Chapter 17 – Sung Jin-Woo
One strike.
An orc was split into two clean sections by a single blow. (Sung Jin-Woo) looked at his shadows and ordered them to wipe out the rest of the orc group.
SHINK! Thud-thud.
The battle was of moderate difficulty for the shadow soldiers, especially since this dungeon was merely an A-rank Gate. But all the shadow soldiers were eliminating their enemies with great skill and power, under (Sung Jin-Woo)'s cold, precise control over each one individually.
He glanced at (Igris), the strongest knight in his army.
"Take command now. I will do something else."
With a respectful nod, the Blood-Red Knight moved to carry out his Monarch's order.
Meanwhile, (Jin-Woo) opened his system screen. The holographic blue interface flickered before his eyes with a soft ping.
[ALERT: Player level has met the conditions to activate Shadow Soldiers to Tier 2 and obtain 'Linked Shadow Aura.]
[This skill allows for linking Shadow Soldiers, teleporting between them, transmitting messages directly through them, and controlling them from a distance.]
After seeing his new skill, (Sung Jin-Woo) didn't think much about it. Instead, he remembered the previous alert he had received when he intended to go to Jeju Island.
[ALERT: Target level cannot be determined with host's current level.]
The System's cold voice saying these words had been clear to him.
After that, I should recall that young man's appearance.
He had seemed younger than him, about 16. Yet, his power was immense. Is he truly a Japanese hunter?
He could only think about him, especially since he wanted to become much stronger than that.
He had several other goals, too. Furthermore, particularly after losing an opportunity—an opportunity that, for him, was a chance to build his own guild—but that didn't matter since he would start doing that soon.
The shadows had finished the intense battle, having cleared the dungeon, taken the treasures, and placed them inside bags. They began carrying them behind (Sung Jin-Woo) with complete respect.
When they exited, the Gate vanished with a low hum and a shimmer of dissolving light.
There, (Sung Jin-Woo) was forced to think about many things in his mind, but the most important among them was preparation and rising in level.
He would have to go to the Demon King's Castle. There, he would be able to obtain the Elixir of Life and gain the ability to heal his mother.
The feeling of approaching his goal was enough to make his heart beat strongly, but he endured it. The time was approaching when he could fulfill his promise to heal his mother.
After several days, he had prepared to go to the Demon King's Castle.
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Inside the castle, after he entered, a large group of demons appeared, launching themselves directly at him.
Fast monsters, they could fight A-rank hunters with absolute parity. But to the Shadow Monarch, they were far too slow.
Without even using his Acceleration skill, his hand moved, gripping the black dagger, and cut down each of those demonic creatures with extremely precise strikes.
Slice. Flick. Shred.
Each strike was a landing of singular force. However, the demons' power increased with their giant numbers.
(Sung Jin-Woo) began to think about summoning shadows, but when he remembered he needed more combat training, he stopped this thought and fought alone for over half an hour to eliminate all those demons.
In the end, the dismembered demons bled purple blood while (Sung Jin-Woo) looked at them with extreme coldness.
Drip. Drip. Splat.
"I have to finish this quickly… but they are weak. Perhaps the upper floors will help me level up more."
After noticing his skills were developing during the fight, his logical choice was to use them as training dummies.
At that moment, something exploded in front of the Demon Castle's gate.
KRA-BOOM!
A giant dragon unleashed flames toward (Sung Jin-Woo)—crimson, searing hot fire.
"Come forth, Iron."
As soon as he said these words, the shadow soldier who possessed the strongest defense appeared—the S-rank hunter (Sung Jin-Woo) had defeated and turned into a shadow, whom he had named (Iron).
The shadow soldier with defensive capability unleashed a gigantic shield.
CLANG-SHOOOOOM!
The shield collided with the dragon's flames. That friction caused a massive explosion covering hundreds of meters.
But when the attack's dust cleared, (Iron) remained in place, protecting (Sung Jin-Woo) with terrifying steadfastness.
The dragon, its attack repelled, showed intelligence by soaring to a higher altitude and flying at an immense speed. Its speed was definitely far greater than that of regular S-rank hunters.
A creature like this deserves to be a shadow.
(Sung Jin-Woo)'s thought as he saw that dragon fly at such speed quickly revealed his great desire to obtain a creature that could fly.
In the next second, he summoned a group of tanker shadow soldiers who stood around him.
He summoned every shadow soldier he possessed to form a circle. Using the mages among his shadow soldiers, he employed their ability to generate purple lightning to strike the dragon in the air.
But the dragon was far too fast.
Whoosh! Zip-zip!
It cut through the air, evading every strike, and launched a barrage of destructive fireballs. Each ball was capable of distorting the air current with every strike and shot it sent.
"You're one to scream so loudly. My head is starting to hurt from this stupid screeching."
(Sung Jin-Woo) thought this, and then decided to take matters into his own hands.
He dashed directly toward one of the shadow soldiers.
He used that soldier as a stepping stone and kicked off into the air. The shadow soldier accepted this command and launched itself directly into the air toward the giant dragon.
