Chapter 78

Suho had extracted and utilized a diverse array of shadow soldiers thus far. Some were more notable than others, but no matter how impressive, they could only be summoned for a day.

When he was being attacked by the first swarm of bees, he lamented the fact that he could no longer summon Arachne. She would have swiftly woven her webs and entangled the bees in the blink of an eye. But the beast had returned to nothingness, and Suho had no choice but to deal with the pesky minions himself.

Beru had once told him,

“Only our Monarch can lead a legion.”

While Suho had inherited the power to extract shadows, his father was still the Monarch of Shadows.

And to become a Monarch, the current Monarch had to perish first. However, the Monarch of Shadows was an immortal being, meaning Suho could never become one. But Beru had once hinted that he could receive the power to maintain his shadows for an army of his own, and now that long-awaited moment had finally arrived.

[Skill: Shadow Preservation - Level 1]

[Authority over shadows.

No mana required.

Absorb the shadow soldiers into the caster’s shadow, preserving them.

The stored soldiers can be summoned or reabsorbed by the caster at any desired moment.

Preserved Shadow Count: 0 / 1]

“Amazing.” Suho’s eyes widened as he checked the skill window.

Above his head, Beru circled with tears of joy streaming down. “Such elation! Our Monarch has finally granted permission for the Young Monarch to preserve his soldiers!”

Suho nodded, murmuring to himself, “So, there was a level restriction after all.”

In the end, levels were a measure the system used to gauge Suho’s prowess. If such a powerful skill had been given when he wasn’t ready for it, the skill would have consumed him in an aura of death, ultimately transforming him into a shadow soldier. After all, preserving the dead within one’s shadow implied that death always lurked nearby. Nevertheless, now that he had been granted the power, what mattered most to Suho was the number he could keep.

[Preserved Shadow Count: 0 / 1]

“Only one...” Suho chuckled.

It’s probably because of my low level...

“The system is telling me to increase the limit one at a time.”

Like Shadow Extraction, he knew that the new skill would undoubtedly be influenced by his Intelligence stat.

Suho suddenly remembered the times when he used to sit alongside his father, playing games. Back then, his father would often nag him about how slow he was at clearing levels.

No wonder he was so good at clearing games.

Leveling up was his bread and butter.

“Who do you plan on preserving as your first true shadow soldier?”

Suho chuckled and responded, “Don’t ask if you don’t know.”

Naturally, it was going to be the person who had given him the most trouble. Suho placed one of Minsung’s arms he had brought along on the ground.

[Target is eligible for shadow extraction.]

Shadow Extraction could be performed with just a part of a corpse. After all, a corpse was simply a vessel. Dark energy was already swirling around Minsung’s arm.

Within the shadow, ominous echoes of agony reverberated. Minsung’s shadow was crying out from the hellish limbo, pleading to be brought out.

Fine.

Come out if want it so much.

Suho reached out toward him. “Arise.”

[Attempting Shadow Extraction.]

[Extraction attempt in progress...]

A powerful screech pierced the air as the shadow began to writhe. Minsung’s face extended outward, fiercely opening his mouth.

A metallic sound echoed, accompanied by a notification.

[The Shadow Extraction failed.]

[Two more chances remaining.]

Did it fail?

Suho’s eyes narrowed. He wasn’t surprised as he had anticipated possible failure.

The probability of Shadow Extraction decreased depending on the target’s abilities. Minsung was an A-ranked hunter with significantly more mana than him, and he had also received help to bring the villain down.

That’s why I want him more.

Suho recalled how Minsung was meticulously evolved by Arsha to become her strongest lancer and the thought of claiming such a formidable figure as his soldier excited him immensely.

Two chances remaining...

After a deep breath, he calmly attempted the second extraction. “Arise.”

[The Shadow Extraction failed.]

[One more chance remaining.]

Suho felt dizzy. He had only one chance left, and the pressure was starting to get to him.

Meanwhile, Minsung’s shadow was desperately trying to break free from the black steam.

Suho could feel the villain's emotions, and he gazed deeper into his target.

You envied my Shadow Lancers, didn’t you?

The bitter jealousy he felt when he saw Suho’s lancers still remained, even after death. He had thought that Arsha had denied him the power to regenerate lancers, but it was something she could never grant him in the first place.

Come to me.

I will make you my mightiest lancer.

Suho’s eyes flashed with strong determination. “Arise!”

Minsung roared, emerging from the black smoke. The trailing vapor began to intertwine and the strands of dark strings began to form a body.

[The Shadow Extraction was a success.]

It’s done!

Suho rejoiced inwardly.

However, it wasn’t a complete resurrection.

[Powerful desire has brought forth the semblance of the deceased’s form.]

[Yet, the attributes of the deceased are too high compared to the caster, weakening the power of the shadow soldier. The shadow’s level starts from 2.]

Weakened to level 2?

Suho was confused.

