Neo lifted his head and stared at the sky.
I’ve completed the Shadow Trial
Give me my reward for it.
He tried to talk to the Shadow Supreme.
The oppressive air around him grew heavier, and the shadows seemed to deepen, as though the entity might be listening.
Theoretically, the Shadow Supreme should be able to see and hear him.
I want to awaken my Shadow element as the reward for completing the Shadow Trial.
There was no response.
If Neo awakened his Shadow element, he would be able to consume Shadow elemental energy without being poisoned and dying.
It included the mimicked Divine Energy formed by Shadow elementals that was present in the Shadow World.
And as long as he could gain Divine Energy, he could use it to regenerate his entire body.
Neo clenched his flickering hands into fists.
If he succeeded, he would get his body back, and since his soul was still here, it would be no different from being ‘resurrected.’
He should not be pulled into the Underworld after that.
Everything was perfectly logical. Theoretically, at least.
Neo knew there were quite a few places where it could go wrong.
The Shadow Supreme could refuse to give him his reward since he was still in the Shadow World.
There was no guarantee he could regenerate his entire body, especially in his current state.
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He was an amalgamation of Expert mastery Death—an unstable form of energy that could kill anything, even his own regenerated body.
Another possibility was him being pulled into the Underworld even after he performed a pseudo-resurrection.
Neo clicked his tongue in frustration.
Despite the risks, he had no other choice.
Stop acting like you can’t hear to me.
Give me the reward I rightfully deserve.
He almost heard the shadows chuckle and a door of shadows appeared before him.
Somehow, he knew what was inside the door.
His Shadow.
He needed to devour it and he would awaken his shadow element.
Neo entered the door.
He appeared inside a vast space with chess-board like floor and sky.
An old man stood there.
He was a Shadow.
Who’s that?
That’s not my Shadow.
The Shadow attacked him with the feral ferocity of a monster.
It died as soon as it got within three steps of Neo.
Neo didn’t had to do anything.
The passive death radiating from him was enough to kill the Shadow.
Why is it so weak?
Neo was confused.
He noticed the corpse of Shadow and decided to devour it.
Memories of the real person whom the Shadow mimicked appeared in Neo’s mind.
He was elderly man who used to live in isolation deep in the mountains, surviving off the land and communing with nature.
After digesting the memories, Neo saw something astonishing happen.
[ Shadow ]
Awakening progress: 1/33 → 2/33
Neo stared at the status screen that suddenly sprang up.
The progress of Shadow element awakening increased from 1 to 2 when he devoured the old man’s Shadow.
There is no way this is true.
Neo had an idea of what was happening.
But it was too absurd.
I can’t be a Seraph.
They know they are reincarnators.
But I’m not the same.
Despite his confusion, the truth remained before his eyes.
Devouring old man’s Shadow increased his Shadow element awakening progress.
Only devouring one’s own Shadow did that.
This could mean only one thing.
The old man was Neo’s Shadow.
Another door materialized before Neo.
He stepped through it and he appeared in a similar area.
The floor and the sky were like a chess board.
A Shadow of a middle-aged man with unkempt beard pounced on him.
Neo made quick work of it before devouring it.
More memories appeared inside his head.
They belonged to a middle-aged father juggling a demanding physical job while taking care of his three kids.
[ Shadow ]
Awakening progress: 2/33 → 3/33
Another door appeared before Neo.
The same things repeated.
Neo devoured the Shadow of a child and gained its memories.
It was a young boy living in a crowded orphanage, dreaming of being adopted into a loving family.
[ Shadow ]
Awakening progress: 3/33 → 4/33
The same things repeated.
Every door he crossed showed a new Shadow and he gained new memories.
A wanderer in his late 30s, who traveled from town to town, embracing a life without attachments.
A 12-year-old genius who excelled in science, only for him to grow old and find out he was mediocre.
An old soldier who has traded his sword for a plow, and longed for peace.
A young man in his early 20s working multiple jobs to support his ailing parents and younger siblings.
A poor child who wanted to become theatrics after watching a play of a king assassinated by his trusted friend.
A trusted aide of a ruler.
A 40-year-old man who works quietly in a library made by a republic nation. He spent his nights reading and contemplating life.
A foolish teenage boy fighting against oppressive rulers.
An elderly farmer who woke up before dawn every day, tending to his crops with devotion.
A struggling artist in his late 20s, performing on street corners while waiting for his big break.
[ Shadow ]
Awakening progress: 13/33 → 14/33
Neo continued to gain new memories.
None of the lives had connection to each other.
He thought it would remain that way.
However, when he devoured the fourteen Shadow something else happened.
The fourteenth Shadow belonged to a middle-aged man obsessed with creating life-changing technology.
Until his late twenties, he had been a lazy man with no ambition.
But on his 23rd birthday, he suddenly dreamt of his past lives.
They were memories of the thirteen Shadows Neo had devoured.
The dreams enlarged the middle-aged man’s world and fascinated him.
They fueled his ambition and caused him to become obsessed with science.
The man wanted to see those dreams again.
He wanted to see his previous lives in details.
Unfortunately, he died before he could realize his ambition.
[ Shadow ]
Awakening progress: 14/33 → 15/33
Neo stepped through the fifteenth gate.
He devoured the Shadow of the monk in his 50s.
The monk had awakened the memories of his previous lives, which led him to understand the futility of life.
He took a vow of silence and lived in a serene monastery, seeking enlightenment.