"ah yes!! Damn, I finally found it!! Hehe, I was already losing hope. This one says it's usable up to level two—perfect! Now that I got what I wanted, I should head back to the forest. But seriously, how am I going to carry this book? It's huge. Transporting it in rat form is going to be a nightmare, and carrying it in humanoid form will take more time."
Before he could waste too much time overthinking, Langdon noticed a torn piece of flag near the rubble. That gave him an idea: he could wrap the book in the cloth and make a bundle to carry it while flying. Putting the plan into action, he shifted into his humanoid form, carefully placed the book on the fabric, and tied it up tightly. Then, with a strong beat of his wings—"Fwsh!"—he took off toward his destination. After a while, he landed near the stream. There, in human form, he began reading the book.
"hehe Okay, it says here that for each core level, you can inscribe one ability into it. It also says the skills are complex, but since they're inscribed into the core, the process is faster because it doesn't require enchantment or intense focus to activate. I should inscribe a resistance-type skill. If I'm lucky, it might double how much damage the mist body can endure… Hmm, wait—what's this? Crap, I hadn't noticed before, but looking at the core, there's already an ability inscribed: 'Survive'... So that's what kept me in this realm! I subconsciously wished for it!"
He chuckled. Haha"Funny thing is, the book says you should never inscribe skills that are too abstract, because they might not work at all or turn out weak or unstable. No nonsense like 'copy all existing powers' or 'immortal body that regenerates from any damage.' But looking at my current state… the side effects line up perfectly. I mean, I'm alive. I just don't have a body. So it worked! Hehe, thank you, subconscious! Thanks to you, I've got a second chance. Alright, time to finish the inscription. Since it happened without me even noticing, it's still incomplete."
Following the instructions from the book, Langdon sat down to meditate. He guided his stardust energy toward the inscribed word, reinforcing the writing. As mana flowed into it, the word "Survive" glowed golden. What he didn't expect was… to fall into a forced sleep.
After a significant time had passed, he awoke. The once dark gray mist was now a much denser black fog. His control had improved drastically. All it took was a thought, and his body would shift instantly. There was barely anything left to give away that he wasn't a perfect shadow. Sure, there were still minor flaws here and there… but it was a massive improvement.
"Damn, I slept for a while. Totally wasn't expecting that. If I'd finished reading the book, I wouldn't have been caught off guard. Whatever, no use crying over spilled milk. Next time I'll do this somewhere safer. But for now… I need to test the strength of this humanoid form."
Shifting back into humanoid form, he clenched his fists and—"Bam!"—punched a tree. His fist left a sizable dent.
"oh Damn, that's a big improvement! With this, I can head deeper into the forest. There, I'll probably find denser mana and stronger monsters. That'll speed up my progress. Once I've got decent strength, I'll try to reach the monster nation. There, I won't be judged for being different. But to get there, I have to cross the forest first. It's going to take time… Alright, let's go."
After passing the clearing and the stream, he arrived at an ancient dungeon made entirely of dark stone. Its entrance was carved in aged wood, worn down from countless years.
"Whoa, jackpot. There might be equipment or magical items inside. That'd be a huge help. Depending on what I find, I could use or sell it. These kinds of resources are super flexible. This is great. Alright, decision made. I'm going into this dungeon—no matter what happens."
Approaching the cave entrance, he turned into a rat and began exploring. After a long search and confirming there were no monsters around, Langdon shifted back into his humanoid form and continued forward, scanning for anything that might stand out. Despite walking through many of the dungeon's paths, he hadn't found anything noteworthy—just ancient monster corpses, rusted armor fragments, and broken weapons.
Just as he was about to give up, he heard a faint voice humming in the distance. Curious, Langdon moved closer, following the sound down a narrow corridor, stepping over scattered bones and stones. Suddenly, he entered a different room. It was large—once, it must have been beautiful, maybe even a throne room in its prime. But now, nothing remained of those glorious days. The place was a wreck, with shattered stone columns littering the floor. Not even the dungeon core existed anymore. It had clearly been conquered ages ago. If the first explorers hadn't looted everything, then scavengers surely had.
"Huh? Wait… there's nothing? Nothing at all? You've got to be kidding me… I went through all that for this??? I can't believe this oh damn…"
Langdon muttered, thoroughly disappointed and stunned by the situation.
"Then what was that weird humming I heard? Dammit… It must be a trap. I need to stay alert and figure out where this enemy is. They have the home field advantage—I don't even know where I am. Maybe I should hide."
Once again, the faint humming echoed in the distance—"Hmm-hmm-hmm…"
Langdon then shouted toward the seemingly empty chamber:
"Who's there?! Show yourself, you bastard! Don't think you can scare me—I'm not the one to mess with! If you're a friend, show yourself now! Or face the consequences!"
"OH… OH… I DON'T BELIEVE IT… IS THERE REALLY SOMEONE WHO CAN HEAR ME???? AFTER CENTURIES?? THIS HAS TO BE A MIRACLE! THANK YOU, GOD, IF IT IS!!!"