Super in the Shadows

The best quests are challenging, mysterious, and have endless possibilities. This one is no exception. ENJOY!

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“WOOSH!”

As Jack entered the portal, the world rippled.

Then he felt it. Fast yet still. Limited yet boundless. It was as if he was a lone sock in a washing machine, yet a proud flag waving in the wind simultaneously.

It felt…. Strange.

Even more strange as the world turned milky white. White portal. White surroundings. Even the air was white, something even the strongest flash-bang wouldn’t have managed.

And then it all came to an abrupt end, the world spinning.

[Ding! Congratulations on entering a Portal!]

[New Title: Newbie ‘Verse Explorer!]

[White Portal! 1/1 Slots Filled!]

….

As the ERROR he was so used to didn’t come, he couldn’t help but choke; the world was finally acknowledging his existence. But then he refocused; a white portal was still a portal!

Yet as he inspected his surroundings, he couldn't help but curse.

“What the hell is this shit?!”

Utterly white background. Black and gray clouds as if they had just been drawn by a bored god. Then there was the air itself, it seemed to have disappeared and— wait a minute?!

He wasn’t breathing.

Jack wasn’t breathing at all.

And as soon as he realized it…

Collapse. He fell on his knees, his brain sending him millions of warnings. Air. He Needed air! Lots of it! He needed it right now! He was already turning purple, his body shaking.

‘Is this how I die? That’s so goddamn dumb!’

‘White portals are nice, my ass!’

‘Even an S-Ranker would—’

“….?!?”

Wait, that wasn’t right! Portals were always fair! As he was on the brink of death, it wasn’t his life that flashed before his eyes but portals. White < Green < Blue < Yellow < Orange…

NEVER would a white portal lead to a world so unforgiving! And yet there was no air. He could already feel his consciousness slipping, despair, and confusion washing over him.

‘That’s impossible, and yet?! Something’s wrong! Cartoon-like clouds? No air? A white world? It’s this world that’s messed up!’

….

Wait, what if?! He simply stopped trying...

Breathing? Who needed air anyway? Not him! He forced himself to calm down, and that’s when it happened. His shaking stopped. His blurry vision became clear again. He was fine?!

[Ding! Discovered a Plane Rule: Limited Physicality!]

[No Air! No Water! Only Mana & Suffering!]

[Enjoy Your Stay in the White Plane!]

…

“Enjoy your stay?!”

Only Mana & Suffering?! How NOT to reassure someone! And what was up with that limited physically thingy? Could he double-jump and crush mountains? Apparently not.

His physical abilities were as usual, except he wasn’t breathing? Mana in the air seemed to sustain his existence. Strange, but there was something even stranger.

“What’s the mission? There should have been one!”

“Voice of the world. Any update on that front?”

“Pretty please! Can you tell me?”

Every portal world was different, but they all had one thing in common. One couldn’t return to their home plane before accomplishing a certain mission.

It was the same for everyone…

— Lilia was doing a mission

— Charon was doing a mission

— Maybe even that Gelatinous Cube?!

…

But one truth remained. Any being that went through a portal would have a mission assigned to them or a choice of one, and that AS SOON as they entered.

Yet here he was, twirling his thumbs as he…

[Ding! New Mission! SURVIVE!]

Survive?! This was a bad sign! It had appeared AFTER he had dealt with the no-air thing, so this meant he'd soon face another challenge, one that would be even more life-threatening this time!

Sadly, before he could collect himself, he heard them...

“AWWWWWOOOOO!”

“AWWWWWOOOOO!”

“AWWWWWOOOOO!”

….

It came from deep within the world and quickly grew stronger. Mighty howls shook the inexistent air, the clouds leaving in a panic. And enemies were EVERYWHERE!

Wolves, or something worse. Whatever was coming was coming fast, and there were lots of them. 10, 20, 30 even?! The reversal was so quick that he barely got time to think.

He stood his ground, grabbing his weapons.

Voltstrike baton in his left hand and the scary Razorpoint spear in his right. Both should have been too cumbersome for him, yet they both felt lighter a second later.

[Strength of a Thousand Men Activating!]

[STR++, AGIL ++, FOCUS +++]

Power coursed through his entire body as he used the techniques the Instructor had taught him. His muscles quaked and erupted with energy, ready to face the incoming challenge.

Except he wasn't sure if even that would be enough...

“AWWWWWOOOOO!”

“AWWWWWOOOOO!”

“AWWWWWOOOOO!”

Wolves! Shitload of wolves! No, shadow wolves?!!!

Something was wrong with the creatures that appeared on the horizon. They looked like wolves made of shadows or ink, but some ran on two legs, and their faces were strange.

They were all mutated as if drawn by children, yet their sharp fangs and claws looked absolutely terrifying! They were akin to living nightmares that couldn't wait to devour him.

Oh, and they were already salivating. Seeing this, he did his best to appear as intimidating as possible. Those weren't like bears; if he played dead, they'd happily tear him to pieces!

“Goddammit! Survive? Fine! Bring it on, beasts! I'll slay you all!”

As they encircled him, he roared with all the might he could muster. All the pent-up anger he had accumulated from suffering and being called worthless all his life was being released!

“You want to eat me?! Hehehe, perfect! Let’s see who devours who!” As dozens of wolves prepared to attack, he actually rushed at the one in the lead. Fear? He’d show none, but maybe he should have.

After all, the creature was MASSIVE!

And it got even more massive as it rose on its hind legs. Six meters tall?! But its explosive physique full of shadowy muscles was even worse. Then without waiting, it clawed at him.

This was no claw. This was DEATH!

A single swipe would take his head. A single swipe would end him. A single swipe and there would be no more Jack. But no way in hell he’d stand still for it. He rolled right under it!

The 'him' from before would have been defeated, but not the current him.

‘Too slow. Half as fast as those goddamn red balls!’ He inwardly cursed but was already counter-attacking. He swung the Razorpoint spear like a madman, and it went in… STAB!

The creature howled and bled LOTS!

Then, it hurriedly took a step back, examining its damaged chest.

Amidst the shadowy fur, a deep hole was now bleeding black blood all over. Nice, a fatal blow! Now, he just needed to press the attack and show them how scary he was!

He had to traumatize them before they knew they had the advantage and— No, no, no fucking way! The fatal injury? It wasn’t fatal, at all. The wound was already closing by itself, soon to be healed!

