CHAPTER 89 Death

"Why? You don't call. You don't write. How else am I supposed to get your attention? "

Sabretooth

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

....

the important thing is to suggest some good weapons as teigus.

...

"Mine, this is an order!" Najenda furiously ordered Mine once again, causing her to relent.

"...Yes," Mine acquiesced, though she continued to glare at Gorr, muttering under her breath, "Cow head with silly armor."

Gorr halted his footsteps, his gaze fixed on the Night Raid members. He slowly raised his hand and made a chopping motion through the air. After a few repetitions, Gorr nodded before disappearing from his spot and reappearing in front of the invisible Bulat.

"What?!" Bulat didn't know when Gorr had appeared, but he didn't have time to react before Gorr struck his head with a karate chop. Bulat's head was sent flying, only to be caught by Gorr's other hand.

"BULAT?!" The Night Raid members were shocked and furious for their friend, but they had no time to process their emotions as Gorr had already disappeared from the scene.

...…

*Jin-Woo POV*

I surveyed my army, and the first thing I noticed was that there were only 100 of them. One of my bloodthirsty bats was missing.

I knew it hadn't died, as there was nothing in this world that could kill them. It had been captured, and I could only think of one person capable of capturing my beasts.

However, this could work in my favor since I didn't know the exact location of my missing bat.

Next, I noticed that there were no additional beasts, and Gorr seemed upset somehow. But I ignored it, as I was certain that he was always like that—unable to find a worthy opponent to fight.

So I took the rings from them, discarded them in my storage, and used shadow storage to have them melt into my shadow.

With that done, I began scrolling through their collected items. "Sigh..." After scrolling for a while, I realized that they hadn't captured any beasts higher than Class 1.

In this world, Danger Beasts are divided into six classes:

- Class 4

- Class 3

- Class 2

- Class 1

- Special Class

- Super Class

"Class 4" is the weakest, while "Super Class" is the strongest.

It was understandable that the beasts they had killed didn't have the value to be part of my army—at least not now, when I had very few empty slots remaining. Moreover, I could already think of many people in this world who would be much better utilized by me.

But as soon as I acquired more storage, I would definitely add some Class 1 and 2 beasts to my army. For now, I would have to wait.

While scrolling, I came across something very valuable—the armor of the protagonist. Acting quickly, I retrieved the corpse, which turned out to be Bulat, and confirmed that the armor was still intact. Wisps of black smoke emitted from Bulat's body, indicating that he could become my soldier.

However, I had a grand plan for the armor. I truly desired to equip it or have an ever-evolving soldier under my command. But I suppressed those urges, as I had a grand plan that involved traveling to a very tragic world.

So I promptly stored the corpse back, knowing that it contained one of the pieces that would grant me world-changing power—quite literally.

I also noticed that most of them had leveled up, especially Gorr, who was now Level 4. He must have been the one who interacted with Night Raid.

While I was contemplating this, a thought crossed my mind—a thought I had disregarded during my battle with Esdeath.

Leaving the mansion, I rushed toward the place where I had first fought Esdeath. Utilizing both of my speed boosts, Heaste and Sprint, my speed was incredibly fast, causing the surrounding scenery to blur. I chose not to use my shadows this time; I wanted to try something different.

I skillfully avoided trees and other obstacles until I reached the location. Spreading my senses, I began searching for three beasts. They weren't difficult to find, as they lay on the ice next to the battlefield.

Since Esdeath had used all the snow and cold during our fight, the weather wasn't cold, nor was it snowing. It would take some time before nature could recover.

"..." I stared at the ice, which now resembled a death-filled valley with frozen corpses, a look of horror on my face. The irony of the situation was that I had wanted to save the village, yet Esdeath's coldness had not only frozen these people, but also everything in the north—including their village, filled with children and elderly individuals.

Now they were all dead. I didn't know how to react to this situation. I was also to blame, as my actions had indirectly caused their deaths. If I hadn't let my desires guide me, these deaths could have been avoided.

Despite being the indirect cause of so many deaths, I felt nothing. I shook my head; I didn't possess those emotions. I simply needed to be more careful in the future. With that in mind, I picked up the three beasts.

Daidara, General Liver, and Nyau. I extracted the Teigus from both Daidara and Nyau, as I didn't see much value in the beasts themselves, but their Teigus could prove useful.

Especially Daidara's Double-Bladed Axe: Belvaac, as its name suggests, is a massive double-bladed axe that could serve as a secondary or even primary weapon for Tank. This Teigu would be a much better weapon for him than ordinary A-rank equipment.

It possesses tremendous offensive power, making it suitable for someone like Tank, who excels in defense. It resembles a double-edged axe and can be separated into two axes that can be thrown and will pursue a designated target until they hit, essentially functioning as homing missiles.

