Shadow Summons (2)

Steel crashed, air tore, and the impact detonated in a rolling blast. The Shadow Summons' combined assault meshed as perfectly as a well-cut set of gears.

The Shadow Knight, holding the tank's role, turned Jin-soo's attacks aside, while the Shadow Warrior and the Shadow Assassin probed for openings from the left and from the rear. The Shadow Archer never stopped shifting ground as it loosed arrow after arrow, and behind the knight's protection the Shadow Mage and Shadow Healer timed their work with ruthless precision—devastating attack magic, curses, weakening, decay, and recovery, each skill spent at the exact moment it would hurt most.

Genuinely troublesome.

Had Jin-soo's stats still been skewed toward melee, as they were before the regression, the Shadow Mage and Healer would have been nearly powerless, and the knight's combat strength would have fallen off sharply as well. These summons, however, had been built upon a Jin-soo whose every stat stood at 922. In their fighting strength there was not a single gap.

The roar of the clash only made their advantages stand out more clearly. The tanking Shadow Knight's attack power was monstrous, and its speed no less vicious. The Shadow Warrior occupied that ambiguous ground between off-tank and secondary damage dealer—a position that so easily collapsed into being neither one thing nor the other—yet it stayed as solid as a main tank while pouring out attacks as fast and brutal as a main dealer, without a moment's pause.

Worse still, the Shadow Assassin, Archer, Mage, and Healer, whose defense ought to have been paper-thin, had health and durability raised to a tank's level. The Mage and the Healer had even gained movement speed.

This is outright cheating.

Six summons, each one's weakness in its original role patched over, locked together like gears and drove Jin-soo until he could scarcely breathe. Superior numbers, equal stats, and a flawless composition by position—the worst situation imaginable.

Good.

A satisfied smile rose to Jin-soo's lips. The situation at this very moment was the worst, of course. But once he brought the Shadow Summons down and acquired the Shadow Summon skill?

All of that becomes my strength.

Before the regression, the Shadow Summon skill had never yielded him much. This time, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the circumstances are different.

Another blast shook the field. Winning comes first, naturally. Fail to clear the Shadow Dungeon, and the reward—the Shadow Summon skill—could never be his. It was not merely a question of obtaining the skill or failing to. It was a question of whether he left this place alive.

Even so, Jin-soo was confident of victory.

High stats and superior numbers are not the whole of it. The six summons' coordination was so perfect it bordered on art.

The Blood-Sucking Sword in his hand slid between the plates of the Shadow Knight's armor and sheared away the shield-bearing left arm. The gleaming longsword that followed punched clean through the knight's core.

However high the stats, their movements—combat technique included—remain at nothing more than the level of Floor 50.

Some things cannot be expressed in levels. Swordsmanship. An eye that reads the flow of a battle. Movement that manufactures an opening. A body that draws out an opponent's attack. The sense to drive into a gap no wider than a needle. These were intangible assets, possessed only by those who had fought through countless real battles, won, and lived.

The Shadow Summons might share Jin-soo's stats, outnumber him, and field the superior composition. The software is on an entirely different level.

Once the tanking Shadow Knight was removed, Jin-soo could take the rest apart at his ease. Their cores shattered one after another.

They are certainly no ordinary foes. Any player but Jin-soo would never have cleared this dungeon alone. Even before the regression, fortune favored me. Only the real combat experience he and his party shared, and the chemistry of their coordination, had saved them. A single step out of place, and the dungeon would have slaughtered them where they stood.

Jin-soo cut down the Shadow Assassin last.

Let me see.

Jin-soo examined the information on the Shadow Summon Unique Skill Book.

As expected. It was a skill capable of summoning all six—Shadow Knight, Shadow Warrior, Shadow Assassin, Shadow Archer, Shadow Mage, and Shadow Healer.

Would it be better to learn it through the Holy-affinity status window? Or the Dark?

Shadow Summon was a universal skill, learnable by every class through either the Holy or the Dark affinity, with no restriction of job or alignment. Even so, the choice demanded care. A Shadow Summon was the summoner's own shadow. Learn the skill on the Holy status window, and the summons would grow along the Holy skill tree. Learn it on the Dark status window, and they would grow along the Dark skill tree instead.

Whichever I choose, the skills these Shadow Summons currently hold will change with it.