[Ding! Live by the ink, die by the Ink Activating!]

[Incompatible Weapon. Damage Nullified!]

[Better Luck Next Time! ^_^v]

….

Live by the ink? Die by the ink? He wasn’t sure what it meant, but he rushed in again. ‘Can’t let it recuperate. Once more!’ As he closed the distance, the creature attacked again.

It extended a powerful arm… SWIPE!

Just like before, Jack dove to avoid it. But this time, there was a difference. Instead of being stunned, the creature swept at the human’s legs with its powerful hind claws too!

He’d lose his footing, and then DEATH!

But even such a lightning-quick attack, he was ready for!

“Tch— compared to the Rainbow Road, you’re nothing!” Jack couldn’t help but sneer at the pathetic attempt. He jumped to the side, the creature’s attack missing entirely.

But then, an instant later, he was back within reach, just in time to drive his Volstrike straight into the enemy’s balls! The poor thing howled in distress and fear as it—

No, HELL NO! It howled and screamed in pain, but it was fine. Jack could see it from its gaze. Shock appeared, then a scheming light. In an instant the creature had devised the perfect plan.

1. Howl in fear and fake a mortal injury

2. Wait for the human to let his guard down

3. Strike with the vengefulness of a thousand wolves

….

But its plan was cut short by Jack’s senses. Liar, bloody fucking liar. It had the same look as the Training Instructor telling him the Night Raids would be a one-time thing.

“Shitty wolf. You even suck at lying!”

That’s when Jack got ready to strike for the last time.

Cold, hard steel hadn’t worked. Mana from the Voltstrike hadn’t either. That’s pretty much all he could do since he was Quirkless. Yet, there was one last thing he wanted to try.

“Live by the Ink, die by the ink? Hope that’s right. I'm betting my life here!”

His first strike had made the creature bleed ink-like blood, right? He struck, but this time, he didn’t target the creature. He aimed for the blood splattered all over.

He scooped it as one would butter.

He covered the spear tip entirely.

He struck with all he had left.

The creature’s eyes widened, and it unleashed its most powerful strike so far. Jack focused on his assault, twisting his body to minimize the damage, but even then, the claws hit him!

RIP! His skin was gouged open, blood falling as if a waterfall!

It burned! But he still went all out with that one spear!

He dropped the Volstrike and with two hands he…

STAB! A black tip met a shadowy body, and the ensuing penetration was DEEP! The weapon went from one side of the wolf to the other, way more ink gushing out!

It was a fucking mess. It splashed on his face. It splashed all over his clothes. It especially splashed over his arms, which were holding the spear. But instead of dodging, Jack embraced it.

“Die by ink, indeed! Guess your time’s up!”

He extended an ink-covered hand and then… GRASP!

His fingers clenched on something warm, something full of Mana, something that was rhythmically resonating along the creature’s existence.

He brought it out. A heart, the creature’s heart.

As the beast saw it, it panicked. Its Mana Core?! That was bad! This was supposed to be inside it?! It freaked out, not knowing that Jack was the one feeling the pressure.

‘They’re shocked speechless, but not for long. Gotta be quick!’

He knew. Whatever move he wanted to make, it had to be now! Any second and the creatures would come back to their senses, maul his soft flesh, then wreck him to pieces.

‘Gotta appear calm and collected, Jack.’ He normally would have taken a deep, slow breath, but even that was impossible now, so he settled on turning a nervous laugh into a dark one.

“Hehehe, how fun! I wonder, should I crush this?"

“Wooooo?!?” (Please don’t!)

Somehow he understood the creature. The pleading puppy eyes it did was a universal language. Then, it raised a paw, signaling its brethren to stand down.

Ah?! So it was smart! It understood its more than resilient life was in his hands.

And that’s when the System chimed in again…

[Congratulations! Survived Ink Wolf Attack!]

[Ding! New Mission: SURVIVE!]

[Try Your Best! ^_^v]

…

There was something wrong with the System here. What was up with the ironic cheering? Besides, it had already chimed more in a few minutes than it had in the previous year! Also, another survival mission?!

He held a breath he didn’t have. What would come next? Shadow ogres? Shadow dragons? Or perhaps it would be even worse? No, actually not. It was even more wolves, countless!

The white earth shook, and more clouds shivered in fear…

“AWWWWWOOOOO! AWWWWWOOOOO! AWWWWWOOOOO! AWWWWWOOOOO! AWWWWWOOOOO! AWWWWWOOOOO! AWWWWWOOOOO! AWWWWWOOOOO!”

Wolves, way too many wolves!

There were so many new ones appearing that the white horizon turned utterly black. This wasn't a challenge anymore; this was an assured death sentence!

Fighting that one Alpha Wolf had taken everything he had, the burning claw mark on his chest the painful proof. Knowing fighting was impossible, he turned to his would-be victim….

“Bring me to your leader. They’ll want to meet me!”

“Awoooooo?” (What?! S-Sure…)

The creature hesitated, but Jack’s charisma won it over in the end— or perhaps it was its ink-bleeding heart in his hand. Either way, it powerfully led the way.

And as it did, the wolf pack left some space for him to follow. They now looked as behaved as huskies, but he knew this was merely a temporary state. Any wrong move and he'd be a goner.

‘Yep. Just like that. Just gotta keep walking. Just a fun walk in a weird white realm with a bunch of scary nightmarish Ink Wolves that can only be hurt by their own blood!’

Yep, totally normal!

He reassured himself, but his nerves were about to be tested once more.

It didn’t take long for the scary procession to turn even scarier. Ink Wolves appeared by the hundreds, creating a tidal wave around him, their white glowing eyes observing his every move.

He felt like a sacrificial virgin being led up the volcano! If only he knew what kind of being they wanted to sacrifice him to! No, he had to keep appearances and look confident!

To deal with the stress, his eyes wandered to his surroundings. Everything seemed incredibly white empty, which only made the occasional ink-colored buildings that much more noticeable.

— A small inn-looking thatched house

— A supermarket-looking building

— A fishing-shop looking hut

— An ancient blockbuster?!

…

This plane was weird.

Its ruler was bound to be even stranger and stronger. What would it be? A giant wolf? Or maybe something ink-related? An ink elemental, perhaps?! He felt so much apprehension.

