Translator: CinderTL
Perhaps due to the effects of Universal Harmony, the toxicity of the mysterious liquid had been completely neutralized by the heating process.
The subtle sense of attraction had become extremely faint, almost imperceptible.
If not for Roland's acute perception, he likely wouldn't have noticed it at all.
"Strange..."
He frowned, replaying the fleeting anomaly in his mind.
"It's not elemental magic, nor the rarer positive or negative energy, and even..."
Recalling his brief encounter with Shar, he shook his head slightly.
"It's not the aura of a deity either. Then..."
Just as he was pondering, an odd sensation surged through his mind without warning.
It felt like icy spider silk brushing against the edge of his perception.
Roland held his breath, focusing intently on capturing this fleeting trace.
Under his heightened concentration, within the liquid he had just swallowed—the liquid that had been treated with Universal Harmony—a subtle transformation seemed to be occurring.
The madness and filth originally belonging to the abyss had been completely purified, but some deeper foundation remained intact during the purification process, undergoing a silent transformation.
It was like a wildfire burning away weeds, inadvertently giving deeply buried seeds the chance to sprout.
He sensed an extremely subtle, cool-tinged flow slowly spreading from his stomach.
This was unlike the scorching heat or icy chill of elemental magic, the life-giving warmth of positive energy, or the deathly stillness of negative energy. It was utterly distinct from any known transcendent energy.
This was something...
far more ethereal, far more concealed.
But the sensation was fleeting.
Before he could fully grasp it, it vanished without a trace, as if it had been nothing more than an illusion.
Roland slowly frowned, focusing his spirit to probe his body, but found nothing amiss.
Confirming there were no abnormalities, he exhaled softly and looked up, preparing to gather his belongings and leave.
Yet as his gaze swept across the moonlit, abandoned courtyard, his movements abruptly halted.
Something...
was wrong.
The cold moonlight cascaded down, casting long, stark shadows from the crumbling stone pillars onto the cracked ground.
Everything should have been still.
But now, in his eyes, the edges of the shadows seemed...
no longer sharp and stable.
Subtle, almost imperceptible ripples flowed silently along the shadows' outlines, like heat waves shimmering under the sun, yet carrying the chill of the night.
He blinked instinctively, wondering if it was a hallucination born from prolonged focus.
But when he looked again, the strange undulations hadn't vanished; they had only grown more pronounced.
It wasn't the shadows themselves moving, but rather the "darkness" covering them thickening and...
becoming "active."
It wasn't just the shadows of the stone pillars.
The chaotic shadows cast by the rubble piled in the corner, the pitch-blackness beneath the distant, half-open door...
Every shadow that fell within his sight seemed to have been infused with some indescribable "sense of life."
They remained silent, yet were no longer lifeless.
They remained dark, yet now possessed deeper, flowing layers.
An extremely faint sense of affinity emanated from the "altered" shadows, subtly resonating with the icy aura within him, which had been transformed from the mysterious liquid.
This wasn't a direct visual change, but rather a sudden, heightened perception of the boundary between light and darkness, allowing him to glimpse the subtle pulsations of "darkness" that were normally imperceptible.
After carefully probing for a moment and confirming that this sudden anomaly had no adverse effects on him, Roland thoughtfully raised the crystal bottle, gazing at the viscous liquid swirling within.
"Could it be the property of 'universal harmony' transforming the harmful energy in this mysterious liquid into some kind of... unknown beneficial energy?"
Having reached this conclusion, Roland focused his senses once more.
However, the shadows that had seemed to come alive moments ago had now returned to their dormant state.
"Hmm?"
He murmured in confusion, shook his head slightly, and, after confirming that no one was around, acted without hesitation.
A flame ignited at his fingertip, heating the remaining liquid in the crystal bottle until it was completely consumed.
He dipped a finger into the liquid, tasted a small amount, and confirmed that all harmful substances had been completely removed and the lingering pull had vanished. Satisfied, he drained the remaining liquid in one gulp.
The tempered liquid slid down his throat with a cool smoothness, causing no discomfort.
After a brief silence, an extremely faint tremor, as if originating from the depths of his consciousness, swept through his nerves.
Immediately afterward, a series of new golden subtitles abruptly materialized in his vision:
Analyzing ingested substance...
High-purity converted energy carrier detected...
Analyzing energy properties...
Matching...
Property affiliation confirmed...
Property awakened: Shadow Perception
Shadow Perception: Grants a special sensory ability beyond conventional vision. Regardless of environmental lighting conditions, it allows precise perception of the distribution of all shadows and darkness within a certain radius. This includes not only defining their coverage and outlines but also discerning their origins—whether they are naturally occurring variations in light and shadow or anomalous presences disturbed by unnatural forces.
Before Roland could finish reading the subtitles in his vision, a strange sensation surged through him once more.
It felt as though...
His senses had been gently wiped clean by some invisible force, becoming extraordinarily clear.
Especially his perception of the boundary between light and darkness.
The faint, almost imperceptible sensation from moments ago suddenly sharpened into vivid clarity.
Now, he no longer needed to focus his mind; the shadows in his surroundings naturally imprinted themselves upon his "perception."
This wasn't merely enhanced vision; it was the awakening of an entirely new, independent sense.
In his current perception, the moonlit courtyard revealed a peculiar sense of depth.
The illuminated areas remained as his eyes saw them, but the shadowed regions—
Behind stone pillars, beneath rubble, on the far side of crumbling walls—
were no longer merely visual "lack of light." Instead, they had become tangible entities that could be "perceived."
They resembled cold, still pools of water, silently saturating every corner.
Roland could clearly "feel" the shadows' extent, depth, and even vaguely sense their imperceptible "flow" as the moon's angle shifted.
This perception wasn't about detailed observation; it was more like a holistic grasp of the darkened areas, transcending mere sight.
He closed his eyes, attempting to block out visual interference.
Sure enough, the shadows didn't vanish from his perception. They remained, like faint outlines etched into his mind, marking every obstacle and void within the darkness.
Roland raised his hand, watching the tiny shadow cast by his fingers in the moonlight.
He could clearly "sense" that minuscule patch of darkness connected to his fingertip.
When he swung his arm, the perceived shadow moved in perfect synchronization with what he saw.
Just as Roland was immersed in this extraordinary experience, another line of golden text materialized in his vision:
Detected: Possessing any Shadow/Darkness Affinity skill qualifies you for the high-tier class Rogue.
Requirements: Strength 5, Agility 10, Spirit 5, Short-Handled Combat Skills 3/3, Max-Level Deception Skills 0/3, Successfully Completed 0/30 Stealth Infiltrations or Assassinations.
(End of the Chapter)
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