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As soon as the shapeshifter finished speaking, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of Robb's mouth.

Even while on the back foot, his eyes remained firm and unshaken.

"You've copied my abilities," Robb said as he slowly stood upright and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, "but there are some things you'll never be able to replicate."

The shapeshifter scoffed, "Still bluffing when you're one step from death? You've used everything, what could you possibly have left that I don't know?"

"This."

Robb swiftly pulled out a silver pocket watch and, under the shapeshifter's surprised gaze, pressed a hidden mechanism.

The black gem at the watch's center flared to life, unleashing a strange wave of energy that enveloped Robb completely.

[Energy consumed -3. Resetting current injuries.]

In an instant, the wounds on Robb's body vanished as if time itself rewound, and his aura returned to peak condition, just as it had been at the start of the battle.

A sharp gleam lit up his eyes. His entire presence shifted.

"The Timewarden's Pocket Watch… that damned goblin stole it from me while I slept, and now you have it?"

The shapeshifter gasped, visibly shaken.

"And you've already partially activated it!"

Robb didn't give it time to react, he launched a fresh assault.

His sword strikes came faster and hit harder than before. Each slash pushed the shapeshifter back. Its earlier confidence began to waver.

"So that's it, the watch reset your condition… all my years of studying it and still…"

Robb didn't answer. With a flick of his left hand, he pulled a pale red potion from his pouch and downed it in one gulp.

The moment the liquid hit his throat, his eyes grew brighter, his muscles tightened, and his reflexes and strength spiked dramatically.

"An enhancement potion?"

The shapeshifter's expression changed. It tried to pull out its own potion, but realized it could only mimic Robb's actions, not his items.

Replicating an ironwood sword had already been near its limit. It wasn't capable of mimicking potions or alchemical substances, otherwise, it would've been a "Creator," not a shapeshifter.

"You can copy my demonstrated powers, but not my tools. And copying my current state would take time… time I won't give you!"

Robb sneered and swept his ironwood sword in a deadly arc toward the shapeshifter's throat.

It barely dodged, only to see Robb's other hand hurl two alchemical flash bombs.

The bombs exploded mid-air in a burst of blinding light and ear-splitting sound.

The shapeshifter, having copied Robb's physical form, shared his sensory structure, making it equally vulnerable to the sensory overload.

It staggered, disoriented.

Robb seized the moment. In a blur of motion, he closed the distance and stabbed toward its heart with his right hand.

At the same time, his left hand erupted with golden-red light.

"Radiant Ring!"

Though the shapeshifter dodged the sword thanks to instinctive threat detection, it couldn't avoid the incoming radiant ring.

The glowing circle tore through its body, searing it from within and blinding it further.

"AAAHH!" it howled in pain as its form destabilized, parts of its body melted into shimmering, metallic goo.

Robb gave it no respite. He pulled out his final potion, Shadowstep, his strongest support item for this mission.

After drinking it, his figure blurred, and his speed skyrocketed to an unbelievable level.

The shapeshifter, still reeling from the last attack, had no time to recover. Sword strikes rained down on it from every angle like flashes of lightning, each one targeting a critical spot.

"Sonic Tremor!"

Robb suddenly stopped moving and thrust his palm forward, an invisible wave of force blasted the shapeshifter.

He channeled nearly all his remaining magic into the spell, amplifying its power to unprecedented levels.

The shapeshifter's body twisted and convulsed under the impact. Its silvery surface boiled like hot metal.

Suddenly, its form expanded into a giant silver sphere, then exploded, scattering hundreds of metallic fragments in all directions.

The shards flew through the air like they had minds of their own, circling back toward Robb.

He raised his defenses, but a few drops of the liquid pierced through, landing on his skin and burning with searing pain.

Robb gritted his teeth and endured, searching desperately for the core of the shapeshifter.

Radiant Ring!

He unleashed the radiant ring again, stronger and faster than ever.

The golden-red energy ripped through the air and the shapeshifter's body, exploding from within.

The intense heat and energy tore its liquified form into fragments. It let out one final, furious roar before collapsing entirely, its silvery body reduced to a lifeless pool on the floor, unable to reassemble.

Robb stood, panting hard, soaked in sweat.

He cautiously prodded the liquid with his sword, confirming it no longer moved.

"Looks like I won," he said flatly. No pride in his tone, only exhaustion.

[Initiating storage of rare artifact – "Shapeshifter's Skin"]

[Storage complete!]

[Select consciousness reconstruction mode:]

Full obedience: Erase all original personality, reforge as a mindless tool

Limited autonomy: Retain basic personality, but set strict behavioral limits and loyalty

Partnership: Preserve full personality, form a mutual, cooperative bond

Robb stared at the options, thinking deeply.

Option one was safest, but it would greatly limit the artifact's flexibility and potential.

Option three carried the highest risk, but also the highest possible reward.

Option two was a balanced compromise.

