I loaded the Mysticism panel.

Chapter 130 Upgraded Treatment

Richard was just about to review what he had just looked at when there were three knocks on the door of the reading room.

Three taps, with a steady rhythm, neither too fast nor too slow.

Richard's pencil stopped in mid-air.

The storage room on the third floor of the Greenwood Library, which Mr. Hutton had specially opened for him, was rarely used.

It was originally a room used for storing miscellaneous items, but it was cleared out a few years ago and fitted with two tables and a few chairs.

When the students reached the third-floor stairwell and saw the "No Entry Without Permission" sign and the narrow passageway, most of them would automatically turn around and go downstairs to the second floor.

Mr. Hutton won't come either; he'll just sit in his office and wait for Richard to come over.

Grey didn't know about this room, and it was even less likely that Warren and Hugh could have climbed up to the third floor.

Richard looked up from his notebook.

Outside that worn wooden door, a mass of ether was slowly gathering.

Richard's inspiration became much sharper after [Perception] was activated.

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

It is deep, dense, yet very quiet.

The first comparison that popped into Richard's mind was the time he was crushed by Gerald's ether.

Gerald's release at that time was intended to oppress, and the ether in the entire space was deformed by that force.

The group outside the door is different.

It tries its best to keep itself as still as possible, striving not to disturb its surroundings.

The tighter it was, the more Richard could feel its original weight.

There was a third knock on the door.

Knowing that the person inside had detected his etheric field, a tall figure floated in.

Its outline is similar to that of a human, but it is at least one head taller than a normal person.

His entire body was wrapped in a gray robe, the hem of which hung down to the floor, obscuring his feet.

There were no hands inside the sleeves of the robe, only two wisps of mist flowing slowly.

It wore a wide-brimmed hat, and although there were clearly features on its face, you just couldn't quite put your finger on what those features looked like.

Every time you try to focus on it, its face quietly slips out of your sight.

While Richard was still observing it, it had already reacted.

It bent down and bowed.

"Your Excellency, I am a spirit messenger sent to deliver a letter."

The messenger pulled a letter from his chest, inside which was a new keepsake.

"Excuse my intrusion, sir, but I apologize for interrupting your studies." It bowed slightly again.

"According to the rules, I need you to receive it in person and confirm its receipt upon delivery."

Richard roughly understood the purpose of their visit.

The spirit messenger delivers the message personally, following the recipient's protocol.

All these clues, when pieced together, point to Hecate alone.

The first time I sent out an invitation, it was delivered by a giant fluttering moth.

This time, the messenger from the spirit world is legitimate, and judging from the solidity of its ethereal energy, it is estimated to be at the minor proficiency level.

The standard has been upgraded.

Richard could roughly guess the reason for the upgrade.

After the first party ended, Hecate said to him before he left, "You're welcome to come again at the next party."

That statement wasn't just polite talk; the newcomer passed the initial evaluation, and their standing improved accordingly.

The spirit messenger before us far surpasses the level of the first one in terms of size, ethereal density, and ceremonial protocol.

He thought that besides showing courtesy, the other party probably also intended to demonstrate their strength.

Richard extended his right hand.

Thank you.

He took the envelope from the mist rising from the other person's sleeve.

"As per the rules..." the messenger spoke again, "Please open and confirm the package in my presence."

Richard nodded.

He used his thumb to pry open the wax seal and pulled out a thin piece of paper of the same texture.

Lord Hermes:

We hereby agree to meet again at the round table of the Theological Salon on the night of the 16th of this month.

The specific time is the same as before.

Please get plenty of rest the night before the gathering to avoid exhausting your spirit and body.

—Chief Hecate.

The envelope also contained new ceramic coins, with the design of Hermes' caduceus on them.

Richard folded the letter and put it back in the envelope.

"I have confirmed it," he told the messenger. "The contents of the letter have been received."

The messenger nodded.

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

It straightened up and took a step back.

The next second, the messenger had vanished, its entire silhouette disappearing back to the other side of the curtain.

Richard returned to his table and sat down. He would have to prepare more for the next two days.

………………

After school, Richard took a detour and walked to the other end of the market.

