Shadow-Mancer

[You have grasped the essence of the shadows. You are now presented with the chance to walk further on the path of shadow…]

[You have the chance to claim…]

[Title: Shadow-Mancer]

[He who dwells with the shadows, the one revered by the shadows, delving into the path to understanding the true meaning of shadows…]

[Warning: Those who walk the Mancer path can't gain another comprehension until the said path is complete…]

[Would you claim the title? Y/N]

Jayde immediately understood why this was so different. This title was unique; it seemed once he claimed it, he wouldn't be able to acquire any other comprehension until he completed his shadow comprehension.

This choice was a tough one to make. Normally, if he was given such a choice before he cleared the dungeon, he would have accepted it quickly without much thinking. After all, who knew when next he would gain another comprehension? If comprehensions were so easy, he would have gotten some in his previous life.

But on second thought... he trained his gaze onto the item section on the system...

[Items:]

[First page of Primordial Darkness Chronicle (??), Lineage Legacy Key(??)]

Looking at the two items in question, he focused on each one as the description of each came into view.

[First page of the Primordial Darkness Chronicle (??):]

[A page from the ??? treasure, contains the essence of devouring, an attribute of darkness, written by ??? himself]

[Lineage Legacy Key(??):]

[The sequence has noticed your efforts...

The sequence rewards you...

You've been given access to a legacy weapon ahead of time]

It went without saying, both items were shrouded in mystery, especially the page which he got from clearing the dungeon. He noticed the consistent appearance of question marks in its description, but he vaguely understood what it meant.

Previously, before his regression, humanity had come across a lot of things. Obviously, they had also encountered scenarios where the item grades were not identified. The system would just display a series of question marks. This phenomenon puzzled a lot of people. But the undisputed fact was that any treasure with such a case was very powerful and special. He of all people should be aware of that; after all, the dungeon which ended his life also had the same grade-less issue.

But mainly looking at the description for the first item, though it was vague, he understood that with it, he could try acquiring another comprehension, most likely the comprehension of devouring.

And the second item was kind of like a pass which he could use to access his legacy weapon ahead of time. In his previous life, it wasn't until the end of the second sequence before he could gain access to one, and the legacy items he got were one of the sole reasons he could hold the title of the second strongest without a comprehension or being a Savant.

So as shown, it was a tough choice. If he picked the Shadow-Mancer title, though it would boost his current abilities, it would shut down his other path of progression until his shadow comprehension reached 100%. If he was honest, he wasn't sure how long that would take.

It may have looked like his progression in the shadow path was rapid, but in truth, it wasn't that simple. The reason he got to progress this fast was because of his frequent encounters with life and death situations. One had to remember, as talented as Jayde was, it didn't change the fact that he wasn't a Savant.

Unlike others, his talent wasn't something he could prepare for. In fact, he couldn't think of any human who could be specifically suited for his ability. The reasons were simple, actually. What was his talent? It was called Darkness Wield, and what could it do?

It was simple; all he could do was give the incorporeal form of darkness a physical attribute, hence the fact that he could manifest them into weapons. Hearing what his ability could do, one would think that all he simply needed to do was master one weapon or probably several just to be safe. But it wasn't that easy. His ability in combat was a very versatile one, and his transitions in weapons could be very frightening.

For example, imagine fighting a sword user and thinking you could take advantage of his range. You put some distance between you and your foe, and the next thing you know, the sword in your foe's hands becomes a spear. Seeing this, you put in more distance, and still, the spear becomes a rifle or even a bow and arrow. As one could imagine, it was a very frightening ability.

But as we all know, nothing can be perfect. The limits of his ability lie within his imagination. As long as he could picture the form the darkness would follow, with this, it could be understood that weapon creation wasn't his limit. Back in his previous life, his talent grew to an extent he could terraform an entire battlefield as he saw fit.

But because of the nature of his talent and its infinite variations, he would be unlikely to awaken as a Savant. Well, not for now anyway.

Now, the reason he was hesitant in rejecting the offer was because of his Lineage Legacy. As a regressor, he knew how powerful Lineage Legacies were, and his, to be precise, was the true definition of a cheat.

So if he could get his legacy weapon now, it would be a great boon to him, such that he wouldn't need to care about comprehensions, as he would be invincible—well, to only humans. Those ancient bastards didn't count.

As he concluded his brooding, he decided it would be better to get back first before he tried claiming the title. By now, a few hours had passed. As he stood up, he had recovered enough, and it was time to go back home. The shadows in the surroundings surged as they cloaked him, covering his nakedness with a stark abyssal long tunic.

By now, the sun had set and night had come. Jayde, using the henge island as a landmark, was able to deduce the direction home. Immediately, he set off, going into the sea. His mind, which had advanced considerably since his last time, could now support advanced telekinesis. So it went without saying, his speed in water could put even a speedboat to shame.

He shot off at such great speed that waves were generated in his wake. He moved quickly, his trails vanishing in the horizon.

---

Immediately after Jayde left the Stonehenge island, at another region of the island, three gigantic cyber ships could be seen coming into view. As they reached the shore, they lowered their anchors and started offloading. Long stairs could be seen retracting from the ships, as many passengers came down from the vessels. The voices of the crowd rang out in the surroundings, bringing an end to the silence which once pervaded the island.

At the very top of one of the ships, the captain could be seen thanking a man.

"Sir Sylar, we appreciate this favor you have done for us. Whatever can we do to thank you?" Captain Jones said, taking a deep bow.

Their trip was supposed to go smoothly. They had a lot of goods and passengers, which they were transporting from one continent to another. But unfortunately for them, they were held up by a tidal storm, which delayed them till New Year, and what followed, one could guess. Their ship broke down, and no matter what they did, they couldn't get it working.

To make matters worse, while the crew were awakening, they lost control of the ship because of the evolution they went through, which in turn caused them to lose direction after the event. And the waves had moved the ship; now with their compass being useless, they were at a loss on how to even proceed.

But thanks to this kind mister called Sylar Devon, they were able to make it to land. He used his strange abilities to set the boat in motion. He was even able to navigate their way to land. On the way, they found two more ships in the same situation as them, but Mr. Sylar, in his kindness, also chose to help them.

"You don't need to think too much about it," Sylar responded, revealing a kind smile.

"Let's go with the rest. After all, we don't know what troubles still lie ahead," he added.

Smiling, the captain nodded vigorously, following behind Sylar as they departed the ship with the rest.

Unknown to Jayde, he had just changed the future. These stragglers will now inhabit this new island, and a new powerful faction of humanity will grow from here. Because of Jayde, they avoided their previous fate of being wiped out by the Aurourans.