Author's Preface
[SYSTEM ONLINE]
[HOST: Ryan Cole]
[INHERITANCE: Shadowmancy]
[MANA RESERVE: 25/∞]
[SHADOW WARRIORS: 0 active / Inherited: Unknown]
[Soul-bound: 0/0]
"Inherited shadow warriors. What the fuck is that? What the hell is any of this?"
Ryan waved his hand through the screen that appeared between his face and the goblins. It phased right through it. "What is a shadow warrior?" Ryan thought to himself.
The system screen changed the moment he thought that.
[Shadow Summons: Summon dead warriors to serve as Shadow Warriors. Level of dead warrior dictates the amount of mana needed to summon.]
Ryan stood reading the screen and then looked down at the two goblins. He put his hand out toward the goblins.
"Rise."
"Get up."
"Follow me."
"Who's your master?"
"Who's your daddy?"
Ryan started laughing out loud. "This is insane. I don't even know what I'm doing."
Ryan turned to leave the goblins lying there. He thought to himself one more time before walking away. "Serve me."
He felt it. Behind him, black mist began pouring from the goblins' shadows. It crawled over their corpses until their green skin turned pitch black. Purple light ignited behind their dead eyes. One, then the other, pushed themselves from the ground and knelt before him.
[Shadow Warriors: 2 active.]
[Goblin Mage - .5-Star rank.]
[Goblin Spearman - 1-Star rank.]
[Current mana: 10/∞]
Ryan stared at the system screen and back to the goblins. "I wonder." Ryan held his hand out to unsummon the goblins as he did the tendrils. The goblins disappeared into his shadow in a puff of black smoke. "Hell fucking yeah. Now that is some shit straight out of a manhwa."
Ryan stopped for a moment and pondered. He opened his stat screen and stared at the mana part.
[Current mana: 10/∞]
He summoned a tendril.
[Current mana: 10/∞]
He summoned another tendril. Then looked at his system.
[Current mana: 10/∞]
"Okay, so my tendrils don't cost mana. But raising a shadow warrior does. Does this mean I can learn spells that don't require mana? Or do I have separate mana pools for spells and summons?" Ryan called back the tendrils and closed the system screen. "I guess I'll figure this out as I go."
Just then, Vesha's words popped into his head. "All your answers are found inside the tower."
"I seriously hope not. I am not trying to guess my way through this for a year."
Ryan moved and made his way to the capital in the distance.
Ryan entered the capital city of Thalendor. In between each building were massive trees. Their canopies stretched over multiple buildings, giving the entire city a natural sunblock. The buildings were made of white stone and white wood Ryan had never seen before. There were elves and men walking the streets and trading, shopping. Ryan looked up, and on the biggest hill of the city stood the imperial palace. "That must be where the dickhead noble elves live." Ryan looked around between the beautiful landscape and smiles of the citizens and into the alleys. Elves and dark elven children, tattered clothes, bones visible through their skin. "I guess every race is the same." Ryan found a merchant selling vegetable and meat sticks. He bought ten, placed them in a bag, and walked over to the kids in the alley and dropped the bag in front of one of the children's feet. The elf flinched like it was expecting Ryan to beat him. Ryan opened the bag and handed him a skewer. He smiled and walked away. "Just like Earth, selfish people letting others starve, for no good reason other than that's how it works."
Ryan walked through the markets and rows of houses until he came to the grandest building besides the imperial palace. A building that took up the space of an entire market. It looked more like a mansion than a guildhall. Ryan opened the doors and walked in. Inside, he was met with a sight he didn't expect. Not classy folks or nobles. Rather, rough and tough men and women alike. All adventurers, all of them weapons for hire. Ryan approached the counter.
"How may I help you, sir?"
"I was told by Nyx I'd have a room waiting for me. My name is Kade."
"One moment, Mr. Kade." The woman stood and rushed to the back. Ryan adjusted his mask. "I hope this doesn't take long. I really want to take this damn mask off."
"Please follow me, sir." The elf gestured to a door around the corner. Ryan walked through and followed her up ten flights of stairs. She knocked on a door at the top.
"Enter," a voice from the other side spoke.
The woman stepped to the side and gestured for Ryan to enter. As Ryan entered, he saw Nyx sitting with his legs crossed in a chair, sipping on tea. Across from him was a couch and a man sitting, drinking tea as well. Ryan stared at both men, confused.
"Well, are you going to sit?" Nyx asked.
Ryan nodded and took a seat next to the hooded man.
"Kade, may I call you Kade?" Ryan nodded.
"Wonderful. Kade, this man is Samuel. He is a half elf and the third prince of this kingdom."
Ryan flinched slightly. "You're joking, right?"
The man lowered his hood. His ears were not pointed like other elves but were more similar to human ears. One eye was blue, the other green. His hair was gray, grayer than Ryan's when he was on Earth. His clothes were befitting of royalty. Clothes Ryan could never see himself wearing.
"Let me guess, you're 200 years old too?" Ryan looked at the prince. Just then, a blade reached his neck from behind him. Ryan immediately summoned his tendrils as they hovered above the figure behind him.
Nyx clapped. "Now, now, no need for all that. Both of you stop." Nyx stood as his eyes turned red. "NOW!"
The knife left Ryan's throat as he recalled his tendrils. Nyx sat back down. His eyes turned back to the light green they had been, and his demeanor went back to the smooth, sweet person Ryan had met previously.
"I'm sorry, she is a little overprotective." The prince turned to glare at the woman behind Ryan, who simply hung her head. "I am 23 years old, and I apologize for what happened. We do have to get going. It was a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can meet again soon." The prince stood and shook Nyx's hand and left with his guard.
Nyx exhaled as he took a sip of tea. "So, how was your trip?"
"Fine. Why am I here?"
"I simply wanted to have tea with you and let you know your registration to the Adventurers Guild is taken care of."
Nyx slid a wooden plaque across the table. Ryan picked it up.
[Kade Jones]
[E-rank]
"Thank you." Ryan slipped the plaque into his bag.
"Of course, of course. Is there anything you need of me?"
"Actually, there is. Do you happen to know where I can get my hands on a meditation scroll?"
Nyx stared at Ryan for a moment. "Are you asking because you want a higher-tier one? Or because you don't have one?"
"I don't have one. I am an orphan. I awakened my talent and because I have no family or friends, I never received a meditation scroll."
"Very well, here." Nyx placed a token on the table. "This will get you into the basement of the library. There you will find hundreds of meditation scrolls. I am sure one will fit your talent and desires. Is there anything else?"
"Just my room. I'm dying to lie in a real bed."
Nyx chuckled and clapped his hands. A small, tiny human girl walked in with a red leather band wrapped around her neck. "Take Mr. Kade to his room, please. It is room 904."
The young woman bowed. "As you wish, master." She looked at Ryan. "Please, follow me, Mr. Kade."
Ryan stood and bowed to Nyx and followed the woman out the door and down the stairs and hallway. The entire time, he stared at her collar.
"A slave, an actual fucking slave. I had only heard stories, but never thought that man would own one. I need to be careful around him," he thought to himself as the woman opened the door to his room. "Here is your room. There is a button on the dresser you may press whenever you need something. I will be here to attend to whatever you require."
Ryan frowned a bit and looked at the woman. "Thank you, may I know your name?"
The woman shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. But you can call me as everyone else does... Thirty-Seven."
Thirty-Seven stood there for a moment, expecting Ryan to give her another command.
Ryan cleared his throat and brought his fist up to his mouth. "Very well, thank you. That will be all." Ryan stepped into his room and closed the door. He lay back on the bed and closed his eyes and fell asleep instantly.