I Loaded the Mysticism Panel

Richard was just about to organize what he’d been reading when three knocks sounded at the door of the reading room.

Three knocks, evenly paced—not too fast, not too slow.

Richard’s pencil stopped in midair.

Almost no one ever came to this storeroom on the third floor of the Greenwood Library, which Mr. Hutton had set aside specifically for him.

It had originally been a storage closet, but it had been cleared out a few years ago and furnished with a couple of tables and chairs.

Most students who reached the third-floor landing would see the "Do Not Enter" sign and the narrow hallway, then automatically turn around and head back down to the second floor.

Mr. Hutton wouldn’t come either; he would just wait in his office for Richard to come to him.

Grey didn’t know about this room, and it was even more unlikely that Warren and Hugh would climb all the way up to the third floor.

Richard lifted his gaze from his notebook.

Outside the worn wooden door, a mass of Ether was slowly gathering.

Richard’s inspiration had grown much sharper since he unlocked [Perception].

Through the wooden door, he could sense the density of the Ether outside.

It was heavy and dense, yet quiet.

The first comparison that came to Richard’s mind was the time he’d been overwhelmed by Gerald’s Ether.

Gerald’s release had been intended to intimidate, and the force of it had warped the Ether throughout the entire space.

But this mass outside the door was different.

It was containing itself as much as possible, trying not to disturb its surroundings.

The more it condensed, the more Richard could sense its true weight.

Three more knocks sounded from the door.

Presumably aware that the person inside had sensed its Ether Field, a tall figure drifted into the room.

Its silhouette was human-like, but it was at least a head taller than an average person.

Its entire form was enveloped in a long, grey robe, the hem of which draped to the floor, hiding its feet.

There were no hands inside the robe’s cuffs, only two plumes of mist swirling slowly.

It wore a wide-brimmed hat. Though there was clearly something where its face should be, you couldn’t quite make out its features.

Every time you tried to focus, its face would subtly slip from your vision.

While Richard was still sizing it up, the figure reacted.

It bent at the waist and bowed.

"Sir, I am a Spirit Realm Messenger, here on orders to deliver a letter."

The Messenger drew a letter from its chest, a new token tucked inside.

"Forgive my presumption in disturbing your studies." It bowed slightly again.

"By regulation, I require you to receive it personally and confirm your acceptance."

Richard had a good idea of what this was about.

A Spirit Realm Messenger, a personal delivery, the formal etiquette...

All clues pointed to one person: Hecate.

’The first time, the invitation was delivered by some big, flappy moth.’

’This time, it’s a proper Spirit Realm Messenger. Judging by the solidity of its Ether, it’s likely at the Minor Mastery level.’

’Quite an upgrade.’

Richard could guess the reason for the upgrade.

After the first meeting, Hecate had told him before he left, "You are welcome to join us again at the next gathering."

’Apparently, that wasn’t just a polite formality. The new guy passed the initial evaluation, so my status has been upgraded. This Spirit Realm Messenger—in terms of size, Ether Density, and formality—is far superior to the first one. Besides showing me respect,’ he thought, ’they’re probably also using this as a show of strength.’

Richard extended his right hand.

"Thank you."

He took the envelope from the mist within the creature’s sleeve.

"By regulation..." the Messenger began again, "please unseal and confirm it in my presence, sir."

Richard nodded.

He broke the wax seal with his thumb and drew out a thin sheet of paper of matching quality.

"To Sir Hermes:

We shall gather again at the Round Table of the Divine Pantheon Salon on the night of the sixteenth of this month.

The time will be the same as last.

Please ensure you are well-rested the night before to avoid tiring your Spirit Body.

—Chief Hecate."

Tucked inside the envelope was a new clay coin, bearing the image of Hermes’ Double Serpent Staff.

Richard folded the letter and tucked it back into the envelope.

"I have confirmed it," he told the Messenger. "Contents received."

The Messenger nodded.

"Then I shall take my leave." The Messenger bowed again. "I wish you success in your studies."

It straightened and took a step back.

The next moment, the Messenger had vanished, its silhouette having retreated to the other side of the Curtain.

Richard sat back down at his desk. He would need to spend the next two days preparing.

...

After school, Richard took a detour, heading toward the other end of the marketplace.

Now that he had a new Technique, he was naturally eager to find a target to test it on.

