My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger Chapter 5 Level Up Requirements

The system remained unresponsive, giving no reply to his inquiries. Damon peered down at the dark silhouette on the ground, his voice tinged with irritation.

"How am I even supposed to feed a shadow?"

In response, his shadow mimicked a pensive pose, resting a hand beneath an imaginary chin as if it were pondering the same mystery. Damon let out a weary sigh, lightly slapping his cheeks to sharpen his focus. He shifted his attention to the subsequent statistic.

[Shadow Level: 1]

Your Shadow Level is a manifestation of your authority and strength over your shadow. Leveling up is achieved by providing nourishment and finishing specific trials or quests. This process will provide stat points to increase your HP, mana, and various other attributes.

Level up Requirements

Souls Consumed: [0/3]

Damon’s pupils dilated. Souls. He was required to consume souls. Yet, the method of doing so remained a mystery to him.

He sat upon the earth, taking several moments to organize his thoughts. It seemed souls were the key to leveling up, while perhaps physical flesh served as mere sustenance for the shadow itself? He stole another look at his shadow, only to find it staring back with a look of pure annoyance, as if it were dealing with a clueless amateur struggling to understand a basic system.

"Eh… am I on the right track?" he questioned, half-joking.

The shadow simply shrugged, looking entirely unimpressed by his deduction.

Damon scowled and decided to stop talking. He redirected his focus toward the system interface.

[CONDITION: Shadow is Full] – Current State

This status indicates that the shadow has been recently nourished and its cravings are satisfied. You maintain absolute command over the entity, and there is no pressing need for feeding. However, this state will fluctuate based on hunger levels as you participate in combat and utilize shadow techniques.

Current Status: Safe. Immediate consumption is not required.

A sigh of relief escaped Damon, who felt as though he had been trapped on a chaotic rollercoaster since the break of dawn.

'Since it’s sated, I don’t have to stress about it for the time being.'

He took a deep breath, attempting to calm his racing mind. There was an overwhelming amount of information to process, and the nature of this system felt disturbing, perhaps even malevolent. He couldn't erase the memory of that bizarre creature that had attacked him before merging into his very shadow.

[Attributes: Umbra] – Shadow Essence

The Umbra attribute signifies your magical resonance and bond with the shadow entity. It dictates your interaction with your powers and influences your general stats when employing shadow-based skills. This attribute will progress alongside your Shadow Level, revealing new powers and stat enhancements based on the shadow’s evolution and your own proficiency.

Current Status: The Umbra attribute is currently in its nascent stage but will develop alongside you. Additional information will be revealed as you advance.

"I suppose this counts as my magic attribute," Damon whispered, rolling his eyes.

"Hardly a surprise. But a shadow attribute? It doesn't exactly sound like the peak of power… I can't help but wish I had been born with something more conventional—and maybe a respectable amount of mana."

Regardless of what he discovered, that pitiful mana capacity remained a heavy burden on his mind.

His gaze wandered to the Skills tab. Though it was currently empty, his inquisitiveness drove him to investigate further.

[Skills] – Acquirable Abilities

Skills encompass the active and passive powers you can obtain as you grow in strength. Currently, no skills are unlocked. Your initial acquisitions will likely consist of fundamental active and passive traits, while sophisticated skills will be unveiled as your Shadow Level rises. Skills provide tactical edges, improved mobility, and various utilities during combat and exploration.

Current Status: No skills acquired. Nourish your shadow or level up to obtain new abilities.

Damon’s eyes narrowed in thought.

"Skills... I can earn skills by gaining levels and feeding my shadow... huh, it seems everything revolves around feeding this entity. Can I even consider it my shadow at this point?"

Near the bottom of the display, a fresh notification grabbed his attention:

[Locked]

Level up to reveal new system mechanics.

"New system mechanics? Does that mean there are features I haven't seen yet?" Damon muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"It has already mended my wounds and freed my shadow from being a mere reflection. What else is it capable of?"

A wave of doubt washed over him. Returning to the academy was a necessity—he couldn't risk expulsion. Then there was the issue of Marcus and his lackeys. Most critically, he couldn't simply walk back in with a shadow that possessed its own personality.

"What if the temple's Inquisition finds out?" A shiver ran down his spine.

"They might put me to the question for heresy... or assume I’ve entered a pact with a demon."

The probability was low, but the danger was real. He needed to ensure his shadow behaved normally.

"The system mentioned I could dictate its actions if I have enough shadow energy, right?"

To test this, he extended his hand toward the shadow. It hovered nearby, waving back at him playfully. Damon issued a stern directive.

"Stop."

The shadow went still. He began to smile, but his expression soured when it remained frozen, refusing to follow his actual movements. He bit his lip in frustration.

"Follow me… I mean, mimic my actions."

The shadow gave him a thumbs-up and began to dutifully copy him. Damon paced around, leaped into the air, and ran in circles. To his immense relief, the shadow mirrored him perfectly like a standard reflection.

He exhaled deeply.

"Praise the goddess."

Feeling confident, he gestured toward a distant boulder.

"Go over there."

The shadow darted across the ground to the rock, leaving Damon standing in the bright sunlight without a shadow of his own.

"I see... I must keep this hidden for the time being. If anyone notices, I might be able to claim it’s high-tier magic. Or perhaps just say I’ve awakened a unique spell."

It was safer to keep his cards close to his chest until he understood the system—and his shadow—better. Damon summoned it back, and it returned to his feet instantly. While he still needed to evaluate his new powers, he had more immediate concerns, such as cleaning the dirt from his face.

Observing his shredded academy attire, he was startled to see the threads beginning to knit themselves back together.

'That’s high-quality material from the magic continent for you,' he mused.

The uniforms of the academy, crafted in Aerona, were enchanted with properties like self-mending, automatic cleaning, and rapid drying.

Damon had never set foot in Aerona, the legendary land of sorcery and tech. His whole life had been spent on Soltheon, the continent of war, and he doubted he would ever leave.

He made his way to a nearby stream. Moving cautiously now that he was outside the academy’s protective wards, he halted at the bank and scanned the blue water. Finding nothing dangerous, he cupped some water in his hands and splashed it over his skin.

He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water—and stopped dead.

"M-my... my eyes."