Chapter 4

I started cooking some Italian food that me and Lily enjoyed cooking in the past.

It was pizza actually, and of course without pineapple on the top.

Anyway, while in the making, I was smiling warmly while remembering those memories that I couldn't forget and wouldn't be able to forget at all, because they are precious after all.

They are my treasure.

After the dough was ready, I spread it and put the sauce on the top, after that, I drowned it in cheese that Lily loved as she was a cheese lover.

I cut some olives and put it on top along with other things.

With that, it was ready to be put in the oven that I heated up beforehand.

I put it in the oven and let it there. After that I decided to prepare some juice to drink along with the pizza. It was a simple fresh orange juice with ice.

You may wonder: Where did you get all of the ingredients to being with?

And the answer is simple: I just found it there, so I used it. It was like it was prepared for me.

And I think all of that thanks to that being.

Anyway, time passed and the alarm of the oven sounded telling me that the pizza was ready. So I opened it and took the hot pizza out and put it on the marble beside the juice I prepared.

Looking at the pizza, I was reluctant to eat it because when Lily died, I couldn't taste any food at all and everything was like shit to me.

That made me remember that anime about ghouls and how they couldn't eat human food as it seamed like horse shit to them.

However, I think this time will be different. I already knew that Lily is still alive out there in this world and I wasn't depressed like before, although I'm still emotionless and I think this is due to my power that is related to death and darkness.

Although I think Ashburn wasn't as emotionless as me, or we are similar? I don't know, after all it has been years since I last read Solo Leveling.

Sigh.

I sighed before I cut the pizza into slices then took one of them and slowly took a bite.

Then started to chew.

.

.

.

Damn, I'm genius in making something as delicious as that.

It was so delicious that you couldn't imagine the taste at all, it somehow made me remember a certain scene when people would get a foodgasm once they eat a dish prepared by me.

Lily always loved eating my food as she would scream in pleasure once she took a bite which made me always laugh and feel proud in my cooking.

Seems like I can taste the food after all.

I sighed again, before I finished eating the whole pizza and drank the fresh and cold orange juice.

It was so delicious.

I washed the dishes and things that I used in making the pizza and the orange juice before going out of the mansion.

And once I got out, I saw a garden in front of me with so many beautiful and colorful flowers that gave the atmosphere a beautiful and relaxing aroma.

The garden wasn't too big or too small which was good to me as I don't want anything exaggerated.

I then walked toward the gate slowly, while enjoying the scenery of the garden around me with the same emotionless face but inside I was feeling relaxed.

And once I reached the gate I opened it and walked out.

I was standing in front of a road with so many houses around but my mansion was exactly beside a giant forest, as if it was put there to avoid unnecessary noises and problems.

Well, I always liked the silence as it gave me a sense of peace and comfortableness.

Now, I knew what I needed to know about the mansion, I want to try my skills and practice them so I can familiarize myself with them. Although I have complete mastery over them, but just to familiarize my body and move it as my hight and muscles are much more different than my old body.

So with that thought in mind, I went inside the forest.

The sense of calmness it provided was so good and incredible as if I was listening to a melody pleasing my ears.

Which made me think that the saying:

Silence sometimes can become a melody

Completely true. Anyway, I walked more deeper in the forest as I didn't want to cause much commotion and bring unnecessary problems to me which would be a pain in the ass.

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.

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Some time later, I reached a good point that was like a natural made arena with trees surrounding it.

It was of course deep in the forest, so it served my purpose of coming here.

I stood there in the middle and I decided to try the power of Shadow Monarch first.

However, the full power of Shadow Monarch had so many uses and perks, so would try them over span of days or something, but now, let's get started with the most basic one.

Calling one of my shadow soldiers, a strong one that I respect for his loyalty and dignity. So thinking that, I decided to call him.

Suddenly, my body was surrounded with a purple outline and my eyes glowed in an emotionless purple color before I said with an indifferent voice:

"Igris"

My shadow became completely dark before expanding and a being came out surrounded with dark purple shadows giving him a majestic appearance. It was Igris, the strongest knight in my arsenal.