Whatever awaited him, he’d have to deal with it. After all, even now, a hopeful girl was awaiting his return. He’d be damned if Lilly ever got his Dead Man emails!

Thus, he braced himself to face anything— or tried, not knowing the madness he was about to become part of...

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Their destination was utterly ghastly.

The hundreds of wolves “escorting” him? There were even more of them where they were heading. Wherever his eyes landed, it was squirming Ink Wolves.

They were in a perfect circle and kept rotating as if ants surrounding a cube of sugar. From a distance, they almost looked like locusts, the scarier kind.

And before he could calm his beating heart the creatures pushed him forward, their growl tainted with threatening undertones.

“I’m going. I’m going. No need to push.”

He was forced into the wolf sea. Fur, ink, and his blood. He felt as if he was six feet under, all light disappearing, replaced by shadows. It was BAD, yet he forced himself forward.

Every step was laborious, not because the wolves were hindering him, but simply because the creatures stacked over him, seemingly curious about the new offering to their god.

And just as he thought he couldn’t take it anymore...

He erupted to a clearing made of wolves.

Yes, made of wolves. The floor was wolves, the sky was wolves, and the surroundings were wolves too. Yet, there was LOTS of empty space in the middle.

It was all reserved for one being…

A throne of shadows. A being of shadow. A shadow ruler. As soon as Jack saw it, he couldn’t help but gasp in awe, fear— and something else, too. How could a ruler be so tiny?!

The creature had the proportions of a halfling, with the curiosity and friendliness of one, too. Its bright, glowing white eyes landed on him, lingering on the heart in his hand.

It suddenly opened a cute maw with tentacles inside to speak?!

