The System Reincarnator: From Zero to Shadow King

My heart hammered in my ears as I looked at my reflection in the fractured mirror.

This was not a dream.

It was not an illusion.

The Shadow System was real.

[Mission Active: Surviving the Night.]

[Optional goal: eliminate the threat.]

[Reward: Shadow Skill, Shadow Step.]

I clinched my fist.

I recall this night.

Ten years ago, the Red Fangs, a local gang, broke into the slums looking for "easy prey."

They killed, robbed, and vanished before the guards could notice.

Back then, I ran.

Tonight, I would hunt.

The stink of smoke and poor ale filled the air, and shadows flickered on the alley walls. I moved quietly, each step lighter than the last.

Two Red Fang goons stood against a shattered fence, smiling as they tallied their booty.

[Shadow Skill: Consumption - Available.]

I focused on the shadow beneath their feet. It pulsed.

My heart raced.

"Consume," I whispered.

The shadow rippled like liquid. Tendrils slithered upward and wrapped around the thug's ankle.

[Consumption Successful; +5 Strength.]

The shadow tightened like a vice, causing the man to gasp and choke. I sprang out of the darkness, seizing the second man by the throat.

[New skill unlocked: Shadow Grasp.]

His eyes widened with dread.

I felt a raw, electrifying power flow through my veins.

"W-Who… what are you?" The thug stammered.

I leaned in, my voice icy as death.

"Your worst nightmare."

By the time the sun rose… the Red Fangs would learn that the shadows were no longer their allies.And Zayn… was no longer a beggar.