Emery remembered Kilgragah did mention something about looking for the master of Khaos, is this what the test was for? Test for getting this item? But then what is this the dragon talking about the crystal was actually for him.
"Of course, kid… Do you think such puny rock can help restore the power of Khaos? Hahaha! You're out of your mind!"
The dragon laughed for a few seconds and with each second, Emery grew even more annoyed. However, he knew this was not the time to express his displeasure, as the dragon still had something he needed. He still had to show his respect, no matter how much of it was mere pretense.
"Please, supreme being, guide me and help me understand."
Emery tried as hard as he could to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
Thankfully, the dragon did not notice. It opened its maw, showing off hundreds of rows of sharp teeth.
"Haha, explaining is too difficult. The Lord of Shadow, the Master of Space shall show you how things work."
Suddenly Emery felt a strong force pushing towards the item in his hand. The egg-shaped void crystal twisted and turned before glowing in a black-colored light. As the light got more intense, it became painful to hold the crystal, eventually forcing Emery to release it from his hand.
Dots of white started to fill the crystal and blinking white light illuminated the room they stood on. All of a sudden, the crystal broke apart, creating a small explosion.
To his surprise, the energy of the explosion did not spread. It was contained in a dark, shadowy sphere swirling right in front of Emery.
Emery's body slowly float and moved towards the sphere as it expanded, engulfing his body into the light.
"Hey kid," The dragon said. "One piece of advice for you, don't waste this opportunity!"
The dragon was obviously unable to express emotions as humans do, but Emery somehow felt it was grinning at him.
Tendrils of shadows moved and caressed his body and the dark core within his body seemed to pulse and tremble, drawn to the massive amounts of chaotic energy.
The caress became more intense, more painful, until Emery felt like thousands of needles stabbed his organs. The pain was so great, Emery felt like his body was used as a pincushion. But, while it was certainly painful, he also enjoyed the feeling of energy flowing through his dark spirit core.
[Spirit Force increased]
[Spirit Force increased]
Each notification was music to his ears. Though it felt like torture, this was a massive fortune for him. Emery hadn't ever felt this sensation of power before. Not even taking the spirit foundation pill in the origin stone room was comparable to this.
[Spirit Force increased]
[Spirit Force increased]
Hours passed and Emery continued to resist the intense pain coursing through his body. The pain felt never-ending and after a while the increase of spirit force seemed to be slowing down. But he did not plan to waste even one drop of it.
[Spirit Force increased]
[Spirit Force increased]
For a while, Emery felt a slight difference in the feeling from the energy he received. At first, the energy was pitch-black similar to ink, but as the seconds passed, there was a slight difference that became more noticeable as time passed. As if there was a drop of mercury that eventually managed to turn the whole inky surface of the energy into a silvery color.
Finally, after the suffering, Emery reached the end. The shadows that engulfed him had finally started to disperse, taking the void crystal with them.
The forces that lifted him up finally released him, gently lowering him to the ground.
Right as he felt solid ground beneath his feet again, the symbol on his hand started to glow.
[Your understanding of the Darkness element has increased]
[Emery Ambrose]
[Battle Power : 49 (34)]
[Spirit Force : 208 (133)]
[Plant Spirit – Mid-Foundation]
[Water Spirit – Mid-Foundation]
[Earth Spirit – Mid-Foundation]
[Spirit Core of Darkness – Stage 4]
[Fey Bloodline – Rank 3]
[Acolyte Rank: 7]
The process increased Emery's spirit force by 15 points and his battle power by 2 points in a matter of hours. Thanks to that, his spirit core had suddenly turned much stronger
Though he was ecstatic, that was not what caught his attention. He focused intently on the next line of notification.
[You obtained a new understanding on the power of space!]
"Power of space?" Emery read it in slight confusion.
The dragon was half sleeping, but right as Emery finished his question, the dragon started to stir and open its eyes.
"Oh, you're done, kid? Ah, I see you managed to absorb all of them. Impressive."
"Supreme being, what is this about the power of space? Please tell me." Emery asked.
"It's exactly what it means-"
Emery tried to keep himself from sighing. That was helpful.
"-use your brain a little, will you? Huh, I thought humans were supposed to be smart…"
Emery tried to keep his emotions in check. Patience, he still needed the dragon's assistance.
Well, from its wording, Emery at least could conclude it had something to do with space-based Darkness spells. Unfortunately, the only spell he had that fit the requirements was [Blink]
Emery casted [Blink] over and over again simultaneously. With each cast, he could feel his casting speed had increased, as if his body became more accustomed to it. The more he appeared and disappeared, the more he could feel it felt less like a spell and more like his natural ability, just like jumping or running.
The small happiness he felt was interrupted by the enraged bellowing of the dragon.
"Huh, stop it, will you?! You are making me dizzy!"
Emery stopped using the spell and reappeared in front of the dragon.
"You stand still now! Don't move"
The dragon opened its maw and breathed towards Emery's direction. The air it exhaled was black, just like the void, but dotted with white, making it look like a miniature night sky.
Emery breathed in the air and he felt new information for a spell quickly filling his mind.
[You just learn a new darkness magic spell]
[New spell received – Spatial Gate]
"Try this, it'd be a much better spell to test your new space magic talent."
Emery smiled, excited to try out his new spell.