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“̷̧̛͍̘̬͇͂̔̈́̀̓̀͑̾̏̑̂̉̌̀̓͂͝͠ͅH̴̢̢̧̨͍̞̜̰̥̜̥͈̳̣̞̝̫̼̤̯̯̝̭͖̫̪͎̺̼̠͚̱͈͕̟͐́́͜ͅͅę̴̡̢̧̧̧͍̼̜̝̦̮̜̤͎̦̼̣̙̠̤͍̬̟͍̩̻̹͉̖̭̝̲͔͕̤̙̘̥̝̻̳̰̥̫͙͍̳̟̤͕̱̻̩̘͈̲̣͎̖͉͍̐͊̾͂̉̄̔̅͒̎̃̎̃̽̆̓͋̈̓͛͆̀̔͌̿̀̂̓͛́͘͜͜͝͠͝͝ͅl̸̡̢͈͖̙̞̦̣͖͕̯̝̰̯̩̫͓̠̗̺̺̫̙̭̲̤͕̱̭̳͚͕͚͖̪̩̝̭̜̙̤̜̟̼͚͈̼̻͔̯̱͙̗̦̪͚̪͔̝̀̾͑̄̄͆̂́̐̚͝ͅļ̵̧̨̛̛͇̯͍̝̞͔̘̜̹̜̼̭̮̠̤͈͙̘̰͎͇̮̫͎͚͚̺͎̫̱̺̐̐͒̑͛͛͌̃̍͛̃́͒̈́́́͊̍͗̒̈́̈́͒̿̀̽̎́̒̇͛̽͒̌̔̐́̾̊̌̄̄͋̿̑̉͌̐̾̕̚̕̕͠͝͝͠͝͝o̶̧̧̢̡̠̱̗̳̖̙͎̝͓̻̖̦̼͉̞̜͈͚̤̻̪̥̭͈̫̞̰͎̙̠͚͇̺͎̩̮͍̗̗͔̬̭͍̳̝͈̜̥̙̜̘̱͓̓̾̑̊̃͐̿̎̈͐̆͂̂̏̀̾̓̍́͋͑̾̓̈́͐̄͐̓̂́̈́̈́́͊̇̍̽͗͐́̀̊̈̾̔̔̅͆̏̚̚͘͘͝͠͝͝ͅ,̶̡̧̧̨͚͇͔̞̪̩̠͉̝̘̰̻̙͇̤͈͈̭̱̦͇͖̪̠̬͇̙͍̩͙͚͎̠̝̭͔̝̠̱̠̞̫͉͚̞̻͕̟̞̟̙͚͕̠͎̪̙̜̲̰͇̦̮̱̗̬̰̖̼̩̰̀̔̀̔͑̀͌̓̇̂̃̆̑̎̀̑͑̃̏͑̅͆͘͜͠ͅͅ ̶̢̡̡̨̰̖̞͓̙͙̰̣͚̩̠͉͙͎̫̬̦̘͈͔̞̜̳̗̗̯͎̣̭̖̭̮̜͍̥̞͍̬̩͚̟̗̬̼̥̯̬̜̻̞̭̰̃̈̈̆͗͆̑̑͛̍̑̾͛̐͒́͂́̓̊̾͛̋̆́̉̌͒̀̆̿̀̋̐̃͋̋̾́̄͌̽̀̎̄̐̂̐̽͗̀̌̄̔̒̐͘̕͝͠͠͝ͅḩ̴̨̨̧̛̰̰̭̣͍͈͍͍̜̥͍̜̩͚͈̳̟̦̼͈̤̭͍̦̝̠̹̯͙͍͕̺͎̤̭̤̬̲̽̓̄̇͂̆̈́̈́̈́̋́͆͐̄̑̀̇́͂̍̈́̾̃̽̂̆̾̎̓͗͑̈͐̂͗͊͗̌͛̀̂̊̒̊͒͛̈͛̓̌͋́̌́̑̆̒̎͊̽̍̂͗͂̃̈́̂͛̎̋̚̚͘̕̕͜͜͝͝ͅu̴̡̢̨̯̯͚̰̤͔͉̞̝̞̦̲̘̮͍͈̻̖̱̻̫̦͙̩̝̜̙̹̣̲̻̟̞̙̩̻̯̱̗̦͖̰̦̖̘̫̜̻̙͈̙̬̯͔̩̺̣͓̰̼̜̗͓̒͋͑̄̆̂͂̄͌̂̏́͗̓̌̓̎̾̉̑͑͜͜͠͠ͅm̶̡̡̡̧̞̞̯̪̙̗̣̩̰̙͈̝̰͚͊͑́̅̄̀́̍̈́̎̓̌̾͌͌͋̄̌̊̈́́̕͘̚͝à̸̢̢̛̹͇͕̰̣̘̲̹̩̻̝̥̙̠̯̥̣̞̲̤͍̫̮̟͙̲̫̘̞͇͚̊͐͒͊̑̈̉̽̑̄͛́̂͂̍̓̓̒̄͌͑̎͋̔̽̈́̓̀̔̓̌͘̚̚̚͝͠ǹ̸̨̛͖͇̝͎͈̰̼̣͚̲̬̙̻̼̈́̐̊̈̅̍̍̊͗͌̋̏͗̓͊͌̒̐̔͆̓̐̄͗̎͋̌̔̐͆̾͗̂̀̽͑̇̾̔̃̽̎̇̀͋̈́̋̊͊̐͋́̒̓̔̿̐̆̚͘̚̚͜͜͠.̵̛͈̼̣̹͎̺̫̹͋̑̊͆̂̒͋̐̈̅̇́̎̽̀̏̅̏̄͂͂̈́̇́͐̐͆̈̊́̾́̏̔̽͋̑͑̈́̅̆̏̌̆̓́̔͋͗̏̽͌̈́͐̇̓͌̏̽̒̋͂̑̔̚̚͘͝͝͠͠ ̷̡̨̡̡̧̨̛͚̞͓̞̥̰͖̲͙̖̘͔̹͈̖͙̻͕̟̲̯̗͙͉͎̝͓͎͔͜ͅḀ̸̛̥̞̙̥̭̯̗̖̒̍͂͗̓̓́͋̋͒̆͂̄́̇̉͌̾͌̂͗̿̉̌̑̈́̅͊̑́͆͂̀̐́͂͋̄̅̒́̊̅̂̑̈̈̅̎̂͐́͊̍͊̍͆͆̕̕̕͘̕͝͝͠͝͝ŗ̷̨̨̧̧̥͚͍̹̯̫̫̲͕̤͚͈͚͍͎̲̗̩͕̺̳̹͖̗̫͎̩̤̻͈͈̮̩͈̯͎̾̒͋͒͗̇̆͆̋͊̉́͋̔̽͊̃̔͋͛̚̚͜͜͜͝͠͠ͅͅȩ̶̡̧̡̢̧͍̝͓̳̻̳̱͇̗̱̮̜̪̠͍̲͙̫̼̪͚͖͚̪͉̦̤̗̞̫̜͍̩̥̩͓̖̤̯͍̯̠̗̤̲̳̜̫͍̘̰͈̭̱͇̘̜̥͉̯̱̯̙̝̝̠̞̱̖͛̈́͛̒͂̋́̏̉̎̈̌̀͗̑̐̾̾̚͘̕̚͜͜͜ͅͅ ̸̡̡̡̛̺͍͓̦̥̤̙̺̯̺̮̣̣͇̖̭̫̫̱͙̠̬͔̫͚͙̯̭̞͕̬͚̥̙̱̹̳͙̣̾́̀͒̍̊̄̀̀̄̄̀̅͐̂̽͗̀̓́̃́̆̐͆̑̏͂̾̓͊͊͆̋̄̂́͗̓͐̎̀̌̂̚͘̕̚̚͜͝͝͠͝͝͝ỵ̷̡̧̛̛̖̖̻̱̝̻͙̞̳̳͈̜̲̻̬̪̦͚̞͙̠̋́̉̋̈́̓̃̑̈͒̎̍̑̀̽̉̅̆̇̓͑̈̇̈́͛̌̇͗̾̿͆̔̌̽͊͒͗̋͗̄̂͒̽̚͘͘̚̕̕͝͝͠͝͝͠o̸̧̢̺͈̞͖͔̻͕̯͉̭̻̣̼̺̥̘̝̱̦͕͕̝̲̹͈͔̺̳̣̪̪͕̥̘̪̪̬͍̻͇̖̥͕̘̝̻̟̯͉̳͖̮̦̭͗̆̐͊̅͊̈̀͑̍̆̋̏͊́̌̑͛̓̚̕̚͜͠͝ͅų̴̡̧̬͖̻̗͖͚̯̟͉̹̻̞̺̼͙̖̻͚͉͉̈́̅̀̾̈́̊̓̆͛̑̂̐͗̊͌͒̊̓̐̄͒͗́͑̎̔̑̎̇̎͌̚̚̚̚͝͠͠ ̶̢̨̧̡̧̨̛̛̛̠̘̣̘̮̮̙͈̺̖̬̤̙͇̱̤̳̖̜̝̜̮̭͈̰͉̼̬̤̤̋̍͊͒̍̈́̈́̀͗̃̈̑̉̽̽̂̈́̂̒̒̋̾̽͗̔̓̏͂̅̈̅̑͌̅̈́̃̅̽̿̆̾̅͑̀͗͗̏̓̊̑͒̈́͐́̕̕̚̚͘͜͜͝͝͝͝͝͝ţ̷̢̢̡̛̼̰̳͚̤̖̮͓̘͈̜̤̗̝̠̞̗̼̲̪̹̤̬͙̟̣̲͉͎̠͓͎̪̯̘̠̩̱̺̼̯̞͇͙̠̲͙͓̝̫̮̖͚̠̥͔̖̲͔̖͔̯̥̻̺̲̬͙̺̙̟̰̼̣͗͒̀́̏͗̄͑̐̅̾̆̈́͑͛̿͛͒̄̔͆͆̈̔̊̓̓̈́̈͛̓̍̏͑͘̚͘͘͜͜͜͝͝͝h̵͍̼̭͕̼͔̼̱͇̼͎̖̰̙̭̝̻̮͚̀̿͛́̿̉̏̃̌e̴̡̡̛̘̝͓͎̜̪͎̥̗͙̟̜̩̞̲͑͒̈́̓̑̊͛̓͛̀͛̽͛͐͐̓̀͌̎̓̑̓̒̅̀̎̆͑̈̿̎͐̈̈́͂̌̒̏̂̍̾̇̓̂̓̈́̽̓̐̏̊̇̑̀̀̕͝͝͠ͅ ̷͎̥̱͈͍̣͍̬̪̿̈́̍͂͂̈̃̇͆̓̔͌̀̈̀͆͐͐̍͑̿͒̒̆̈̋̕͘͝͝o̶̡̨̢͚͚̲̗͔̙̬̰̲͔̥̼̤̠͍̖͎̩̮̺̝̯̙̗͎͈̱̖̟̬̰̙̝̗̰͎͉͕͔͕̖̭̣̘̫͊́͐̋̀̋͗͑͘͜͝͝͝ͅͅǹ̸̡̢̧̨̧̨̧̳̭̥̻̫̟͓̥͕̭̳̘̬̖̮̼̦͙̬̲̣̬̖̗͍̰̤͇̟̳̹̞̹̖͎̱̭͓͖̳͕͔̥̪̌̑̈͑͆͋͋͛̌̓̔͑͂́̂̃͐́͂̾̌̕͝͝ͅͅè̷̡̧̢͈̭̘͙̱͔͓̪̳̗͖̺̗̝͕͖͈̹̗̭͙͓̻͚͙̺̦͓̣̫̗̣̤̫̹͖̜̺̳̣̬̺͕͕͖̝͔̆̋̄̅̎̄̎̍̓̐̋̈́͌͑͒̌̅͌́͊́́̃̅̑̃͘̚͘͜͝͠͝ͅ ̷̢͔͓̫̠̌̏̒͠I̵̧̻͉͍̺̻͕̝͕̙̼̠̝̫̤̻̼̮͍̤̝̯̫̬̣̋̾̔̋́̍̍̋̓̆̏̓͋̃͝’̶̨̡̛̭̞͈͙̭̯̻͕͚̰̪̳̮̪̰̣̜̹͖̪̟̹͈̯̤̼͕̱̘̜̣̒̀̐̐̾̐̈́̂̓̆̌̐͆̍͂͗̀̏̀̈́͛̔̌̇̓̍̆̏̏́̐̔̓͌͆̕͘͘̚͜͠͝͝͝v̴̧̡̧̛̛̛͙̙̲̦̰͈̤̦͉̥͔̞̘̻̭̦̲̱̼͚̖͉̪̩̘͍͖̲̼̝̩͕̗̭͕̦̪͔̙̐̉̽̏͗̀͊̈̋̉̈́̓͑̋͑̐͐̊̂̏̍̀͌̎͆̀͌̀̒̉̿͛́̂̔̌͊̓̀̈́̈́͊͗͂̃̄́̎̕͘̚͜͝͠͠͠ͅę̸̢̡̧̮͖̜̦͖̟͓̪̝̠̺̯͎̬̥̻̤͉̆͗̊͆͆ ̴̩̤̼̉̊̂̐̆̊͌͌̿͋̀͛͗͆̂̑̕͜͠s̶̡̡̢̨̡̧̡̢̨̧̨̧͎̭͓̪͓͓̝̼̪̫̞̼̮̯̻̘̣̙̺̯̣̜̜̱̜̻̭̤͇͖͉͎̲̤̹͔̺͉̤̺̙̘͍̪̱̣̰̲̤̝͙̻̲̤̳̹̗̼̬̭͑̑̌̅̈̈́̀̍̐͗͗̃͆̓̌͊̌̀̃̐͑͌̅̽̈̓̀̑̓̆͌̒̇̔͘̚͜͠͠͠͝ͅͅͅư̵̼m̴̧̧̡̧̝̠̙͈̺̣̝̜̞̗̟̠̭̙̜̝͙̠͓͚̤͙͇̯̠̟͕̺̫̞̲͒̇̀̀̔͜͜m̵̢̧̨̨̢̧̢̨̳̞̩̰̮̭̞̳̣͇̲͈̞͎͔̞̜̗͓̰͓̺̻̲̝͖̪̯̖̠͓̻̠͈̬͓̺͉̩͈̲͇̥̜͈̮̼͎̝̬̞͍̍̐̀͘͠ͅo̴̢̧̨̨̢̨̨̢̧̡̢̝̝̼͖̪̥̮̭̜̣͓̮̹̣̞̠̳͈͚̱̜͎̲͉͙̩̪̟̟̙̠͙̩̙͇̤̬̣̞̭̘̬̻̤̟͓̜̲̣͎̼̯̗͍̗͉̣̠̭͈̻͐̓̿͊͌͌͑̑̓̀̽̌̈́̈̓͝ͅͅn̷̡̨̨̢̢̧̛̥͓͖͈̦͓͚̝͙̝̺̼̜̰͈̤̹̱͎̠̯͓͙͖̬̪͙̻͚͇͕͔̟̪̯̝̬̤̘̠̱̗̯͇̱̬̠̣̹͍͇̘͍̖̬̦̋͘ͅë̴̥͕̥́̀͆̐̔̓̋̅̾̍́͊̉̽̄̋̉̇̈́̔̇̄͒̑̄̈́̂͑̑̉̈͌̈́̀͐̐̍̃̏̾̐͛̈́̈́̿̓͐͒́͛͗̔̈́̑̌̾̊̀͂̀̊̍́̒̆̎̑͘̕̚̕͘͘͝͝͝d̵̡̧̢̛̛̛̛͎̟̟̲͙̗͈̝̳̫͍̬̲͎̩͙̳̞͔͕̖̞͕̪͖̪̺͖̮̠͓̪̣̯̠͕̳́́̉̿͛͛͌͐̈́̑̊̃͂͗͊̈́̀͛͌̊̀͆̎̑̊̎͆͐̓̾̾̀̂͛͂̅̚̚̕̚̚͝͠͝͝͝ͅ?̶̢̡̢̨̨̡͔̮̩̦̱̙̠̙̞̘͎͍͕͚̩̰͍͔̰͓͈̖̠̫̺̪̬̥̤̼̱̯͖͍̰̥͚̙̣̰͓͚̼̱̙̮̻̻̮̫̫̬̠̑̈́̆̊̈́̓̓̎͂̕̕͜͝͝”̴̢̡̢̨̡̡̨͎̪̖̣͍̻͍̱̺̼̼̦͍͓̭͙̺̻̭͍̠̥͚̮̖͙̫͉̮̙͉̲̲̠̗̙͓̩̩̝̩̩̗̻̺̍̓̏͛̉̾̈̿̽́̾̚̚ͅͅͅ ̶̡̨̢̨̛͚͎͚̗̹̻̤̜͓͔̯̭͓̯͇̲͎̫̺̥̫͕̾͌͆̿̾̑̉̅̌̑̋̏̊̈͐͗̊̈̍̓̊̀̓̇̏̂̀̾̎͋̂̈́̌̿͑͆̈́͆̎͊͐̀̉̓̇̂͆̏̄́̓̀̒̕̕̕̕͘͠͝͠͠͝͝͝͠ͅͅ