What level was he originally?

[?? - Lv.2 - Knight Grade]

Eventually, a lancer made of black mist knelt before Suho, bowing with majestic grace. “Greetings, my master.”

“Huh? You can talk?”

Suho and Beru’s eyes widened simultaneously.

The other Shadow Lancers had remained silent, but the new lancer before them had somehow retained the ability to speak.

“Is it because he’s a Knight Grade shadow?”

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“Normally, one has to be a General Grade to be able to speak... But now I’m sure if that’s correct.” Even Beru seemed taken aback. “Hmm. Since Young Monarch has been playing with shadow soldiers since infancy...”

It was just a hunch, but the ant formed a theory that Suho’s innate talent and the effect of an early education had given him a new ability.

[Names can be given to soldiers of knight or higher rank.]

[The assigned name will persist until the shadow is dispelled.]

[Please provide a name for the soldier.]

Suho pondered for a moment,

A name...

The new creature’s original name carried too much notoriety, and he didn’t want to use it.

Fine.

Considering Lee Minsung wished to follow in the footsteps of Querehsha...

“Que.”

[Will you name your shadow soldier “Que”?]

“Sure.”

As soon as the order was given, the new name was engraved above the creature’s head, replacing the question mark.

[Que - Level 2 - Knight Grade]

“Thank you for giving me a good name.” Having been reborn with a new name, Que smiled and rose to his feet.

In his previous life, he had long venomous stingers that resembled spears instead of hands. Now, he only had one venomous stinger attached while the other arm had a regular hand.

Maybe it’s because I only brought back one of his severed arms.

Observing Que’s appearance, Beru swooped down and teased him. “Heh. Poor thing. The once formidable Lee Minsung is only a level 2 Knight.”

Que merely chuckled at Beru’s provocation. “Ha... How absurd. Do you truly believe you have the right to mock me?”

“Uh...” Struck to the core, Beru shivered.

[Beru - Level 1 - Normal Grade]

The ant had forgotten that he was much smaller and lower in rank than his normal form. “Th-this is not my true form!”

“That goes for me too. What’s important is the present, isn’t it?”

“What did you say?! How dare you talk back to me? You’re my subordinate!”

“Nonsense! You’re just merely a Normal Grade footsoldier!”

Beru was seething with genuine rage, and Que stared fiercely at him, clenching his fists.

Amid the tension, Suho said, “Que.”

“Yes, my master?”

“On the ground. Now.”

“I beg your pardon?” Que was taken aback by the command. However, his body promptly obeyed, and he assumed the push-up position. “M-Master! Why are you doing this to me?”

“Beru is like an uncle. He practically raised me. I’ll punish you if you misbehave.”

“Oh... My Young Monarch!” With tears of emotion, Beru flew over and affectionately clung to Suho’s head. He then gave Que a sly wink and chuckled heartily. “Now that I think about it, you’re level 2 because you’re second-rate!”

The words seemed to strike a nerve as Que’s face contorted. “We’ll see about that, you low-ranked grunt.”

***

“He seems like a reasonably capable soldier. Where did you manage to capture someone like him?” Ammut, who had been observing Suho’s actions from the side, cast an intrigued glance at Que.

Suho recounted the events of today, and Ammut burst into a hearty laugh.

“You still have a long way to go. Are you telling me you struggled because of just a few bugs?” the beast asked.

“Just a few bugs? It wasn’t just a few. Even you would have had a hard time!”

“Nonsense! Even if a few billion bugs swarmed at once, they wouldn’t cause me any harm.”

It wasn’t an exaggeration. Ammut’s thick skin was like an armor of steel. With such solid defense, the beast could ignore any attack, and walk confidently toward the enemy before crushing them.

“There was something I wanted to ask you,” Suho said.

“What is it?”

Suho recalled how he ended the last battle. “It might be quicker to show you directly. Watch this.”

[Skill: “Iron Body Technique” has activated.]

Suho raised his sword and activated the Iron Body Technique. Dark energy flowed down his arm and into the sharp edge of his blade.

Ammut looked somewhat surprised. “Oh? Impressive. You’ve managed to extend the Iron Body Technique to your weapon!”

“Did you know this was possible?”

“I can but Tarnak couldn’t do it.”

“Not even the Monarch of the Iron Body could do it?” Suho asked, surprised by the unexpected response.

Ammut chuckled. “That’s right. He was born a goblin, so reinforcing his physique was all he could do. It still made him strong but you’re different. You’re the son of the Monarch of Shadows. You were born with power. I’m curious about what kind of monster you’ll become when you master the Iron Body Technique...”

Ammut’s body began to grow larger, signally it was preparing itself for possession. “So, if your business is done, let’s begin the training now!”

“W-wait! I’m not mentally prepared yet!”

An immense gravitational force pressed down on Suho, and something more challenging than battling Querehsha had begun—his daily workout quest.