Magister Insanity

Following the completion of my courses for the day, I made my way to the training grounds and stopped in front of one of the testing dummies.

They were shaped like humans but forged from durable material, sturdy enough to withstand the blows of an Awakened Blasphemer. Yet a single shot from the Silver Casull had scattered one into fragments.

Did that mean I could kill an Enlightened with one shot? Perhaps. But no Enlightened would ever stand still and let themselves be hit.

Awakened Blasphemers were veterans who had already completed their First Phrase, and the gap between us in terms of strength, experience, and skill was far too vast to ignore. Their Echoes were also bound to be more advanced than mine.

Most concerning of all, even if I used my darkness attribute to ambush them and landed a shot, what then?

If they dodged the sneak attack and traced my position from the gunfire, it would be over. I'd be powerless against them.

The gap between Sleepless and Enlightened wasn't one that could be closed in a day or even months. Not that I had any intention of fighting one head-on with my measly strength.

Still, understanding one's abilities was the first step toward that end.

Speaking of abilities...

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First Sequence Ability: [Soul Eater]

Ability Description: [You can freely control the Soul Devouring Shadow and wield it as both a blade and a shield. Consuming a soul carries a chance to acquire its individual abilities.]

Shadow Storage: [ ]

Souls Consumed: [1/3]

†

First Acquired Ability: [Skyweave]

Ability Description: [A hereditary Legacy of the Sky Wind Clan that grants control over the wind. At advanced levels, it allows the user to walk on clouds and water. Unlike its original wielder, the Legacy can now be used without the limitations of its former owner, thanks to the influence of the treacherous Black Solace.]

Skyweave... the ability I obtained after the Soul Devouring Shadow had consumed Zephyr's soul.

The priority targets had already grown suspicious and reported his disappearance to the academy officials, but it seemed the academy itself had yet to release an official announcement. Likely, they wanted to conduct a quiet investigation before making anything public.

Whatever the case, they would not uncover anything concrete that could tie me to the crime.

Hopefully.

Well, not that I could turn back now.

I shook my head, pushing aside the thought, and focused on the runes before me. Tilting my head, I studied them carefully, considering how to awaken the stolen Legacy.

Would it require a direct link to the shadow, or could I invoke it by will alone?

Glancing at the darkness pooled at my feet, I asked:

"What do you think?"

The shadow writhed faintly at my feet. No voice answered, but a faint pulse tugged at my mind.

It was not speech in the ordinary sense.

My brows furrowed.

"I see. So it's like that, huh?"

The shadow nodded.

If it said so, then it should work, right?

Knowing what to do, I focused my senses into the [Shadow Link]. Within the deepest depths of my psyche, a gentle radiance slowly entered into view; it was a star. Driven by unexplainable instincts, I reached out to that luminous brilliance and as soon as I did, a wave of energy flowed into my body. More than that, foreign memories that did not belong to me flowed into my mind like a wave.

Memories of a boy negated by his family, memories of several years of anguish, memories of not being able to use the Sky Wind Clan's Legacy full potential due to a curse, memories of training, memories of hunting, memories of pain, memories of endless humiliation.

Everything flowed into my mind.

In that brief second, I truly thought I was going to run mad from the rush of emotions flowing into me at once.

Crunching down, I clutched my head with both hands, trying to endure the flood of memories as best I could. A few agonizing moments later, my efforts were finally rewarded.

But one emotion lingered. This time, it wasn't from him. It was mine.

"Ha… ha."

A hollow laugh slipped from my lips.

"I really am a terrible, wretched person."

The sound of my own voice felt foreign, almost mocking. I quickly smothered the rising regret, shoving it deep into the abyss of my psyche where it belonged.

What good would my regret accomplish?

The slain remained deceased and could not be resurrected. There was no such thing such as an omniscient power.

One could only live with this burden.

Regaining my composure, I stood and brushed the dust from my clothes. My intent sharpened, and the power within awakened instantly.

Flow (风身)

Harnessing the surrounding air, I wove the currents tightly around my body as though the movement had been ingrained in me for years. In an instant, the winds erupted, launching me forward with overwhelming speed. My blow connected with the center of the training dummy, delivering a devastating blow.

Whoomph! The impact reverberated, and the training dummy shuddered violently under the force.

Yet, in the end, it held firm, refusing to crumble.

I stepped back, lowering my gaze to my fist, still trembling from the sheer force of the tremendous blow.

