Arise

Kouro felt like he was sleeping in a meadow under the shade of a tree punctuated by the fresh breeze of the air, he also felt a similar comfort when he was a baby in his mother's womb.

He didn't know how much time had passed. The moment he opened his eyes, he felt a sense of peace and tranquility. Kouro stood still while remembering the feelings he felt before, before letting out a peaceful sigh.

The changes he had undergone did not give him status points but something more valuable which was an increase in the level of life.

This increase silently raised the quality of his soul and life essence to a higher level. With his increased level of life, he was also one step closer to becoming a Higher Being.

This increased his resistance to the [Higher Being's] gaze so that he would not be transfixed like when the 'Herrscher of Shadows' stared at him.

After a few minutes, Kouro then felt an unfamiliar power inside him that strangely felt very natural, as if he had been born with it.

Then with a strange expression he touched his chest, Kouro felt the normal thumping of his beating heart.

"What has happened to me?"

At this time Kouro did not notice that the color of his eyes had changed.

His violet-colored eyes had rectangular star-shaped pupils with metallic silver irises.

[Job level {Herrscher of Shadows} has finished upgrading to the highest level; [Ruler Rank] please check]

[You have learned the Job's exclusive skill]

[You have earned the title "The One Who Overcomes Adversity"]

Seeing the system notification, Kouro was stunned for a moment before opening his status interface.

.... 

Name: Hanagami Kouro

Level: 80

Job: [Herrscher of Shadows] [Ruler Rank]

Title: Wolf Slayer [+3 more]

[Authority: Death and Life, Origin, Fire, Thunder, Wind, Shadows, Void.]

[HP: 600,000/600,000]

[SP: 227,200/227,200]

Fatigue: 0

Strength:  348 -- > 350

Agility:  275 -- > 300

Vitality: 255 -- > 300

Senses:  255 -- > 258

Intelligence:  255  -- >  260

Shadow:  335 -- > 355

Point(s): 0

.... 

Skills:

Cooking(Master), Stealth(Grandmaster), Weapon Mastery(Grandmaster), Parkour(Master), Martial Arts(Grandmaster), Mechanical Mastery(Grandmaster), Riding(Master), Swimming(Advanced), Acting(Grandmaster), Singing(Advanced), Painting(Grandmaster), Learning(Grandmaster), Survival(Master), Hacking(Grandmaster), Disguise(Master), Medical (Master).

*Abilities :

Passive:

Unknown Lvl Max

Iron Body Lvl: Max

Hokushin Itto-Ryu Lvl: Max

Active:

Sprint Lvl: 8

Power Strike Lvl: 8

Dominator's Touch Lvl: 8

Bloodlust Lvl: 6

*Class Ability :

Active :

Shadow Extraction Lvl : Max

Shadow Preservation Lvl : Max

Domain of Monarch Lvl : Max

Shadow Manipulation Lvl : Max

....

"..."With eyes wide as eggs, Kouro stared at his status interface.

He blinked a few times blankly before rubbing his eyes a few times.

After doing this for a few minutes and convinced that this was not a delusion, Kouro immediately let out his thoughts.

"YAHHOOO!!!"

Kouro smiled happily with his hands clasped together as if he scored a goal.

For your information, Kouro's skills improved a lot because he learned from the World Serpent members who had 50,000+ years of life experience so his skills quickly improved apart from memorizing the Blueprints.

After calming down, Kouro first looked at the new Title he had gotten.

...

[Title "The One Who Overcome Adversity"]

A nickname given to those who have heroically overcome adversity. Your status will increase based on your HP loss.

[1% status increase per 1% HP lost]

....

Seeing the Title information made Kouro's eyes light up, finally after a long time he could replace the Title [Wolf Slayer] which sounded ordinary.

Kouro then stared at the [Honkai] status that had changed to [Shadow] with a confused expression before quickly putting on an understanding expression, he realized that the power he felt before was in fact [Shadow Points] or what Mobius called 'K Particles'.

That meant that the source of his power was no longer [Honkai] so he was no longer bound to that energy.

Hm? Wait a minute, doesn't that mean that the authority he had can no longer be used?

