My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger - Chapter 255

Chapter 255: Chapter 255: Accept Your Pain
The mountains had many horrors—from the monstrous terrain to vile spirits and malevolent monsters. Most of these creatures adhered to the rules of the mountains, staying hidden in the day. However, there were exceptions.

Invisible to all but ever-present in the tree line, these vile monkeys were cruel and sinister, perfectly camouflaged within the dense canopy. They were sadistic, reveling in the torment of their prey, breaking them apart in both body and spirit. Now, it was clear why the warnings spoke of never looking into the tree line.

To whomever may come across my warnings, pray you never encounter these vile apes.

This was the passage recorded in the travel journal about the devil monkeys—one of the few Damon could read. That was why their group’s despair was warranted. Damon merely looked at the many devil monkeys with a tired expression. He was exhausted from running, from the fear, the dread, and most pathetic of all—the weakness.

He was too tired. He was so hungry…

He tightened his grip around his daggers, his friends pressing their backs against each other in a defensive circle.

“What do we do, Damon…?”

An androgynous voice whispered to him, but all he could think was—

‘So hungry… so angry… I just want to eat…’

His shadow stirred, an abyssal hunger seething within. The cold weight of his dagger rested in his palm as the devil monkeys surrounded them, their twisted grins illuminated by the last dying light of the sun.

Xander clenched his fists, gripping his spear tightly as he kept his eyes locked on the jeering horrors.

“They’re trying to trap us until the sun sets. We have to fight our way out…”

He glanced at Damon, whose expression remained eerily cold and dull under the effects of his shadow hunger and the merciless grip of his Remorseless skill.

Evangeline didn’t hesitate any longer. If they didn’t act now and the sun set, they would be trapped in this cursed forest forever. Raising her sword high, she unleashed a beam of light at the nearest devil monkey. It dodged effortlessly.

Then all hell broke loose.

The ghastly monkeys erupted from the trees, their shrill, mocking laughter echoing through the forest as the group retaliated with magic and steel. Sylvia drew her twin blades, abandoning her bow—there was no point in using arrows when the enemy was this close.

Xander charged forward, spear raised, aiming to impale one of the creatures. His strike passed right through as if he were stabbing thin air.

The monkeys jeered, raising their human-like hands.

“Ahhajam…ahahkkekeke!”

Then they attacked.

They swarmed Xander, claws sinking into his ribs, jagged teeth tearing into his shoulder. He shoved them back, blood seeping from his wounds, but he remained standing. The others weren’t faring as well. Sylvia was already injured, her arm broken.

Leona swore under her breath, lightning arcing from her fingertips. The bolts crackled and struck true—only to pass through the devil apes harmlessly. Not even Sylvia’s lunar magic had any effect. Only Evangeline’s radiant light seemed to harm them.

Matlock hovered above the chaos, surrounded by a storm of ice. He weaved through the air with an elegance akin to a snowflake drifting from the heavens, slicing at the creatures with an ice knife in hand. Yet, despite his skill, his strikes left no mark. They were too many. He was caught mid-air, dragged down into a mass of fangs and fur.

Damon wasn’t faring any better.

He was already on the ground, caked in his own blood as a devil monkey clawed at his face. He barely felt it anymore. His expression was cold, tired.

‘Is this it…? So I die here…’

The thought almost amused him. He had lived quite the life. The blood on his forehead stirred old, ghastly memories—the children in his village throwing rocks at him and his orphaned sister when they begged for food.

That village of traitors still thrived, even after what they did.

After everything his family had done for them…

The memories came in flashes, filling his dying will with something far darker than fear—hatred.

His enemies were out there. The traitors were out there, living their best lives while he suffered.

Pain? What pain hadn’t he endured?

Death? He had given up on life long ago.

If that was the case…

Then why not use Ashborn and burn it all down? If it killed him, so what?

His blood-soaked eyes met the devil monkey’s sinister grin. It was enjoying his torment.

Damon whispered a single word.

“Die.”

A black flame erupted from his body—deep as the void, searing with an immolating heat and a soul-chilling coldness. It rose like a living shadow, consuming the apes around him.

They didn’t even have time to scream before they crumbled into drifting ash.

Damon’s body convulsed. The agony was indescribable—tenfold the pain of being burned alive. His mind reeled, his nerves screamed. Yet, amidst it all, he smiled.

A deep, cold smile.

Then the prompts came.

[You have slain a Devil Monkey.]

[You have slain a Devil Monkey.]

[You have slain a Devil Monkey.]

….

[You have gained 10 Attribute Points.]

[You have gained 10 Attribute Points.]

[You have gained 10 Attribute Points.]

….

[You have acquired the skill: Omen of Dread]

[Mastery: Pain Resistance +9]

[Mastery: Pain Resistance +9]

[Mastery: Pain Resistance +9]

Damon stood, ignoring the flood of notifications. His body was shutting down, his mind spiraling from the sheer mental shock of burning alive. He knew this would kill him.

Even so…

He raised his hand.

“Die.”

His mana and shadow energy drained instantly. He activated Sacrifice, throwing 700 points into shadow to sustain Ashborn.

The black flames scattered like a vengeful storm, leaving behind a trail of smoldering destruction. The devil monkeys shrieked, their bodies turning to cinders, while the survivors fled into the trees.

Damon trembled. He wanted to scream in agony, but his voice refused to obey. His face twisted in a grimace, contorted by pain.

He lifted his hands once more, even as his friends watched in horror.

“Arhhggggg!”

The flames surged into the trees, burning with a darkness indistinguishable from shadows. They devoured everything—searing and freezing at once, leaving nothing but blackened ruins in their wake.

His body convulsed. His mind could not withstand the shock of enduring the sensation of burning alive—even though, physically, he suffered no wounds.

He would soon die from the shock, but so what as long as he delivered death. So what of he died. His body convulsed weakly as death came.

Then—

[Mastery: Pain Resistance +9]

[Mastery: Pain Resistance +9]

….

[Acquired Mastery: Pain Resistance Lv.1]

The overwhelming, mind-breaking agony dulled. He slowly straightened, dark eyes hollow—something within him had burned away with those flames.

He gazed at the ashen remains of the forest.

Then, without a word, he turned and walked away.

His friends watched him go, but it was as if he wasn’t entirely there anymore.