CHAPTER 118: CHAPTER NO.118 MY FIRST GENERAL GRADE SHADOW?!

[Location: Dungeon—Vampire King’s Castle]

"Rise Up."

When I did that, the shadow cast beneath both of them began to wiggle as if it came to life. It was the same reaction as when I extracted the shadows from the Alexios and others before.

’Okay, good!’

I clenched my fists tightly. I had a good feeling about this.

[King’s Call has commenced.]

[Attempting to extract....]

Uwaaahhh-!!

’WOAH! ON THE FIRST TRY?!’

First was Azmuth, from whose body a clawed arm, coated in shadows, pressed down on the ground and pushed itself up.

[King’s Call was a success.]

[??? Lvl.11]

— Elite Knight Grade

Woah! Level 11? Even Alexios was level 10, but this brute is 11? I wonder why.

Now that I look at it, a muscular humanoid shadow with a light purple glow, glowing red eyes, long, smoke-like purple hair, sharp claws, and a fractured, horned skull mask that exposes the upper right portion of his face.

Oh right! My attention shifted to Mana’s corpse, just like Azmuth’s.

Shadows began to wiggle beneath Mana’s corpse.

A soft shhhhkkk... rippled across the cracked marble floor, almost serpentine, almost alive. Then—

A hand emerged.

Slender. Feminine. Clawed.

Coated in a gorgeous, eerie swirl of rose-gold and black shadows.

My breath hitched.

’No way—on the first try AGAIN?!’

[King’s Call has commenced.]

[Attempting to extract....]

The corpse trembled. The surrounding blood—her blood—flowed backwards, defying gravity, defying logic, streams of crimson rising like reversed rain toward the blooming mass of shadows.

A soft, distant chime filled the air.

Like a lullaby sung by something ancient.

Then—

Psshhhkkk—

A second arm broke free. This one adorned with delicate shadow, flickering with a subtle ethereal glow.

The hall rumbled as if the Dungeon itself felt a cold shiver.

’Huh... this is different from Azmuth’s extraction.’

Because this wasn’t brute strength.

This was refined, elegant, and eerily ominous.

The shadows gathered—shivering, folding inward—before erupting upward in a spiral, forming a silhouette that rose slowly, almost lazily, as if waking from a thousand-year nap.

And then I saw her.

Tall. Graceful. Deadly.

A feminine figure wrapped in flowing blood-ink shadows, hair long and drifting like a silk banner in moonlight—rose-pink at the tips, but darkening into void-black at the roots. A cracked porcelain mask covered half her face, revealing only one glowing eye:

A golden eye.

Not the cold blood-moon glow Mana had before—

But a subdued, obedient glimmer.

Awaiting my decree.

Her aura was ridiculous. The shadows around her coiled like serpents bowing to a queen. Even Paimon and Erebus stiffened behind me, their excitement turning into awe.

The system chimed.

Tti-ring!

[King’s Call was a success.]

[??? Lvl.15]

— General Grade

My heart stuttered.

’G-General Grade?! Is this a grade higher than Elite Knight Grade?’

[Affirmative.]

Soooooooo... what does this General Grade have to offer other than being stronger and—

Tti-ring!

[General-Grade Shadows]

— Shadows of this grade possess immense power, capable of contending with—and even overpowering—advanced S-Rank Creatures.

— They also demonstrate the ability to speak

I froze.

Speak?!

"My..." her voice was soft—like silk dragging over the edge of a blade, "...King."

Shivers crawled up my spine.

’That voice—!’

It wasn’t Mana’s voice.

Not exactly.

It was... gentler.

Refined.

Clarified.

Like the distilled essence of her—without arrogance, without madness, without centuries of emotion weighing it down.

Just pure, obedient strength.

I swallowed.

[You can bestow a name to a knight-grade or higher soldier.]

[The bestowed name will be maintained until the shadow soldier is dismissed.]

[Please set the soldier’s name.]

Yeah, name, let’s focus on that!

A name, huh...

My gaze rose slowly—almost cautiously—to meet the golden eye staring back at me.

She didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.

Shadows clung to her form like silk and ink, swirling with the faintest notes of rose-gold light.

