Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix
Chapter 1306 - 1306: Shadow Lord Path

"Even that might not be enough, but it is better than nothing," Rain thought. "Anyway, it is time to teach the path to others."

When Rain went to talk with the others, the ground suddenly began to shake, and then he raised his guard… his doppelgangers were on guard duty, but it didn't look like they caught anything or were attacked, for that matter. In any case, the trembling soon ended.

"It looks like someone used a big attack," Elisabetha said. "You can see things from a distance now, so you should check things with Esmeralda and the others."

Rain understood the delicate situation with Esmeralda and the others and recognized the necessity of keeping a vigilant eye on their activities despite her request for solitude. Monitoring their movements was deemed essential to the overall strategy and safety of their group.

To facilitate this, Rain had diligently leveled up his observational skills, allowing him to see distant events with increased precision and efficiency.

In the face of potential threats and the unpredictable nature of their circumstances, he prioritized the collective well-being over individual sentiments, ensuring that the group remained informed and prepared for any developments involving Esmeralda and her companions.

In the end, Rain only found a dust curtain in the area beyond the territory of the arcanists. When the dust dissipated, he found a large crater and nothing else… there were no signs of their base either.

"I guess it's hidden inside a domain… I can't sense it, probably because Iori worked to improve and keep it hidden," Rain thought.

That was a bit troublesome, but it was within Rain's estimation… they wouldn't make things easier for them. In the end, Rain did some tests and confirmed that a doppelganger could use Remote Viewing, but that taxed Rain's mind even more… Still, keeping four of them and making only one of them use that technique was still feasible.

After Rain explained the situation to the others, they didn't look surprised either since they knew how Esmeralda and the others could be resourceful, even more so if Iori decided to help them.

"As you said, we can't assume anything. We can only keep a tight guard and keep working in our group," Sealyn said. "Dad is getting stronger at a stupid rate, so we will have a trump card in case something happens. For now, you should focus on unlocking the next path while the rest of us will focus on dealing with the dark troll lord."

"Ehh… I want to go to," Rain said. "It is boring when I am not punching monsters into bloody viscera."

"I also want to split the enemies into many parts with my spear, but you also told me to calm down for the sake of my child," Sealyn said. "So, for the sake of the group, calm down and unlock the next path, and think of ways to make us unlock it faster."

"Yes, ma'am," Rain said.

Rain decided to cower in the corner and let himself be bullied… there was nothing worse for him than one of his kids using logic against him. That was so low… Anyway, Rain decided to follow those orders since that also would make him use the doppelgangers a bit less, and that would make him less mentally tired.

"I will keep the Telepathy channel open for you guys to communicate with each other and tell me if something happens," Rain said.

"All right, don't destroy the base while we are away," Terra said, and then everyone else left the base.

Even Rain's squad members left the place, so all of a sudden, it looked really depressing and desolate. Still, everyone needed the chance to get stronger. Only an anomaly like Rain could get much stronger by himself. The others didn't have the means to do so.

Recognizing the urgency of their situation, Rain swiftly redirected his focus to the pressing matter at hand. Rain stopped wasting time and then went to work on analyzing the next core. After that, the only core remaining would be of the king in the shadows, and Rain wondered how it was going to work under the condition that the core was incomplete.

Shadow Lord Path: The Shadow King Path is a dark and commanding combat path that taps into the essence of shadows and sins to augment personal abilities and manipulate adversaries. All parameters + 30.

Level 1: Umbral Strike - Infuses attacks with shadowy energy, shrouding enemies in darkness and reducing their Wisdom by five points per level and per minute.

Level 5: Sinister Aura - Conjures an aura of malevolence, enhancing the charisma and combat prowess of allies while instilling confusion and hesitation in enemies. Allies receive +10 strength multiplied by the level of the skill, and enemies experience a decrease in strength by the same amount.

Level 10: Enigmatic Shadows - Manipulates shadows to create illusions, temporarily confusing enemies. The effectiveness is based on the level of dexterity and luck.

"It actually worked… but the skills seem a bit different than he used," Rain thought. "Maybe it is a downgrade version considering his own abilities… they are far weaker than the other enemies around here, even though he was supposed to be at their levels. Well, what now? I can't waste any more time, so I should just ignore the fever and move on."

Analyzing the shadow king's core had been pretty easy… even though Rain had planned to leave it for last. It only took three hours, after all. Rain had the intent to check on the progress of the others. However, upon tuning into the telepathy channel, he heard that the group was engaged in a discussion during a battle and did not appear to be in immediate danger.

The communication channel revealed that their progress was halted not by imminent threats but by the sheer number of dark trolls they were fighting with. Understanding that this presented a time-consuming challenge rather than an urgent crisis, Rain opted to refrain from interrupting their mission.