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‘Come again?! What language was this?!’

Crap! He himself only knew English and French, the first for communicating and the second for surrendering. He could try drawing Mana Runes, but he only knew a few.

But just as he was thinking of drawing on the ground…

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“̷̡̨̡̱͚̬̖͖̤̥͍̮̬͈̺͇̯̤̽̓͒́̒͐̕H̴̡̫̫̰͖̟̼͔̠̣̤͙̜̟̩͆̇̋̾͗̕͠ͅe̸͕̣͖̬͈̓́͂̏̓̂͌̉͆̈́͆ĺ̵͓̲̘͎̞̗̤͖͋ͅļ̷̟̳͈̰̳͓̤̙̺̠̻̘̟̳̱̳̺͎̺̒͑̌̋̑͆̏͒͑͊͝ó̵̝̝̣̈́̒,̸̨̢̳͈̺̯͕̥̦͚̯̭͎̬̔̊̄̒͊̀͒̍͒́͘ ̵̢͇͙̄̏͑̓̎̒̈́͒̈́̒͌̕͝h̸̨̨̨̭̞̖̪͎͙͎͈̤͑̊̓̌̽͑̿͑̈́͋͛͋̌̈͜͝͝ų̷̲͕̣̲̭̯͓̜͈̯̟͈̔́̓͗̆͜͝ͅm̶̧̼͚̞̮̤̝̰͇͕̖͉͕̮̝̞̙̈́͗̽̉͜͝a̸̤͙̳̞̱̎̄͐̽̾͛͊̇̂̅̎̌̾͛̑̓͠ņ̶̡̛̛̝̠̓̓̽̊̍͛̀̓͗͌̐̌͐̿͘͝͠͝ͅ.̴̡̡̜̩̮̳̣̬̻̼͔̼̜̘̰̮̠̊͐͑͋̓̋̌̾̊̾̓͊̈́̕͘͜͝͝ͅ ̷̤̜̈́̕Ą̷̨̨̢̦̭̜̠͕̝̥̘̞̰͎̪̖͂́̒r̸̪̗̖͎̹̩̉̀̈́̓̋̈̓̈̒͌̓̏͊͑̈́̎̚e̷̢̺͓͒̊̾͗ ̴͍͎̙͊̾̽͐̆̏̔͑͠ỷ̷̡̡͙̜͖̙̱͍͚̤̰̟̩͈̖̦͓̖̲̈̊̇͑̊̀̚͠ͅǒ̴̰̖̪̮́̌͋̄̐̕͠u̸̢͔̗̼͍͕̦̬͚͔̼̲̬͇̼̖̹̟̾̔́̈̓̓̈́̀͂͒͝ ̴͉̣̔̍̄̓͐͒̅̂̽̂͜͠ͅt̵̨̛̛̩͙̝̫͔͇͕͓͖̬̩͇̣̤̤͆͊̍̀̒̎͗̓̀͌̒̆̆̆͘̚͜͜͠ͅh̴͙̘̲͓̯̦̗̞̖̰̲͋͐̔͗̋̓̓͝e̷̛̛̪̥̗̲̬̠͉͇̮̱̣̠̓̊͌͗̉̒̒̐͗̎́̒̀͜ͅͅ ̶̩̼͍̩̭͉͈̬̮̪̩̗̼͚̉̀̿̈́̀̍̓̏̍̓̓̍͑͂̈́͜͝ó̶̡̙̗̰̰̥͓̹̥͗̾̂̂̿̕ņ̴̲͎͉͔̪̥̙̬̺̻̘̯̠͕͔͓̙͓̇̈́̀͊̀̽͊͑̈́̉͊̔͜͝͝ȩ̴͕̝͚͈̌̉̊̈̀́̔̇̌͌̓͌́͜ ̷̭̭̖̺͚̝͓̻̞̼̺͚̮͉̬̼͙͗̒̈̿͘͝I̶̘̹͕̣̋͊͋͋̈́̿̀̊̿̇̈́͋̒̈́̊͊͘’̸̮͎̲̖̦̳͕͊̍̏͑̉͂͂̈́̌̈́̏̆͐̓̕͝v̴̨̢̧̧̱̦̤̘̜̪͈̜̙̖̖̗́͂͋̒͌͝ͅė̵̡̧͙͎̰̱̝͈͗̒̾̽̂̀̊͒̍̒̈̾̕͝ ̷̧̛͓͈̜̙̱̤̳̥̝̘̬͉̬ͅͅṡ̴̨̞̹̠̪͉̺̰̟͈͚͍͈̪̮̙̤́̉̊̽̽̇̆̽̈́̒̏̓͊̎̚ư̴̪̱̭̘̘͖̫͉̩͍͙͓̙̜̦͆̊̈́̆̾̇̑̎̈́̑̅̄̋͘͝͝͠ͅm̶̫̘̲̝͖͔̺̠͓͔͇͔̊̒̂̈́͛̑̏͗̆̊̄̀̕͜͠m̶̡̼͈̗̟̜̩̰̖̠͙̻̓̆̈́̓̔̎̐̃͜͝ơ̸̡̡̛̗͈̳̹͕̪̥̫̤̮̈́̌͒͛͛̊͑̇̈́̍͆̿n̴̙͇͓̮̪͔̯̜͎͇͎̩̜̫̫̻̠̦͛͂͂̀̍̊͂̽̌̆͌͝ẹ̶̤͖̤͍̼̤͙̱͚̬͍̮͇̈̀̂̄̓̋͂͂͌͜ḑ̴̟̥̹̼͖͔͇͔̙̠͉͗͐́̾̓̄̀͊̌̆̒͊́͐͋̐͘?̵̨̹͎̪̥̳̖̺̬̗͔͖̺̭̋̈̿͗́̓̅͒̆̈́̈͆̀͝͝”̶̧̛̫͈̫͙͓̟̥͙̱̖̮̞̅͐̈͌̂̀͘̚͜͜͠͠ ̵͇̟͙̻̩̭̎̽͐̂͗̌̍͆͑̈͒̔̀͐̃͝͝