The summons that had appeared for the mission had fought him with skills only a Dark-affinity class could learn, and that was because Jin-soo had cleared the mission through the Dark status window. Had I cleared it on the Holy window, they would have used skills exclusive to Holy classes.

Holy and Dark divided their strengths and weaknesses with perfect clarity, and as they continued to grow, the merits and flaws of whichever affinity he chose would only stand out more sharply.

If I think only of hunting efficiency right now, it has to be Dark.

After he obtained the Dark Body and took the Demon Spirit Divine Pill, the Dark affinity's mana efficiency had grown to match the Holy. Dark specialized in curses, weakening, and offense. Its hunting yield per hour outstripped the Holy affinity, which specialized in blessings, recovery, and defense.

Right now, offense matters more than defense. Endurance, too: the Dark warrior class, Blood Demon Swordsman, surpassed the Holy mage class, Flame Battle Mage.

The higher one climbs the Tower, the more defense comes to matter. Jin-soo weighed it for a moment, then decided.

Dark it is. Sacrificing his present hunting efficiency for some distant future was far too wasteful. The ratio matters as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠well. Four of the six summons are damage dealers. Choose the Dark status window, and four summons grow more efficient. Choose Holy, and only two do. A mere six summons. Raised properly, though, those six might grow into a supreme force capable of overwhelming even a top-tier party.

Then I shall learn it.

With the Dark-affinity status window open, Jin-soo acquired Shadow Summon.

Level 2, as expected. If he had his way, he would have raised it to level 22 on the spot. He could not. The karma of spending Active Skill Level Lock on Flame of Purification comes back around like this. Not a single level-lock stack remained. It cannot be helped. Raising Shadow Summon's level would have to wait until the blessings had grown further.

Shadow Summon.

Jin-soo activated the skill.

From within Jin-soo's shadow, the very knight, warrior, assassin, archer, mage, and healer he had been fighting so fiercely moments before took shape. All six dropped to a knee before him, perfectly respectful.

Let me have a look at their status.

Jin-soo called up the Shadow Summons' information. Their level is low, and the efficiency is far too poor. They had not even received his stats in full, and the skills they held could be counted on one hand. It was the same before. The problem was the level of a Shadow Summon brought forth through the skill. If the ones he had just fought were of Floor 50 caliber, the creatures standing before him now were a mere level 2.

If he wanted to hunt quickly, he would have to raise Shadow Summon's level. I will have to move even harder. Hunting was what raised levels and earned titles. I will sweep every title obtainable on Floor 50, and every hidden dungeon that can be cleared. An irony presented itself: in order to hunt monsters faster, he would have to hunt monsters more diligently still.

And while I am at it, I may as well test what these Shadow Summons can do.

Jin-soo left the dungeon and made for the heart of the ground where the orcs gathered.

"Krururuk!"

The orcs came charging. Ordinarily Jin-soo would have stepped forward and cleared them himself. Not this time.

Go.

He gave the order to the Shadow Summons. How many can they handle? Their level is low, but they received a portion of my stats. Ten, at least, should be within reach.

He was still thinking it when the Shadow Knight swung its shield and smashed an orc's skull to pieces, then carved through the rest with its sword. The Shadow Warrior's greatsword fell in a single stroke and split five orc torsos in half. The Shadow Assassin vanished into shadow and reappeared again and again, cutting throats as it went. The Shadow Archer loosed arrows in a continuous stream, every shot a killing blow. Attack magic from the Shadow Mage swept the orcs away in fire and thunder, and the Shadow Healer poured out curses, decay, and weakening—blinding them, binding their feet, rotting their bodies, and turning small wounds into catastrophic ones.

All six performed their roles superbly.

Watching it, Jin-soo was more than a little thrown.

Why are they this strong?My stats are high, yes, but their level is low. Only a fraction of those stats can possibly be reflected. That much is certain. Level 2 Shadow Summons, holding only a handful of skills, were slaughtering the orcs of Floor 50. Look at their information, and they cannot possibly be this strong.

A status window does not lie. And yet, no matter how he looked at it, their combat power was nothing like the level written in the summon information. It was as if they were under some powerful buff.

Wait. Could the blessings' options apply to the Shadow Summons as well?

