Chapter 7
Beru eagerly anticipated Suho’s reaction.
After all…
Suho had just received Shadow Extraction, the true power of the Shadow Monarch.
Beru had imagined the conversation going something like this:
“Whoa! Amazing!”
“You’re giving me an ability this incredible as a quest reward?!”
“The last quest rewarded me with stat points, and this one gives me a Rune Stone that teaches a new skill?!”
“Wow! Are you really allowed to hand out rewards this generously?!”
At that point…
Beru planned to proudly clear his throat and declare:
‘Ahem! Didn’t I tell you? The Shadow Dungeon contains everything prepared for Your Young Majesty!’
His lips curled upward smugly as he began speaking.
“Ahem! To begin with, this Level-Up System is merely a support mechanism designed to ensure Your Young Majesty’s safe growth. It is an improved version of the system once used by my liege, created so that the fragile human body may gradually accept the immense power of the Shadow Monarch—”
Suho interrupted him.
“Oh.”
“So it’s just a summoning skill?”
“…!”
The disappointment on Suho’s face was unmistakable.
Beru was horrified.
What kind of reaction was that?!
“W-What are you saying?!”
“How can you receive such a magnificent power and react like that?!”
“I mean…”
“Summoning skills…”
Suho began explaining.
Among modern Hunters…
summoning-type abilities had a terrible reputation.
Dungeons beyond the Gates were unimaginably dangerous.
A single moment of carelessness…
and a magical beast’s claws could rip out a Hunter’s throat.
Deadly traps lurked beneath every step…
and above every ceiling.
Inside such places…
no one could guarantee your survival.
Combat-type Hunters were physically powerful enough to protect themselves.
But magic-type Hunters…
weren’t much stronger than ordinary people.
And among them…
Summoners were especially vulnerable.
Since they left all the fighting to their summons…
they themselves could do little more than hide behind them like helpless baggage.
“And that’s not all.”
“They consume enormous amounts of mana.”
“Finding worthwhile summons is difficult.”
“And even after all that…”
“they usually aren’t as strong as you’d hoped.”
“Nooooo!”
Beru stamped his tiny feet in frustration.
Until now…
he had constantly mocked Suho’s pathetic combat ability.
Yet somehow…
now he was the one becoming emotional.
Seeing him like that…
Suho felt slightly guilty.
“Well…”
“Sorry, but that’s just reality.”
“Still…”
“Learning a new skill is definitely a good thing.”
“No!”
“Don’t comfort me while pretending to be considerate!”
“I’m telling you—this skill is genuinely incredible!”
“Huh?”
“I think the way you’re talking changed.”
“Hmph! Hmph!”
For the first time…
Beru completely abandoned his dignified old-fashioned speech.
“Alright, alright.”
“Anyway…”
“I accept the reward.”
A Rune Stone appeared in Suho’s hand.
[Rune Stone: Shadow Extraction]
Break the Rune Stone to absorb its skill.
Without hesitation…
Suho crushed it.
[You have learned the skill: Shadow Extraction.]
Whoooooosh!
A shadow burst upward from beneath Suho’s feet…
wrapped itself around his entire body…
then disappeared.
Flash!
A new skill window appeared.
[Skill: Shadow Extraction Lv.1]
Shadow Authority
Mana Cost: None
Extracts mana from a deceased body and transforms it into a Shadow Soldier.
The stronger the target was…
or the longer it has been dead…
the higher the chance of extraction failure.
Maximum Shadows: 0 / 3
“…Creates Shadow Soldiers?”
Naturally…
Suho’s gaze drifted toward Beru.
A shadow beast enveloped in endlessly boiling black smoke.
“Correct.”
Beru grinned from ear to ear.
“This is the very skill that creates soldiers like me.”
“Shadow Extraction is the essence of the power that made Lord Sung Jinwoo into the Shadow Monarch he is today.”
At that moment…
Suho finally noticed.
