Chapter 5

Mo You had once observed this world from the perspective of a reader.

Now, having crossed over to become a part of this world, he did not feel superior to anyone, nor did he claim to understand this world thoroughly.

After all, because of something like mahjong...

The so-called reader's perspective at most only allowed him to see a part of the world's map, let alone the vast, unknown land beyond the map.

Therefore, under the premise of not going out, Mo You believed it was necessary to gain a deeper understanding of this world through extensive reading.

"Swamp Man" was one of the fantasy novels he read to adjust his mood, with themes of "soul" and "what am I."

The story began with a person being struck by lightning and dying while passing through a swamp.

However, the lightning and the swamp reacted strangely, immediately replicating a being with the same physical and soul attributes as the deceased.

The story started with this "reboot" and posed a question—

If the preservation of the soul grants a new beginning, am I still me?

Mo You stood before the bookshelf, flipping open "Swamp Man."

He had read it not long ago and still had a relatively clear impression.

His slender fingertips brushed over a page, then paused at a particular spot.

"Shadow."

Mo You gazed at the word that stood out most to him in the text.

The shadow is the carrier of the replicated soul...

But what if it's not replication but fusion?

Mo You pondered, then looked at his own shadow, his mind stirring.

The potential energy that had just recovered a little in his body slowly flowed out from the spirit holes, then merged into the shadow.

Mimicry—

With the injection of "energy," Mo You's shadow first separated, then slowly transformed into a three-dimensional, pitch-black human figure identical to Mo You in size.

"This is my psychic ability, but it's still just a prototype..."

Mo You carefully examined the motionless, pitch-black human figure in front of him, like a mannequin, and muttered to himself:

"The burden of using the ability has clearly decreased a lot, and the consumption of energy has also reduced."

The first time he used the ability, the shadow only formed a bubble shape, lasting for 3 seconds, but almost drained all of Mo You's "energy."

This time, Mo You only consumed a small portion of his "energy" to mimic a human figure, and the duration exceeded 3 seconds.

"Because the concept of the ability has gradually become clearer, I can use it more smoothly, and even the difficulty of 'construction' has decreased."

Mo You roughly understood the reason.

This psychic ability linked to the shadow is still just a prototype. Once his "energy capacity" and "skills" improve, he can further refine and develop more effects.

But the prerequisite is that his "memory capacity" can accommodate the developed ability effects.

The more complex the psychic ability, the more memory capacity it occupies.

Typically, a psychic ability user only develops one mature ability, which fills all the memory space.

However, there are a few exceptionally talented psychic ability users who can develop a second or even a third ability without any burden.

"Let's call it 'Soul Resonance.'"

Mo You named his ability and planned to test his attribute type with the "Water Divination" technique once his basic skills were solidified.

Only by testing the attribute can he develop the psychic ability correctly.

"Soul Resonance"

"Attribute type not yet tested"

"First-stage ability: Use the shadow as a carrier for energy to mimic."

"The upper limit of mimicry is unknown for now, but it can be expanded based on constraints."

After naming the new ability, Mo You began to manipulate the shadow man.

"Raise your left hand."

Mo You first issued a simple command to the shadow man with the concept of an operational ability.

However, the shadow man did not react at all.

"Huh, am I not an operational type? That doesn't make sense. Even if the attribute doesn't match, a simple command shouldn't result in no feedback at all."

Mo You raised his hand to his chin in thought.

Then, he lowered the difficulty of the command, only asking the shadow man to move a finger.

But the shadow man remained motionless.

"Something's not right."

Mo You raised an eyebrow and began to think about the reason.

"Right."

Mo You looked at the shadow man, who showed no signs of energy fluctuation, and smiled. "Although you have separated from me, fundamentally, we are still one, so..."

With that, Mo You closed his eyes and issued a command to the shadow man in his mind.

The next moment,

The shadow man obediently raised its left hand.

Mo You then opened his eyes, looking at the shadow man with a satisfied expression, who was still holding up its hand.

Because he was not yet proficient with the ability and lacked sufficient "energy," he had to close his eyes to increase his concentration.

Once his comprehensive ability and skills become more proficient, he won't have to exert so much effort.

Mo You continuously issued various commands to the shadow man in his mind, like a child who had just received a new toy, playing happily.

About ten minutes passed.

Mo You, who had played too much, suddenly felt a blackout and fainted on the ground due to the depletion of his energy.

The shadow man then dispersed and returned to its normal state.

From the awakening of the psychic ability to the birth of the ability—

This process took less than twelve hours.

If there were others present, they would probably describe Mo You as an "exception."

Time slowly passed.

The sun rose from the east, dispelling the morning mist and emitting scorching heat, then slowly set in the west.

When the last ray of light disappeared in the distance, night fell.

Mo You also woke up at this time.

"I'm so hungry."

The hunger in his stomach tormented the just-awakened Mo You.

"I played too much..."

Mo You got up from the ground and put "Swamp Man" back on the bookshelf.

"Let's go to the kitchen and get something to eat."

Perhaps due to excessive energy consumption, Mo You felt hungrier than ever, fumbling in the dark room to turn on the light.

Click—

The room was filled with light.

Mo You walked out of the room and looked up at the sky.

The night sky was covered with dark clouds, and there was no moonlight.

The surroundings were quiet, and the darkness in the distance seemed like a giant, terrifying mouth.

Mo You turned on the hallway lights.

The bright light illuminated the surroundings, providing a sense of security.

Mo You walked through the hallway and headed straight to the kitchen.

......

In the silent, dark forest, a sudden, rapid breathing sound echoed.

A figure stumbled through the forest, eyes filled with panic and fear.

Suddenly, the figure noticed the lights on the mountaintop ahead.

Like a drowning person seeing a piece of driftwood, a glimmer of hope flashed in the figure's eyes.