Not merely a transfer of stats. If increases ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to stats, to physical attack and defense, to the attack and defense of physical skills, to the attack and defense of magic skills—and even to health and mana recovery—were all in effect, then they could absolutely become this strong. The increase was only 22.2 percent, but applied across every stat and across both offense and defense, the picture changed entirely. Just as it was changing now.

His level climbed like something unhinged. At the same time he felt his stats surge.

But the level fell almost as fast as it had risen, and the stats that had climbed dropped again just as quickly. That was fine.

The blessings had grown.

The increase to Strength and Stamina has risen from 22.2 percent to 32.2. The stat increase that had sat fixed at 22.2 percent for so long had finally climbed. Raise the blessings further, and the remaining stats will reach 32.2 percent as well. After that, attack power, defense, and the rest would follow.

Good.

A bright smile broke across Jin-soo's face. I thought the blessings would have to grow enough to lock a skill at level 122 before I could put them to proper use. At this rate, he could put them to use right now. And with the summons deployed, a drive hunt would be more efficient than hunting alone.

Shall we run?

Smiling, Jin-soo began the hunt in earnest.

The ground shook under a heavy rush.

"Kuweeeek!"

"Kwek! Kwek!"

From every direction the Shadow Assassin and Shadow Archer came running, each dragging an orc pack of at least a hundred. They ran side by side, and the two herds merged into one—a mass of well over two hundred orcs.

In that instant the Shadow Mage cast an area-attack skill. With a tremendous blast, more than half the pack that had been chasing the Assassin and Archer was reduced to a handful of ash. A considerable number still remained. That was no problem.

The Shadow Healer cast curse and weakening, blinding the orcs, binding their feet, and worsening wounds both large and small.

"Kuweeeek!"

"Kuuuwaaargh!"

Jin-soo swept both swords through the cursed herd, cutting in every direction. The Shadow Warrior followed at his back and slaughtered what he passed over, while the Shadow Knight stood like solid rock in a single spot, sword and shield clearing the pack as it came. When the Archer and Assassin who had driven the herd joined in, what remained was annihilated in an instant.

The moment the pack was gone, the Shadow Assassin and Shadow Archer broke into a run once more, off to drive in the next monsters.

This is ridiculously convenient.

No complaints. No grievances. They did not eat, did not drink, did not rest, did not sleep, and never tired. He had gained drivers and hunters both.

The achievement work will be finished in no time. The Shadow Summons were beings born of Jin-soo's skill and nothing else. Achievements, experience, points, and items—all of it belonged to him alone. Levels shot up, achievements kept stacking, and points and items swelled at speed.

Even so, Jin-soo's expression was not particularly pleased.

The blessings are not growing. After power-leveling like that, he had hoped they might grow at least once more. Unfortunately, no such thing occurred. Shall I call it here and rest? His stats had risen, and he was far stronger than he had been when he first arrived at the Tower after the regression, but he was still human. Rest was necessary. Health and mana have been spent rather heavily as well.

He was on the point of drawing the Shadow Summons back into his shadow so he could return to the city.

Wait.

Jin-soo needed meals and sleep. The Shadow Summons did not. There is still ample mana left in their cores. Without him, hunting on the scale of a great herd was impossible. Hunting itself was not. Summons or not, their mana is not infinite. Strike the core—the vital point—and a Shadow Summon was finished. Drain every drop of mana the core held, and it could neither move nor use a skill. Like an electric car with a dead battery. Nothing left but an ornament that can only stand there.

But if he knew the problem, the solution was simple. I need only keep the cores from being drained completely. As it happened, he had one blessing worth using: mana recovery increased by 22.2 percent.

Add a division of labor to that. The Shadow Knight, Warrior, Assassin, and Archer, whose mana cost was not great, would take turns driving monsters in. The Shadow Mage and Healer would conserve theirs, casting attack magic, curses, and weakening only when the monsters were packed as tightly as they could be. If all six spent mana in measured amounts while they hunted?

Twenty-four-hour automatic hunting. That is what this means.

Of course, a great deal would have to change from the hunting he had done until now. He himself—the greatest part of their strength—would be stepping out. Without me, the pace will drop sharply. Even so, distribute the mana properly, and automatic hunting with the Shadow Summons alone was not impossible. The greatest reason it could work was simple: under the influence of Jin-soo's stats and blessings, their combat power was already enough to overwhelm an orc pack.

The loss in efficiency can be covered by time. From where Jin-soo stood, it was a challenge well worth attempting.