Waiting.

Patient.

Obedient.

Her cracked mask shifted slightly as she tilted her head, almost as if encouraging me to speak.

"I will bear... whatever name my King bestows," she murmured, voice soft enough to make the cracked marble beneath us tremble.

Tch—

Why is she sounding like that?

I cleared my throat.

’Focus, Dominic. Don’t get seduced by a walking shadow made of death and vacuum pressure.’

I stepped closer, boots crunching over broken stone and dried blood. Mana’s former form—now a collapsed husk—lay behind her like an empty shell.

This was no longer the Elder Mana Sanguine.

This was the distilled essence of her power.

A General.

My first General.

Paimon and Erebus stood at rigid attention behind me, as if silently acknowledging the new hierarchy forming.

Her golden eye softened—like she enjoyed the attention.

"My King..." she whispered again, "I await your decree."

Name her.

Something fitting.

Something shadow-born.

Something worthy of a General-grade soldier.

My mind spun through possibilities—something intimidating? Something regal? Something symbolic?

But then—

The rose-gold glow in her shadows rippled again, and an idea surfaced.

"...Astra."

The shadows paused.

Her body stiffened faintly.

"Astra," I repeated, tasting the name. "A star fallen into shadow. A light reborn in darkness. It suits you."

For a heartbeat—just one—her golden eye widened, surprise flickering like a spark behind glass.

Then she bowed.

Deeply.

Gracefully.

On one knee, head lowered with an elegance that felt almost... ceremonial.

"Astra..." she whispered, as if confirming her existence anew."A beautiful name granted by my King. I shall treasure it."

Tti-ring!

[Will you set the name as ’Astra’?]

"That’s right."

[You have bestowed a name: Astra]

[General-Grade Shadow "Astra" has gained +3 Levels.]

Tti-ring!

[Astra Lv. 18]

— General Grade

A chill rolled down my spine.

’She levels up from just getting a name now?!’

I didn’t even get to finish processing that before Astra lifted her head. Her golden eye glimmered—and for the first time—I saw actual emotion behind it.

Not madness.

Not arrogance.

Not pride.

Something frighteningly close to...

...devotion.

"My King," she said softly, "command me."

GULP.

Astra immediately noticed the small movement of my throat. That golden pupil narrowed slightly, but not in malice—more like she was entertained.

Oh crap.

’I accidentally created another Grayfia but in shadow-form.’

Paimon let out a low rumble behind me, almost like a jealous growl. Erebus’s spear-tip twitched, the shadows around him tightening.

Astra didn’t care.

Her attention was entirely on me.

I inhaled once, steadying myself.

"O-Okay," I muttered under my breath. "Astra... stand by."

She rose slowly, her movements liquid, graceful, too smooth to be anything mortal.

"As you wish."

The shadows around her folded inward, forming a mantle-like cloak behind her.

Good.

That was... good.

STOMP!

My attention refocused on— oh crap, almost forgot to name him.

Azmuth’s hulking shadow stomped again — hard enough that the cracked marble jumped.

I blinked.

"...Oh. Right. You."

The massive, purple-glowing brute straightened like a soldier caught slacking, claws folding behind his back with rigid discipline... but the red glow in his eyes absolutely screamed:

Name me, you bastard.

Even Paimon tilted his head slightly, as if judging the big guy’s attempt at subtlety.

Erebus tilted his head side by side, deadpan as if saying, ’...He is jealous.’

Astra, meanwhile, shifted her gaze with the serene elegance of a noble sipping tea while watching children fight. She didn’t speak, didn’t react—but the faintest curl of amusement tugged at the corner of her masked cheek.

Azmuth stomped again.

I sighed.

"I can literally FEEL you sulking."

The hulking shadow froze.

Completely.

Like a kid trying not to get caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

I rubbed my temples.

Astra: graceful, elegant, terrifying.

Azmuth: huge, loud, and emotionally built like a bulldozer.

"Alright, alright. Don’t break the floor. I’ll name you."

The shadow brute brightened—actually BRIGHTENED—his purple aura flaring with childish anticipation.

My mind went through names.

Something strong.Something simple.Something that matched "Astra" without being edgy.