Next was Nyau's Teigu, "Military Music Dream: Scream." It wasn't anything extraordinary. Scream is a Teigu that can freely manipulate the emotions of those who hear it using hypnosis. It can be used in various ways, including boosting morale on the battlefield, acting as a blunt weapon by splitting it into two different parts, or decreasing willpower to drain the energy of those who hear it. However, this effect can be countered by experiencing pain.

The trump card of Scream is the "Advent of Fierce God," a form of self-induced hypnosis that increases the user's muscle mass and strength by releasing a melody from the Teigu. This significantly enhances one's combat abilities.

I was aware of the existence of many individuals who use music as their weapon, such as Black Bolt, Todd Ingram, and the Music Meister, to name a few. In the right hands, it could be a great asset. There are even lullabies that could instantly kill anyone who hears them—a concept I'd like to recreate as a spell.

Next was General Liver, a tall man with gray hair worn in a long ponytail, blue eyes, and a mustache. He wore the standard black uniform like his counterparts. What interested me the most was his Teigu, which was the strongest among his peers—Water Dragon Possession: Black Marlin.

The user of this Teigu can control any liquid around themselves, including water and blood, using simple hand gestures. However, it only functions in the presence of water or any other form of liquid. Oftentimes, the water takes the shape of serpents or dragons.

The drawback of this Teigu is significant, but with my shadows being capable of using magic, creating water is no challenge. I do like the idea of having my own Squirtle.

"Arise," I command .

And with my single word...

Uwaaaaaah-

A heavy moan seemed to emanate from the shadow as the shadows of General Liver started quivering as if they were alive.

A black hand emerged from the shadow, placed itself on the ground, and pulled itself up from the shadow.

As I watched, the Teigu on his finger crumbled into dark particles.

Covered from head to toe in pitch-black clothes, the one he was wearing, what caught my attention was the ring on his middle finger—a Teigu that took the form of a ring, with a dragon head and a blue spherical ball in the middle.

But now, everything had changed. Even the blue sphere had turned pitch black, just like the entire ring.

You have succeeded in Shadow Extraction.

You have succeeded in Shadow Strengthening!

The Shadow's level will start at 4.

As expected, it leveled up.

??? (Lv. 2)

Veteran Knight Grade.

Ding~

[You may assign a name to soldiers at or above the knight grade.

The given name will be maintained until the soldier is released.

Please choose names for the soldiers.]

Mmm, well, I do want to be the very best, like no one ever was. To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause. I will travel across the land, searching far and wide. Teach Monsters to understand the power that's inside."

"Hahahha hahaha hahahaa." I laughed at my own joke. He wasn't alone here; I knew a Pikachu lived in the Empire.

So I had a perfect name for him.

But sadly, there is no Charizard in this world.

"From now on, you shall be known as 'Squirtle' since you are not strong enough to be called 'Blastoise'..."

"Now, Squirtle, use Water Gun," I said.

"…"

"…"

But he just stood there motionless.

Mmm, sigh... As expected, he can't do anything without the presence of liquid, especially now when his body is devoid of any form of liquid—no blood or water.

It was expected, but still disappointing.

I didn't have time to laugh at my own jokes. So after using shadow storage...

"And now..." I didn't turn back as I stretched my hand and caught the face of a tiger monster. This danger beast had been stalking me from the moment I arrived at this place.

As darkness stretched from me, my fingers transformed into five dark claws, cutting the tiger's head into pieces.

I waved my hand, removing the blood, and returned to normal as I glanced at the tiger.

Yes, now I can freely manipulate shadows. The clash with Esdeath had given me much more than I had hoped for, and it wasn't just experience.

During our fight, I created one spell after another, and in my final stance, I pulled off the Shadow God. Investing all my saved stat points into intelligence, which amounted to over 60, granted me over ten thousand mana points.

With my intelligence crossing 300 and then 350, it came with perks and benefits. Combined with my intelligence and other perks, trades, and titles like Jack of All Trader, Genius, and Little Mage, I was able to use shadow manipulation by consuming mana.

I pulled off the Shadow God, and with my intelligence, I was also able to manipulate the second energy within me.

With this came its own set of skills, titles, and perks. Shadow God itself became a skill, alongside Shadow Manipulation, God of Shadows, Lord of Mana, and many more.

So the fight between Esdeath and me had been the greatest boon. As she forced me not only to create new spells but also to level up my existing spells, with my passive skills like regeneration and pain resistance also getting stronger.

Even my fire resistance evolved into heat resistance and gained levels when I was literally in lava.

"Drain Life..." I commanded as energy extended from my body and enveloped the tiger's body.