The dragon, upon seeing the shadow soldier rushing toward it, became enraged and let out a terrifying screech. It prepared to unleash a massive fireball.
But in the next moment, (Sung Jin-Woo) activated his unique teleportation skill.
FWOOP.
"Shadow Exchange."
In the moment this skill was activated, his shadow soldier swapped places with (Sung Jin-Woo) in less than a second.
The Shadow Monarch now stood atop the giant dragon.
The dragon did not hesitate. Even with this turn of events, it displayed strategic intelligence, sensing the dangerous aura possessed by the Shadow Monarch. Therefore, it decided to retreat immediately.
It attempted a swift, evasive, and destructive aerial maneuver, using its full power.
But it was impossible for (Sung Jin-Woo) to let this happen.
He dashed at high speed, using the pressure of his energy to propel himself through the air, going directly to the dragon's head.
He sent a punch reinforced with his magical energy.
CRUNCH-BOOM!
That punch was enough to send a gigantic shockwave slamming into the dragon's massive head, which dented slightly.
Nevertheless, the dragon let out a pained screech but continued flying, using its tail to attempt a swift strike against (Sung Jin-Woo).
The strike was dangerous. This is what the Shadow Monarch realized at that moment. But he used a clever plan.
He exchanged places with a shadow soldier.
FWOOP.
The shadow soldier received the strike directly and was destroyed.
Then, (Sung Jin-Woo) used a skill to revive that soldier immediately in mid-air.
"Dark Resurrection."
The shadow soldier that had been completely destroyed by the tail strike was successfully revived in the air.
(Sung Jin-Woo) appeared directly. This time, the shadow soldier rushed to deliver a killing blow.
He used reinforcement and his ability to control dark energy to enhance his body to the extreme. The force and speed of the strike surpassed the previous speed by several times.
SHWIIIP-CRACK!
The dragon released a terrifying roar, feeling the force of the strike heading precisely in its current trajectory.
Yet, it couldn't change its movement in this tiny moment.
(Sung Jin-Woo)'s strike was fully aimed to deliver a finishing blow.
In the end, the dragon released a horrifying scream as its life was ended by a final strike from the Shadow Monarch.
(Sung Jin-Woo) looked at the dragon falling from a great height after its head was severed.
But he didn't allow that.
He ordered his shadow soldiers to protect the dragon's body so he could control it after it died completely.
The shadow soldiers rushed at the exact moment they were commanded.
They caught the giant dragon's body and placed it on the ground swiftly. Their movement was a collective leap into the air, throwing themselves using their bodies, then slowing the dragon's falling motion and setting it down.
In the end, a terrifying sequence of movements, but completely tactical.
(Sung Jin-Woo), who was in the air, used his teleportation skill again and exchanged with a soldier on the ground.
After that, once on the ground, he used the skill to dismiss the summons.
Puff. Puff.
"Dismiss Shadow Army."
This was to return the shadow to his collection of shadows and not consume his magical energy by healing it again after the fall from such a height.
Finally, the Shadow Monarch stood before the fallen dragon's body and looked at it, his shadows standing elevated around him.
It had already died after its head was severed.
After a moment of thought, (Sung Jin-Woo) placed his hand on the dragon's head and spoke the word he used to raise shadows with precision.
"Arise."
Rumble…
The first attempt. Shadow energy spread through all parts of the dragon. The process of transferring energy into the dragon's body was very fast.
But in the end, the connection was severed. The dragon's will resisted control over its body.
(Sung Jin-Woo) felt this, but he didn't stop. He used his skill again.
"Arise."
RUMMMMBLE…
The power of this skill was at the same level but more precise. The shadow energy rose to permeate the dragon's entire body, even filling its mind with darkness.
This controlling ability was so intense that the dragon screamed in its mind. It did not want to be controlled, but the force of control was overwhelmingly strong.
It felt as if shadows were devouring its will with infinite power. But with the last remnants of consciousness in its head, it screamed directly from the depths of its soul its desire not to be dominated.
"You have a strong will, dragon. But this is the end."
(Sung Jin-Woo)'s feeling had solidified. He knew the next attempt would guarantee the dragon's transformation into his shadow soldier.
Therefore, he did not hesitate to use his skill for the last time.
"Arise."
KRA-KOOM!
This time, the dark aura surrounding the dragon completed its connection. The dragon's soul returned, its previous will gone, replaced by respect for the Shadow Monarch before him.
Before the new Shadow Monarch, (Sung Jin-Woo), the dragon was resurrected.
Then, the naming choice appeared before him.
[You have succeeded in subjugating a powerful soul. Please name the soul to utilize it.]
The System's voice was clear in (Sung Jin-Woo)'s mind.
Without thinking, he said, "Your name from now on is (Kaisel)."
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End of Chapter 17
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Author's Note:
And thus,the Shadow Army gets its very own air force! Because why walk when you can fly on the soul of your defeated enemy? Classic Jin-Woo. Thank you for reading, you glorious dungeon delvers! Hearts and shadowy smiles to you all! ♥‿♥
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