The countless goblin corpses surrounding him…
Every goblin he had killed during the past four hours…
was now releasing wisps of black smoke.
[This target is eligible for Shadow Extraction.]
[This target is eligible for Shadow Extraction.]
[This target is eligible for Shadow Extraction.]
Every time Suho looked at the smoke…
the same message appeared.
Shadow Soldiers…
So it’s basically a Necromancer ability?
The concept was familiar.
Countless games featured Necromancers who raised undead armies from corpses.
Still seems pretty mediocre.
He had read about it online before.
There were many different kinds of summoning abilities.
Some summoned elemental spirits.
Others tamed living beasts.
Among them…
Necromancers had always been considered one of the weakest.
Too many restrictions.
First of all…
you needed corpses.
And to get those corpses…
I have to kill the enemies myself.
Which means I’ll only ever be able to command creatures weaker than me.
The only way to know for sure…
was to test it.
“Shadow Extraction.”
A message immediately appeared.
[Please designate the activation command for Shadow Extraction.]
“I have to assign a command phrase?”
“Hmm…”
Suho thought for a moment.
Then…
out of the corner of his eye…
he noticed Beru squirming excitedly.
“Ahem.”
“AHEM.”
“What?”
“You’ve got something to say?”
Beru quickly looked away.
“N-No…”
“Cough…”
“Arise… cough…”
“Arise… cough, cough…”
“…?”
Why was he coughing like that?
Suho narrowed his eyes.
He had no idea what Beru was trying to hint at.
Still…
if it was going to be a command…
it should be simple.
“Arise.”
“KKYAAAAAAAH!”
Beru clenched both fists in triumph.
“YES! That’s the one!”
Then…
something extraordinary happened.
“Kihihihihi—!”
Suddenly…
the laughter of goblins echoed throughout the air.
The shadows beneath the goblin corpses began writhing.
As though…
they had come alive.
No way…
Suho looked around in astonishment.
“Kihit!”
“Kehruk! Kehruk!”
Mocking laughter echoed from every direction.
Black hands stretched upward from the shadows.
Those hands grasped the ground…
pulling themselves free…
like demons crawling out of Hell.
[Shadow Extraction successful.]
Shwaaak!
Shwaaaak!
“Kehruk!”
“Kerruk!”
Three goblins emerged.
Their entire bodies were composed of boiling black shadows.
Shadow Goblin Lv.1
Normal Grade
The three Shadow Goblins stood in formation…
waiting silently for Suho’s orders.
Suho stared at them.
“…They still don’t look very strong.”
“…”
Even Beru finally understood.
The same Shadow Authority…
produced vastly different results depending on its user.
When Sung Jinwoo first obtained Shadow Extraction…
he had already been around Level 50.
Suho…
was only Level 7.
Naturally…
the skill’s performance depended heavily on the player’s level.
“W-Well…”
“Freshly extracted shadows are normally a little weaker than they were in life…”
“They’re smaller too.”
“T-That’s…”
“They’re obviously weaker.”
“…Only slightly?”
“And slower…”
“…”
Beru’s voice grew quieter and quieter.
“Shadow Authority is affected by both Intelligence and Level.”
“Later on…”
“It becomes an incredible skill…”
“An unbelievably powerful skill…”
“…I just don’t know how to explain it…”
“I…”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Suho glanced at the three Shadow Goblins waiting obediently for orders.
Then…
he immediately prepared to leave.
“W-What?!”
“Isn’t this the perfect moment to command them?!”
Beru cried out in shock.
At that exact moment—
Grrrrrrr…
A deafening growl came from Suho’s stomach.
“…I’ve been starving for two days.”
Suho said it with complete seriousness.
Beru couldn’t argue.
“…True.”
Whether one was a Hunter…
or the Shadow Monarch…
everyone fought in order to survive.
“Besides…”
“You can return to the Shadow Dungeon anytime by using the key.”
“You should rest first.”