"How… interesting. So that was the reinforcement technique of the Sky Wind Clan. Though the power behind it was more lacking I imagined."

The Sky Wind Clan's Legacy granted its members the ability to manipulate wind as though weaving a spider's web.

Theoretically, its applications were limitless, but the Legacy revealed its true weakness during the early stages of mastery. According to Zephyr's memories, most clan members could initially do little more than enhance the force of their blows or increase their speed. To address this limitation, the clan devised structured forms known as «Techniques», which made the Legacy easier to refine.

These Techniques were further divided into three branches: Attack, Control, and Movement.

Attack revolved around shaping Skyweave into ranged strikes. Control focused on manipulating the wind for reinforcement, while Movement used it to heighten agility. In Zephyr's case, however, his curse — [Hollow Current] — made the first branch meaningless. The harder he pushed his control, the more "empty" his strikes became. As a result, he abandoned Attack techniques altogether, devoting himself instead to mastering Control and Movement.

But that limitation did not apply to me. The Soul Devouring Shadow had consumed his soul — and with it, his curses. Therefore, I could wield Skyweave in its entirety, drawing upon its full potential.

My focus shifted and another technique emerged.

Severing (斩断)

Accompanied by a silent howl, the wind gathered along the length of my arm. The air grew razor-sharp, condensing into fine strands that shimmered faintly like threads of glass.

I exhaled slowly, releasing the weave.

A faint whip echoed through the training grounds.

The dummy trembled and staggered back a step. Even so, it withstood the strike, refusing to fall. A deep gash now marred its chest, carved cleanly between the upper and lower torso.

My brows furrowed.

"As I thought… I can use Attack techniques. If this had been Zephyr, his strike would have done nothing more than brush against the dummy and nudge it back. But even now, the force feels lacking. No wonder the Sky Wind Clan relied so heavily on Control and Movement. Still… in the hands of someone truly gifted, Attack could become just as deadly."

From this demonstration, it seemed I could only steal a soul's abilities, not its potential. Not that Zephyr had been a genius to begin with.

I let out a resigned sigh.

"…Control and Movement techniques, then?"

Shifting my stance, I focused once more. Almost instinctively, another technique surfaced in my mind, flowing into place as naturally as breath.

Gale Step (疾風歩).

Gathering the surrounding wind around my feet, I felt my body lighten as though gravity itself had loosened its hold on me. The world slowed, my senses sharpening to a razor's edge. Each sound, every fluctuation of air and even tremor in the ground became clear to me.

Then I moved.

With a single step, everything blurred. The wind surged in unison with my stride, propelling me forward in an explosive burst of speed. The training grounds stretched and warped, as though the world lagged behind.

In less than an instant, I reappeared several meters away.

My eyes widened faintly.

"Ah, isn't this rather amazing?"

It wasn't teleportation, nor was it mere acceleration. Rather, it was the wind itself carrying me along its current, reducing resistance, guiding me seamlessly from one point to the next. A perfect embodiment of Movement.

Was that why the Sky Wind Clan had named this technique Gale Step? To move in harmony with the wind.

How poetic.

That aside, the technique proved remarkably useful. It didn't just enhance agility, it sharpened the senses as well, attuning the body to the flow of air around it. More importantly, its versatility made it invaluable: a swift tool for striking down demonic creatures, or a means of retreat when faced with an overwhelming foe or an army too vast to confront head-on.

Failing to hide my excitement, I tested it again.

Step. Step. Another step.

My body seemed to weave between the currents as though dancing to an invisible rhythm. The technique was all about fluidity, about merging one's body with the flow of the air.

Armed with the memories of the fallen, it felt as though I had already performed these techniques a thousand times before.

"Flow," "Severing," and "Gale Step."

These were the fundamental techniques of Skyweave Zephyr had managed to learn. Regrettably, there was nothing beyond those three.

Still, who could blame him? What point was there in mastering something you knew you would always fail at? In truth, Zephyr couldn't even wield Flow properly.

Worst of all, none of it was truly his fault. Blasphemers sometimes bore curses that hindered their very abilities. By cruel misfortune, Zephyr was one of them.

Nevertheless, the veterans of the Sky Wind Clan had branded him worthless trash among his siblings.

Truly regrettable. But lamenting would change nothing. The only choice left to me was to make do with what I now possessed. After all, wasn't there an old saying? That the swordsman who perfected a single strike was far more terrifying than a juggler of countless tricks.

And so, I continued drilling the Skyweave techniques, darting back and forth across the training grounds.