Chereads / Chapter of the Olden Days ~ Srijan / Chapter 53 - Vol. 3 Chapter 2: Shadow Masks

Chapter 53 - Vol. 3 Chapter 2: Shadow Masks

 Chapter 2: Shadow Masks

Lu Li had scheduled the meeting for two days later. These two days would be enough to complete his skill combinations. Returning to his temporary hideout, he first removed the seven modules from the Shadow Assassin skill, setting the magic module aside. He then took out the nine magic masks, stacking them together and placing the will module on top.

Slowly, Lu Li began to channel his shadow magic. The nine magic masks in front of him started to emit a faint glow. He carefully picked up the endowment and solidification modules, injecting magic directly into them, causing the modules to shine.

Lu Li's eyes sparkled with excitement. As he had suspected, the skill slots were merely aids for game players to better utilize the modules; they weren't strictly necessary. With this in mind, he brought the glowing modules closer to the will module on the masks.

In the dungeon, when Lu Li obtained the masks, he had considered that if the masks could store magic, they might also be able to store modules, effectively transforming the masks into alternative skill slots. Observing the witch extracting modules, he had deduced that modules were essentially energy crystals containing rules.

Lacking the witch's sorcery, Lu Li could only use the modules to achieve this. The will module, under the influence of the endowment and solidification modules, gradually integrated into the nine masks, strengthening Lu Li's connection with them.

After sensing that his magic was still more than half-full, Lu Li proceeded to integrate the control module, continuing until his magic was nearly depleted. At this point, the control module had fully merged with the nine masks.

With a thought, Lu Li made the nine masks hover and separate, floating around him. He gestured, and one mask floated before him. Sensing the mask's state, he commanded the nine masks to regroup on the table, waiting for his magic to recover.

Once his magic had replenished, Lu Li resumed the integration process, starting with the newly acquired Rule Module · Absorb. As the amplification module merged, the masks' shadow magic seemed to activate a switch, automatically absorbing ambient shadow energy. After a short while, he integrated the Rule Module · Amplify, causing the nine masks to undergo a significant transformation. They began continuously absorbing shadow magic, now storing up to 5 units each, and the capacity was still increasing. Lu Li felt that wearing one would significantly enhance his shadow affinity.

Previously, the masks could only store about one unit of shadow magic. Now, after incorporating several modules, each mask could hold five units. Lu Li rested, noting that his shadow magic recovery had sped up due to the masks.

Next, he integrated the basic intelligence module. The masks seemed to come to life, floating and rotating around him without his command. Selecting one mask, Lu Li added the assassin unit module and a strand of his own shadow.

The mask absorbed a large amount of shadow magic, forming a Shadow Assassin. Lu Li realized that he could command the mask to continue absorbing shadow magic, summoning more Shadow Assassins. Each mask could currently summon about ten Shadow Assassins, but since they were composed of shadow magic instead of Lu Li's own shadow, their strength was about 20% lower. However, the mask-wearing Shadow Assassin's power was boosted by over 60%.

After testing the Shadow Assassin mask, Lu Li took out the special module · Claw Ghoul unit, integrating it into another mask along with a strand of his shadow. This mask generated a new unit: the Claw Ghoul.

Claw Ghouls were similar to assassins but had notable differences. They were more robust, unable to generate weapons, but their claws served as formidable weapons. They possessed hunting instincts akin to leopards and had strong frontal combat abilities. Like the assassins, each mask could summon ten Claw Ghouls, with the mask-wearing Claw Ghoul being particularly powerful. [TL: Bro making his army]

With the masks sorted, Lu Li examined the two dimmed modules in his hand: endowment and solidification. These modules were now dull and might break after a few more uses.

Storing the modules, Lu Li turned to perfecting his Silent Meditation skill and the unfinished Fear Touch skill. If possible, he would also create a new skill. Fear Touch was relatively simple, requiring only the addition of a magic module and one or two other modules for completion. As for the meditation method, he relied on Moonlight Solitude's expertise.

With a wave, all the shadow soldiers disappeared, and the nine masks re-stacked and hung from Lu Li's waist. He opened the forum and contacted Moonlight Solitude, who promptly sent a long analysis and new skill module composition parameters.

Reviewing the analysis, Lu Li saw that the new meditation method relied heavily on his ability to maintain control over his soul. It had evolved from three to seven modules but still lacked any safety modules.

The original three modules—soul tranquility extraction—now included four more: nurture, deepen, converge, and activate. Checking the parameters, the process remained similar: directly contacting the soul, deepening tranquility, initiating nurture, extracting energy, then converging the generated energy. The new step involved activating the converged energy and reintegrating it into tranquility for immediate extraction.

"Using a module twice in one skill…" Lu Li absorbed this knowledge. Without guidance, such a concept would be hard to conceive, but now it seemed straightforward.

Lu Li checked the shop, finding the nurture and converge modules readily available. Deepen and activate modules, however, might require luck or trading with other players.

After discussing skill concepts with Moonlight Solitude, who urged Lu Li to notify her immediately upon successfully deploying the skill, they ended their conversation. Moonlight always seemed busy, and her information was often cryptic. But Lu Li didn't mind, as long as she provided the skills he needed. His thoughts now focused on the little game he had set up for two days later.