As this thought crossed his mind, Kouro immediately activated the [Fire] authority in his palm, and sure enough, black colored flames appeared in his palm.

Seeing that he could still use his authority, Kouro immediately let out a sigh of relief.

Kouro stared at his hefty authority interface; he had converted all of Herrscher Sirin's cores into his authority.

It really took countless tries because the percentage was so low. Kouro had actually almost given up on Herrscher Sirin's core conversion if not for always being reminded of the Herrscher of Shadows' gaze.

But then, after he took a good look at his authority interface, he realized that a new authority had been added, no, one of the authorities he had seemed to have evolved.

The first was the [Origin] authority, Kouro really didn't know what that authority was capable of except that it was the result of the evolution of the [Ego] authority.

The second was the authority he got after obtaining the Job {Herrscher of Shadows} which was [Shadows]. He could actually understand the authority ability because after coming out of the shadow cocoon, there was some kind of information in his mind about the [Shadow] authority that he could read at any time.

For now Kouro would not intensively investigate the two authority powers because his eyes were currently gazing at the new abilities he had gained, especially since the ability [Unknown] had unlocked the last function.

... 

[Unknown lvl Max]

All diseases, poisons, and negative status effects are healed, and sleeping will explosively increase regeneration ability.

Permanent Effect : Longevity.

Permanent Effect 'Will to Rehabilitate' : Any dismembered body parts are restored.

Permanent Effect 'Conversion' : allows the user to have another Herrscher's power by touching said Herrscher's core.

[Chance of gaining another Herrscher's power, 10%]

Permanent effect 'Shadow Heart' : Gives the user an additional hidden heart that functions like a normal heart, this heart increases HP and SP by ten times and the regeneration factor of HP and SP increases.

... 

Seeing this new function, Kouro touched his chest with an understanding expression, he finally knew why he felt his heart felt strange, it turned out that he had actually gotten an extra heart.

This heart was hidden so that it cannot be seen by the naked eyes, even if Kouro's chest was split open, his heart would still appear to be one, even though he actually has two.

Not only that, the 'Shadow Heart' gave him a tenfold increase to his HP and SP. And it also seemed that this new heart's enhanced 'Conversion' function had increased his chances of gaining another Herrscher's authority.

Kouro nodded his head happily before finally staring at the new ability he got from his Job.

...

[Shadow Extraction Lvl: Max]

SP required to Active: 0

An immortal shadow soldiers created from the souls of dead creatures.

The percentage of failure increases in proportion to the high status the target has.

The shadow soldiers ability can be shared with the user.

[Extractable shadows: 0/∞]

...

[Shadow Preservation Lvl: Max]

SP required to Active: 0

The user can store shadow soldiers inside the user's shadow. Those stored inside the user's shadow can share senses with the user.

They can be taken out or kept in the user's shadow at will anywhere and anytime.

[Stored shadows: 0/∞]

...

[Domain of Monarch Lvl: Max]

SP required to Active: 500

Creates a domain whose radius depends on the user's [Shadow] status and ability level.

The user's shadow soldiers who enter the domain will get a 10 times increase in their strength.

Using the domain every 1 minute will reduce the user's SP by 250.

(E/D: Not really a Domain expansion but… it will do.)

...

[Shadow Manipulation Lvl: Max]

SP required to Activate: Depends on user usage.

User becomes the absolute ruler of 'Shadow'.

Increases the control of the shadow ability according to the user's ability level and is able to reconstruct and use of the concept of 'Shadow' at will.

...

Kouro was completely dumbfounded by the new abilities he had acquired, as they were all really very powerful, especially the Shadow Extraction and Shadow Preservation abilities that allowed him to possess and store an unlimited number of immortal shadow soldiers.

Perhaps the only drawback of the Herrscher of Shadows is that it requires a considerable amount of time to accumulate a large number of shadow troops.

It was unfortunate that this ability could not be used by him...

Kouro looked around, he found no soul or anything related other than the stone statue that had been crushed into small pebbles.

"Hm? Wait a moment. " Kouro seemed to take out the Edge of Abyss and sure enough...

