MMORPG: Rebirth of the Shadow Mage

Leo observed the skeleton lying on the ground, its skull shattered by his Bone Blades. He scrambled to his feet, warily scanning the area for any Mana Fluctuations, but the Shadow Dome remained silent, and nothing moved within it.

"Did it really die?"

Leo muttered to himself, struggling to accept that the Lich was truly gone. Just then, a system notification calmed his nerves.

[ 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱! ]

[ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗿 - 𝗟𝗲𝗼! ]

Leo's eyes darted through the messages congratulating him, searching for the rewards. He hoped it would be the same as in his past life.

[ 𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 ]

1️⃣ 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐱𝟏

2️⃣ 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝'𝐬 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 [ 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 ]

~~~

Since the Shadow Realm was still active, no one could see inside it. Leo wasted no time and retrieved the new items he had just obtained.

1️⃣ 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝'𝐬 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 [ 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 ]

-- 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧...

~ +𝟓𝟎 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

~~~~

Leo quickly put on the ring, aware that it wouldn't grant him any extra Attributes, but was still incredibly useful for its high pain resistance.

As he equipped the item, he felt the pain in his sore muscles gradually fade away, replaced by a mild discomfort that he could easily bear.

"This is amazing..."

Leo muttered, still in disbelief. In his previous life, he could only dream of acquiring such incredible items.

Turning his attention to the Unique Spellbook, Leo inserted a portion of his Mana into the ancient tome, causing it to dissolve into a shower of Light Particles.

A notification appeared before him.

[ 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐆𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝! ]

1️⃣ 𝐍𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲

-- 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬

-- 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝟓𝟎% 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞

-- 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝

~~~~

Leo stared at the azure window in disbelief. Wasn't this similar to his other spell, 'Shadow Friend'?

[ 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝... ]

[ 𝐂𝐑𝐞𝐭- 𝐂𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐤! 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭- 𝐄𝐫𝐫𝐨 ]

[ 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬? ]

[ 𝐘𝐞𝐬 / 𝐍𝐨 ]

Seeing the options, Leo's eyes lit up with excitement. He couldn't believe his luck! First, he gained the ability to summon shadows, and now he had the power to create undead soldiers. And now, he had the opportunity to combine them!

Without hesitation, Leo pressed the green button to combine his spells.

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐬... ]

[ 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥! ]

[ 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐆𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝! ]

1️⃣ 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲

-- 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬

-- 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝟓𝟎% 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞

-- 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭

~~~~

As Leo read through the spell information, he gasped in amazement, feeling as though his power had just doubled in size. If his Shadow soldiers' strength was previously tied to his Level, he now had the ability to attempt to reanimate even the most powerful bosses.

Leo's eyes drifted towards the Lich's skeleton, lying in the distance. As he approached it, he noticed a dark shadow looming above the remains. Curiously, he extended his hand and touched its strangely cold surface.

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐬𝐞... ]

[ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐥... ]

Although Leo's MP was already full thanks to a potion, it still wasn't enough to reanimate the Lich. He had expected as much, since the Lich was essentially a mini-boss, but the realization still left him feeling dejected.

"It's not all bad... I can just create Shadows from the regular skeletons!"

Surveying the various skeletal remains scattered around him, Leo selected the nearest one with wings and reached out to touch the cold shadow hovering above it.

[ 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰... ]

[ 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥! ]

Strange mist began to emanate from the skeleton's remains, quickly coalescing into a tangible form. The dark mist gradually took on the shape of a skeleton, identical in appearance to any other. But its bones were shrouded in a strange, dancing darkness that gave the impression it was made entirely of Shadow.

Studying the shadow from up close, Leo motioned for it to drift into his own shadow. The shadow did it instantly, and a smile spread across Leo's face.

"I wonder how many shadows I can gain..."

Since he could store them within his shadow, Leo expected there to be some kind of limit on how many allies he could accumulate. After all, he could simply use his Shadowmancy on a target, store it, regenerate mana, and repeat the process with another being.

As Leo pondered on the possibility of a limit to his Shadowmancy spell, a notification popped up in front of him.

[ 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭: 𝟓𝟎 ]

Leo's eyes widened in surprise. It seemed that he was limited to having fifty Shadows at a time. However, fifty powerful undead allies was not a small number, and Leo was already excited at the thought of having a strong army of Shadows at his command.

