My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Ric woke up to find himself in a cage hanging over a large balcony. When he looked to the side, he saw Ranar sitting next to him, small drops of blood still staining her clothes.

She simply sat there with her knees drawn up, staring at the distant mountains without saying anything.

Ric glanced down at his hands. He was weak, far too weak. The city lord had been so much stronger than him. His experience was greater, he moved faster, and he was far more decisive than Ric could ever hope to be at his current age.

He was stronger too, and because of that, Ric couldn’t protect Ranar. He couldn’t do anything. She had been the one protecting him.

Gunter was right. He was sheltered, and he hadn’t even realized it until he stepped into the outside world.

Was this why his master wanted him to leave the tomb? So he could broaden his horizons and understand just how vast the world was? He had seen it now.

He had seen how weak he truly was.

Ric lowered his head, his fingers slowly curling into fists, but then he suddenly snapped his head up when something caught his attention.

”Huh?”

His eyes widened as he stared into the sky. Something was flying toward them. It looked like an eyeball with bat wings, and Ric immediately recognized it.

That was one of the shadow drones from the tomb.

It flew closer, and Ric was certain it had seen them. If it had, then his master would come and save them.

Suddenly, all the fear he had been carrying disappeared. He knew with absolute certainty that even if the sky itself came crashing down, his master could hold up the heavens.

He nudged Ranar with his elbow.

She slowly glanced at him before burying her face against her knees again.

”Hey, you remember our bet, right?”

”Hmm,” she replied slowly, her expression lifeless.

”Alright, I’m glad you do, because I am about to win, and the loser has to do whatever the winner says.”

When he said that, Ranar finally turned her head toward him. She blinked, and a faint flicker passed through her golden eyes as she understood what he meant.

”Hmm... so someone is coming after all.”

The city lord appeared on the giant balcony where the cage hung over the edge. Ranar immediately went quiet and looked toward the man who had captured them, while Ric remained unusually calm.

”Why do you even hate my father? Fat Bear said you were a hero to the people of this city once.”

”A hero?”

The city lord tilted his head slightly, and although his face remained hidden beneath his hood, there was a strange bitterness in his voice.

”How can someone who takes lives be considered a hero? We have obscured the meaning of the word too much. What is a hero to you?”

He asked the question while looking up at the cage, seemingly waiting for the childish answer he expected from them.

”Someone who saves people. That’s what a hero is,” Ric replied without hesitation.

He was no longer unsure of himself. He wasn’t worried about what would happen to him. He was afraid Ranar would be hurt, but now that his master was not far away, he had nothing to fear.

”Someone who saves people. That’s actually correct. Sadly, there are no heroes in this world, only killers.”

”Why do you hate my father so much?” Ranar asked.

”Hmm.”

The city lord made a low sound, his hood concealing whatever expression crossed his face.

”I knew your father back when he was a child. It was in Valerion, the Empire’s capital, many years ago. He was just some no-name pickpocket with no respect for the rules. At the time, a smuggling ring called Quickhand was running the area on behalf of the Gambino family. I was something of a hired killer. I didn’t belong to any guild. If you wanted someone taken out, you simply needed to pay.”

The city lord fell silent for a moment, seemingly lost in memories from a distant past.

”I remember his eyes. Blue like the sky but cold like winter. He had quite the temper. No matter how much you beat him up, you could never dull his spirit or get him to keep that goddamn mouth shut. The guys at Quickhand eventually tried something different. It became something of a drinking game at the tavern. How to break Phantom. That was what he was called. The little shit was like a ghost.”

For the first time, there seemed to be something almost nostalgic in his voice, as if he were remembering a better time despite the hatred that followed.

”Eventually, they managed to get him to join them. I thought the little shit would die, but who knew the runt wouldn’t? No matter how many times he came close to death, he always bounced back. If that was all there was to it, he wouldn’t have been that bad.”

His hand slowly rose toward his face, his fingers brushing against the ruined skin beneath his hood.

”No. It was his retaliation.”

His voice grew colder.

”Who knew the bastard was so vengeful? Just like that, I saw flay powder raining from the roof and landing on my face, scarring me for life. I tried to kill him afterward, but Quickhand wouldn’t allow it. They didn’t give a damn about him. They only cared about protecting their reputation.”

He lowered his hand.

”I lost everything after that. My name, my face, my reputation. I was hell-bent on revenge, but I lost to that damn elf and was driven out of the city. I wandered for a while. Many times I almost died, but I stayed strong. I joined the army and fought here and there. Even during times of peace, every day was a battle. Eventually, I was sent here for a pacification.”

”Whoa. That’s rough.”

Ric stared at him for a moment before scratching his nose.

”Do you want me to get your mommy?”

The city lord’s body stiffened slightly.

”So you lost to some kid a few years ago and now you whine about it. So fighting children is your whole personality?”

The words were delivered with such bluntness that the city lord went completely still. Even beneath the hood, Ric could feel the rage building around him.

”A kid? You think that bastard was a kid?”

His voice suddenly rose, the calmness disappearing entirely.

”Damon Grey! That’s Damon Grey! That is who my enemy is! You can’t fathom how powerful someone like that is. You know nothing!”

Ric scratched his nose again before lazily lying down against the cage, resting his head against the bars as though the man’s outburst had only confirmed what he already thought.

”I know you’re a little wimp. Why do you need to fight two children to feel big? If you were so great, why not go face this Damon Grey guy outside the Anarchy Mountains? You only feel strong here. When talking to children. You can’t fight like a real man.”

”You wanna die?”

Ric slowly shook his head.

”Not at all. I was just stalling.”

As soon as he said those words, a figure clad in black armor suddenly appeared above them. A sword flashed through the air, slicing cleanly through the cage and severing it in half before the armored figure caught both children and leaped several meters down to the ground.

The moment they landed, Ric looked around and saw a squad of shadow drones already waiting for them.