Shadow Bow
Sunny summoned the [Silver Bell] and shook it for a while to call Nephis and Cassie over to the tree.
"And now, you damned tree, let's play a lumberjack's game," Sunny said as he summoned the Serpent, Enhanced it with two shadows, and shaped it into a long axe. The tree wouldn't die even if it was chopped for days… but Sunny was very special. The reason was simple—his Trait: [Death]. It was like poisoning a creature and making it believe it was going to die with no escape. If Sunny kept cutting for a day, the Soul Devouring Tree would be tainted by his Trait and die from even a small wound.
It was a cruel way to kill something, but Sunny would enjoy doing it to the Soul Devouring Tree. He grabbed the axe, raised it high, and struck. The leaves of the tree shuddered violently, and a thought tried to invade Sunny's mind.
"The tree is kind… the tree is good… You must protect the tree… the fruits are delicious…"
"Damn you, Soul Devourer! I am Herald of death… your Death!"
Annoyed by the tree's attempt to invade his mind, Sunny transformed his shadow into a shield, enhancing his resistance to mental and soul attacks. When he struck the second blow, wood splinters and sawdust flew, along with the tree's sap in a milky white hue.
Sunny struck again and again. Each time he hit, the tree's leaves dimmed a bit, and its branches trembled violently. But Sunny continued relentlessly, digging deep into the tree. The crimson color faded from the leaves, making it look like a sick old being, and its wood hardened. Beneath Sunny's feet, the milky sap pooled into a puddle.
By sunset, Nephis arrived at the tree, strangely not feeling any assault on her soul as Sunny had claimed.
"Nephis… why is Sunny taking so long at the tree? Wasn't he the one who suspected it was a Nightmare Creature?" Cassie asked with obvious concern.
"I don't know what he's doing, but… believe me when I say he might seem reckless, but he's extremely cautious. He never does anything without a plan."
Craack!
Craack!
The sound of splintering wood reached Nephis and Cassie. Nephis rushed forward with Cassie on her back toward the source of the sound, only to witness a bizarre scene.
Sunny was striking the massive tree with a meter-and-a-half-long axe. Beneath him was a thick pool of white sap mixed with pale leaves. What stunned her most was how Sunny had reduced the giant tree to such a state.
"Sunny, what are you doing?… How did you make the tree look like this?"
"Can't you see? I'm killing it, of course. This damned thing is the only Nightmare creature that's lasted this long with me without dying." As if triggered by his words, the spell announced:
[You have slain an Awakened Terror: Soul Devouring Tree]
[Your Shadow grows stronger]
[You have received a Memory: Veil of Thorns]
Sunny collapsed to the ground, exhausted, and gestured toward Cassie. "Water… ah, I'm so thirsty…"
Cassie stepped toward the sound and summoned the [Endless Spring], handing it to Sunny. He drank greedily. After resting a bit, he spoke to Nephis, who couldn't see him in the dark.
"Neph, do you know how to build a boat?"
"Yes, I learned how to make one… why?"
"Well, there's no path to the west except by boat. There's an abyss that might stretch for hundreds of kilometers. Our only chance to reach the Castle is by boat. I killed an Awakened Demon when I got here — it was guarding the tree. You can dismantle its corpse to build whatever frame you need. We've got all the time for that."
Cassie was astonished at how casually Sunny spoke about killing an Awakened Demon. She thought to herself, "Well, no point trying to make sense of Sunny. Logic doesn't apply to this man. I wouldn't be surprised if he claimed to have killed a Great creature the moment he arrived."
"Alright, Sunny. But when would be the best time to start building the boat?"
"Start tomorrow. No need to rush. This place is safe and spacious. We can rest here for a few days. Plus, I need time to sort myself and my equipment."
After talking and eating their meal—cooked with the tree's help to conceal the fire—Cassie went to sleep while Nephis and Sunny remained awake. Sunny was examining his runes with delight.
