Only I Am A Reader

[ Book 3 ]

Name: Cassian (Leo Lock)

Age: 26 (18)

Role: Reader 𝘣𝘦𝑑𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘦𝘭.𝘰𝘳𝑔

Reading Points: 1198

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Personal Statistics:

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- Enigma: 1,000/1,000

- Physique: 3.02

- Mind: 2.68 (+2.76)

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Personal Skills:

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- 'Advanced Swordsmanship' - Chapter 3 - page 9/10

- 'Advanced Spearmanship' - Chapter 3 - page 9/10

- 'Advanced Footwork' - Chapter 3 - page 7/10

- …

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Personal Abilities:

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- 'Shadow Mastery' - Law - 5/5

= 'Shadow Domination' - Peak

= 'Shadow Movement' - Advanced

= 'Shadow Copy' - Advanced

= 'Shadow Armament' - Advanced

= 'Shadow Nightmare' - Advanced

= 'Shadow Pocket' - Advanced

= 'Shadow…'

= …

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The book was barely visible under Leo's glowing eyes, but that didn't stop the excitement from overcoming Leo. He had done it!

He had taken the final step beyond the Peak and achieved the impossible! He could now contend against the hidden powerhouses of New Enigma City!

'It's even more all-encompassing now.'

Unlike Shadow Manipulation which had evolved into Shadow Domination, Shadow Domination had now become one of his many branch abilities. Meaning that Leo had surpassed Cassian's limits.

Shadow Mastery was the crystallization of everything he could do and more!

While Mastery felt lacking in impression compared to Domination, it was the highest form of control that one could reach.

Even if he didn't take a look at the new ability name, Leo was already starting to feel the difference within.

He was Shadow, Shadow was him, and he could control it all!

'This is what it means to wield a Law…'

In reality, Leo was far from being truly capable of all, even when it came to just shadow. However, many of the limitations that only had makeshift solutions before… No longer existed.

While that might not sound like much in the bigger scheme of things, things were different when they were just restricted to this world. This was already the ceiling of ability that this world allowed.

'Well, unless I end up like Aurora…'

Putting aside the impossibilities that he wouldn't consider even if they were suddenly allowed for him, Leo was already satisfied with what he got this early in his journey.

'Let's see.'

As the purple light's brightness increased, a spot of shadow suddenly converged out of nowhere. There was no source, it just sprouted into form!

Although Leo could move shadow into illogical places, that shadow was ultimately his own. It carried his special Enigma.

Now, however, he had become truly capable of letting ownerless shadows overtake whatever place he wished!

'Move.'

Moreover, that wasn't all, he could manipulate these shadows using his personal abilities. The only link between them was one of existence, but that was more than enough for the current Leo!

A few seconds later, the small shadow spot started materializing into something more intricate. It became a shadow dagger not much different from the ones that Cassian used.

Lastly…

'Would that be also possible?'

Leo let the shadow dagger melt back to its former shape before initiating his most magical ability. An inanimate object was fine, but what about a Shadow Nightmare?

The shadow spot started bubbling unnaturally as spikes popped up left and right, it was definitely far more unstable than usual. Thankfully, that didn't last for long.

A small human-like shape rose from the ground. At first, it looked like a blob doll of some sort, but then its shape started getting more detailed.

'This is…'

Aside from the usually concealed areas, a miniature human body was now in front of Leo. He couldn't help being surprised by its form, but its erased face made him a little bit uncomfortable.

Pop!

Leo was unsure if this was the result of his thoughts or not. However, the miniature human shadow suddenly exploded like a balloon. It then started morphing into various shapes.

A circle, a square, a triangle, and eventually a snake. Noticing that it all seemed to adhere to a certain pattern, Leo confirmed his realization.

'I'm the one that's controlling it this time?'

Was it because it came from a blank shadow? The circle was the first thought that came to Leo's mind after the balloon popped, and the circle itself gave birth to more shape thoughts.

Finally, the snake was the result of Leo wondering if it would eventually reproduce his nightmare's form. It all made sense!

Leo was eager to take out his own Shadow Nightmare to see if it was that malleable, but there were far too many things to explore.

For the time being, he was going to check the apparent changes first before delving into the deeper ones!

'It might be possible to recover some more muscles.'

Aside from the boundless Shadow Mastery that had now effectively hit its own limit, Leo felt that his physical growth limits had been unlocked, even if just slightly.

The direction of this evolution was apparent with how much his Physique had increased. In a way, rather than Mind, physical strength was the main focus just as it was the case for the owner of the Enigma Stone.

'It did have close to unlimited vitality.'

Naturally, the greatest difference was still that of Enigma. At the surface, a 1-point increase didn't seem like that much, but it was that point that allowed Leo to reach the Law stage.

Most importantly, each point of Enigma was now worth much more than before. Despite experimenting with his most energy-consuming ability, Leo only lost a few points of Enigma, and those were already on their way to recovery!

'Even that had evolved.'

Eating too many Enigma Stones had originally allowed Cassian to act as a semi-Enigma Generator that had a better recovery rate than most, but that talent had only become stronger.

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Personal Talents:

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- 'True Overflowing Enigma' -

- 'Darkness enchantment' -

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The bigger the monster was, the better their drop. Although this didn't necessarily apply all the time, Leo made sure to target those that had the best benefits.

Finally, despite not getting the Darkness Imprint that Colt gladly accepted, he still received a new talent relating to it.

Leo was slightly worried that he might have gotten tainted by something unpleasant, but he decided to look at the situation optimistically. How could he judge something completely new before even trying?

'Right.'

Without further ado, Leo shut down his glowing eyes and let himself blend in with the darkness…