There hadn’t been any living things on the streets late last night to test his new Technique on, and the anticipation had been eating at him all day.

The sun set early in Brighton’s winters. It wasn’t even five o’clock, and it was already hovering near the western chimneys.

He chose a testing ground in an old warehouse district on the north side of the market.

Most of the warehouses were abandoned, surrounded by old brick walls built decades ago, their tops sprouting clumps of withered grass.

The area was deserted, save for a few stray cats patrolling their territory along the tops of the walls.

Richard walked along the warehouse wall for a stretch.

He stopped near the third corner.

A grey stray cat was lying on top of the wall. This was his target.

It lay on the wall’s crest, front paws tucked beneath its body, tail dangling over the side and swaying lazily.

The distance was about five meters.

Richard stopped on the outside of the wall, not getting any closer.

He confirmed the conditions for Casting.

The cat’s shadow fell on the ground outside the wall, clearly visible.

He raised his right hand, palm facing down.

Inference began.

Ether flowed from the Throne of the Sun, sliding down the inside of his right arm to his palm.

Unlike with Stone Armor, the conduction circuit no longer coated the surface of his skin.

The Ether briefly condensed in his palm before being released, its flow reversed.

His own shadow on the ground was the bridge connecting his body to the external world.

The Ether spread across his shadow, extending outward until it touched the cat’s shadow.

The entire process took less than a second. The effect was instantaneous.

The stray cat’s body abruptly sagged.

It had been lying relaxed on top of the wall.

The next moment, its entire body was pressed flat against the wall’s surface.

The cat let out a terrified shriek.

It tried to get up.

Its front paws pushed against the wall, its hind legs scrabbled, and it tried to arch its back.

But its body wouldn’t budge.

Richard stood five meters away, observing carefully.

The cat’s muscles tensed violently. It thrashed its hindquarters and back legs, trying to use torque to wrench its body off the wall.

The whole process lasted for about five seconds.

Richard had seen enough.

As the Ether flowed back, the weight covering the cat’s shadow was retracted.

The burden vanished.

Like a compressed spring suddenly released, the stray cat shot up with a WHOOSH.

It didn’t even look back after landing, simply bolting away across the rooftops.

Richard glanced down at his right hand.

’During the Casting, my right arm was completely unable to activate Stone Armor. I tried to summon the Full Arm Armor during the Casting just now, but there was no response. The price was paid in full.’

’But as for the effect...’ He did a quick mental calculation. ’That stray cat probably weighed about four kilograms. The Shadow Armor adds an extra load equivalent to about twice the target’s own body weight. For a cat, that’s almost catastrophic. Its body is built to support its own weight. Suddenly forced to bear three times that, it would naturally be crushed under its own new weight.’

’But this seems to only be an external load. If the load on its internal organs were that intense, the cat would have had serious problems right then and there. But it ran off just fine. For now, the Shadow Armor seems to just suppress movement with an external load. That’s about the extent of its effect. For me, at my current level, that’s good enough.’

Richard walked away, following the old warehouse wall.

The test results gave him some confidence, but another problem remained.

’That was an ordinary cat, so of course the effect was immediate. But when I truly need to use this Technique, my opponent won’t be an ordinary cat. Ghouls, Ghosts, aberrant creatures... these Evil Beings from the Mysterious Side all have their own internal Ether Cycles to some extent. Low Tier ones have weaker cycles, while High Tier beings can disrupt their surroundings, much like someone at the Grand Mastery level. That’s why ordinary lead bullets can only tickle these Evil Beings. An Ether Cycle can resist ordinary metals, so it can naturally weaken the effects of a Technique as well.’

’Besides, the "bodies" of many creatures from the Mysterious Side can’t be understood in conventional terms. Those Spirit Bodies don’t even have a physical form, let alone a shadow. And even for those with physical bodies, the physical strength of a Ghoul far exceeds that of a human. Adding an extra load of twice its own body weight might not do much to restrict its mobility.’

’However, the description did say: "Duration and intensity are directly proportional to Stone Armor proficiency and Ether consumption." The Technique has growth potential. I’m probably still at its most basic stage. Right now, it’s double. With more practice and more Ether, I could apply five, ten, maybe even a hundred times the weight... If my control improves, I could concentrate all that weight into a single point of pressure. Even a body of steel could be crushed into a pancake.’