CHAPTER 47: CH-47

The sudden surge of power made my vision flicker in and out until I was forced to my knees. The system hadn’t protected me this time, which meant my body was simply struggling to adapt.

But the pain kept intensifying until I could no longer keep my mouth shut.

"W... What did you do to me?" I gasped, pain ripping through me like a thousand knives stabbing all at once.

"I didn’t really do anything. You wanted my servant’s power. True to my word, I gave it to you."

"But I left out one little detail." Her smile stretched wider.

"Unlike the breadcrumbs other mortals get, you’ve swallowed the whole essence. And since I destroyed my servant myself, most of its power stayed intact. So you’re getting way more than if you’d beaten it alone."

She paused, studying me with that amused, condescending smile. "Consider yourself very fortunate."

"Fortunate?" I grunted, every breath was a battle of endurance.

I kept calling the system in my mind, begging for it to do something.

[Scanning for anomalies...]

The familiar notification sparked hope. Now, I just need to hold it together.

[Detected Power: SSS+ Rank—exceeds host current capacity. ]

[Detected power originates from a higher lifeform. Standard ranking protocols cannot be applied, as its strength far exceeds that of its equivalent ranks.]

[Temporarily downgraded to S Rank.]

[Failed]

[Temporarily downgraded to A Rank]

[Failed]

[Temporarily downgraded to B Rank]

[Failed]

[Temporarily downgraded to C Rank]

[Success]

A blinding light flashed before my eyes, and my avatar began to dissolve into particles, drifting away slowly like dust.

"Remember our contract," she uttered.

I looked up at her and nodded.

Before I knew it, I was back in my bed, breathing heavily. Sweat soaked through the blanket, making it damp and uncomfortable.

The excruciating pain was gone, but my hands still trembled uncontrollably.

As I tried to steady my breaths, another system notification pop up.

[Shadow Emperor Skills]

Shadow Manipulation [ C ] : Granted the user control over shadows and darkness within their immediate vicinity. These could be solidified into physical constructs like blades, shields, or tendrils, capable of both offense and defense.

Shadow Kill [C]: Any enemy defeated by a shadow weapon allowed the user to absorb their essence.

Shadow Blend [C]: Depending on the user’s rank, this ability allowed near-complete undetectability when hiding in dark places.

Shadow Veil [C]: Enveloped the user in a dark aura that boosted intimidation and enhanced stealth capabilities. The aura’s strength increased proportionally with the user’s Shadow Kill ability.

Shadow Unleashed [C]: By releasing all stored shadows, the user gained a temporary boost to overall stats, proportional to the amount accumulated.

[Additional abilities would become available in the future.]

"Sweet!"

Although my abilities were severely nerfed, it was only temporary—and the skills I’d gained were still impressive, even in their weakened state.

Usually, only seekers who reached A Rank got five skills tied to their abilities—but there I was, wielding them all at C Rank.

No wonder she called the normal awakening abilities ’bread crumbs.’

Time to put these badass skills to the test.

Taking a deep breath, I focused on my shadow and tried to picture a sword.

At first, it was just a vague outline—an uneven, blob-like shape that looked more like a bent stick than a weapon.

I frowned. Clearly, this wasn’t something I could brute-force with focus alone. I needed to visualize it—truly see the sword in my mind before trying to project it.

The edge, the weight, the balance... every detail had to be clear.

So, I closed my eyes and replayed the image in my head, tracing the blade’s length, the curve of its guard. It was strange how natural it felt once I got into it.

This kind of mental training would take ages—but I had one secret advantage: I used to be a professional procrastinator.

My old hobby? Daydreaming about my crush and imagining every inch of their body when I should’ve been studying. Compared to that level of focus, visualizing a sword was child’s play.

Now I get why every reincarnated protagonist in anime turns into an instant powerhouse. When your brain’s been marinating in years of fantasy and power-scaling contents, your imagination basically runs on god mode.

Bit by bit, the shadow began to solidify. The crude outline wavered at first, like smoke trying to remember what shape it wanted to be.

Then, slowly, it stretched and straightened, the blade forming from the darkness itself.

The hilt came next—a crossguard shaped like two serpents coiled around the base, their heads facing outward with fangs bared.

I gave the sword a swing. The air hissed as the blade cut through it, leaving a faint trail of darkness. Pretty cool effect, not gonna lie.

When I shifted my grip, the serpentine crossguard slithered slightly, adjusting its weight.

I swung again, this time harder. The ground quivered, and a faint ripple of shadow spread from where my blade stopped.

A grin tugged at my lips.

’Yeah,’ I muttered, admiring the weapon as the dark mist curled around it. ’You’ll do just fine.’

After admiring the sword for a while, curiosity took over. I tried out a bunch of other weapons, but for some reason, none of them really clicked.

Finally, I tried a dagger.

It was way faster to summon, and the details were better. Maybe it was because the original user wielded the same weapon.

I swung it through the air and the result was amazing. It was lighter—more balanced, and responsive.

After a few swings, it became obvious that my technique was far from jaw-dropping.

To get the most out of this skill, I activated the Castle Card.

My handling skills improved by leaps and bounds, but I could still see traces of military-style combat in them—efficient, direct, and anything but flashy.

Then it hit me—if I could create a dagger, maybe I could make something even better...like a gun.

Closing my eyes, I focused on the image forming in my mind. The shadow in my left hand twisted, condensed, and took shape. Bit by bit, it solidified until a handgun materialized.

I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the pistol—it looked exactly like the one from the simulation... minus the fancy colors and designs, of course.

Grinning, I took aim and imagined a bullet being fired before I pulled the trigger.

Poff!

A sad puff of smoke came out.

I tried again. And again. And again. Each time, the gun coughed out another pathetic cloud of shadow.

My grin slowly faded. ’Yeah... I don’t think this thing came with live ammo.’

After a few more fruitless clicks, I sighed. It seemed my mastery over Shadow Manipulation wasn’t quite good enough to replicate gunfire—at least, not yet.

"Shadow Veil ."

I took a deep breath, centering my focus. The air around me grew heavier, darker—the shadows beneath my feet began to ripple like ink in water, responding to my intent.

The aura spread outward, then folded back, wrapping around me like smoke.

With a bit of focus, the swirling darkness clung closer to my body, forming into the rough outline of a hooded robe.

It wasn’t solid, though. Every movement sent faint ripples across it, as if my whole body was phasing in and out of the air.

This skill was ridiculously good. Forget strength. This was every aura farmer’s wet dream of a skill.

All I needed was some dramatic background music and a glowing blue line following my movements, and then I would officially qualify as main-character material.

From here on out, the real fun begins.