Extra's Magic

"..."

Looking at my Katana's blade, I noticed droplets of black blood trickling down its edge.

Who could have imagined that shadows were capable of bleeding?

I quickly turned my attention to the silhouette of a Skeleton, which I had killed a while ago searching for the 'Elixir of Life'.

The shadow was missing an entire arm, and it was writhing in silent agony. It was almost as if it could feel the pain of losing its body part. 𝑏𝑒𝑑𝑛𝘰𝑣𝑒𝘭.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Clank...

Scanning the other shadows, I saw a hint of surprise on their dark faces as they stared at the bleeding shadow.

Soon, their attention then shifted to me, and their piercing eyes seemed to bore straight into my soul. It was as though they were searching for something within me, something that only they knew.

The intensity of their gaze was unsettling, and I felt a cold sweat break out on my forehead. I had never felt so exposed and vulnerable before.

Even the Wyvern, with its ferocious wings and sharp talons, had not frightened me as much as the shadows did. It was as if their potential danger was more profound than that of any flying reptile.

"..."

As the shadows began to close in on me, I instinctively jumped back. The thought of fighting them was daunting, and I knew that I had no chance of defeating them all.

Despite the fact that I could harm them, it would be foolish to think that I could kill them all. Their numbers alone were overwhelming - there must have been more than fifty of them.

I quickly realized that my best course of action was to retreat and regroup. I needed to come up with a plan if I were to have any chance of surviving this encounter.

Whoosh...

However, retreating wasn't going to be easy, as the shadows continued to press in on me. Suddenly, a Winter Wolf silhouette sprang towards me, its shadowy jaws aiming for my neck.

The creature seemed unaffected by the bright sunlight shining down on it; instead, it became more detailed and life-like, almost as if it were feeding on the light.

Clank...

I swung my Katana, and its blade clashed against the creature's sharp teeth. The impact sent shockwaves through my arms, and I could feel them screaming under the pressure. It was then that I realized that the shadows were more resilient than their physical counterparts.

If the Winter Wolf normally was a G Rank monster, the shadows were G+.

Thud...

Reacting quickly, I used my free hand to deliver a strong punch straight to the Winter Wolf's nose, forcing it to release my Katana's blade from its jaws.

Slash...

As soon as my weapon became free, In one fluid motion, I swung my Katana and cleanly sliced through the creature's neck. The shadow dissipated almost instantly, leaving behind nothing but darkness.

"I've killed a shadow..."

Despite the satisfaction of the kill, I knew that I couldn't let my guard down. There were still dozens of shadows closing in on me, and I had to stay focused if I were to survive this encounter.

Whoosh...

The shadows descended upon me like an avalanche, their claws and teeth aimed at my limbs and throat.

Clank...

I managed to deflect the nails of a Shadow Yeti, but the force behind its attack almost knocked me off my feet.

However, I didn't have time to ponder about the monster as a pack of wolves dug their claws into my back, tearing at my flesh.

Swish...

With a quick spin, I sliced off a few of their heads, but the damage was already done - my back was a bloody mess.

Fortunately, the wounds only brought me pain and didn't obscure any of my movements.

Whoosh...

At this exact moment, I realized that I could use my injuries to my advantage.

When one wolf aimed for my left arm, I willingly offered it up, allowing me to thrust my sword through its head while it was busy chewing on my forearm.

As the battle raged on, I traded injuries for kills, slowly whittling down the number of shadows until only the Shadow Yeti and the Demon Worshipper I had killed in Helixia remained.

"..."

Looking at both shadows, I felt my consciousness slowly slipping away. My body was in shambles, missing a few fingers, covered in bites and claw marks, with a damaged eye and raked back from the claws. I couldn't even feel my left shoulder after sacrificing it to kill two wolves.

[ Leap ]

My eye widened and in the next second I flew through the greenery, crashing into a white tree's trunk with a resounding thud.

Thud...

Though the world spun around me, all I could think about was how the Shadow had managed to close the distance so quickly.

"Now way, right?"

A strange thought passed through my mind and I felt my back growing cold.

A chilling thought crossed my mind: what if the Demon Worshipper had used a skill it had while alive? I recalled the restaurant fight and realized the same thing had happened there.

"Shit..."

I could only curse my luck, regaining my footing as the world stopped spinning.

I took a deep breath, trying to focus on the present situation and looked around.

Whoosh...

The Shadow of the Yeti was charging towards me, its eyes fixed on mine.

I readied my Katana and took a stance, knowing that this could be my last stand.

The Shadow closed the distance between us, swinging its shadowy claws at me. However, I dodged it with a quick step to the side, feeling the wind from the attack brush past my cheek.

I countered with a swift slash, aiming for its neck. Unfortunately, the Shadow managed to dodge the attack, but I used the opening to deliver a powerful kick to its midsection.

Thud...

The Shadow stumbled back, giving me enough time to take a deep breath and prepare for the final strike. I charged at the Shadow, delivering a clean cut to its neck.

Slash...

The Yeti's Shadow dissipated into thin air, leaving me standing in the clearing, panting and covered in blood.

"Where's the other one..."

I muttered, scanning the greenery warily and keeping an eye out for any signs of the Demon Worshipper's shadow.

[ Leap ]

In a sudden burst of movement, I felt the mana swirl behind me and threw myself forward just in time to dodge the shadow's powerful punch. If it had connected, my head would have exploded like a watermelon.

"..."

The Shadowy figure charged at me with its emotionless eyes fixed on me. It swung its left arm with such force that the wind pressure created made me frown.

Boom...

I barely avoided the attack and watched as its aftereffects tore through the jungle, cutting down trees and even uprooting some of them. I couldn't help but shudder at the sight of a tree over 100 meters tall being flung around like a ragdoll due to the attack's aftermath.

To be honest, I am kind of fucked.

With the Demon Worshipper's shadow charging at me once more, I knew I needed to act fast. Gathering my mana, I shaped it into threads and focused it in my palm.

Whoosh...

A Golden Aura Blade shot out of my palm, and I thrust it towards the Shadow, hoping it would be enough to stop the creature's punch.

Boom...

The attacks collided, but cracks began to appear on the surface of my Blade.

"..."

Tears threatened to spill from my eyes as frustration set in. Why did I always have to deal with this kind of shit?

Crack...

The Aura Blade shattered on impact, but it managed to stop the Shadow's punch, buying me precious seconds to draw my Katana and slash its abdomen. Darker blood than that of any monster stained my blade as I landed the blow.

[ Leap ]

The Shadow instantly made some distance between us, but I lunged forward, determined not to let it escape.

I could tell the creature was intelligent, and I couldn't afford to let my guard down. If I did, this dungeon would turn into a nightmare instead of an opportunity to obtain a powerful artifact.

Whoosh...

My blade slashed down vertically, cleanly severing the Shadow's shoulder and causing black blood to spill from the wound.

In its final attempt to kill me, the creature threw its shadowy arm towards my neck. However, I deflected it with my Katana and swung my fist with all my might, striking its elbow and breaking it in the process.

"..."

For a moment, the Shadow and I locked eyes, both of us standing still as drops of rain began to fall from the sky.

Tap... Tap...

I searched for any hint of emotion within the creature's eyes, but they remained empty, devoid of feeling.

Swish...

I lifted my Katana high in the air, preparing to sever the Shadow's head. However, it didn't resist, its eyes only followed the weapon's movement.

Slash...

With one swift strike, the final Shadow dissipated, leaving me alone in the pouring rain of the jungle.