Shadow Master (2)

[A special title shall be provided, considering the exceptional achievements of the player!]

[The Player yearns for great power, but without relying on any comrades, he builds his road with his own strength]

[The player emits dark energy, similar to a being that once existed!]

[You have obtained the secondary class: Shadow Master (?)]

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Shadow Master (?)

A class that was created by the First Tower Lord, (?).

This class's power has dramatically diminished over time.

You will gain new skills related to this title as you level up.

More information will be displayed upon levelling up.

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[You have obtained the skill: Shadow Summon (?)]

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Shadow Summon (?)

The player will gain the ability to summon and control the shadows of the beings you have defeated.

Only shadows with total power lower than the player's can be risen.

Arcane consumption: None

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[You have obtained the skill: Shadow Store (?)]

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Shadow Store (?)

The shadows you raise will be stored in your shadow.

Arcane consumption: None

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[Warning: The player has a high probability of going insane if they do not use these skills carefully!]

"What is this?" I mumbled, getting back up on my legs.

Shadow Master? I couldn't even see its rank. Not to mention it was created by the first Tower Lord. Who was he? Moreover, was it even possible for a player to create classes?

How did I even get a second class when I couldn't obtain a primary one? Weren't the skills I received a substitute for not obtaining a primary class? Then just, why did the Tower decide to give me this?

Anyway, what was with this weird warning? I had never received anything like it before.

Moreover, this skill's information window was strange. What did it mean when it said that I could raise shadows? Was it some sort of metaphor?

[Choose your keyword to raise the shadows!]

Controlling shadows.

Even though it sounds strange, it might be a great thing. At the very least, it may allow me to climb the Tower without needing a team.

My keyword will be…

"Arise."

This was the keyword that the protagonist of my favourite manhwa used.

[The keyword has been set!]

"I wonder if this will work," I mumbled, moving towards the corpse of the minotaur.

Although I am sure the shadows will be weak, it would be great to have a couple of them with me.

Placing my hand on top of the minotaur, I said, "Arise!"

Instantaneously, some kind of black fog began to emerge from the monster's corpse.

[The strength gap between the summoner and the slave is too much!]

[Summon has been cancelled!]

Instantly, the black fog dissipated into thin air.

[Tries left: 2]

I guess I cannot raise shadows that are stronger than me, as it said in the skill's information. It made sense.

Anyway, let's try again.

"Arise," I mumbled.

[The strength gap between the summoner and the slave is too much!]

[Summon has been cancelled!]

[Tries left: 1]

Well, I could summon three shadows. Might as well try it on the knights and magicians.

Making my way to the corpse of one of the magicians, I placed my hand on top of it.

"Arise," I ordered.

A black mist enveloped the monster's entire body, forcing me to take a step back.

Would this even work?

The black fog started to gather, beginning to resemble some shape.

After a minute, all of the extra fog disappeared. Behind the mist was the shadowy form of the magician, floating in front of its corpse.

Except that its entire body was now translucent and pitch black with tinges of red, it had the same shape it had before. Its eyes, which stared at me, were lava red.

Repeating the process, I also summoned the shadow of a knight and assassin.

Somehow, the risen shadows had their weapons and armour intact. The only thing differentiating them from normal living monsters was that they were pitch black instead of the colours they displayed while they still breathed.

"Take good care of me," I said, facing the shadows of the assassin, the knight, and the magician, kneeling in front of me.

Although I would like to test their combat abilities right now, it would be better to do it elsewhere.

"Hello," I said, waving my hand in front of the magician's eyes.

It didn't reply. All it did was stare at me.

After a moment of contemplation, it knelt and lowered its head in front of me.

Was it acknowledging me as its master?

Following it, the other two knelt and lowered their head in front of me.

"I wonder how I'll be able to travel with all of you together. It may be a problem if all of you are always exposed," I thought out loud.

As if understanding, the shadow slaves got behind me and fell into my own shadow.

To think that I would have beings living in my own shadow. Well, this wasn't the first time. Even Caligo had emerged from my shadow.

Anyway, right now, I have a problem at hand. I had run out of space.

Well, I obtained a lot of points from completing the challenges.

Opening the shop, I scrolled around, trying to find something useful.

There it was!

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High-Grade Inventory (Price: 25,000 P)

A subspace that allows the user to safely store anything they wish to.

This subspace will never run out of space.

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Twenty-five thousand points were cheap, considering the usefulness of this.

I bought the inventory without a second thought.

[You have bought the High-Grade Inventory for 25,000 P]

[Provide a keyword to access the inventory!]

"Inventory," I replied. It didn't make sense to call it anything else.

[The keyword has been set!]

Inventory!

Suddenly, a game-like screen popped up in front of me. It had a lot of empty boxes. Grabbing the blood-cursed axe, I stored it in the inventory.

Just like that, it disappeared from my hands.

This was a great purchase.

I've completed everything on this floor. If I continue at the pace I'm moving forward, it won't be long till I meet my parents.

[The eight hours have ended!]

[Would you like to go to the next or previous floor?]

It would be dumb to challenge the second floor without some rest.

"Floor zero," I said.

[You are being transferred to floor zero!]

In the period it took to blink, I was standing on the stone platform from where I had been teleported.

Strangely, I didn't experience nausea I usually experience while being teleported this time. It must be because of the 'adaptability' skill.

"Hey there! How was it!?" shouted a familiar voice from behind me.

Turning back, Margaret waved her hand, beckoning me. It looked like she was waiting for me.

.

.

.

"That was refreshing," I mumbled, exiting the bathroom. A nice long bath is all that one needs to relax.

Someone knocked on my door.

Opening it, I saw Margaret standing behind it, with a tray in her hand.

"Your food," informed Margaret as she entered my room and placed the tray on the dining table.

It was Margaret who had suggested that eating dinner in the room itself would be better after exerting oneself in the challenges of the Tower.

"And here's the thing you told me to get you," Margaret said, placing a small packet beside the food tray.

"Thank you," I said as she left my room.

After eating the delicious dish, whose name I didn't know, I sat on the couch with the packet that Margaret had brought me.

From within the packet, I took out a box of wax candles and a lighter.

I lighted one of the candles and held it in front of me with one hand.

It was time to test out the new skill that I had acquired.

Although I could try the skill on the fireplace, it was better to start small.

Flame meddling!

After some minutes of concentrating on the candle's flame, I could feel the fire. It was like I was one with the flame.

Holding the candle still, I tried to move the flame around.

After several failed attempts, the flame began to obey my wish.

I changed the shape of the flame to a ball, then a cube, then a prism. It was too fun!

After a few minutes of playing with the flame, the candle completely melted.

Well, now I've gotten a feel for the flame. Practising this skill on small objects would be better before I use it in actual battles.

The other skill I obtained, 'gigantification', looked like a skill that would manipulate my body. It would be better to use it in an open space later.

I should probably try to learn more about the Tower and how it works tomorrow.

For now, sleeping doesn't seem like a wrong choice.