Rebirth Of The Second Strongest

What is darkness?

Jayde had always mistaken this element for shadows, the absence of light, when in truth, it was a form of light itself. The reason light always conquered darkness was because it wasn't true darkness; it was shadows, a shallow branch of darkness.

If one had to experience true darkness, a black hole is a perfect example of one of its true manifestations—devouring all, light included.

One of the reasons it is mostly dismissed as the absence of light on Earth is because humans just hadn't encountered real darkness. And now, Jayde was experiencing it: true darkness, the most greedy and gluttonous element, whose essence was to devour. Just when Jayde realized this, something within him snapped, as though restrictions were being lifted. He could feel his talent growing stronger. He didn't even need to check his stats to understand that he had reached the triple-digit level.

The darkness around him surged like a receding tide, as his body seemed to become a black hole itself, absorbing all within. After a brief moment, he was transported to another region.

Immediately upon landing, he received a notification of his next task.

[You have learned the true meaning of darkness. The Darkness God has set his gaze on you. Defeat the creatures of darkness, and he just might recognize you.]

He hardly had time to digest the information when he was attacked. A sickle swung inches from taking his head. Jayde's instincts took over as he quickly moved forward, closer to the attacker, catching them off guard. Normally, when a person is attacked, they move away to dodge, they usually don't move closer, it's instinct.

But That was Jayde's battle style—erratic and unpredictable. Closing the distance between him and his attacker, he left the range of the sickle. A sword appeared in his hands as he swung upwards, killing the attacker in one strike and severing it in two.

For the first time since his rebirth, Jayde finally used his ability. His sword dispersed, turning back into true darkness.

He finally had time to view the attacker. It was a weird demon-like creature, a humanoid with distinct features of several beasts. It looked more like a chimera, with sickle-like attachments for arms.

A screen popped up confirming his kill.

[Slay creatures of the dark 1/30]

It seemed he had to finish this quest before he could leave the dungeon. He quickly proceeded to the next section.

---

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Jayde's island was located in the North Pacific Ocean. Not far from it was another island, once home to an ancient civilization called the Minoans. Deep within their ruins, if one were to venture far enough, they would come across a floating, pulsating sphere. Its description read:

[Minoans Temple (Gate)]

It was a portal to the Minoans' true home.

Suddenly, the sphere released faint undulations. It pulsed brightly before five men appeared, dressed in a strange and ancient attire.

"Kawari, which of us is to go?" one of them spoke. His figure was gaunt and sickly. Kawari responded, "This time, the chief said things would be tougher. Many more eras have awoken. Let's approach this safely. Kalikun should go."

The one called Kalikun had deep green eyes that shone in the darkness like two floating orbs. He carried a pair of jagged-edged sickles on his back. Though all of them were covered in tattoos, his pulsed with veins of green.

Kalikun nodded, approving of Kawari's statement. He turned and started bolting toward the sea, heading in the direction of Jayde's island.

---

Sounds of clashing metal rang out as Jayde battled a six-armed, sword-wielding serpent man. Jayde was having a hard time fighting a monster with more range and arms than his own. The creature's berserk, unpredictable sword style didn't help. If not for his versatile ability to transition between different weapons, making him highly adaptable, he would have long been dead.

Finally, he got a chance to put some space between him and the creature, repeatedly moving backward. It turned out that close combat with a six-armed beast wasn't favorable for a two-armed human.

Unfortunately for Jayde, who thought he was safe, he suddenly felt the breaking of the sound barrier. Right before his eyes, he barely blinked when, all of a sudden, the beast was right in front of him again, all six arms in motion to cut him down. The scent of death was thick in the air. Jayde's brain moved at a speed that made time seem to pause as he tried to analyze the trajectory of the creature's swing. But the beast's unpredictable motions made that a thousand times harder.

Yet Jayde was relentless. At that moment, something clicked. In that split second, he gazed at the monster's shadow. He immediately weaved through the creature's attack. As he landed, his back was drenched with sweat. He had almost died. Suddenly, a screen popped into his view.

[You've comprehended shadow]

[Shadow (4%)]

Yes, back then, when the monster attacked, the shadow seemed to tell him the monster's aim and direction. All of a sudden, his brain cooled as he could hear it—a mass of whispering shadows at his ears, directing him on how to attack.

Suddenly, the beast flashed once more, breaking the sound barrier as it approached Jayde. But this time, Jayde met the beast, maneuvering its attack and counterattacking with bone-chilling accuracy.

Even though his attack connected, the scale of the serpent man was too tough. His blade only managed to leave a white mark on its scale. But using the rebound force of his attack, he still managed to use the momentum to put more distance between himself and the creature.

Immediately, Jayde let his weapons dissolve back into darkness. Actually, Jayde's ability was simple: it was to meld darkness itself into weapons. One had to note he could solidify true darkness. Back then, when he comprehended the meaning of darkness, he distinguished that true darkness was different from shadow. But shadow was still a form of darkness, which was why, in his previous life, he mistook his ability as solidifying shadows.

But in this life, he had only been working with true darkness. Now that he had comprehended shadow, he could feel his comprehension melding with his talent. The shadows in the surroundings surged towards his arms, condensing into two beautiful abyssal swords.

Looking at his status screen, he thought, 'It seems I've found another way to advance my talent.'

[Name: Jayde Bane]

[Race: Human]

[Talent: Darkness Wielder (E-)]

[Physical: First Circle]

[Mental: Third Circle]

[Comprehensions]

[Shadow (4%)]

His swords seemed to gleam with a faint crimson light. They felt stronger, and he heard the whispers clearer. His comprehension of shadows bloomed as he lunged towards the monster. This time, his attacks were fiercer and stronger, leaving cuts and lacerations on the monster. The clash between them continued.

Suddenly, Jayde's ears perked up. His weapons morphed into a large scythe. The monster, on the other hand, seemed to step on shallow ground, tripping and losing balance. Jayde made use of this perfect opportunity, effortlessly decapitating the creature with his scythe, finally bringing an end to the beast.

A screen popped up.

[Slay creatures of the dark 30/30]

[The Shadows has noticed you]

[The Shadows favors you]

[The shadows blesses you]

[Dungeon cleared]

[Rewards: The sequence bestows you a page from the Primal Darkness Chronicles]