My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Chapter 350 - 351: Unknown Progeny Of The Vile Thief

Damon leaned against the crumbling wall of an old house. The floor beneath him was coated in thick dust, and large portions of the structure had long since collapsed, leaving the place vulnerable to the chill night air.

The interior was pitch black. No one in the party dared to create a single light source, not even a spark, despite the biting cold that settled over the city once the sun dipped below the horizon.

They had learned their lesson during their first night in Lysithara—light only attracted something worse.

Damon could already hear them—familiar creatures, the grotesque ones the locals had once called lamp snatchers.

Well the locals were the lamp snatchers.

They moved across the ruined streets, their disfigured forms twitching and crawling as they hunted for even the faintest glimmer to steal.

Somewhere deeper in the city, he caught the distant growl and clash of nocturnal monsters locked in a deadly skirmish. Another night hunt.

Damon was on first watch—alone. The others were asleep, huddled together in a tight circle, with Xander lying a little further off, respectfully distant from the girls.

They mightʼve looked asleep, but Damon knew theyʼd be up in a flash at the slightest wrong noise.

He couldʼve asked the party to travel during the night, but heʼd avoided that—for now. Not until they understood the true nature of this city.

Yes, they had the Nightlight spell, which granted them night vision. But that wasnʼt enough. Three of them had the unfortunate habit of being flashy when they fought.

If they wanted to avoid causing another city-wide disaster, they needed to avoid drawing attention with light.

Damon stared at the screen, a wave of confusion washing over him.

Just when he thought he was beginning to piece things together, something else unraveled it all.

The line about the vile thief was fascinating… but it wasnʼt what unsettled him.

No—it was two very specific things.

It wasnʼt the mention of true demons. Nor was it the True Dragons. It was the ”crystal palace.” Valerie had said something once—about how the Ascendant Armors had been forged using a method from that place.

But that wasnʼt what bothered him most.

It was the claim that the Unknown God was one of the progeny of this vile thief.

That didnʼt make sense. Not at all.

He remembered the poem—the one about the Weeping Star. He was absolutely certain the Weeping Star and the Unknown God were one and the same.

The verses echoed in his mind:

”…The Weeping Star came first, and the god who gives names devoured its light. All names that followed were lies.”

”…The Weeping Star came first, and the god with no name devoured its light. All names that followed were lies.”

”…To speak his name is to invite him in.”

”…So the goddess took it, carved it from the hearts of men and cast it into the void.”

”…In oblivion, she bound them. In silence, she damned herself.”

”…He called her Bride, but the veil she wore was never white—it was woven of false fates.”

The god who gave names… hated his own name.

Oh, the tragic tale of the Abyss and his Bride...

If the Weeping Star came first—if he named everything—then how could he be the progeny of a thief?

”Why doesnʼt this make any sense…”

His joy at getting a new skill was drowned beneath the weight of the confusion.

Damon shook his head.

Maybe he hadnʼt interpreted the poem right. His knowledge was still incomplete.

”Mortals shouldnʼt try to understand the world of gods—or even try to apply our rules to them…”

There was likely an explanation. Something simple… or perhaps something beyond comprehension.

Either way, it didnʼt matter right now. He focused on what the skill could do.

This skill was going to be a looterʼs paradise.

This skill was about to make him very rich.

His shadow looked up at him, a faint smirk etched into its form.

Right… some of his skills came with consequences. But he was trying to stay optimistic this time.

The shadow shrugged, choosing not to tell him.

Let him find out on his own.

Besides… this one wasnʼt that bad.