So far, Suho had released and used a variety of shadow soldiers.
There were quite a few useful soldiers among them, but unfortunately they were only one-day mercenaries.
That had been the case up until now.
Black bees flocked at the sky.
If there was a 'Grave Spider Arachne', it would have sprung a web right away and tied up the bees in an instant.
However, Arachne had already gone back to nothing, and Suho had to deal with all those tiny mobs one by one.
There was something that Beru once said to Suho.
[Only a monarch can command corps.]
Although Suho inherited the Shadow Power thanks to his father, he was not the Shadow Monarch himself.
In order to become a monarch, a vacancy was needed and it would exist when the current monarch died.
However, Sung Jinwoo was already an immortal being. With that, Suho could forever not become the Shadow Monarch.
But then, Beru said clearly.
-Young Master does not have the authority to handle corps 'yet'.
He said, 'yet'.
That very moment finally came to Suho.
[Skill: Shadow Save Lv.1]
Shadow power.
No mana cost.
Shadow Soldiers are stored in the caster's shadow.
Stored soldiers can be summoned or stored back whenever the caster wishes.
Number of stored shadows: 0 / 1
"… Oh, wow."
Suho's eyes widened as he checked the skill window.
Above his head, Beru was flying round and round, shedding tears of joy.
[Eeek! You must be so thrilled! His Majesty has finally allowed Young Master to have a private soldier!]
"A private soldier…"
Suho muttered.
"In the end, there was still a level limitation."
Level is, after all, an indicator that the system easily recognizes, limiting the protection.
If power were to be given to low-ranking ones, they would rather be consumed by the energy of death and become a shadow soldier.
Storing the soldier of death in one's shadow was the same as saying that death always followed beneath one's feet.
Now, he finally has the authority to lead a private soldier.
What was important to Suho was, after all, numbers.
[Number of saved shadows: 0 / 1]
"Just one…"
Suho sneered.
That was probably because his level was also low.
"It's like saying I need to increase the number by myself one by one."
It will also be affected by the intellect stat just like the shadow release skill.
Suho suddenly remembered the time when he was young and sat side by side with his father to play games.
At that time, his father would often nag him, saying, 'How can you fall asleep with that level?'
'Somehow, even if we play the same game, you level up so fast. Leveling up was your main job.'
[Which one do you plan to save as the first soldier?]
Suho, who had escaped from his thoughts at Beru's question, responded with a smirk.
"Why are you asking? You already know."
Of course, the one he had been having the most trouble with lately.
Suho put down one side of Lee Minseong's arm, which he had brought with him, on the floor.
[Shadow release is possible on this target.]
Shadow release was possible even with only a part of the corpse.
After all, the body is just a medium.
A dark aura was already moving around Lee Minseong's arm.
Aaaaaaah-!
An ominous cry echoed in the shadows.
Lee Minseong was screaming to get him out of that hell.
The aura was frighteningly ferocious.
'Okay. If you want it that much, I'll take you out.'
Suho stretched out his hand towards him.
"Arise."
A black shadow began to wriggle.
[Tries to release the shadow.]
[Attempting to release…]
Aaaaaah!
In the shadows, Lee Minseong's face stretched out and opened his mouth.
However…
Ring!
A notification popped up with the sound of metal snapping.
[Shadow release failed.]
[You have two more chances left.]
'Failed?'
Suho's eyes narrowed.
He wasn't too surprised because he expected failure to some extent.
Shadow release increases the probability of release failure in proportion to the target's ability level.
Lee Minseong was an A-Class hunter with much more mana power than Suho, and the latter did not fight alone to win in the first place.
'That's why he's more coveted.'
Suho remembered.
Lee Minseong, the strongest lancer, was developed by Queen Bee Arsha with great care.
Even so, if he could reap that arrogant fellow who voluntarily escaped from the Queen Bee for his own purposes as his own soldier, the thought alone made his heart swell.
'Two chances left…'
After taking a deep breath, Suho calmly attempted the second release.
"Arise."
Ring!
[Shadow release failed.]
[You have one more chance left.]
"…"
'I'm getting dizzy.'.
He expected it, but he couldn't help but be nervous when there was only one chance left.
Aaaaaaaaah!
Even at that moment, Lee Minseong was struggling to get out of the black smoke.
'Do you want to come out too?'
He felt his eagerness.
Suho's eyes grew serious.
'You must have been jealous of my shadow lancers.'
Lee Minseong had shown jealousy when he saw the lancers who resurrected even if they died while fighting him.
-Why didn't the Queen Bee give me the ability to regenerate! Could it be that she was afraid that I would become too strong?!
He was seriously mistaken.
In the first place, that power was not something a Queen Bee could give.
'Come to me. I'll make you the strongest lancer.'
Suho's eyes flashed with strong will.
"Arise!"
That moment.
Aaaah-!
Minsung roared and came out of the black smoke.
Then, the black smoke that followed began to form a body that was not yet completed.
[Shadow release succeeded.]
"Finally!"
Suho bursted into relief.
However, it did not seem to be a complete resurrection.
[A strong desire led to the fighting spirit of the dead.]
[However, the power of the shadow soldier is weakened because the dead's stats are too high compared to the caster's.]