Looking at the Shadow Realm, Leo noticed that he still had five minutes before it dissipated and he would once again be visible to the players. He could have left, but his feelings kept nagging him, making him sigh.

"I have to do it in person, don't I?"

He muttered to himself.

Leo wanted to message Ava and Eli, but his heart told him to go and speak to them in person. Pulling up his hood, Leo walked into the cold night outside his Shadow Dome.

He instantly noticed NPCs and players celebrating on the walls and moved through the shadows where the light couldn't reach him towards two figures that stood further away from the rest.

"And here comes the main character!"

Eli waved her hand, seeing Leo step out of the shadows. She wouldn't have sensed him, but Ava had informed her that Leo was coming.

"I came here to offer you two a deal..."

Leo spoke, as the two girls stared towards him.

"I want you two to join my group."

Leo spoke, expecting to hear Eli's and Ava's harsh conditions, since both of them were pretty strong and would surely require a lot of payment to recruit.

"Sure!"

Surprisingly, both replied in unison, which made Leo flinch. He really, really didn't expect it to be that easy!

"Well... Since now you've joined my group, I have a few things to say..."

Leo scratched his neck, feeling slightly disturbed by how easily he acquired strong allies.

"You need to get as strong as possible within the upcoming year! I will also be leaving this continent, so I came to say goodbye..."

His words echoed in the area, and since he was uninterrupted, Leo continued.

"In one year's time, we will once again meet up near the castle where we purified the corrupted king... Make sure that you are strong enough to be able to combat the Ice Wyvern living on the mountains near Culg!"

Looking at their reactions, Leo noticed that Eli was slowly nodding her head, while Ava's azure-blue eyes were a few degrees colder than usual.

"Goodbye!"

Eli waved her hand, and Leo nodded his head. Turning his head towards Ava, he bowed his head slightly, stepping back into the shadows.

"Thank you for saving me... and see you next year!"

Leo said, as he disappeared into the darkness.

At the last second, Ava's lips parted, but Leo had already jumped down the wall, traveling through the shadows thrown by the city's houses.

Leo suppressed the sudden feeling of loneliness that gripped his heart and quickly rushed towards the north side of the city.

"I know, buddy, you can come out..."

Leo said as a majestic black wolf materialized in front of him, its dark fur glimmering in the dimly lit alleyway.

The wolf growled, parting its massive jaws as if trying to intimidate Leo, but he just stared at it.

"Wait outside!"

Leo commanded the wolf.

Since the NPCs had already returned from the bunkers, the facilities within the city were already open.

Leo entered a cozy restaurant with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. He went straight to the counter and was offered a menu by the old man sitting behind the bar.

"I'd like 20 of this"

Leo said, pointing to the cooked Pterodactyl meat. He quickly ordered twenty plates, knowing that Fenrir's size was disproportionate to the size of a single plate.

The owner gave him a side glance but complied with his order, quickly preparing the plates and giving them to Leo.

"Here you go..."

Leo carefully placed the plates in front of Fenrir and watched as the wolf eyed him suspiciously before lowering his nose to sniff the food.

Leo observed as Fenrir took a cautious bite of the meat, which had cost him two gold coins per plate. After the first bite, however, everything went smoothly.

Fenrir devoured the rest of the meals without hesitation. Leo couldn't help but wonder if the wolf was more interested in filling his stomach than savoring the taste of the food.

Leo approached the metal gates to the north and quickly blended into the darkness, walking further away from civilization with each step.

As he climbed up the mountain, he cast a final glance at the warm lights of the city and let out a heavy sigh. He knew he wouldn't see another city for a long time, possibly a year or more.

"Goodbye..."

He whispered to the city as it faded from view.

***

Eli glanced over at Ava, whose lips were tightly pressed together in a straight line.

"It's not that bad..."

She spoke, trying to cheer up her friend. But Ava seemed immune to her attempts to lift her mood. Her eyes were cold and her expression was emotionless. She hadn't said a word since Leo left.

The silence between them was tense and uncomfortable, and eventually, Eli gave up on trying to soften Ava's mood.

"You could just message him, you know?"

Despite Eli's words, Ava remained silent, lost in her own thoughts.

'I need to get stronger...'

====

AN: The break is over!