My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Dreadful was the word one would use to describe nature. The untamed wild did not desire to reconnect with the men who had left its savage clutches behind. It craved only the cruel crucible that forced all creatures to struggle toward the law of survival of the fittest.

Nature was beautiful, and because it was untamed, it was savage.

Ric pushed himself to his feet and found the golden-haired girl standing over him. For the first time since they had met, the arrogance on her face was gone, replaced by a worried expression as her sharp eyes scanned their surroundings.

Slowly, carefully, he began inching away while her attention was elsewhere. He had just opened his mouth to say something when his gaze drifted toward a distant peak.

Something was standing there.

Its silhouette was barely visible against the dark mountain, yet its eyes remained fixed on them.

Ric did not know what kind of monster it was.

But he knew it was bad.

”What is that?” he muttered under his breath.

Ranar glared at the distant figure. Even from this far away, she could feel the menace radiating from it, prickling against her skin.

”We need to go,” she whispered.

For once, Ric did not argue. He was smart enough to understand that they were in danger.

However, if they ran openly, the creature would know exactly what they were.

Prey.

”Running would be dangerous.”

He turned and spotted a forest covering the slope below them.

”We need to get out of the open,” he added quietly.

Ranar nodded. Raising her hand, she released a burst of brilliant light. The radiance flooded the mountaintop, swallowing the area in blinding white.

Then, without warning, she grabbed Ric by the arm and bolted toward the woods.

By the time the light faded, they had already vanished into the forest.

They hid among the trees, crouching beneath twisted branches as they finally stopped to catch their breath.

”What kind of monster was that?” Ranar muttered. Encounters with monsters had been rare for her.

Ric narrowed his eyes.

”It should be one of the monsters beyond the barrier.”

Ranar tilted her head. She knew very little about this place. She had only come here with her father and a group of knights. There had never been any reason for her to learn about the region.

”You don’t know? Ah, fine.” Ric sighed dramatically. ”The Anarchy Mountains are split into two parts the lands outside the barrier and the lands within it. The barrier is supposedly of unknown origin, and it has only one purpose.”

He paused.

”To keep those at the Fourth-Class advancement and above out of the mountains.”

Ranar frowned and glanced at him.

”Then why am I here? I’m in the Fourth Class.”

Ric was about to answer when he suddenly froze.

”Huh? What? But... you’re... you’re a child.”

She scoffed and folded her arms.

”I’m older than you. You look much smaller than me.”

”What nonsense? I’m a man.” He puffed out his chest indignantly. ”I turned eight four months ago.”

Ranar smirked and tapped herself proudly.

”Hah, I knew it. You’re a baby. I turned ten ages ago.”

For a brief moment, they completely forgot that they were stranded beyond the barrier or that Ranar had spent the last half hour trying to beat him up.

In the end, they were only children.

Neither of them carried the sort of burdens that left lasting grudges.

”No way... I’m big.” Ric protested, biting his lip.

Ranar merely scoffed and looked down at him as if he were an annoying younger brother.

”Who are you anyway?” she asked. It was the question she had wanted answered from the very beginning.

Ric blinked.

”Oh, I’m Ric,” he replied casually.

”Hmm. Ricky sounds like a baby name.”

”Huh? Don’t call me Ricky! Only my master calls me that.” He pointed accusingly at her. ”And I’m not a baby.”

Ranar ignored him entirely, smiling to herself as Ric ground his teeth in frustration.

”Oh yeah, what’s your name?”

She straightened proudly.

”I am Ranar Grey... though you can call me Ranar Brightwater if you’d like.”

Ric raised an eyebrow. He was about to say something when a long, mournful howl echoed through the darkness.

The words died in his throat.

”We should stay quiet and wait for a while,” Ranar whispered softly.

Ric rested his hand on the hilt of his sword and nodded.

”Hmm. My master must know I’m missing. He’s probably worried about me.”

Ranar thought the same.

Her father was probably worried too.

”I can already picture my dad freaking out.” She smiled confidently. ”He’ll probably find us soon.”

”My master will be here any minute and show this place who’s boss. That monster won’t even stand a chance.” Ric boasted proudly.

Ranar immediately frowned.

Was he saying his master was better than her father?

As if.

”My dad is a hero,” she declared. ”And he’s very strong.”

”Hmph. That’s lame. My master is stronger, and he can make people kneel with just his gaze.”

”My dad can do that too! He’s really scary when he wants to be. He can make the whole area go dark and make the sun disappear.”

”Amateur. My master can cover the sky too. Can your dad walk on water? Well, mine can.”

”Yes, he can!”

The argument quickly devolved into an increasingly ridiculous competition.

What neither of them realized was that they were talking about the same person.

Ranar rolled her eyes.

”Forget it. Whoever’s dad gets here first wins.”

She raised her pinky.

”Alright.” Ric hooked his finger around hers. ”If my master comes first, I win, and you have to admit I’m better than you.”

”Your master isn’t coming before my father does. And when he gets here, you’ll finally understand just how amazing he is.”

”Hmph.”

Both children scoffed and turned away from one another.

”When my daddy comes, he’ll let me eat you.”

The voice came from directly between them.

It was low and husky, more growl than speech.

Slowly, Ric and Ranar turned their heads.

Sitting between them was a tall creature.

Its arms were unnaturally long, ending in sickle-like claws. Its body was thin and twisted, and its mouth stretched wide with rows upon rows of serrated teeth.

As stated before—

Ranar and Ric were not okay.