My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

The waterfall was vast, with long streams of light creating rainbows in sweeping arcs. The forest behind and around it formed a serene and beautiful backdrop, as if painted by a lovesick artist who found beauty in every detail.

It could have been a scene of pure romance—if Damon hadn't been leaping straight over the fall, with lesser demons scouring the forest above in search of him.

Actually, not him, the lady with him, who had been the sole reason he was dragged into this.

Normally people got pulled into his shenanigans, not the other way around.

He pulled the unconscious woman tighter into his arms as the force of gravity dragged them both toward the barely visible cloud of foam below.

Wind roared loudly with the backdrop of water behind them.

Water droplets battered his face and clothes, soaking him even before they reached the bottom. The wind tore at his hair, and the roar of the falls swallowed all other sound.

Even if he screamed here, no one would hear him... not that it would help. He was alone here, and he would not want to be heard.

They free-fell until he partially entered the misty shroud, knowing he was close to the ground below. Raising his foot, he took a single step in mid-air, creating an invisible foothold that slowed their descent, almost as if he were walking on air.

It was the Air Walk skill.

Damon knew that hitting the water at full speed wouldn't kill them, but it would hurt—and he had no intention of dealing with unnecessary impact injuries if he could avoid it.

Though the possibility of injury from falling was negligible, it was better to be safe than sorry.

With their fall slowed, his mind wandered to the churning white beneath the veil of water. What was creating so much foam? If it was rock beneath them, it would still hurt on impact.

Damon hit the water faster than he expected and immediately sank lower. Sunlight couldn't reach this deep. The pounding of the falls above faded into a distant roar, echoing off what seemed like a hidden grotto—its rocky walls shaped into caves by centuries of water flow.

He didn't bother rushing to the surface. Drowning wasn't a concern for him. Thanks to his skill, Water Celebration, Damon could breathe underwater.

The same couldn't be said for the woman in his arms. Water rushing into her lungs must have been more than her body could bear, because her crimson eyes snapped open. She began to thrash, struggling against him.

Damon pushed her down, keeping her from breaking the surface. She was a higher rank than him, but injured—her frantic movements leaving trails of blood in the water. She kept reaching for something, but he wouldn't let her.

Just as he considered surfacing, a vast shadow moved through the water.

Damon instantly clamped down on her arms, halting her movements. She couldn't breathe, but any motion could draw the attention of whatever was out there. Raising a finger to his lips, he signaled for her to be quiet.

She must have sensed it too, though her air was running out. The choice was grim—stay still and risk suffocating, or move and get killed.

She struggled again, but Damon kept his grip firm. They were chained together; if she got herself eaten, he would follow her fate.

The real problem was her lack of air. Damon pushed her under the shelter of some rocks. She tried to do the opposite, but he gritted his teeth—he wasn't giving her a choice.

He could solve her oxygen problem. Pulling her closer, he looked directly into her eyes before pressing his mouth to hers, forcing air into her lungs.

Her eyes widened, and she sank with him, motionless now. Damon wasn't sure if her stillness was from surprise or helplessness.

He kept their lips locked, sustaining her. He had no fear of drowning; his skill provided an unlimited supply of oxygen. The exact mechanism was a mystery to him, but he didn't need to understand it.

He pinned her in place, his gaze locked on hers while his focus stayed on the darkness beyond. Slowly, he spread his shadow perception outward, searching for the source of the earlier movement. When he finally brushed against it, he froze.

A monster lurked with them in the depths—a massive, eel-like creature, its body as dark as the abyss. Serrated fangs glinted faintly, an obvious sign that it was no herbivore. Long, sensitive tendrils waved in the water, built to detect even the faintest motion.

Its aura marked it as a fifth-class advancement beast—a ruler of the deep.

The woman pulled away from his lips, her breath held, her face cold.

Damon gestured toward the darkness, dragging a thumb across his throat. She understood instantly.

The question was how to get out. At this depth, he couldn't even sense the shadows above. Extending his perception further risked alerting the creature.

She turned toward the rock beside her and began carving letters into it with her finger.

He glanced at the words she etched into the stone: Let's use the buoyancy to float out.

Damon's eyes flicked with realization. Right—if they stayed still and let the water carry them upward, the creature might mistake them for drifting debris. But that depended on whether she could hold her breath long enough.

He was about to offer her another breath when she pulled something from the ring on her finger—something he had completely overlooked.

A spatial ring. From it, she produced a small magic artifact, slipping it into her mouth. She glared at him as if she had something to say.

Only then did Damon realize the truth—his earlier "kiss of life" hadn't been necessary.

She had been struggling not from lack of air, but because she was trying to reach for her artifact, and he had been stopping her.

With the artifact in place, she let her body drift upward. Damon, still chained to her, rose with her into the dark water.