[Izuku Midoriya, do you accept the role of Shadow Monarch?]
"Eh…?"
[Izuku Midoriya, do you accept the role of Shadow Monarch?]
Izuku groaned, realizing he was resting on the steps just in front of the throne, his fingers outstretched towards it. He was alive, but he was also laying in a puddle of his own blood. He was too weak to move. Fighting Igris had taken more from him than he realized. And the wounds inflicted by the knight had not been made with a fragile touch.
[Izuku Midoriya, do you accept the role of Shadow Monarch?]
"Shadow… Monarch?" Izuku's vision wavered. He was starting to lose consciousness again. The shadows created by the flickering torch danced along the walls, giving Izuku glimpses of horrible beasts in his delirious state.
[Izuku Midoriya, do you accept the role of Shadow Monarch?]
"Acc…ept…"
Suddenly, the shadows on the walls peeled away, rushing towards Izuku with abandon, making him question whether or not he was hallucinating.
It reminded him of the shadows that crept up his body when he first touched the throne back in that world of darkness. The pain had consumed every thought during then, so he could only brace himself and hope it wouldn't be so agonizing.
But it was for nothing. When the shadows washed over him, it was not a wave of pain, but a gentle cooling balm.
Izuku felt his bones, his ligaments, everything, pulling themselves back together. A rush of endorphins and serotonin flooded his mind. For just a moment, everything in the universe made sense, felt right. Then, the shadows settled, and Izuku's lungs were finally allowed to fill with air.
He pushed himself back to his feet, feeling lighter than ever despite his Stats looking no different.
[Please choose a command phrase for Shadow Extraction.]
Izuku rubbed at his temples. "Give me a minute…" He tried to recall the System Messages he'd seen before passing out. "Something about… calling the…" His eyes widened and he spun around, his Sense Stat telling him that Igris was alive and well behind him.
The knight could have easily killed him, but instead, it was kneeling just a few feet away from Izuku. Except, it wasn't the same Igris Izuku had seen before.
[Igris Lvl. 1 - Elite Knight Grade]
Skills: Blood-Red Blade
Equipment: Shadow Blade of the Royal Guard
He was the exact same shape as the old Igris, but instead of his crimson-red armor, he was wearing armor made completely of flowing smoky shadows accented by lines of emerald-green energy. No, it wasn't just his armor. He was made of shadows. And over in the corner laid his original body, still dead.
"Shadow Extraction…" Izuku mumbled breathlessly, realizing the true strength he had just been granted. "Wait…" He quickly worked his way through the System until he reached one of his Quirks.
[Soul List:]
Rasaka
Anok
51 Shriekers
15 Clicker Tortoises
Non-Elemental Drake
25 Flame Salamanders
Arcka
Mimicat
20 Crystal Canaries
[Shadow Extraction can be used on Soul List.]
Now it made sense to Izuku, why he had been given this Quirk, why it was so powerful.
[Please choose a command phrase for Shadow Extraction.]
"Command Phrase… Arise."
Wind whipped through the room as names disappeared from the Soul Collection List. Green energy and inky-black shadows filled the room as shapes coalesced. A giant serpent, a demonic presence, a grotesque feline, and more.
[Skill: Shadow Extraction]
Job Specific Active Skill
Mana Cost: Shadows consume Mana to reconstruct themselves when damaged, but no Mana is consumed to initially summon them.
Description: By using the command phrase on suitable targets, their Soul and Mana will be extracted and reformed into a loyal servant of the Player. Shadows can also be stored in the Player's Shadow or hidden in the Shadows of others when not in use.
[Shadow Limit: 30/30]
Checking his Soul List, Izuku could see that not all of the souls had been consumed, only the strongest, like Boss Villains, or the strongest of the typical Villains.
[Would you like to assign names to your Shadows?]
Izuku looked over his Shadows, all of them having generic species names, then looking to Igris, who already had his name. "The powers of the Shadow Monarch… Power… over death." The throne of Shadows, the darkness he'd felt time and time again. It all made sense. For so long, Izuku had been so close to death. So close that he could now call upon them.
Still being prompted by the System, he went through naming the special Shadows he had obtained, aside from Igris that was, who had already extracted and named himself apparently.
[Rasaka Lvl. 1 - Knight Grade]
[Anok Lvl. 1 - Elite Grade]
[Arcka Lvl. 1 - Knight Grade]
Most of them were just the names they had in life, but when Izuku got to the Mimicat and the Drake he was stumped for a moment. Izuku never had a cat before, and he tended to be bad at coming up with creative names, so he simply stood there for a while, staring off into the distance as the Shadows awaited his command.
He hadn't played many video games in his life, but there was one that had basically put him off playing them altogether, Dark Souls. And in that game, there was a cat.
"Alright, I guess you're Alvina."
[Alvina Lvl. 1 - Elite Grade]
The Mimicat purred at that, seemingly happy with the name it had been given.
And when it came to Draconic names, Izuku really didn't have much, so he decided to go with Draken.
