It was the kind of environment where predators ruled absolutely, and trespassers were dealt with swiftly and without mercy.
Arthur paused beneath the canopy of oaks, his senses cataloguing potential threats while his mind assessed the situation. The Golden Manes were known for their pack coordination and relentless pursuit tactics, like the Golden Beetle had said. Once they detected his presence, which would likely happen within minutes, he would be facing multiple epic or superior-rank creatures simultaneously, and unlike the others in other parts of the forest, those were high-level.
It was time to utilise one of his most powerful skills.
Staring at his skill list, Arthur focused on one particular ability that he hadn’t had the chance to fully utilise as of yet. He had used it once before.
Staring at the skill description, Arthur was incredibly reluctant to activate it, but he recognised that it was one of his most powerful abilities. The potential applications were enormous—having a secondary combatant that could operate independently while possessing most of his body power would nearly double his combat effectiveness.
He opened his status screen to review his current development:
[Class:] Shadow Monarch (SSS)
[Talent:] Primordial Summoner (SSS), Evolution Pathway (SSS-Rank), Lucky (SSS), Space (SSS)
[Physical Damage:] 22
[Damage Resistance:] 25
[Attributes:] Strength 25, Agility 28, Vitality 28, Intelligence 40 (+25% → + 6.25, + 7, + 7, + 10)
[Skills:] Ninefold Fortune(Mythical), Living Shadow (Mythical), Shadow Bind(Legendary), Shadow Dweller(Legendary), Blade Whirl(Epic), Shadow Cloak(Epic), Enhanced Senses(Rare), Mana Coating(Rare), Iron Fortress(Rare), Blazing Arc(Rare), Blacksmithing (Uncommon)
[Equipment:] Ring of Darkness (Legendary), Chaos (Pesudo-Legendary), Mana Earring (Epic), Robe of Darkness (Epic), Loki’s Mask(Epic), Flame Orb (Epic), Frost Sword (Epic), Mask of Thousand Faces (Very Rare), Spirit Core x2 (Very-Rare) Platinum Spear (Very Rare), Platinum Dagger (Very Rare), Mana Ring(Rare), Iron Necklace (Rare), Backpack (Rare), Iron Boots (Rare), Iron Armor (Rare), Health Potion (Rare), Mana Potion (Rare), ...
[Attribute Points:] 0
One specific detail caught his attention immediately: his accumulated skill points. Ever since he had entered Armageddon, Arthur had yet to spend a single skill point. The reason was simple.
Unlike other players who desperately needed immediate power increases, he possessed enough natural capability through his talents and summons to handle most challenges without artificial enhancement.
However, as he studied the Living Shadow skill more carefully, Arthur realised he had been overlooking a significant opportunity for advancement. The skill was mythical rank, which placed it even above legendary abilities in terms of power and rarity. More importantly, it had the potential for improvement through skill point investment.
If he could increase the base power percentage that his shadow could utilise, Arthur would be able to create a living extension of himself that approached his own combat capabilities. This opened up fascinating tactical possibilities, particularly when combined with his future plans.
When Arthur eventually summoned his third primordial beast, which would grant him access to a fourth SSS-rank talent, instead of keeping all that power concentrated in his own body, he could transfer that talent to his shadow. This would create a powerful autonomous ally that operated as an extension of his will while maintaining independent combat capability.
After contemplating the strategic implications for several minutes, Arthur decided to invest some of his accumulated skill points into improving this crucial ability.
As he prepared to make the investment, he couldn’t help but smile at the irony of his situation. If any other player witnessed him hesitating about upgrading a mythical-rank skill, they would probably die from pure envy.
Most players were forced to spend their precious skill points on uncommon-rank abilities just to maintain basic combat effectiveness and level up faster, while he possessed the luxury of improving abilities that exceeded most players’ wildest aspirations.
Arthur focused his attention on the Living Shadow skill and accessed the upgrade interface.
To increase the skill to what the system calls Tier II, the system required an investment of 2 skill points, a relatively modest cost.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Arthur confirmed the upgrade.
The improvement was immediately apparent; his shadow’s base power had increased from 60% to 70% of his own base attributes. A ten-percentage-point increase might seem modest, but when applied to his attributes, it represented a substantial boost in actual combat effectiveness.
Pleased with the immediate results, Arthur decided to invest further in this shadow. It wasn’t like he was investing in someone else; it was his own shadow, an extension of him. The upgrade interface indicated that advancing to Tier III would require 4 skill points, double the previous investment, but still well within his accumulated reserves.
Arthur hesitated for only a second before confirming the additional upgrade. The skill points had been accumulating unused for too long, and this represented the most strategically valuable application he had encountered.
Staring at the new skill description, Arthur couldn’t help but widen his eyes.
New Effect: Your shadow can use magical items.>