My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Dawn had come—not that Damon would know. It was perpetual dark around here.

However, Evangeline had taken it upon herself to light up the whole place every morning at dawn.

So, they had some degree of normalcy.

He never thought he would appreciate the little things like light, but darkness had taught him to love it.

Time really flew by in that endless darkness. They had grown weary—more so than before. The island of wreckage had also taken damage from the constant monster attacks.

It would fall apart soon. Some parts were already drifting away; the foundation was a mess.

For that reason, they would be leaving.

After a week in these underground ruins, they had grown used to the damp air.

Damon was sure he would soon receive a mastery that gave him resistance to cold.

Either way, it was time to go. He had already memorized all the possible safe routes.

Sylvia had created a meticulous map that charted their path to safety.

His water-based skills would play a big part in their escape.

The most recent one was:

[Skill: Wave Walk]

[Description:]

Inspired by the graceful stride of sea spirits and water-dancers from the Oceanic Temple of Theris, Wave Walk was once a divine rite reserved for emissaries of the deep. Now adapted for battle and travel alike, it allows the user to treat even the wildest oceans as steady ground.

[Effect:]

Grants the ability to walk, run, or stand on any body of water as if it were solid ground. User is unaffected by waves, currents, or surface tension for the duration.

[Type:]

Active

[Cooldown:]

0 seconds

He had no idea where this Theris was, but he figured it would be somewhere on the Voyage Continent. After all, he had once met a Galahad of the Deep.

Damon shook his head, pulling himself away from thoughts of the knight who followed Lady Margan.

The skill was simple: the ability to walk on water as if it were solid ground. There were no hidden effects.

Xander was already standing on a large raft, illuminated by a few makeshift torches coated in some strange oils.

There was a strange collection of sacks—some filled with liquid, others with parts of monster carcasses.

Damon sighed. Some of the monsters had been processed for this…

“Alright, everyone get ready to go… Evangeline, kill the lights.”

She nodded slowly, and the entire place was consumed by darkness once more.

Silence followed. For several minutes, it was as if no one was on the island of wreckage.

And then, a small sound on the monster-infested waters. A large object rippled across the surface. Slowly, it began to float away into the void.

Below, monsters hidden beneath the water stirred. They began to swim—slowly and silently—toward the object.

As it floated further from the island, their numbers increased.

On the raft, heat signatures spread—light bloomed as the torches were lit with warm fire.

More monsters followed.

Then, without hesitation, a horrifying abomination surged up from the deep—its skin dark and slick, its fangs like nightmares. It crashed down on the raft.

There was barely any resistance.

Blood mingled with strange oils as the raft shattered into dozens of pieces. Flesh was torn, shredded into raw chunks.

The water’s surface went into a frenzy as each monster rushed to claim a piece.

At that moment, drifting oil touched one of the remaining burning scraps of wood.

The fire spread.

Soon, the entire surface was burning.

The monsters continued their frenzy.

A shame, really—they didn’t get any human flesh.

Damon and his party were long gone…

At the time they had released the raft…

Damon and his group had rushed to the center of the island under the cover of darkness.

There, in the center, was a large box reinforced with runes. It had been sealed airtight and was just large enough to carry five people.

Sylvia looked at Damon.

“Ahh… you…”

He shook his head.

“Hurry. Not now.”

She nodded, entering the box along with the others.

Damon had initially tried putting them in shadow storage, but he couldn’t store living people—so he had to change plans.

As soon as they were inside, the heavy box began to float, thanks to Xander’s gravity magic cast from within.

Leona was using her storm magic to generate breathable air.

Damon spread his shadow, pulling out a monster corpse—or at least something that resembled one.

It was a costume—stitched together from monster parts, shaped to resemble something half-dead.

Valarie had taught them how to carve concealment runes onto monster-skin disguises, and this one was good to go.

A wire tied the box to the decoy. Damon wore it—it was slightly heavy, but with his first-class advancement, it was no problem.

He glanced at one of the holes in the wreckage, peering into the cold, black water.

It was dark. It was freezing. And he wasn’t wearing armor—only the Ashen Crown from his set.

He was definitely going to feel the chill.

Damon extended his shadow perception into the depths. His eyes adjusted—he could see clearly in the dark.

Best of all, he still had the Water Celebration skill.

After all this time, it was finally useful again.

It allowed him to breathe underwater.

That was its only function, so he had to be cautious. There were other factors in the water.

He couldn’t fight underwater. Even something weaker than him on land could kill him here.

But the goal wasn’t to fight.

It was to escape.

He could have just used Wave Walk and dashed across the surface—but it was too noticeable. Most of the monsters were watching the surface. He’d be overwhelmed in seconds.

The safest route was actually the most dangerous: inside the water.

Deeper down, where the strongest monsters dwelled—but also where there were fewer of them.

As soon as he heard the sound of their bait being destroyed, he silently sank into the depths—pulling the box behind him.

The cold chill stabbed into his spine as he plunged into the wreckage-filled water.