SSSSS-Rank: Negative Leveling

The shadow wolf stood completely still, its red eyes fixed on Luthra.

It did not make a sound.

'Shit. An E-Rank monster. And a shadow type, what a pain. Physical attacks are probably not going to be very effective.'

He remained on his knees for a moment, his mind racing. His only weapon was a badly damaged industrial chain. His opponent was made of literal shadow. This was a completely ridiculous situation.

'Hey, System. Any bright ideas for this one? Because I am coming up with nothing.'

[Analyzing current predicament… Calculating probability of survival against E-Rank Shadow-Type entity with compromised equipment and no established Path…]

'Just spit it out.'

[Probability of survival: 0.0001%.]

'Yep. I'm dead.'

The fox let out a sound that was like a laugh.

"What is the matter, human? Are you frozen with fear? You are not a very entertaining pet if all you do is kneel there."

Luthra slowly got to his feet, unwrapping some of the chain from his arm.

'well, plan A is to hit it very hard and hope it works.'

The shadow wolf finally moved. It just dissolved, its entire three-dimensional body collapsing into a flat, two-dimensional shadow that shot across the ground toward him. It was incredibly fast.

He reacted instantly. He did not swing the chain like a whip, instead, he held it with both hands and slammed the entire length of it flat against the ground right in front of the approaching shadow.

The impact sent a tremor through the dirt and kicked up a cloud of dust. It was an attempt to disrupt the ground the shadow was traveling on.

For a moment, it seemed to work. The flat shadow flickered and distorted. But then, with a sharp ripping sound, a section of the chain near the end snapped, the metal giving way completely. A three-foot length of it flew off into the trees.

'Damn it! My chain!'

The shadow flowed right over the broken weapon, undeterred, and reformed into its wolf shape right at his feet. It lunged upward and sank its teeth into his left leg.

The pain was strange, nothing like he ever felt. It was not like a normal bite, it felt like his life force was being drained away through the wound.

"Ah, shit!"

He kicked out with his other foot, smashing it into the side of the wolf's head, but his foot just passed through the shadow with minimal resistance. The wolf's fangs just sank deeper into his leg.

He was now in a very bad position. The monster was attached to him, draining his energy, and his main weapon was broken and ineffective.

'Plan A was a complete failure. Time for plan B, which I don't have.'

He looked at the wolf chewing on his leg, then at the bored-looking fox who was watching the whole thing like it was a show.

'The system said I need to face inescapable death to forge a Path. This feels pretty inescapable. So where is my magical power-up?'

[No conditions for Path-forging have been met.]

'Useless.'

He needed to do something, anything. His mind flashed back to what the fox said. Your soul… it smells a little bit like the empty space between the stars. His power was negative, a void. The wolf was made of shadows, a similar type of energy.

An incredible idea formed in his head.

'The system said my Core Absorption skill converts positive mana into negative potential. But what happens if I try to absorb something that's alive?'

He reached down and grabbed the shadow wolf's head with his bare hands. It felt like grabbing a handful of cold, thick smoke.

The system immediately went crazy in his head.

[WARNING! UNCONVENTIONAL USE OF SKILL [CORE ABSORPTION] DETECTED!] 

[TARGET IS NOT A MANA CORE. TARGET IS A LIVING ENTITY.] 

[THIS ACTION IS NOT RECOMMENDED. CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IS THE MOST LIKELY OUTCOME.]

'Yeah yeah, I get it. It's a bad idea.'

The white fox, which had been grooming its paw, suddenly stopped. It looked at him with genuine interest.

"Oh? What is this trick?"

He ignored them both and focused. He activated the skill.

"Absorb."

Instead of particles of light flowing into his hand, the opposite happened. The solid black of the wolf's head began to flow like liquid, moving up his arms, not into his skin, but onto it. The cold, energy-draining sensation intensified, spreading from his leg to his entire body. His status screen flickered in front of his eyes, glitching wildly.

[LEVEL: -2… ERROR… LEVEL: -4… ERROR… LEVEL: 0… ERROR…]

He felt his consciousness start to fade.

'Ah... is this death I am feeling?'

The system's messages flashed in a rapid, frantic sequence inside his head.

[CRITICAL ERROR! HOST'S LIFE SIGNS ARE PLUMMETING!] 

[VITALITY AT 12%… 9%… 6%...] 

[RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE CESSATION OF HOSTILE SKILL USAGE! ABORT! ABORT!]

'Ah, look at this thing. It's really worried about me. That's kind of funny.' It was the first time something had cared so much if he lived or died.

"Hey, calm down. It's fine, I'm not going to die from something like this."

[QUERY: HOST'S STATEMENT CONTRADICTS BIOMETRIC DATA. PROBABILITY OF SURVIVAL REMAINS AT 0.0001%.]

'This system is too rigid. It can't understand things that are not in its data.'

The shadow wolf was still attached to his leg, its form flickering as it was being absorbed. Luthra's entire body was now coated in a thin layer of the cold, black energy, and he could feel his consciousness being pulled away into a cold nothingness.

'Alright, this is enough. I get the idea now. Let's just push it out.'

He focused his will, not on his whole body, but on the single point where the wolf's teeth were sunk into his leg. Instead of trying to expel all the energy he had absorbed, he did the opposite. He pulled more of it, yanking the very essence of the shadow wolf through the wound and into his own leg.

The shadow wolf let out a silent scream as its form was pulled apart and sucked into his body like spaghetti through a straw. The pain in his leg became incredibly intense, like it was being packed with frozen needles.

The white fox could not help but question what it was seeing, "What is this? You are not rejecting the energy, you are pulling it in? Are you trying to commit suicide?"

Luthra did not answer. He just focused on his leg, which was now glowing with a black, light-devouring energy.

'Okay, now.'

With a grunt, he stomped his glowing leg down onto the ground. The moment his foot hit the dirt, all the concentrated shadow energy he had absorbed erupted outwards in the shape of a blooming black lotus flower made of razor-sharp spikes. The spikes shot out in every direction, slicing through the air and shredding the ground around him, leaving deep gouges in the earth.

The backlash was painful, and he could still feel a cold residue of the energy left deep within his leg, but the main threat was gone.

A new set of messages appeared, their tone completely different from before.

[...Recalculating survival probability.] 

[An impossible feat has been achieved.] 

[Hidden Objective: [Consume the Inedible] has been completed.] 

[Reward: 100 Negative Points (NP) have been awarded.]

'Oh? So doing something suicidal and succeeding is how you get points. This system is messed up.'

The fox was laughing, its entire body shaking with amusement. "Hahaha! How amusing! To think a human could forcefully absorb a shadow beast and then turn its power into an attack! You are truly an interesting toy!"

The fox then looked at the tattered remains of Luthra's trousers and the deep, blackish wound on his leg that refused to bleed.

"But now you are injured, and your only weapon is broken. What will you do now, my little pet?"

Luthra just looked at the fox. "I told you, I need to prove my value. So give me another test."

'Now I have 100 NP. I can buy the skill. I just need the materials.'

"Hoh? You still have the will to fight? Excellent!" The fox swished its tail. "Very well. For your next test…"

The fox gestured again with its paw, and this time ten shadow wolves materialized from the trees, their red eyes all locking onto Luthra at once.

[DANGER: Multiple E-Rank Shadow-Type Monsters detected.]

"Let's see how you handle this," the fox said, a cheerful tone in its voice.

'Tch. Ten of them.' He shook his head, turning around, 'nope, fuck this.' He used the remaining energy to boost himself and ran off.