[Shadow Extraction can be used on this target]

Above the Edge of Abyss was a system notification!

"Just as I thought! As long as it's an intact soul, I can resurrect them back as my shadow soldiers!"

[Please select a command phrase to activate Shadow Extraction]

"Command phrase..." muttered Kouro with a pensive expression before raising his head.

"Arise!"

Following his words, the Edge of Abyss in her hand was suddenly enveloped in shadow before a pair of hands from two humans extended upwards from the Katana making Kouro involuntarily drop it in surprise.

*Clang!*

The Katana fell to the floor, the hands then touched the floor before standing up revealing Ji Xuanyuan and her alter ego coming out of the Katana.

Ji Xuanyuan and her alter looked at each other in confusion, their appearance had not changed even though their skin was both like real humans as if they had physical bodies.

"This... What's really going on?" Ji Xuanyuan asked.

They knew very well Kouro did not use the Edge of Abyss ability to summon them but from something else.

"How are you guys feeling?" Kouro asked.

[Shadow warriors who have a Rank higher than Knight can be named]

[You have successfully extracted a shadow]

Kouro ignored the system notification as he looked at the two of them who suddenly knelt in respect to him naturally as if facing a king they respected.

"Eh! You guys don't need to kneel like that!"

Seeing their sudden action, Kouro immediately helped them up. The moment their hands touched, Kouro felt the warmth from both of their hands as if they were truly alive again.

"You guys... Did you guys really come back to life?" he said with a surprised look.

They both spontaneously shook their heads before answering, "We were really dead, but somehow a strange force has transformed us into a strange existence that can switch the state of the body to be similar to when it was alive like this or a state like a shadow."

Hearing their words, Kouro subconsciously looked at his authority interface with an enlightened gaze.

"So that's it... The Herrscher authority I have can actually affect my job-exclusive abilities."

Kouro also discovered something surprising about [Shadow]'s authority which was that he was actually indirectly the master of the 'Soul'!

This can be seen from how he can transform the souls of dead creatures into immortal shadow soldiers who have full loyalty to him.

Kouro now knows that the Herrscher of Shadows is the only one who comes closest to the concept of 'Soul' compared to the other Herrscher.

That means he can theoretically create living beings along with their Souls and Egos. Maybe even resurrect the dead!

"Kouro..." said Alter Ji Xuanyuan softly.

"Mhn? What's wrong?" Kouro raised his head and looked at her.

"That's... Can you give us a new name?" asked Alter Ji Xuanyuan with an embarrassed expression.

"That's right, anyway it seems that you have a little trouble calling my name and my Alter." Ji Xuanyuan said while hiding her mouth using her large-sleeved yellow robe.

"Well... Then you are... Hei Xuan." said Kouro pointing at Ji Xuanyuan's Alter.

"Then you are... Bai Xuan." he said pointing at Ji Xuanyuan.

After he named them, Kouro found a system notification interface above both of their heads.

...

[Bai Xuan Lv. 10]

Rank: Knight

...

[Hei Xuan Lv. 20]

Rank : Knight

...

Seeing that the two of them had levels, Kouro's expression instantly changed.

'They have levels... Does that mean they can raise their level to become stronger?'

This gave Kouro new knowledge, the Herrscher of Shadows was a commando-type Herrscher like the Herrscher of Domination... Except the shadow army the Herrscher of Shadows had could be centuries old... Moreover, the number is unlimited.

Shadow Monarch... Has he not had enough time to explore the true potential of his power?

No, that was impossible, 'Kouro' himself had already mentioned to him that the Shadow Monarch was still alive.

Looking at them, Kouro then smiled before saying, "With this, you two no longer need to rely on the Edge of Abyss's ability to summon you."

After saying that, he gave the Edge of Abyss that had transformed into a great sword [Xuanyuan Sword] to them.

"You are now not restricted by this thing so you can be with me without having to pin your hopes on being summoned."

Kouro's words actually echoed in their minds, making both of their faces turn red.

Bai Xuan took the sword that turned into two swords and gave it to Hei Xuan before looking at each other and nodding.

"Alright, let's get out of here! You can hide in my shadow." Kouro said.

