied a limit, and the energy cost was extremely high.
But the potential was undeniable. Finally, he was done reviewing his new Class.
'That took a long time,' he thought, the sheer volume of new information settling in his mind.
Seeing he was done reviewing his abilities, a powerful curiosity took hold. He knew he couldn't test them all exhaustively, he needed to move on and find a way out, but he had to see how they felt.
He looked at his bandaged hand. Manipulating this energy wasn't as instinctive as he'd hoped, but it wasn't impossibly difficult either. He focused, directing a trickle of magical energy into his palm. A wave of warmth spread through his hand, and a small, flickering flame sputtered to life above his skin.
[-1 Energy]
Encouraged, he fed more power into it. The flame grew, swirling and condensing until it was a roaring ball of fire the size of his head, hovering just above his hand.
[-10 Energy]
With a grunt, he flung it at the far wall. It struck with a satisfying WHOOSH, leaving a blackened, scorched mark on the ancient stone. A wave of feedback tingled up his arm, leaving it pleasantly numb.
"That... is fucking awesome," he whispered, a rare, genuine grin stretching across his features beneath the bandages. The quiet, serious man was momentarily replaced by an excited child witnessing magic for the first time.
Eager for more, he turned to Sand Magic. The stone floor was too solid for Sand Travel, and creating a storm indoors seemed foolish. So, he focused on [Sand Constructs]. He willed the energy to coalesce, feeling it shift from raw power into tiny, hard particles. Sand began to swirl from the air and floor, gathering in his hand. He closed his eyes, picturing a familiar, comforting shape.
[-30 Energy]
He looked down. In his hand was a perfectly formed Desert Eagle, crafted entirely from hardened, beige sand. He aimed it at the wall and pulled the sandy trigger.
To his astonishment, it bucked in his hand with a loud BANG! that echoed through the chamber.
'It actually shot!' The mechanics baffled him, no gunpowder, no firing pin. He let the pistol dissolve back into sand, then focused the same material into a single, large bullet. With a thought, he sent it hurling at the wall, where it impacted with a solid thud.
'So that's how,' he realized. The "gun" was just a familiar focus. The real power was his will directing the projectile. He didn't need the form, just the function.
Finally, he turned to Darkness. For [Tendrils], he focused on his own shadow cast by the eerie temple light. The pool of darkness at his feet rippled, then surged upward, forming two smoky, semi-solid appendages that writhed in the air like the tentacles he'd imagined. He willed one to stretch out and tap a nearby pillar. It obeyed flawlessly, an extension of his own body.
He dismissed the tendrils, feeling the energy drain cease. A deep satisfaction settled over him. 'no longer a man of Few skills'
It was time to leave this chamber and see what other challenges this temple held.