“̸̙̠̻͑̏̂H̶̛͎̰̟̩͒͝ͅe̶̳̳̓̕l̶͎̒̀̊l̸̜͓̥̣͖̋̉̑o̸͇͌̔̚,̶̤̞͂͠ ̸̘̮̇͠ͅh̶̤̤̊͗ų̶̢̲̯͗̏͒̊m̴̥̲͖̃a̷̼͚̩̅̂̒n̴͊̎͠ͅ.̷̧̧̪̒̀̌̄̆͜ͅ ̸̦̜̗̳͋͂̂À̸̟̘̣̳r̵̢̛̬̪̲̦̈́é̷͉͕̻͂ ̷̧̟̯̬̈͆̿͝y̸̭̮͝o̸̳͐̈́̈̚ů̴͎̟̰͍̰͌̓͊̕ ̸̧̢̤͈̃̅͌̅͗ṯ̶̘̺͌̂h̶̯̣̝̎̔͂e̷̫͍͆̓́̀ ̵̻̦̺͚͐̃͝o̵̩͕̟̱͚͛͛n̶̹̘̋̈́̀e̶̢̻̲̭̫̿̓̕͝ ̶̢̥̮͖̗́̀̿͐͠I̴̼̮̬͗͘’̵̟͑v̶͎̥͆ẽ̷̼̈ ̵̟̦͖̇̉̎̊̚s̶͍̭̻̜͗̒͋͊͘ü̶͓͚̥͛͝ḿ̷̩̟͊̉̓͝m̵̧͍̬͕̍̈͂͜͝ơ̵̡̮̫͕̭͆̀͛n̵̪̓̈̽͋̏e̶͚̞͈͎̘͐͋̍͝͝ḋ̸̨̮̠͓͈͌̕?̶͈̤̖̠̠̂̑́͋”̴͙̎ ̵̫̲͆͐͐̎

.

The creature repeated, moving its mouth to mimic the sounds as one would with a child. ‘Human, are you the one I’ve summoned?’ it asked. Hearing this, Jack didn’t hesitate.

“YES! Totally! Jack Bright, one a million!”

He didn’t lie, either. He REALLY was one in a million, just not the good kind. Hearing this, the creature gave a small nod and a soft chuckle as it spoke in a “human” voice.

“Giving your name so easily, human? Aren’t you a bold one?”

“Bold? I’m merely truthful, is all.”

Name? First mistake.

Jack inwardly laughed, knowing he’d be underestimated. Human names held no meaning whatsoever. They weren’t like those magical races whose name was imbued with Mana!

But that didn’t matter right now. Sensing how straightforward he was, the alien pointed at the heart in his grasp. “Human, I think Brutus will need its heart back if you don’t mind…”

Brutus, was it? Second mistake.

That’s when he understood he had real leverage. After all, one does not name a foot soldier. He could dictate the terms as long as he held unto that heart!

The smart play was to keep it and keep it close. The mission was to survive, so he’d be fine as long as he stalled long enough! After all, who knew if the creature would be grateful?

Still, there was one thing he had to know first before he could make any decision.

“Sure, I’ll give it back. But why did you summon me?”

As he nervously asked, fidgeting with the heart in his hands, the creature paused. It considered its words carefully, especially as it noticed his hands going crazy.

“Summon? I will be heading to battle soon, human. I need someone to cheer me on. No direct fighting whatsoever, but it WILL require quick thinking and a loud voice.”

That was it?! That sounded way too damn easy! Did that mean he could just stand on the sidelines, wait for everything to be over, collect his portal payment, and go home?!

If he was lucky, he could even awaken himself a quirk in the process?! It sounded too good to be true— and it was.

The curiosity in the creature’s eyes? As it talked about the challenge to come, it was still there, albeit clouded by darkness. But as soon as it mentioned HIS role, it disappeared.

There was no curiosity. There was no expectation. There was only gloominess and a sense of fatality that chilled him to his bones. In the creature’s mind, his fate was sealed.

Why was it so convinced he would die? Because it would kill him.

Expressive eyes? Third mistake.

As Brutus came over, begging for its heart back with puppy eyes, Jack didn’t hesitate and… actually threw it over?! The wolf’s body happily fused with it, but that’s when IT began.

The shadow king on the throne started twisting. The friendly-looking face it had shown turned into a mix of demonic and sorrowful, especially as it looked at him.

“Human, you should have kept it….”

“What now? Will you kill me?”

“What…?!!”

The way Jack answered that was way too calm and way too quick. There was no surprise, no strong emotion either, as if he had seen it coming from a mile away.

And it was that calmness that made the creature freeze. It was used to humans being greedy or power-hungry, but never had it met one like this! Jack chimed in again with a grin.

“Why don’t you tell me why, little shadow?”

"Little shadow?! Human, are you out—"

"Out of my mind? We'll know soon."

At this moment, Jack's smile wasn't just confident, it was borderline teasing. There was a reason he had been playing with the heart so long, and it wasn't out of stress either!

He stood before the being without fear, simply awaiting its answer.

"Human... are you sure?! Fine, I'll show you!"

[Accept Memories? Y/N]

As the voice of the world chimed, Jack knew he’d never get a better chance than this. This thing would give him way more information than any conversation ever could!

“Alright, show me, little shadow. Let me watch. Then, once we’re done, I, too, will have something to share with you— a surprise, if you will. ACCEPT!”

As soon as the Y button darkened, the special effects happened. Out of the creature‘s maw came LOTS and LOTS of blood-like ink! It flew at him and engulfed him entirely.

It filled his lungs.

It filled his existence.

It filled his entire vision.

The world turned to ink, and then everything got wiped, leaving only a white room with nothing in it—no, not nothing. There was a tiny shadow in it, clasping a grimoire.

“Mother, please come back. I swear I’ll be good. Just please come back!”

The tiny shadow cradled the grimoire as if a loved one.

It knew that its mother was gone and gone for good. It had heard her last words after all. ‘Hide here, little shadow. You’ll be safe here. Mother will come back as soon as she can.’

Except that had been ages ago. Days passed, then weeks, even years. But no matter what happened, the room remained as white and lonely as ever.

It got so lonely that the shadow found itself wishing to disappear. It felt like exploding its shadow heart just so it would never feel this loneliness again. Yet it couldn’t.

