My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

The bridge was destroyed, leaving the party to rest easy for the first time since they had been stranded in these lands. They could finally rest before continuing their journey.

Damon grabbed a supply bag and, without saying another word, unceremoniously tossed it to the ground and fell onto it. He knew his party would have questions for him. He would have to give them answers when he woke up—or at least come up with a convincing lie.

He didn't know how long he would sleep, so he activated the Sacrifice skill, turning some of his mana stats into shadow energy.

"If I don't find a monster to devour… I'll keep getting weaker," he muttered.

He was in a fight against time. Either he let his shadow grow hungry and gained power, or he sacrificed that power to stay sane.

Evangeline walked up to him, glancing at him lying on the sleeping bag despite the sun still being high.

"Ca…can we talk?" she asked hesitantly.

He closed his eyes.

"No… not right now. You guys rest. We can talk later when everyone is rested. There's no need to stand guard."

Evangeline bit her lip, her hand on the hilt of her sword. "Isn't that a bit risky?"

Damon sighed, resting on the supply bag like a pillow.

"It's not, when I'll have an eye out… You guys just sleep."

Evangeline nodded, trusting in his words—even though he was actually closing his eyes to sleep instead.

Damon, on the other hand, didn't need to tell her that his shadow was alive and could act as a scout or even an eye. It would begin its patrol when the last of the party members went to sleep.

However, Evangeline wasn't convinced. She sat by his side, leaning on her supply bag.

Damon sighed. "Go keep an eye out," he ordered his shadow.

The dark form slithered away, circling around. It stopped in front of Evangeline and waved its hand at her.

Evangeline instinctively raised her hand to her sword, taken aback for a moment.

Damon's shadow shifted back due to her reaction.

He raised his hand and lightly smacked her arm. "Relax."

She stood up abruptly. "How can I relax when your shadow just moved on its own?"

Her reaction and the movement of the shadow caught the group's attention, and they all looked at Damon as if expecting an explanation. Sylvia, however, narrowed her eyes slightly, waiting for him to speak.

Damon sighed.

"You guys really don't want to rest, do you?" He sat up.

"There's no need to worry. My shadow wasn't hijacked by some ancient horror or an unknowable monster."

He paused, glancing at them.

"This is merely one of the effects of my first-class skill… Or did you guys forget my attribute is shadow? So this isn't really strange."

He lay back down. "We can talk about our classes after we rest."

Evangeline sighed with relief. That was right—they were in their first class, and some unique classes came with unusual skills. Damon just got one. It wasn't like he was a heretic or something.

'He'd never make a deal with some horror,' she reassured herself.

Xander looked at Damon's shadow as it cracked around the group, greeting each of them with a friendly wave.

His face winced. "This thing is creepy… I suppose it's to be expected from someone like you."

Matia knelt by the shadow with Leona.

"Hey, Leona, is it just me, or is this thing kind of cute?"

Leona nodded, her ears perking up and down.

"I know, look at him. He's like a nice, friendly version of Damon… So this is where all his personality went."

Damon, who was lying down, clicked his tongue. "I heard that."

"I wanted you to," Leona teased.

"What can it do? Can it attack?" Evangeline asked, somewhat wary.

With his eyes closed, Damon tossed around. "It's just like you to be violent."

She scowled, ready to start an argument, but Xander interfered.

"Right, everybody rest. We could start moving at any time."

Evangeline's eyebrows twitched, but she nodded. She lay right next to Damon, her head on her supply bag.

Despite everything, the only person who remained quiet was Sylvia. She merely looked at Damon and whispered low to herself.

"Liar."

How could she not know he was lying about his class skill? She knew he had the ability to make his shadow move away from him even before they reached the first class. She had seen him without a shadow in the academy…

She knew Damon to be someone who kept his secrets close to his chest. She could already imagine what lie he would tell them about his class skill, as well as whatever explanation he would give about the flames that obviously originated from the dark spirit, Ignath.

His shadow went a fair distance from them.

The others all lay down despite the sun, while Leona followed the shadow around, curious and making conversation, even though it only replied with gestures.

And when Sylvia thought no one was looking, she slowly moved her sleeping bag next to Damon, watching as he breathed steady and low, almost as if he were dead.

She was curious where he had learned to sleep so silently… it was almost as if he was wary that something would get him in his sleep.

Or maybe he wasn't even sleeping. She suppressed the urge to touch his face.

Slowly closing her eyes.

Well, she was right—Damon wasn't actually asleep. Not just yet. He spread his shadow perception and sensed Sylvia next to him and Evangeline on the other side.

However, he paid them no mind. He was actually looking at his class and skill.

[Class: Death Dealer]

"You are a merchant in blood and a dealer in death. Your presence heralds demise, and your hands deliver the final price."

[Skill – Dealer's Hand]

"You may permanently mark a weapon as your Dealer's Hand. This weapon grows sharper with your bond and stronger with every life it claims. Each soul taken feeds its edge, tempering it into a blade of death. It will never dull, never break—so long as you live. Only in death will it lose its edge."

His skill actually had nothing to do with shadows. It was a skill that allowed him to bind a weapon to himself.

Except the only problem was, he had tried with his daggers and they failed. As for the reason… he could tell it was because he didn't have a strong enough emotional attachment to the daggers.

He had tried with objects. The only one that seemed like it would work was his mother's locket.

A shame it wasn't a weapon. In the end, after mulling it over, Damon couldn't think of any weapons that would work as a Dealer's Hand…

Save one…

"I'll have to get it… If… I… No… when I make it back home …"

Yes….he would have to return….to his village….