And then it clicked.

"...Draugr."

The dungeon air thickened.

The shadow brute froze again, but this time from shock.

A heavy name.

A proud one.

A warrior who refuses death.

"Draugr," I repeated, nodding. "A dead warrior who rises again to serve. Fits you perfectly."

For a second—

Nothing.

Then the brute slowly lowered to one knee, massive claws pressing to the fractured floor.

A deep, guttural rumble rolled from his chest—like a vow carved into stone.

Tti-ring!

[Will you set the name as ’Draugr’?]

"Yeah."

Tti-ring!

[You have bestowed a name: Draugr]

[Elite Knight-Grade Shadow "Draugr" has gained +2 Levels.]

Tti-ring!

[Draugr Lv. 13]

— Elite Knight Grade

This one too? Then why didn’t Paimon’s and Alexios’s shadows gain levels after being named?

[At that time, the level of ’Skill: King’s Call’ was at 1.]

"Oh, that’s why!" I struck a ’fist on the palm’ pose.

The giant’s aura swelled, thickening like a physical weight. He lifted his head, crimson eyes blazing with loyal fury.

I grinned, "Okay—"

Thud!

The moment Draugr finished kneeling and Astra stepped behind me like a silent executioner-queen, the Shadow Infantryman—the one who had politely lined the corpses earlier like some macabre butler—

—THREW ANOTHER BODY IN FRONT OF ME.

Not placed.

Not arranged.

THREW.

SPLAT.

The corpse bounced.

It bounced.

And then the Infantryman dropped to his knees, both hands slammed to the floor like a martial-arts salute, aura blazing with the raw spiritual intensity of:

’PRAISE ME.’

I stared.

He stared.

Everyone stared.

Astra elegantly tilted her head, as if thinking, "How adorable."

Draugr’s shoulders lifted in a very "what the hell is this little guy doing" way.

Paimon and Erebus were both frozen like NPCs buffering.

The Shadow Infantryman didn’t blink.

He knelt harder.

As if he could kneel more.

His shadow pulsed:

EXTRACT THIS ONE TOO.

NOTICE ME.

VALIDATE ME.

KING PLEASE.

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"...Dude, there is a limit to enthusiasm."

He slammed his forehead to the floor like a loyal dog.

Draugr looked personally offended.

Astra looked vaguely entertained.

Paimon sighed as if saying, ’...He is grovelling in 4K Ultra HD.’

Erebus sighed, ’Indeed.’

The Infantryman trembled with anticipation.

[King’s Call has detected an unextracted corpse.]

[Would you like to attempt extraction?]

He vibrated.

Actually vibrated.

Like a phone on silent mode.

’God help me.’

"Fine. FINE." I threw my hands up. "Stop vibrating before you phase through the floor."

The Infantryman POPPED to his feet—

Standing stiff and proud like he’d just been promoted to CEO.

The corpse rolled slightly.

"...Okay," I sighed. "What even IS this one—"

I looked down.

Oh.

My eyelid twitched.

"...Seriously? Even he died?"

Vaelion Drakkaris — the elegantly dressed, smugly-smiling vampire noble who welcomed everyone to this banquet — was now lying face-down like a squashed cockroach, limbs twisted, hair frizzed, and expression frozen in the universal language of:

’I did NOT sign up for this.’

I inhaled slowly.

’Mana... you really wiped out everyone.’

The Shadow Infantryman vibrated again, staring at me with the devotion of a puppy who just brought his owner a dead squirrel.

"...Yes, yes, good job," I muttered.

He trembled harder.

Astra coughed politely behind her hand.

Draugr rumbled in disapproval.

Paimon did hand sigh as if saying, ’He is... too eager.’

Erebus, too, copying Paimon, ’He is you as a minion.’

I choked on my breath.

"I— excuse me?! HOW—"

The Shadow Infantryman spasmed as he’d just been knighted.

"Oh for— FINE." I threw a hand toward the corpse. "You win. Let’s do this."

"Rise UP!"

Immediately—

The shadows beneath Vaelion’s body stirred, rippling like a black tide.

[King’s Call has commenced.]

[Attempting Extraction...]

***

Stone me, I can take it!

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