Suho nodded.
Just as he had entered…
he inserted the Key to the Shadow Dungeon into his own shadow.
[Would you like to leave the Shadow Dungeon?] (Y/N)
“I’m leaving.”
Click.
The moment he turned the key…
his shadow swallowed him whole.
Whoooooosh!
[You have exited the Shadow Dungeon.]
* * *
The moment Suho returned to the real hospital room…
he collapsed onto the bed.
Flop.
…I’m exhausted.
Stretching out across the soft mattress…
he let out a long sigh.
Only four hours had passed.
Yet somehow…
it felt like four entire days.
Every level-up had restored his body…
but mentally…
he was completely drained.
Just then…
the hospital room door opened.
Several people wearing business suits walked inside.
“Excuse us.”
“Is this the room of Mr. Sung Suho?”
Hm?
Suho immediately guessed who they were.
Given the recent events…
there was only one group that would come looking for him.
“We’re from the Hunter Association.”
As expected.
The suited men approached and bowed politely.
“Mr. Sung Suho.”
“First of all…”
“We would like to thank you.”
“…Me?”
“What did I do?”
Suho looked puzzled.
“Thanks to your actions…”
“Many people survived.”
“We’re here to express our gratitude on behalf of those people.”
“I…”
“I didn’t really do anything that amazing.”
“You absolutely did.”
Suddenly—
A large middle-aged man stepped right into Suho’s personal space.
“Whoa…”
Suho nearly jumped.
The man smiled warmly.
“Mr. Sung Suho.”
“I’m truly impressed.”
“A young man willing to risk his own life to save others in times like these…”
“Sniff…”
“T-Thank you…?”
The huge man pulled out a handkerchief…
wiping tears from his eyes.
It was surprisingly overwhelming.
The employee standing beside him sighed as though accustomed to this.
“Team Leader.”
“Please stop crying.”
“We still have work to do.”
“Ah, right.”
“Haha.”
“I suppose I’m getting old.”
“I cry too easily these days.”
He cleared his throat.
“I’m Han Jae-Hyuk, Team Leader at the Hunter Association.”
“The reason we’re here…”
He placed a thick mana-measuring device on the table with a grin.
“…is to measure your mana.”
There was no doubt Suho had awakened.
He had been discovered unconscious inside the Korea University Art Museum…
which had transformed into a field-type Dungeon.
The surrounding area had also been littered with the remains of magical beasts.
“The reporters have been hounding us for information as well.”
Han Jae-Hyuk gave Suho a playful wink.
“I understand.”
Suho calmly placed his hand upon the measuring device.
The magic crystal embedded within it glowed softly.
After a brief moment…
the results appeared.
“Hmm…”
“Oh?”
Han Jae-Hyuk stroked his chin in surprise.
Suho…
on the other hand…
didn’t seem remotely interested.
Naturally.
His Status Window had already told him everything about his mana.
“Mana Capacity: 46.”
“You’ve awakened as an E-Rank Hunter.”
The Association employees maintained neutral expressions…
but inwardly…
they were disappointed.
Someone who had accomplished what Suho had…
should surely have awakened at a much higher rank.
Yet…
he was only E-Rank.
Han Jae-Hyuk thought differently.
A Hunter’s true worth isn’t determined by rank.
If an E-Rank risked his life to save that many people…
That makes him even more admirable.
Smiling warmly…
Han Jae-Hyuk firmly patted Suho’s shoulder.
“Mr. Sung Suho.”
“I look forward to seeing your future achievements.”
“Thank you.”
The Association staff finished their business…
said their farewells…
and quietly left the room.
The door closed.
Immediately…
Beru poked his tiny head out from Suho’s shadow.
“Now then!”
“Allow me to explain what comes next—”
Slide!
The hospital room door opened once again.
“Suho!”
Beru’s shoulders slumped.
With a disappointed expression…
he quietly disappeared back into Suho’s shadow.