[Mana Stat Has Permanently Increased By 8

Health Stat Has Permanently Increased By 8

Mana Stat Has Permanently Increased By 8

Health Stat Has Permanently Increased By 8

Mana Stat Has Permanently Increased By 8

Health Stat Has Permanently Increased By 8

Mana Stat Has Permanently Increased By 8

Sense Stat Has Permanently Increased By 1

Health Stat Has Permanently Increased By 8

Mana Stat Has Permanently Increased By 8

Health Stat Has Permanently Increased By 8…..

Skill 'Drain Life' has stopped working due to lack of Health in the target's body.]

I clenched my fist as I felt my power increase slightly before saying, "It seems I'll hunt a few monsters here, but..."

"Aren't Teigu made from Danger Beast's parts? I think..." I paused as I thought about it. "No, they are dead a long time ago, and unlike my inventory, they are out in the world, so it won't work." I felt that my idea was very feasible.

Life drain only works after one of the targets' death.

I believe that using this ability on Teigu will allow me to drain them and obtain their stats because Teigu are made from Danger Beast's attributes, which give them their abilities.

However, they are long dead, and even if it were possible, using them like this would be a waste of precious resources. My Life Drain skill isn't at the level where it can simply steal attributes and skills.

But I am sure that one day, I will successfully be able to use it like Devour, Gluttony, Plunder, or Steal. At its maximum level, it won't let even a single molecule go to waste. Their skills, stats, souls—everything will be mine.

As I looked in front of me, the whole place was filled with dead bodies. This was my doing, so leaving them like that wouldn't be fair of me.

"Come out," I commanded, and all my shadows emerged from my shadows.

"Give all of them a proper burial. Don't forget about the people in the town," I instructed my shadows, and they started to dig with the tools they had.

'I can do this at least. May all your souls rest in peace.'

Praying for them in my mind, I walked back to the mansion.

There were a few Danger Beasts on the road, so I killed them all using a Katana just because it looked cool, or simply by punching them before I used life drain on them. However, this time the increase was minimal, just like before. It made me realize that I can't cheat my way through this, at least not without getting thousands of those beasts.

Sprinting all the way, I arrived at the mansion and entered through the door, placing the corpses of three beasts on the ground.

As I knew Esdeath well enough, I knew she cared deeply about her subordinates. So I brought them here, as if she wanted, she could give them a proper burial. I wrote a letter for her before leaving again.

I walked slowly from the mansion towards the road indicated on the map.

"Now, let's see this Empire..." I frowned as I walked, knowing that I was about to witness one of the darkest places in this world.

Even though I knew about the Empire from my memory, all that information was from a show and manga, which couldn't make it feel real. However, now I would see the true Empire.

"Well, let's see it first..." I put mana on my legs and wanted to rush forward, but I stopped because I felt something approaching me.

"Hm?" I looked at the bushes and trees in the forest, hearing a faint sound coming from them.

The bushes were shaking, and a few leaves fell from the trees. I focused on the front, placing my hand on the Katana.

I wasn't using a Katana just to look cool; it was more than that. I knew that daggers wouldn't always be effective, especially against huge monsters, as daggers wouldn't even pierce their skin.

So mastering long weapons was also a good thing, and with the Perk Jack of All Trades, it was 50% easier and faster for me.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

I waited until the sound increased and turned into a beast's voice, mixed with a very unpleasant sound.

"Now..." I put my hand on the Katana, pulled it, and with a single swift swing, sliced the thing right in the middle.

.....

The place I was in now was a normal dirt road with many wagon traces on it. I nodded, knowing that I was on the right path, before I started running again, checking my surroundings until I spotted a large city in the distance and some wagons appearing on the road.

I silently watched the Empire's capital, surrounded by a large stone wall. However, the frown on my face revealed my true feelings.

"Disgusting..." This was the only word I could find to describe this city. It appeared normal from afar, but the mana carrying despair, fear, anger, hatred, sadness, and all disgusting desires hurt my eyes. It was far worse than even North Korea, as at least they believed their supreme leader was a god.

"..." I didn't say anything for a while before sighing and saying, "Let's get this over with."

As I moved forward, I appeared in an empty alleyway inside the capital, changing my clothes to civilian attire—a plain look to blend in, considering this was a hostile place.

I checked everything, but I didn't feel okay.

Reaching the wall, I supported myself against it, with my hand covering my mouth. At this moment, I almost threw up.

'Don't kill me!' 'Kill me, but please spare my child!'... Those thoughts appeared in my head instantly upon arriving in this capital. These were the thoughts of the people who died in this place. However, that wasn't the reason I almost threw up. The real reason was that all these thoughts were from today, which meant that many people had died in this place in a very inhumane way.

...