SSS Transmigration: I Can Extract And Evolve Overpowered Shadows-Chapter 18: After Awakening, My Skills Became Overpowered (1)

Chapter 18: After Awakening, My Skills Became Overpowered (1)

Nishikawa Hinata stared intensely at the cracked ground. The rotten stench of the Goblin King’s corpse had already faded from the room, and so had the dark mist.

The reason he stared so intently at the ground, as if trying to pry it open, was the sensation currently rushing through him.

It was not unpleasant in any way; he could even say it was quite refreshing. However, because of how foreign the sensation felt, he could not think straight. Moreover, he felt as though taking even a single step forward would shatter the ground beneath his feet.

The sensation was akin to an IV drip running through his blood. He tried suppressing it several times, but each attempt only caused the ground to crack even further.

So Hinata waited.

Comprehension begat understanding, and understanding begat strength.

If this new power was truly what would help him accomplish his goal, he had to make sure it was under his control.

Gradually, he sat on the ground cross-legged. His eyes were closed, and although his hair had been short a moment ago, he could feel its silky texture against his back.

As Hinata sat there, he found himself entering a state one would call ’the state of enlightenment.’

He began recalling everything he had seen so far in this world, and the path that lay ahead of him. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

From the cultists, to the goblins, to the crazed woman, and finally to this goblin village.

Through the lens of an outsider, he was able to comprehend things he did not understand. Hinata could also perceive things he had never noticed before and sense what could not be detected with the naked eye.

Mana was everywhere.

It was the air one breathed and the water one drank. Just as energy existed on Earth, mana was that energy in this world.

Humans came from mana and would return to mana.

If such a thing was possible, did that not mean he did not need a grand technique to control this thing called mana?

His body was mana, and mana was it. The only thing within him that existed outside of mana was himself.

So he used his consciousness to control mana itself. Just as he willed his hand to move, he would will mana to rise, and it would obey.

Ding!

[User has attained enlightenment on mana.]

[Your journey going forward shall be greater than all.]

Slowly, Hinata opened his eyes and saw a world different from the one he had seen a moment ago.

The colours in the hut were brighter now. Perhaps it was just him, but there were colours he had never seen before now present in his vision.

He could hear the sounds of vultures sweeping in to claim the dead goblins. Even the distant sound of wind brushing against bushes was audible to him.

Hinata stared at his hands with a calm expression. "So this is mana."

Something that existed for everyone, yet only a select few could ever use it, and even among those, only a handful could truly understand it.

"Such a bizarre thing."

Darting his gaze from left to right in search of Goku, he found his little companion coiled like a snake, eyes shut tight, energy swirling around him.

It seemed he too had achieved a breakthrough from Hinata’s understanding.

Hinata clenched his fist and felt strength several times greater than before.

At his current power, he doubted a single low-ranked goblin could cause him any harm.

"System, show me my stats."

Ding!

[Loading interface...]

In a moment, a dark golden panel flickered into existence before him. Looking closer, the panel was not truly golden but a strange colour he could not name.

Hinata ignored the finer details and focused on his stats.

The moment his gaze passed over them, a faint smile appeared on his face.

Truly, seeing oneself grow stronger was the most fulfilling feeling.

[ SHADOW SOVEREIGN SYSTEM ]

Nishikawa Hinata ⟡ High Human

Lifespan: 18/312

Class: Magic Knight | Subclass: Spellblade

Rank: Aspirant (Low)

Adventure Rank: —

STR ?? | AGI ??

CON ?? | INT ??

MAN ?? | CHA ??

Bloodline ⟡ Shadow God

↳ Rank: Unholy One

↳ Talent: The Extractor Who Evolves Shadows

*Skill: Navigation

*Skill: Mana Master

Shadows:

• Goblin [Hazard]

– Progress until [Terror]: 0/1

– Mission: Kill one Terror-rank Goblin Noble.

– [New] Ability: The Fool

...

The first thing that disrupted Hinata’s introspective mood was the more than twofold increase in his lifespan. Furthermore, he now had both a class and a subclass, though he did not fully understand that yet.

Lowering his gaze, he noticed he had learned the Mana Master skill, likely because his mana was now effectively infinite.

Hinata resisted the urge to test the skill and instead examined his evolved ability.

"It seems monsters are ranked from Blight to Hazard, then Terror, each with low, mid, and high tiers..." Hinata noted this for future reference.

Since arriving in this world, he had only encountered Blight-ranked monsters and never a Hazard rank. That meant he had been in a relatively safe part of the world.

Hinata could not help but thank mother luck once again. With a sigh, he lowered his gaze further and studied the new mission and ability.

"A goblin noble of Terror rank? Is this damned system trying to kill me?"

Hinata had already seen the immense gap between ranks. Telling him to fight a Terror was no different from sending him to his death, though...

’I could fight it if I reach mid or high-ranked Aspirant.’

That would take time, especially since he did not even know how people leveled up in this world.

After pondering for a while, he decided to address the most pressing issue.

"Infinite strength."

Hinata tore his gaze away from the system and stared at his hands. Slowly, he began clenching his fist, adding more force with each passing moment.

As the strength in his grip increased, an indescribable pain spread through his arm. At first it was minor, but the more force he exerted, the worse it became.

It felt as though his arms were being torn apart. After what felt like an eternity, he finally released his fist.

His arms were not just strained, they were cracking, as if his body itself was breaking under the pressure. However, in the next instant, he began healing due to his high constitution.

’So even with infinite stats, I cannot use everything.’ He nodded, one hand beneath his chin. ’Thinking about it properly, there is no way an Aspirant’s body can endure higher-ranked power.’

Though his body was not strong now, Hinata knew that as he grew stronger, he would be able to wield greater power at once.

With exemption and his healing factor, he could realistically push beyond his limits for a short period.

’Speaking of exemption.’

He quickly tapped on the new ability, The Fool.

[Ability: The Fool]

[Description: To confuse your enemy, you must first confuse yourself. If the belief in that confusion is strong enough, it may very well become reality.]

Hinata felt a chilling sensation crawl up his spine. "This is...?"