The two of them obeyed Kouro's will, their bodies seemingly turning into shadows before merging with Kouro's shadow.

Kouro then turned to stare at the portal at the end of the room before walking towards it before entering it.

"I hope Kiana, Mei, Ayame and the others won't be too angry." he muttered.

(E/D: Yes Yes Yes Yes… YES THEY WILL BE!)

... 

Kouro opened his eyes, he stared at the deserted forest that was familiar to him, making him take a nostalgic breath.

"I'm finally back..."

He then ran down the road he once traveled to reach the city.

It didn't take long for him to reach the city, seeing the French-style buildings plus the passers-by facing their own busy lives made Kouro feel familiar.

He then asked a random pedestrian about the time, and the date he was now to make sure that the elapsed time wasn't too far off from the one he was living in the other World.

Fortunately the pedestrian's answer matched what he expected so he then let out a sigh of relief knowing that the time passed was no different from the time in this world.

Kouro looked up at the clear sky then took out his cell phone to look at the clock, he still had a few hours before returning to Schicksal.

Perhaps, it was time to enjoy his last day off?

Of course he wasn't going to enjoy the day off alone, he first went to a small deserted alley and called out to the two of them from within his shadow.

"Alright, your first mission is to accompany me to enjoy this last day."

'Like a… D-Date' the two of them thought simultaneously, Hei Xuan's expression slightly flushed with her head bowed.

"Wait, why are you saying as if you're going to be executed?" said Bai Xuan sharply.

Kouro raised his hand with a flat expression, "You're thinking too much, I'm doing this out of a little guilt towards you guys since I rarely call you guys out."

"Alright, the first thing we need to do is buy clothes. Your outfits are really striking." Kouro said while looking at them.

The clothes Bai wore were like long lacy dresses like the nobles of the Shenzhou empire, while Hei Xuan's clothes actually showed a lot of her skin as if her clothes lacked fabric.

The point was that their clothes were really flashy in another sense.

Kouro walked into the women's clothing store with them, and the clerk quickly helped pick out nice clothes for Hei and Bai.

"You guys don't have to worry, I'll pay for everything." Kouro said with a calm expression while holding a gold-colored credit card.

'These girls... They have a sugar daddy?!' thought the female employee with an envious expression.

Kouro and the others had no idea what the employee was thinking.

30 minutes later, Bai Xuan and Hei Xuan were smiling happily in their new clothes while carrying two bags full of new clothes.

Kouro put the bags into their 'Inventory' and went out to visit various beautiful tourist spots for a few hours, taking selfies every time they arrived at the tourist spots.

"Huh... Is this what it feels like to relax together with friends?" said Kouro sitting on a garden chair flanked by Hei and Bai.

Bai and Hei's happy mood immediately dropped dramatically, their expressions that were smiling happily then turned flat.

'I almost forgot, this guy is as 'Dense' as wood.' the two of them thought.

Kouro looked up at the clear sky with its hot weather, he looked around and saw the ice cream vendor truck before saying to them, "It's already noon, it's so hot, do you guys want some ice cream? "

"Sure, I think vanilla." Bai Xuan said.

"For me, the ice cream flavor is... Chocolate." said Hei Xuan after thinking for a moment.

"Okay, you guys wait here." Kouro then walked over to the ice cream truck.

"Miss, I'll have one vanilla flavor, one chocolate flavor and one banana flavor." Kouro said after looking at the menu.

"Okay, Just a moment." said the employee who was strangely wearing a long hat so he couldn't see her face.

Kouro felt familiar with the clerk's voice but didn't think much of it and waited while looking at the scenery under the shade of the truck, suddenly getting goosebumps.

"Ara~ I didn't expect that Kouro, who disappeared without any news for a month, would come here to buy ice cream..."

Kouro finally understood why he felt familiar with the clerk's voice.

Because that clerk turned out to be Mei!

"So, Kouro? Can you explain where you've been?" Mei said with her eyes closed while smiling gently.

'HELP!' Kouro thought in a cold sweat.

*Ding!

[The [Hidden Quest] reward has finished processing please check it.]

'Not you!'