[The level of the shadow starts at 2.]
'Weakened to level 2?'
Suho made a puzzled expression.
What level was it originally?
[?? Lv.2]
Knight Class
Thud.
Eventually, a lancer made of black steam landed on one knee in front of Suho and bowed his head.
[Greetings to my master.]
"Huh? You can talk?"
[Ehh?]
Suho and Beru's eyes widened at the same time.
The other Shadow Lancers couldn't speak. Only this one had that ability.
"Is it because it's a Knight Class?"
[I-I don't think so. In order to be able to speak normally, you need to be at least General Class… Or was it really necessary?]
Beru too looked perplexed.
[Hmm. Maybe it's because Young Master has been playing with the shadow soldiers since he started babbling…]
In the end, they can only speculate on the effects of talent and early education.
Ring.
[Names can be given to soldiers of knight class or higher.]
[The given name remains until the shadow disappears.]
[Please specify the soldier's name.]
Suho pondered for a moment.
'Name…'
The name Lee Minseong was so infamous that he did not want to use it as it was.
'Alright. Since Lee Minseong wanted to succeed Querehsha…'
"Quay."
[Do you want to use 'Quay'?]
"Yeah."
As soon as Suho finished speaking, a new name was engraved instead of the question mark above the shadow lancer's head.
[Quay Lv.2]
Knight Class
[Thank you for the great name.]
Lee Minseong, who was born again under the name of Quay, smiled faintly and stood up.
When he was alive, long poisonous needles sprouted like spears in both hands instead of his hands, but now that he was born again, only one poisonous needle was attached to it, and the other hand was a normal hand.
'Is it because I only cut off one arm?'
While taking a look at Quay, Beru flew up and mocked Lee Minseong.
[Kehehe. I feel sorry for you. A guy who was once so strong was only a level 2 knight now.]
However, Quay only snorted at Beru's provocation.
[Ha. I can't believe this. You, of all people, dare to laugh at me?]
[Ehh.]
Beru's ego was pierced and he flinched.
[Beru Lv.1]
Pawn Class
For reference, the current mini Beru's rating was far below.
[T-This is not my real self!]
[The same goes for me. The important thing is the present, right?]
[What!? How dare the distant successor speak back?!]
[Says the pawn.]
[…!]
Beru was genuinely enraged, and Quay indifferently looked at him with arms crossed.
In the middle of a bloody nerve war between the two, Suho said a word.
"Quay."
[Yes, Master. What is it?]
"Show some respect to the elderly."
[Elderly?!]
Quay's eyes widened in surprise at those words.
However, the body had already obeyed the command and immediately bowed his head.
[Young Master! Why are you…!]
"Beru is like the uncle who raised me. You'll get in trouble if you mess around."
[Young Master-! Kehehehe!]
Beru flew in with tears of emotion and clung to Suho's head.
At the same time, he glanced at Quay with a side eye and began to chuckle coolly.
[Looking at it now, you're level 2 because you're number 2!]
[Pft.]
As if those words touched the wrath, Quay's face crumpled as if he hit his head on the floor.
[… We'll see, you bastard.]
It seemed that the war of nerves between the two would continue.
* * *
[Hmm. A pretty useful looking soldier. Where did you get this guy from?]
Ammut, whi was watching what Suho was doing from the side, was looking over at Quay amusingly.
Suho told him everything that had happened that day, and Ammut bursted out laughing when he heard the story.
[You still have a long way to go. You mean you struggled because of just a few bugs?]
"There weren't just a few. Even Master would have had a hard time, I bet."
[Sounds funny. Even if hundreds or millions of those bugs come at once, they can't do any damage to me.]
It was not an exaggeration.
Ammut's thick skin is a kind of full body armor itself made of steel.
With that solid defensive power, he would have ignored all attacks, strode towards the captain and trample him on.
"I have more questions other than that."
[What?]
Suho remembered himself during the last battle that took place that day.
"It would be quicker to show you. Look at this."
Swoosh!
[Use 'Skill: Spiritual Body Manifestation'.]
Suho raised his sword and casted the Spiritual Body Manifestation technique.
A black aura flowed through his arms and wrists and drew sword energy from the blade.
Seeing that, Ammut's eyes flashed.
[Woah. It's quite good. Extending the Spiritual Body Manifestation technique to weapons!]
"Was this originally possible?"
[Of course, but Tarnak couldn't do it.]
"It was something that even an Iron Body Monarch couldn't do?"
Suho was surprised at Ammut's unexpected answer.
Ammut smiled meaningfully and stared at Suho intently.
[Yes. Since he was a goblin from birth, the only thing he could do was to strengthen his body. Actually, that alone was good enough, but you are different.]
Suho was not a goblin, but the son of a Shadow Monarch.
[If the starting point is different, the result is bound to be different. I'm curious too. What kind of monster will you turn into if you master Spiritual Body Manifestation!]
Swoosh!
At that moment, Ammut's body grew larger and began to transform into a spiritual body.
[If you're done with your business, let's start training now!]
"Wait a minute! I'm not yet ready…!"
The heavy gravitational field pressed down on Suho.
A workout- No, a daily quest that was harder than fighting Querehsha had begun.