My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

The morning sun cast a radiant glow, revealing the aftermath of the battle to the world. Damon had no trouble seeing in the dark, so the blood-covered ground, shattered rocks, and torn earth failed to stir any reaction from him.

He sat by the side of his unconscious friends, still gripping the axe that was far too big for him. His eyes were heavy with exhaustion, blood caking his body, yet he remained vigilant.

The night had not been long—most of it was spent fighting. During that time, he had thought about what fate awaited them once they crossed the bridge and reached the Whispering Forest. Looking out toward the distant horizon, Damon saw the path they had taken. The gravity anomaly had already sealed off the region.

He could not guess how long the anomaly would last, sealing off that part of the world. Months? Years? Perhaps it would never fade unless destroyed. For now, he didn’t have to worry about the demon army. They were trapped there.

A distant roar shook the ground and rumbled through the air. The pressure increased creating a palpable sense of dread.

“Ashergon…” Damon muttered, recognizing the name of that dreadful dragon. Judging by the intensity of the roar, Ashergon was awake—or at least close to waking up.

“I’d hate to be anywhere near its territory when that happens…”

He could already imagine the dragon somehow finding them and deciding they looked delicious or maybe even flammable.

The night had been short, but Damon had kept himself sane and awake by following a routine. He checked his system panel once more. He had reached a new level, gained two skills, and learned some new knowledge.

He opened the system panel again, the glow reflected in his eyes even though it was actually invisible to everyone else..save for Lilith who was the exception.

[HP: 124/585]

[Mana: 6804/12084]

[Strength: 834]

[Agility: 657]

[Speed: 1185]

[Endurance: 565]

[Class: Death Dealer]

[Shadow: 50]

[Shadow Hunger Levels: 50%]

[Shadow Level: 8]

[Condition: Shadow Is Hungry]

[Attributes: Umbra]

[Skills:]

[5x] [Remorseless] [Shadow Perception] [Water Celebration] [Sacrifice] [Shadow Control] [Parkour] [Shadow Armor] [Beholder’s Gaze]

[Dead Eye] [Spirit Affinity] [Ashborn] [Omen Of Dread] [Dealer’s Hand] [Shadow Movement] [Bloodletting]

[Mastery:]

[Etiquette Lv3] [Swordsmanship Lv1] [Survival Lv3] [Persuasion Lv2] [Deception Lv2] [Bartering Lv2] [Theft Lv3] [Archery Lv2] [Trap Lv2] [Alchemy Lv1] [Dagger Arts Lv2] [Cooking Lv2] [Basic Magic Lv1] [Mana Control Lv1]

[Magic Bullet Lv1] [Pain Resistance Lv1]

[Locked]

His power had grown, but his HP alone made it clear he was barely holding on—he had lost too much blood. His stats had received a boost, but on the surface, it didn’t seem like much. However, Damon could tell there was a deeper difference. It wasn’t just a quantitative change; it was a shift in quality.

If he had one mana point now, it would be equivalent to ten mana points of the version of himself before he obtained his first class.

But the biggest change was his class.

He had received a unique class, one he never thought he would advance into in his lifetime—because he expected someone would have killed him long before he ever reached this point.

After all, he knew himself. He knew his personality and his talents. And he knew the risks he had taken.

Class advancements varied, each one stronger than the last. He didn’t know everything about them—the academy only taught them what they needed to know. And now, he had to figure out the rest on his own.

There are seven class advancements from the first class to the seventh. It follows a linear pattern, with each class differing from the last.

The sixth class was also a special case. According to what he had heard, the sixth class was actually three ranks suppressed into one, meaning it had three levels during the ranking change.

One’s class might not change at all until the seventh, which was why those two were not counted as separate class advancements despite being full ranks.

He shook his head. He could try to recall everything in one go, but even with the limited information first-years were taught, it was still a lot.

There were different types of classes, ways to move between them, and so much more to consider.

Each class came with a skill slot, but out of the seven advancements, only four granted skills directly. The remaining three required one to acquire skills through dungeons, magical artifacts, or personal learning. Why this was the case, he did not know.

‘Ahh, I’m overthinking… again…’

What mattered more was the Unseen Sovereign. The system had mentioned something about the Unseen Sovereign when he awakened. If Damon had to guess, that was the unknown god. As for why he was called that… it was probably just one of his titles. The Goddess of Doom had many titles, all tied to her divine domain.

“So why is he called the Unseen Sovereign…?”

Damon raised his head, staring at the sky, his heart hollow. He didn’t know what emotion to feel—joy or dread.

“A god is watching me… a nobody…”

He shook his head. Suppose he wasn’t a nobody anymore. Those who reached the first class advancement were awakened, recognized by the world. In the eyes of the world—or even this unknown god—Damon was a Death Dealer.

What a god could possibly want with him, he did not know. Maybe the god was simply bored, but Damon doubted that. This god was cruel, giving him a system that forced him to devour others just to survive.

“Ruthless… evil…” The words came to his mind. But at the same time, the system had granted him power—the power to seize his fate. It threw trials his way, but never something he couldn’t overcome. In that sense, the Unseen Sovereign was also… fair.

“Unknowable…” The thought crossed his mind.

Damon recalled the skill description for Shadow Movement. It had spoken of the gods—not a specific one, but it had mentioned them nonetheless.

He looked at the floating panel.

[Shadow Movement]