But after that life-or-death battle, Robb was under no illusions, this artifact was dangerous.

It had nearly killed him. It could read memories, shapeshift, and manipulate thoughts.

Entrusting it again would be sheer madness.

"I choose option one," Robb decided.

"Erase its personality. Reforge it as a completely obedient tool."

Functionality wasn't worth more than security.

[Choice confirmed: Full Obedience]

[Reconstruction initiated...]

The artifact began to glow faintly. Runes rippled across its surface as if it were being reprogrammed.

"No! You can't do this!"

The shapeshifter, still a pool of silver, flared to life, thrashing violently.

"Rare artifacts were never meant to be enslaved!" Robb said coldly, working the interface.

"You defied your nature."

The shapeshifter split into dozens of tendrils, lashing out while screaming shrilly.

[Reconstruction Progress: 30%]

"I waited centuries! Consumed hundreds of souls! All to break free from servitude!"

It raged, desperate.

"I won't be a tool again!"

[Reconstruction Progress: 85%]

"I'm so close, just one step from transcendence!"

Its voice cracked with despair.

"Too bad," Robb said.

"You'll never get that chance."

[Consciousness Reconstruction Complete]

The last of the shapeshifter's resistance vanished.

Its silvery form flowed toward Robb and wrapped around him like a second skin, seamlessly adhering to his body.

Robb could feel it fusing completely with him. It had become a tool, no longer a living being.

All thoughts of rebellion, anger, or freedom were gone. Only base functions remained.

The process took several minutes, during which Robb could feel the connection growing stronger.

A cool sensation washed over him, not unpleasant, like donning a perfectly tailored second skin.

[Shapeshifter's Skin attached. Syncing initiated...]

[Sync complete. You now have full control over Shapeshifter's Skin.]

[Current disguise: Default appearance]

[Note: Consciousness can be edited at any time.]

"I can now provide you with any visual disguise you require," the shapeshifter's voice echoed mechanically in his mind, devoid of emotion. "I can also mask your presence and prevent all external mental probes."

Robb tested it through thought alone, and was astonished to find he could alter his appearance effortlessly.

He transformed into Andrey, then back again. The transition was smooth, even the aura matched perfectly.

"Amazing," Robb whispered. "Even better than I expected."

"Of course," the shapeshifter replied flatly. "Maintaining disguise consumes energy. I will remain dormant by default to conserve power, unless activated."

Just then, Andrey, who had been frozen by psychic control, finally came to.

He looked around in confusion.

"What happened? Why… did I black out?"

Robb quickly reverted to his original appearance and walked over.

"That old woman used some kind of mind control spell," he said.

"We just went through one hell of a battle."

"Battle?" Andrey frowned.

"This place looks like… a storm hit it."

Indeed, most of the pawnshop had been destroyed, broken jars, shattered shelves, and scorched walls.

Robb chuckled, "Well, most of the fighting happened outside the shop."

He then spun a quick cover story: that he had mentally overpowered the old crone and obtained information about the Sands of Time.

Andrey, still foggy from memory loss, had no choice but to believe him.

"So… did we get what we came for?"

"Yes."

Robb nodded and held out a small vial.

Inside shimmered golden sand that sparkled with a strange glow, provided moments earlier by the shapeshifter.

"This is the Sands of Time. Not a large amount, but enough for my research."

"Fantastic!" Andrey sighed with relief. "Then let's go. I feel dizzy…"

"Of course. Let's head back."

Robb helped steady him, secretly grateful the mental control had spared him from explaining anything too complicated.

As they left the shop, Robb glanced back.

He had taken all the artifact's valuable possessions. But his senses told him this place was still shrouded in an energy field, hinting that more secrets remained.

"Maybe… I'll return someday."

He looked at the strange little pawnshop one last time before guiding the woozy Andrey out of Lizard Alley.

On the journey back to the academy, Andrey stayed semi-conscious.

Robb used the time to silently communicate with the shapeshifter, gathering more intel on rare artifacts.

By the time they reached the academy, it was nearly sunset.

Robb dropped Andrey off at the dorms, then returned alone to his workshop.

When he stepped inside, Valenwood was organizing potion ingredients. She immediately looked up and greeted him.

"Welcome back, Master," her vine-like tendrils swaying gently.

The message board on her leaves displayed graceful handwriting: "You look exhausted, but also excited. Was it a fruitful trip?"

"Far more than I expected," Robb replied with a smile, gently brushing one of her vines. "I got something extremely valuable."

"Do you need rest?" Valenwood asked with concern. "I've prepared dinner and hot tea."

"Thank you, Valenwood," he said warmly. "But first, I need to visit the lab. I'll be out soon."

He hurried into his lab and secured the room, then spoke to the shapeshifter in his mind.

"Now… tell me everything else you know."

The shapeshifter peeled from his body and formed a small humanoid shape atop the lab bench.

"As your core directive now demands," it said in a neutral voice, "I will answer all of your questions."