[Draken Lvl. 1 - Elite Grade]
He also had 20 Shadow Crystal Canaries and 5 Shadow Flame Salamanders, both at Normal Grade. Together with the other 5 Shadows, they filled out all thirty slots.
"This grading system is weird." Izuku mumbled, carefully examining them. The standard Villains had Normal Grade, presumably the weakest. Then, basing it off their strength in increasing levels, it went Elite, Knight, and then Elite-Knight, which was Igris's ranking.
He found it strange that it didn't run on the human Ranking system, but then again, that was a subjective system made up by humans. Whatever this was, it was some sort of magical ranking decided by the actual System, which may have been more objective than humanity's rankings.
"Uhm… can you guys speak?"
Silence was the answer.
"Yeah I kinda figured…" Izuku suddenly felt quite awkward with all of the Shadows either staring or kneeling before him.
"It said it used your souls as a base for the Shadow Form. Does that mean you guys have free will?"
Igris, still kneeling, tilted his head to the side in a way that said, "Yes and no." He then put his hand to his chest, resting his fist against where his heart would be, before extending an open palm to Izuku. The message was clear. "Our souls are yours."
Izuku wasn't sure how to feel about that, but he had the sense that they were not obedient slaves. More like loyal compatriots.
He looked to Rasaka and Anok, the two which had the most reason to resent him. The two were close to each other, a given since they were mates in their old life.
"Do you not resent me?"
Rasaka's attention snapped from Anok to him. He slithered closer, his emerald-green eyes focused on Izuku before moving back to Anok and to Izuku again.
"A second chance…?"
Rasaka gave a small hiss before slithering away, confirming Izuku's suspicions. He still had a lot to sort through in his mind, but his stomach was rumbling and his body was exhausted. All of his physical injuries may have been healed, but there was still a lingering weariness in his bones.
"Okay let's see how this works. Uhm… can you guys hide in my shadow?"
In an instant, the Shadows dissolved into a liquid-like substance that snaked across the floor, coming to rest within Izuku's shadow. It was perfect. Except for the Shadow still kneeling in front of Izuku.
"Uh, Igris?"
The knight looked up at Izuku with pleading eyes.
"A seven-foot tall Shadow knight is a little conspicuous don't you think? I can't just walk around with you behind me." Igris lowered his head in disappointment, causing Izuku to scratch at the back of his head in thought. "Sorry, but you would just draw too much attention. Even if I claimed you were a Quirk or part of my Reawakening, it's just too much."
Igris nodded, holding his fist against his chest in a pledge of loyalty before slinking into Izuku's shadow like the rest.
"What's up with him? He already has a name and his Shadow was Extracted before I even assigned a command phrase. Like he did it on his own…"
Izuku had plenty of questions and very few answers, but he figured he wouldn't learn anything more by sticking around. Besides, he was starving and he had promised himself some ramen when he finished the Quest.
"As long as I wasn't unconscious for a whole day again, I should have plenty of time before meeting Nejire."
Izuku made a quick stop at home to change clothes before heading back out to get lunch. On the way, he realized he still had the item rewards from the Job Change Dungeon.
[You have received items: Crystal Helm, Crystal Leggings.]
[Item: Crystal Helm]
Item Class: A
Item Type: Helmet
Gem Slots: 0
+20 Sense
[Item: Crystal Leggings]
Item Class: A
Item Type: Leg Armor
Gem Slots: 0
+20 Agility
[Set Bonus 3 (5 Pieces): All Magic Based Attacks have their power increased by one Rank.]
"I'm really turning into a Mage aren't I? I guess that could be the System's intention. If I'm meant to be some sort of Necromancer, maybe I'm supposed to sit on the backlines and hurl magic…" It really wasn't Izuku's style, but then again, he now had a summon that was essentially an S-Rank, that being Igris, alongside many other high level summons.
Summoner-Type Heroes weren't exactly rare. Plenty of them existed amongst the top Hero Agencies, but very few of them had any substantial power to speak of. Summons were temporary, consumed a lot of Mana, and were generally outpaced by other Heroes with more standard roles, like Tanks and Mages. But in Igris's case, or even many of the other Shadows, they were essentially just Boss Villains given summon forms. They would decimate most standard Hero summons without breaking a sweat by Izuku's estimation.
If human rankings were to be believed, Igris himself could fight 10 A-Ranks at once and still have a good chance of coming out on top. The powers of the Shadow Monarch, quite frankly, were asinine in terms of its raw potential. All Izuku needed to do was keep collecting Shadows and he'd become an unstoppable one-man army.
There was a bit of a morality problem around the topic of bringing living beings, that Izuku himself killed, back to life. More than that, bringing those creatures into his own servitude. However, unless they were being forced to lie by the System, they actually seemed content, if not happy, to be taking Shadow form for Izuku's sake. It was something to mull over a bit more, but Izuku figured he had the time to discuss it with Yaoyorozu and get her thoughts before going any further with it.
