Chapter 98: System Shop
Barely a moment after the words left his lips, a thick mist of darkness rose from the ground, swallowing the wild cat’s corpse.
It pumped into the body in heavy waves before receding after a few seconds. At first, no change was apparent. But Ulric could feel it, a connection was forming with the wild cat.
Then it was finished.
The wild cat jerked upright. Its eyes snapped open, no longer crystalline orbs brimming with life, but pure, soulless darkness.
Slowly, it rose to its feet.
The sudden movement drew a sharp yelp from both girls. They stepped back instinctively.
One moment the wild cat had been dead. The next, it had risen again. For Amber, the confusion ran even deeper. She had clearly felt its life force drain away until nothing remained.
How was this possible?
They only stopped backing away when they noticed the mad grin stretching across Ulric’s face.
As they stared closer, their eyes widened in confusion. Why did it look different now? And why did it seem far more docile? What exactly had Ulric done to it?
Amber’s eyes suddenly blinked. Realization hit her like a thunderbolt, and she sputtered in shock.
"This... how?"
She could see it now. He had somehow subverted the essence of life itself and brought the wild cat back. No...not back to life. There wasn’t a single drop of life force left in the beast. It was nothing more than a soulless husk, completely under his command.
Even so... it was astounding.
Hearing Amber’s quiet murmurs, Lyra’s pupils trembled in shock. The teasing smile on her face slowly fading.
She stepped forward and approached the wild cat. Unlike before, she felt no threat or fear from it. Instead, she sensed a clear connection linking it to Ulric through their shared bond.
Driven by curiosity, Amber followed behind her. Both girls circled the creature. The neck Ulric had snapped earlier had somehow healed completely, now engraved with mystical runes that pulsed quietly across its fur.
Inhaling sharply, Ulric cast Appraisal on it once more.
[Beast: Shadow Cat]
[Level: 50 (D-rank)]
[Weakness: Light attacks]
He couldn’t hold it in any longer. His head tilted back toward the sky as a fit of maniacal laughter ripped from his throat. He hadn’t dared believe it before, but there was no denying it now.
This was the true power of the SSS-rank talent: Shadow Monarch.
He could revive fallen opponents at nearly seventy-five percent of their original strength. Even crazier, the cost was almost negligible.
He had expected the process to drain his shadow essence heavily, but he had been sorely wrong.
He could already see it, an army of shadows so vast that no one would be able to stand against him.
Each new thought fueled his excitement. His laughter grew louder, sending chills racing down Amber and Lyra’s spines.
Finally regaining his composure a few minutes later, he wheezed and redirected his attention to his first shadow creation.
Only for his breath to nearly catch in his throat.
The two girls had moved on from simply poking and staring at the beast. Now they were clutching its fur tightly, mounting its back, and slowly petting it.
A combat beast reduced to this.
He couldn’t really blame them, though. Looking closer, its fur was exceptionally smooth and silky, something he hadn’t noticed while fighting it.
It didn’t matter now. He watched as they chirped excitedly, trying to come up with a name for it.
Ulric shifted his focus. He inhaled sharply.
It was time for the last upgrade he had been holding off on for a while.
Pulling up his system interface, he issued a mental command.
"Allocate 100,000 corruption points to unlock System Shop!"
He didn’t know why, but after the series of mystical events that had unfolded every time he dumped massive amounts of corruption points into something, he expected something dramatic this time too.
His expectations were completely subverted.
The instant the points were spent, a single notification blinked before him.
[Ding! Congratulations! You have successfully unlocked the System Shop! You can now browse and purchase items!]
It felt a bit lackluster, but it still brought a faint smile to his lips.
When he checked the System Shop tab, it was no longer grayed out.
Clicking it, a slew of runes suddenly swirled around him. Since they didn’t seem to draw Lyra or Amber’s attention, he assumed they were visible only to him, just like the rest of his corruption system.
When the runes settled, they materialized into a glimmering golden screen that shimmered in front of him, filled with a vast list of items.
"Bloodlines, Talents, Skills, Artifacts..." Ulric muttered softly, his eyes widening with every category.
There was literally everything. Even classes and utility knowledge for alchemy and craftsmanship.
Astounding.
He breathed heavily, sinking deeper into the golden screen as his gaze lingered over some of the items.
[F-rank Rock Hide Bloodline: Grants partial resistance to physical attacks by manifesting an armor of rocks with low durability.]
(0/5,000)
[A-rank Maestro Lightning Bloodline: Forges the user’s body to be extremely immune to lightning attacks while granting the ability to unleash devastating lightning-powered strikes.]
(0/250,000)
[S-rank Magnetic Field...]
(500,000)
Seeing the massive corruption point costs and how they skyrocketed with every increase in rank, he almost spat out a mouthful of blood when he checked his remaining points.
[Unallocated Corruption Points: 457,000]
It had seemed like a lot before. Now it looked painfully small in comparison.
Still, he kept browsing. His eyes widened further.
The list seemed to stretch on endlessly, but it was currently limited to SSS-rank items with prices that nearly made him cry.
Thankfully, with the knowledge he had gained after awakening, he knew he didn’t need to unlock it further. As he grew stronger, stronger items would become available.
Just as he was about to close the System Shop with a depressed look in his eyes, he caught sight of Lyra and Amber from the corner of his vision.
A sudden thought struck him, and his face lit up with excitement.
He beckoned them over. They rushed toward him, soft giggles echoing in his ears.
"Come with us, Shadow Puff."
The name made Ulric’s lips twitch rapidly. Was that really what they had chosen? He suppressed the urge to spiral further as they walked up to him.
"How did you..." Lyra began, looking at him in a completely new light. How had he managed to kill it and then summon it back with such perfect loyalty? Just how strong was the power of his darkness?
Before she could finish, Ulric placed a finger gently over her lips, sealing them.
"All in good time," he murmured. He would explain everything when the time was right.
"But first," Ulric continued, a calculating smile carving across his face, "I have a gift for you."