Name: Sunny
True Name: Herald of Death
Rank: Dreamer
Soul Core: Dormant
Class: Monster
Shadow Cores: [2/7]
Shadow Fragments: [824/2000]
Memories: [Silver Bell], [Heart of the Challenger], [Puppeteer Shroud], [Sage's Mantel], [Heavy Club], [Spark of Flame], [Green Quiver], [Coral Ring], [Star Legion Armour ], [dozens of other Awakened Memories]
Echoes: ><
Shadows: [Soul serpent, [Shell Demon]
Traits: [Fated], [Ember of Divinity], [Master of Shadows], [Death], [Blessed by the Shadow God], [Blood Weave]
Aspect: [Divine Shadow]
Innate Ability: [Embrace of Shadows]
Aspect Ability: [Shadow Control]
Aspect Legacy: [Dance of Shadow]
Legacy Mastery: [2/7]
Flaw: [Clear Conscience]
Sunny summoned [Heart of the Challenger] and gazed deep within it, discovering a single ember burning inside and unveiling its enchantments.
Memory: [Heart of the Challenger]
Rank: Awakened
Class: |
Type: Weapon
Enchantments: [Challenger], [Enduring]
[Challenger]
Description: Grows stronger when facing an enemy twice as powerful.
[Enduring]
Description: This bow is tougher than it appears and can withstand heavy blows.
"This bow is useless now… ugh. I have to make a new one."
[Spark of Flame]
Rank: Awakened
Class: IV
Type: Weapon
Enchantments: [Flame], [Explosive]
[Flame]
Description: Anything the arrow touches burns from the longing and joy it carries.
[Explosive]
Description: This arrow causes a powerful explosion with an area of effect upon impact.
"Sunny?… Why are you summoning your Memories and acting like you're studying them?"
"I am studying them… I can examine the enchantments of Memories."
"How?! Do you have a Trait like Cassie's?"
"You could say that… Neph, can you give me the Awakened Soul Shards you have?"
"Uh… sure, here." Nephis tried to hide her confusion and surprise. It seemed like Sunny was gaining something as they traveled. "Wait—why does he need Soul Shards?"
Sunny took some of the wood he had chopped from the Soul Devouring Tree and placed it in front of him. He wanted to begin crafting a new Memory, which would take a long time — likely sleepless nights. He summoned the Serpent from his soul sea and empowered it with two shadows, then started circulating soul essence with its help. The efficiency was very high, but weaving strong Memories like this would still take time — perhaps a day to several for an Awakened one, and much longer for Ascended.
He grabbed the needle and extended the little essence flowing inside him into it, then began weaving. What he wanted to make was a very strong bow. Heart of the Challenger was good, but not enough — especially if he used the Green Quiver to kill Fallen ones or attack hordes.
His goal was to craft an Awakened bow with at most three enchantments. He wanted area damage, the ability to summon arrows using either soul essence or shadow essence, and to add the [Challenger] enchantment if possible. Though [Challenger] fit close-range weapons more, it wasn't useless for bows — quite the opposite.
And so, Sunny began weaving — devoting most of his mind to designing the patterns and strings of Shadow essence around the material he chose. He decided to use simplified enchantments, since he couldn't craft complex ones as a sleeper— at least not until the Serpent ascended a few classes or became Ascended itself. The rest of his focus went into maintaining the flow of soul essence without interruption.
Sunny kept weaving for hours. Thanks to his experience, he didn't injure or lose a finger in some clumsy accident. When the sun rose, Nephis and Cassie awoke, surprised that Sunny hadn't disturbed them. But soon, they were shocked — they saw Sunny holding a needle and seemingly stitching air around a piece of wood. The wood was shaped like a bow, missing only its string. What was strange was that Sunny hadn't done anything else — just kept sewing the air around it. After a while, he took an Awakened Soul Shard and pressed it to the bow — it disappeared into it.
Nephis gasped, but didn't interrupt him. She went off to cook some meat and prepare for building the boat. Sunny, meanwhile, kept weaving without paying attention to anything else.
The first day passed, and then the next. Sunny didn't sleep at all. His eyes were bloodshot, hair messy — yet he focused solely on two things: the weave and circulating his shadow essence through the Serpent. Eventually, Sunny collapsed to the ground and fell asleep without even waiting for the spell's announcement.
[You have obtained a Memory: Shadow Bow]