"Finally, I'm starving!" Izuku nearly shouted as his favorite ramen place, a little hole-in-the-wall establishment, came into view.
"That's what happens when you spend your morning nearly bleeding out at the foot of some magical throne." He thought to himself, entering the crowded restaurant and ordering his usual.
Though the place was a bit hidden, it had quite the reputation for its excellent food and the old, experienced chef who made it, who also had a habit of being a bit of a grouch.
Izuku sat down with his bowl, picking up his chopsticks and getting ready to dig in when…
"OI! Old man! The usual!"
Izuku looked up in shock. Anyone who talked to the chef like that was liable to get beaten by a dozen different cooking utensils. The chef may have been old, but he was also an Awakened human and could thrash most people seven ways from sunday.
But instead, the chef flashed a cocky smirk and responded with, "Coming right up!"
Izuku's jaw dropped, and he turned to look at whoever had shouted in the first place.
The woman who shouted was a few inches shorter than Izuku, but her rabbit ears stood just a bit taller. With her white hair, and tan skin, not to mention her boisterous personality, just about anyone could instantly recognize the Pro-Hero, Miruko.
Izuku nearly squealed in excitement, narrowly restraining himself. Miruko was currently seventh on the Hero Popularity polls, and for good reason.
Not only was the Rabbit Hero an S-Rank who jumped between Raids, helping out wherever she could, but she was also drop dead gorgeous. She was the perfect combination of kick-ass and beautiful. Honestly, Izuku was surprised she wasn't higher on the Hero popularity rankings.
Normally, she wore a sleeveless leotard and leg armor that looked like it could crush a building, but today she was wearing a plain white t-shirt, blue jeans, and brown boots. It was alluring to many in a much different way from her tight fitting Hero outfit. Something about a casual woman could appeal just as much as one dressed in clothes that exposed her curves.
While some rushed to get her autograph, many others went back to their food. Apparently Miruko's boisterous presence in the restaurant was a common occurrence.
Izuku wanted nothing more than to join the autograph line, but his Sense Stat told him something about Miruko that the others in the ramen joint couldn't feel. She was pissed off by these people. She just wanted to eat, she just wanted some peace and quiet after doing her best to save lives. And she was even more annoyed that she had to put on a smiling front for them.
Izuku realized, a little too late, that he had been staring at the Hero. He went to focus back on his food, but before he could, Miruko met his gaze, holding it with an intensity that was impossible to look away from. The two were fixed like that for a moment, only freed when the chef called out Miruko's order.
Izuku shook his head and genuinely got back to his food, not wishing to upset the S-Rank any further. He was hungry enough to immerse himself in the exquisite taste of the chef's cooking, so much so that he almost didn't notice the chair opposite his being pulled back for someone to sit down. He didn't think much of it, it was crowded after all, and he was fine sharing a table.
"Uhhhhhhhh…"
Miruko's bright-red eyes burrowed into him.
"Why is she sitting at my table? No wait, why is she staring at me?"
"S-Sorry for staring earlier!" It was the only thing Izuku could imagine she was sitting down next to him for.
Her nose twitched and her ears flopped forwards. "You smell good."
"Eh?" Izuku may have changed his clothes from the blood-soaked tatters he wore when fighting Igris, but he hadn't showered or anything of the sort. By all accounts, his body odor was pretty nasty. Not to mention it was just a weird thing for Miruko to say regardless.
"What Rank are you?"
"Uh, I'm a Reawakened, I'm getting a new measurement tomorrow."
"You have Villain stench on you." She narrowed her eyes. "You don't know your Rank yet you went into a Dungeon." A smirk stretched across her face. "You're dangerous."
Izuku nervously laughed. "I assure you I'm not that reckless. I just don't know my exact Rank."
"That's not what I meant," She replied. "Your smell is different. Good, but different."
"I'm not sure I follow-"
"I can smell Mana. Every last Hero smells like a wet dog dipped in sewage to me. But not you… You're almost… appetizing to eat next to." Izuku didn't like the words, "appetizing" and "you" in the same sentence, especially with Miruko's almost feral eyes.
"What are you?"
Izuku scooped up his empty ramen bowl as he stood. "Right now? I'm a little weirded out. Please excuse me."
"W-Wait!"
He looked back, surprised to see that her expression had softened dramatically.
"Sorry. I uh… I'm a solo Hero," Her cheeks were noticeably red as she rubbed at her neck in embarrassment. "I don't get out all that much."
"Who would've thought she'd be the socially awkward type?"
"I didn't mean to be creepy, I was just interested in you, honestly."
"Usually it's the guy apologizing for being creepy. What a weird day…" Izuku gave her a good natured smile. "Because I smell good?"
She gave a hesitant nod. "It's an anomaly. That makes you interesting."
"I suppose that's fair," Izuku said. "But maybe for the future, open with some small talk." Miruko flashed a blatant smirk at that.
"See ya around Number 7." Izuku set down his bowl at the counter and walked out, certain that he would, in fact, see her again.