My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Chapter 226 226: More To Come

He yawned, feeling somewhat tired. His body didnʼt ache—not when he was sleeping on a luxurious bed.

Even after a week, the room still felt unfamiliar. The bed was wide but low, the carpets were beautiful, and the interior design was cozy.

The chandelier hung low from tbe ceiling, giving off a soft light and casting deep shadows across the room.

Just the way he liked it.

He stretched, walking over to the wide curtains and slowly shifting them aside.

White clouds drifted past the window, vast and endless. In the distance, a reptilian creature soared through the sky. At least it wasnʼt a wyvern. He just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

His fingers brushed against the locket around his neck. A gift from his sister—an heirloom from their mother. She had made him promise to bring it back.

A thin smile tugged at his lips. It was Lunaʼs way of telling him to come back safely.

”Not that she didnʼt chew me out and give me a billion lectures about being reckless…”

With how much she worried, one would think she was his mother instead of his little sister.

And she had good reason.

This was Damonʼs final semester evaluation—held outside the academy. Dangerous. Lethal. Death was a very real possibility, in fact it was common place.

That was why he was on an airship, traveling for over a week. The journey through the sky was mostly safe along charted airways with air patrols. But they had encountered a few airborne monsters, and for a time, things had gotten dangerous.

”Wyverns had attacked the ship, followed by a pack of black death screeches and even an enraged roc.”

However if Damon had to say then the most dangerous would be flying a few hundred kilometers past a dragonʼs nest.

Fortunately, the professors had handled it.

Still, he hated the idea of sleeping with his curtains open. What if something out there saw him while he slept?

The thought made him shudder from dread.

The world of Aetherus was just too dangerous, from monsters, to ancient horrors absolutely anything goes in this wretched world, a shame he was to weak to even flee from some of them.

During this week, he had been busy. More importantly, he had gained 90 attribute points, which he poured entirely into his HP. He didnʼt know why, but a nagging premonition told him he would need as much health as possible.

Beyond that, he had acquired two new skills—each worse than the last.

And when he said worse, he meant for himself, not necessarily his enemies. Both were dangerous, but they had the potential to be powerful weapons.

The first skill:

[Skill: Spirit Affinity]

[Description:]

”You are known to the spirits—whether as a friend or a foe is yet to be seen.”

[Effect:]

The user possesses a natural connection to spiritual entities, allowing them to sense, communicate with, and attract spirits more easily. Friendly spirits may offer guidance, minor protection, or assistance in battle. However, unstable or malevolent spirits may also be drawn to the user, causing havoc or inflicting pain. Beware.

[Type:] Passive.

[Cooldown:] 0 seconds.

At first glance, Spirit Affinity should have been a good thing. But it also meant he could attract malevolent spirits. If he wasnʼt careful, one could possess him.

He couldnʼt help but think of Sylvia—she had the same problem. However, she could also see spirits with her Spirit Sight.

That was Damonʼs new problem.

It turned out that being known to spirits didnʼt mean he could see them. He needed a separate ability for that.

Worse, the skill was passive. He couldnʼt turn it off.

But even that wasnʼt nearly as terrifying as the next one.

[Skill: Ashborn]

[Description:]

”Born from the despair and hatred of the countless elves who perished in the Verdant Continent during the demon lord Ashcroftʼs conquest, Ashborn is a curse and a legacy—an unrelenting pyre fueled by sorrow and vengeance. It grants dominion over Ignathʼs soul flames, fire that sears with fury and freezes with grief, a reflection of the dark spiritʼs eternal lament.”

[Effect:]

The user may summon and command soul-burning flames that consume both body and spirit, their heat reducing all to ashes while their cold paralyzes with despair. However, wielding such wrath comes at a cost—the user must endure tenfold the agony of being burned alive as the flames feed upon both mana and shadow energy. Only those who can bear suffering may claim their power.

[Type:] Active.

[Cooldown:] 0 seconds.

It was the most straightforward skill description the system had ever given him.

The power was insane. The price was worse.

When he first obtained it, he and Lilith decided to experiment. Worst decision of his life.

He still shuddered from the memory.

Ashborn granted him control over the immolating flames, and while the cost in mana and shadow energy was high, it was a fair trade for such destructive power.

The real issue was the pain.

The sensation of burning alive—multiplied tenfold.

The moment he activated it, Damon nearly lost consciousness. His body and soul remained unharmed, yet the sheer agony almost killed him from shock. Burning alive was already one of the worst ways to die, and he had experienced ten times that.

When he activated it, reality shattered. Invisible flames licked at his bones, peeling away layers of his soul like molten razors. His nerves screamed, his body convulsing as though his blood had turned to magma. He had felt pain before—but this? This was suffering incarnate.

When he woke up, drenched in cold sweat, the fear still lingered.

On the upside, the power was overwhelming. A terrible trump card.

Lilith warned him against using Ashborn again. Though the flames didnʼt physically burn him, the mental shock alone could be fatal. Most people who burned to death didnʼt die from the fire itself—they died from the pain.

Damon sighed. The next thing he checked was his level-up requirements. For some reason, they were oddly specific.

[Level-up Requirements]

Red Cap Goblins consumed [0/5]

He groaned.

”Great. Only the most violent species of goblins in the world.”