Igris was kneeling in front of me while I was looking at him with my glowing purple eyes.

"Finally I got to see you, my Liege." He said with utmost respect in his voice.

Igris was one of the shadow soldiers that gained my respect back then when I was still reading Solo Leveling, and I really liked how he speak and how he was loyal do Jin Woo.

He was the perfect Knight I had ever seen beside the other shadows as well.

But most of them were fanatics worshiping their Monarch on top of them was Beru, the Ant King.

"Stand up, Igris." I said making him stand up.

His appearance was domineering and cool, like how he appeared in the late chapters of the manhwa.

I didn't call Igris just to look and admire his appearance or squeal like a child who just got his Christmas present because I finally got to use the power of the Shadow Monarch.

No, I called him for a reason. I wanted to train with him in both martial arts and weapons to make my body familiar with them so when I face an enemy, I wouldn't embarrass myself.

"Take a fighting stance. You will fight me." I said.

"As you wish, My Liege." He bowed slightly before standing some steps back and taking a fighting stance.

I also took a martial art stance and then,

BOOOOOOOM!!!!!!

I appeared in front of Igris and punched him in his chest, sending him several meters away, destroying tress in the process.

This was just a punch that didn't contain any ounce of mana, just pure physical power.

Then how a punch like that can send someone like Igris several meters away in a fantastic manner?

Well, that's because I controlled my muscles and used all the power of my arm, sending that power to my fist at the point of connection between me and Igris's chest, making an explosive punch. Like Black Fash.

Actually, a normal human could do that as well with enough training and good talent.

The difference between me and normal human is that I have a cheat that a human doesn't have, so if a human wanted to do that, he would need many years of practicing and training beside a good talent to reach this level.

Anyway, Igris was the strongest knight in my arsenal, having a great defence and strong reflexes beside his sword and daggers mastery along with martial arts.

He was so versatile so that's why I chose him as my training mate. And I was sure that a punch like that wasn't enough to hurt him at all.

After all...

Step!

Step!

He blocked my punch at the last moment.

He was walking toward me with steady pace with no scratch on his body. My eyes saw everything with slow motion, and to have such reflexes to block a punch like that with a speed like that was so incredible.

Then, suddenly while walking, he vanished from his place, but I didn't look surprised and just indifferent as in th  next second, I gave a back kick in the air behind me, meeting with Igris's body before he was sent flying away destroying several trees as a result.

I can feel several eyes looking at me from my shadow with admiration of fanatics that I can hear them say:

"HAIL THE KING, OUR LIEGE IS THE STRONGEST."

And many more words that were embarrassing but at the same time, made me proud that my subordinates were seeing me as a competent King.

This time, Igris couldn't block or deflect the power of the kick as I let the mana flow freely again in my body making it stronger.

Before when I punched him, I cut the flow of mana as I wanted to know how powerful my punch would be, and looking at how my body moved and how my punch made someone like Igris fly away, I had a rough guess of my power without using mana.

And now, I wanted to try using mana, so I let the mana flow freely.

And now with my enhanced vision, I can see Igris standing up slowly with a hole in his body that in the next moment was healed.

As a shadow soldier, any wounds and damages will be healed depending on my mana that I didn't lack at all, it was like a bottomless abyss after all.

Anyway, Igris dashed toward me in an incredible speed before sending a powerful punch at face that I dodged with slight movement before sending a left jap in a high speed, but he dodged it at the last moment.

I praised him inwardly before we continued fighting. Exchanging several blows, punches and kicks using several different techniques that could kill a person in an instant.

Craters were created and trees were destroyed, but neither of us cared about it and continued fighting.

After several hours of non-stop fighting, we stopped as it was late, so I sent Igris back in my shadow before looking around to see the destruction I caused.

I sighed, before extending my hand and making my mana surround the area I destroyed in my fight with Igris, then I used my mana to regrow the trees again.

I figured I can do this during the fight with Igris.

Anyway, now with everything back to normal, I guess. I went back to my mansion.

I wanted to take a bath as my body was sweaty, although I didn't reek at all, but I don't like sweat on my body.

So the day ended, and tomorrow will be another day and try other things.

Sigh.