With a new technique, of course I want to find a target to test it out.

There were no living creatures on the street late at night to test his newly acquired technique on him, which made him restless and eager all day.

In Bristol, the sun sets early in winter; it's almost touching the western chimneys before five o'clock.

The test site was chosen in an old warehouse area on the north side of the market.

Most of the warehouses are abandoned, and the walls are made of old bricks from decades ago, with clumps of withered grass growing on top.

There weren't many people in this area, only a few stray cats patrolling their territory on the wall.

Richard walked along the warehouse wall for a while.

He stopped near the third corner.

A gray wildcat was perched on top of the wall; this was my target.

It lay on the top of the wall, its front paws pressed together under its body, its tail dangling lazily over the outside of the wall.

The distance is approximately five meters.

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

He confirmed the conditions for performing the procedure.

The cat's shadow was clearly visible on the ground outside the wall.

He raised his right hand, palm down.

The introductory chapter begins.

Ether begins at the Sun's position and slides along the inside of the right arm toward the palm.

Unlike the stone armor, this time its conductive pathways are no longer covered by the skin's surface.

The ether briefly condenses in the palm of the hand, then is released from the palm in the reversed flow direction.

His own shadow on the ground is the bridge connecting his true self and the outside world.

The ether spread out over his shadow, extending outwards to touch the cat's shadow.

The whole process takes less than a second, and the effect is immediate.

The wildcat's body suddenly sank.

It was originally lying on top of the wall, in a relaxed posture.

The next second, his entire body was pressed flat against the top of the wall.

The cat let out a terrified hiss.

It tried to stand up.

Its front paws brace against the top of the wall, its hind legs push backward, and its back tries to arch.

But his body remained completely still.

Richard stood five meters away, observing carefully.

The cat's muscles were tense, and it was twisting its waist and hind legs wildly, trying to use the twisting force to pull its body off the top of the wall.

The whole process lasted about five seconds.

Richard had seen enough.

After the ether flows back, the weight covering the cat's shadow is removed.

The load disappeared.

The stray cat sprang up like a crushed spring.

After landing, it didn't even look back, and quickly scurried away along the rooftop.

Richard looked down at his right hand.

During the spell, his right arm was completely unable to use the Stone Armor.

He tried to activate the full arm armor during the spell, but there was no response.

The price was fully paid.

But as for the effect... he did some mental calculations.

The stray cat we just saw probably weighed around four kilograms.

The extra load applied by the Shadow Armor is approximately twice the target's own body weight.

For a cat, this would be almost catastrophic.

Its body structure was designed according to its original weight, but when it suddenly had to support three times its weight, it collapsed on its own.

But this should only be the load on the surface of the body.

If the load on the internal organs were that heavy, that cat would have had problems on the spot.

But it ran very happily.

For now, the only effect of Shadow Armor is to suppress movement through surface-level loads.

It's enough for me now.

Richard walked out along the wall of the old warehouse.

The test results gave him some confidence, but there was still another problem that remained unresolved.

The cat was an ordinary cat, so the effect was immediate.

But if I were to actually use this technique, my opponent wouldn't be an ordinary cat.

Ghouls, ghosts, mutated creatures... these mysterious and evil beings all have their own etheric cycles to varying degrees within them.

Lower-level skills have fewer effects, while higher-level skills, like mastery, can disrupt the environment.

This is why ordinary lead bullets can only tickle evil spirits.

The etheric cycle can resist ordinary metals, and naturally it can also reduce the effects of spells.

Moreover, the "body" of many mystical creatures cannot be understood using conventional definitions.

Those spirits didn't even have a physical form, let alone a shadow.

Even when dealing with those with physical forms, a ghoul's physical strength is far superior to that of a human.

Adding an extra load of twice its own weight to its body may not significantly restrict its mobility.

However, the panel description states that the duration and intensity are positively correlated with Stone Armor proficiency and Ether consumption.

This technique is adaptable and can be improved; I am probably still in its most primitive stage.

It's double now. With more practice and more ether, we can inflict five times, ten times, or even a hundred times more damage on the enemy...

If he improves his control and concentrates all the weight to apply pressure, even a body of steel can be crushed into a pancake.