“Your little Shadow’s still here! Still here…”

She had told it to wait for her so it would, even if she was gone.

But even then, the loneliness was just unbearable. From time to time, it still had flashes of another world, of a world that wasn’t boring white. It still remembered it… a bit.

Yet, all it had from it was this picture book— actually a grimoire. It used to belong to her, and so it loved it so damn much, even if it couldn’t understand the words.

Still, that didn’t stop it from looking at the pictures.

Pictures of various spells and dark rituals.

One picture of a grinning warlock, too.

If only it could understand it! It wanted to be closer to her, no matter what it took. Yet, it also knew that trying anything in there was VERY dangerous!

Thus, it stared at it but made sure not to try anything foolish. And every time things felt bad, it repeated once more to an empty white void…

“Your little shadow’s still here!”

But then it got too much to bear. It got too lonely, too depressing, and it somehow forced itself to learn the language. It was pure guesswork; 80% of the words were still gibberish, but it tried.

Actually, it deciphered one spell…

[Learn Shadow Summon Spell? Y/N?]

[Congratulations on Awakening a Quirk!]

[Strongest in your Realm! New Title Realm Guardian]

That was the day everything changed. The grimoire suddenly burst into shadow specks, went inside it, and then gave it a newfound power, one that screamed to be let out.

S-Tier Skill: Let Me Summon You!

It did let it out! The first being it summoned was a cute rabbit. It appeared in the world and exploded in a gory ink mess. That was the last time it summoned in a while.

But as time passed, the bad memory died down, and the loneliness came back, so it retried. Various creatures were summoned, but none lasted more than a day… until a certain wolf.

“Awoooo!”

“You’re still alive?!”

The creature tilted its head in confusion. Why wouldn’t it be? Ah, was it supposed to play dead? Giving an exaggerated death howl, it collapsed, only to open a curious eye.

Was its creator happy? Had it done well? Was it a good wolf? And as it saw the ginormous smile on the shadow’s face, its tail wagged with happiness.

“You. I’ll call you Brutus! The mightiest Ink Wolf! From now on, you're my best friend!”

After that, there were many, even legions, all wolves. For some reason, the other creatures never lasted long, possibly because it had been a wolf on the spell’s illustration.

Still, that didn’t matter to it. The tiny shadow kept summoning wolves, and then it summoned shadow clouds and shadow grass to make them happy.

It would have kept doing it, too, if not for the portals that—

[ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!]

[ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!]

[ERROR! ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!]

….

The vision glitched, red warning appearing all over the universe, yet the shadow creature didn’t seem to notice. Jack was the only one to see it: an issue with the vision itself.

‘Tch— Guess I’m not qualified to see what comes next? Shitty System…’

He cursed yet soon refocused as the scene before him restarted. Except this time, the shadow wasn’t as tiny anymore. If before it looked like a kid, it was now a tiny adult.

It had grown, and it could now summon other things.

[Confirm Summoning? Random World!]

[Summoning from the Blue Planet!]

[Congratulations! Success!]

….

As a human appeared, Jack felt his eyes about to pop out. Wait, did this mean this guy had opened the White Portal on Earth?! Yes, but it didn’t seem to be his power either?!

He tried looking into it, but every time, all that awaited him was a string of ERRORs and more time skips, so he simply kept watching as the shadow kept summoning.

Humans kept showing up, confused at first but soon eased into the weird universe by the shadow. In fact, they were quite lucky. It gave the BEST missions ever…

“Tell me about more your world!”

“Teach tricks to my wolves!”

“Draw me a sheep!”

Every summon was pretty much cookies and rainbows. Thanks to the humans, the world grew. More buildings were added, more regions too, and it soon got very lively.

All until the bad portals appeared…

Bad portals spewed monsters, lots of them, and killed so many wolves!

Soon, the shadow stood before yet another magic circle, except this time it wasn’t playing anymore. “Let this be a strong one, please! I need the best warrior!”

Some came. Most turned it down. Even the ones that did stay quickly gave up. “White portal, my ass!” They’d cry out before giving up the mission entirely.

After all, the mission was to SURVIVE.

They could watch as its world crumbled. It wasn’t their fight. Many would even cheer for the enemies once they realized the wolves dropped Shadow Cores. Those meant money.

Greedy, power-hungry assholes! That was the day the shadow lost all hope in humanity, and sadly, humans were the only sentient creatures besides wolves it could summon.

The shadow was at a loss. It wanted to protect its people. It wanted to protect this place. After all, SHE needed a place to come back to. For that reason, it HAD to fight!

Desperation brought it to use desperate methods, too.

“If they won’t fight, I’ll just force them….”

It did, a few times. Every human summoned would die. It forced them to fight even then, hoping for a miracle. There was none, countless wolves were lost, and all humans died.

It was a failing strategy, but it was the only one it had. So once more it had prayed: “Let it be a strong one. One that can save us both!” And it had received Jack instead.

A quirkless but hopeful kid entering the lowliest of portals...

A white portal shouldn’t have many deaths.

A white portal was easy cruising.

A white portal wasn’t this.

…

Jack came back to his senses, a shadow ruler before him. The latter still looked demonic and sorrowful, but it seemed he had misunderstood it a bit.

It did not want to kill anyone.

It wouldn’t hurt him directly, either.

It simply wanted to protect its friends and its land.

This shitty white plane was all it had, and it was ready to sacrifice it all to defend it, even itself. After all, the shadow in the visions would grow tinier with every summoning.

It was hard to notice, but it had been made more than obvious with all the time skips. With this, Jack found himself sighing.

“I don’t know how, but you can control quests to a degree, right?”

“Ah?! Human, you’re back?!”

The shadow jerked up in shock, stupefied. The human had seen that much?! Still, it quickly confirmed the quest part, nodding its shadowy head repeatedly. YES!

“Good, then it’s time to change the mission.”

Jack stated with a slight grin on his face. That’s when he made the craziest request, which had the shadow almost rippling out of existence in disbelief. Was this human for real?! Yes, yes he was.

[Ding! Mission Change Request!]

[Survive → Save this Plane!]

[Accept? Y/N?]

In this world, one thing remained true. Portals WERE fair, and so were the rewards they gave. Anyone else would have seen death, but he saw the greatest opportunity instead!

Now, he simply had a world to save….