Mc's POV
My mind was a mess.
The last thing I remembered was someone forcing me to drink something.
I tried to fight it, but soon a warm feeling spread through my body.
'Was that… a healing potion?' I remembered thinking that before everything went dark again.
When I woke up, it was hard to tell how much time had passed. Maybe hours, maybe days. But the moment I opened my eyes, I could tell something in the house had changed.
From that day on, things were different.
Mom stayed close to me all the time now.
She didn't let me out of her sight, even for a moment.
I started sleeping in my parents' room, squeezed between them every night like a small pillow between two people afraid to let go.
Seris came over a lot more too. She had always been around, but now she practically lived with us.
Dad became quiet.
He tried to smile and act normal, but I could tell something weighed on him.
'He must have found out what Frank did,' I thought.
Soon, there were guards posted around our house.
They weren't normal people.
I could tell they were Exorcists from the way they moved.
And the way they talked with Mom and Dad, it was easy to tell they were dad's old friends.
Sometimes, Dad disappeared for days.
I didn't need to ask where he went.
'He must be going to hunt Cursed Spirits,' I thought.
That was what Exorcists did.
They had to engage with Cursed Spirits: to fight them, weaken them, and keep them from attacking civilians.
Engaging was dangerous, but it brought rewards like money, and fame.
More importantly, the world —Earth— would reward you with Soul Shards, and Relics for engaging with the Cursed Spirit.
The better you performed against a Cursed Spirit, the more civilians you saved, the stronger the rewards became.
If you ended up killing a Cursed Spirit?
That would bring a rainfall of rewards.
Killing a Cursed Spirit, though… that was rare.
Anyone who managed to kill a Rank 3 or higher Cursed Spirit would be considered a legend.
Dad was out there now, doing that kind of work. Each time he left, he stayed gone longer.
"Lord of Shadows, you can finally rank up today!" Yuna said with excitement.
I smiled, feeling the same excitement.
For once, the house was quiet. Seris wasn't here. Mom wasn't beside me. Dad was still out.
Even Nisha and the other Exorcists that Dad brought to protect us weren't home today.
I didn't know why, but I was glad. It felt like a small gift before my third birthday, a quiet day just for me.
I sat up in the middle of the bed and opened my status window.
Shadow Summon: Level 10 (Max)
Class: Shadow (Rank 0)
Evolution Available
It was finally time. My shadow was ready to evolve.
I sat cross-legged on the bed, closed my eyes, and took a slow breath.
The process wasn't hard, but it was important. I had waited for this for a long time.
I focused on the shadow beneath my feet. It wavered, almost like it was alive.
Then I willed it to evolve.
A sharp jolt ran through my body.
My chest felt tight for a moment, then expanded as if I had taken my first real breath.
The shadow under me rippled, breaking free from the light.
It swirled upward like smoke rising in the wind.
Power surged through my body.
I gasped, leaning forward as invisible flames seemed to crawl up my back.
It felt like something old and asleep inside me was finally waking up.
The system notifications appeared one after another:
Class Evolution Complete
Rank 0 → Rank 1
+10 Strength
+10 Dexterity
+10 Endurance
+10 Intelligence
+10 Spirit
I opened my eyes, breathing heavily, and a grin spread across my face.
My body felt stronger. My senses sharper. Everything around me looked clearer than before.
'I finally became a Rank 1 Exorcist,' I thought.
Three years old and already walking a path that most people didn't reach until adulthood.
But that wasn't all.
I looked back at the class window. New skills had appeared under my class list.
The system flickered in front of my eyes.
[Class: Shadow]
[Rank 0 → Rank 1]
[Skills]:
Shadow Summon (Level 10 – Max): Allows the user to summon their own shadow. The summoned shadow's size and traits depend on its strength.
Shadow Eater (Level 1 – New): Allows the summoned shadow to absorb part of another being's shadow. Ten percent of the absorbed shadow's stats are permanently shared with the user.
Shadow Gaze (Level 1 – New): Grants the ability to see the shadows of all living beings.
Shadow Assimilation (Level 1 – New): Temporarily merges the user with their summoned shadow, sharing one hundred percent of the shadow's stats with himself. In this state, the user's presence becomes is greatly diminished, becoming nearly undetectable. The user can move through shadows.
…
I stared at the list for a moment. Then I grinned.
Finally, my class looked somewhat respectable.
Ever since I awakened my system, I'd been waiting for this.
"Lord of Shadows, let's try the skills!" Yuna said.
I nodded, and activated Shadow Assimilation.