Michael sat in his room for several minutes, thinking of the reality of his situation. The system interface showed at the edge of his vision, patiently waiting for his attention, but he disciplined himself to deal with important issues first. The device in his hand rang with Mia's response almost instantly.
"Michael, that's too much! You need the money for equipment and resources. I can manage with what I have."
He smiled at the screen, completely unsurprised by her response. Of course she would try to refuse. She has always been sacrificing for him since the day she met him.
**"It's done already,"** he typed back. **"Besides, I will always get this amount every month as long as I keep levelling up. The Federation provides equipment vouchers separately. Please, Mia. Just accept it. Let me take care of you for once."**
The typing indicator appeared, disappeared, and appeared again. Finally:
**"...Thank you. You have no idea what this means. I can finally fix the heating unit. Who knows I might even meet with a real doctor about my back pain. I'm really proud of you, Michael. So incredibly proud."**
Michael's eyes started to sting and blink rapidly. The original owner's emotions were flowing through again, together with his own growing attachment to this woman.
**"Get some rest,"** he typed back. **"I'll call you after orientation tomorrow. Love you."**
He put his device aside and focused his full attention to the system interface. With a thought, he expanded it to full view, reading every detail with the focus his mind excelled at.
---
**[SYSTEM INTERFACE]**
**Name:** Michael Norman
**Age:** 18
**Race:** Human
**Level:** 1 (0/100 EXP)
**Class:** Shadow Summoner (Rare Grade)
**Stats:**
STR: 1.2
AGI: 1.3
CON: 1.1
INT: 1.5
**Free AP:** 4
**Skills:**
- Shadow Summoning (Lv. 1) - Summon temporary shadow constructs. Current limit: 2 weak shadows for 10 minutes. Cost: 10 MP per shadow.
- Shadow Binding (Lv. 1) - Temporarily paralyze targets by binding their shadow. Duration and effectiveness scale with INT. Cost: 15 MP. Cooldown: 30 seconds.
- Contract Slots: 0/2 - Permanently turn shadows that are defeated as contracted summons.
**Talents:**
- [Infinite Shadow Extraction] (S-Tier) - Extract essence from defeated enemies' shadows or willing subjects. Extracted essence grants permanent stat increases, new abilities, skill enhancements, racial traits, or empowers contracted shadows. No upper limit. *Warning: Ability nature classified as [REDACTED]. Use discretion.*
**Mark of Origin:** Gift Type - [Shadow Dominion]
**Status:** Registered Esper - Federation Database #3090-SE-2026-147
**Current MP:** 50/50
**MP Regeneration:** 5 per minute (base)
---
Michael absorbed the information methodically, his programmer's mind from his previous life organizing the data into actionable categories. The system was remarkably game-like, which both helped and concerned him. It made understanding his capabilities easier, but it also suggested this world operated on rules that might be exploitable—or that might exploit him if he wasn't careful.
His Magic Points were low but regenerated quickly. At his current level, he could summon both his shadow limit and still have MP left over, though using Shadow Binding would drain him significantly. The skill cooldowns suggested combat would require tactical thinking rather than spamming abilities.
But it was the Infinite Shadow Extraction talent that truly fascinated and terrified him. S-Tier. The [REDACTED] warning. The implication that he could extract essence from *anything* with a shadow—not just monsters, but potentially other Awakeners, animals, even environmental shadows.
*This is broken,* Michael thought with a mixture of excitement and dread. *Absolutely, completely broken. If I can extract stats and abilities from every enemy I defeat, I could potentially grow infinitely stronger. But that warning... that suggests this power might be dangerous, forbidden, or both.*
A soft ring disrupted his thoughts. Michael looked at his desk terminal, which had switched on automatically, showing a welcome message:
**WELCOME TO SUPER CLASS, FIRST YEAR MICHAEL NORMAN**
**YOUR ESPERS ASSOCIATION CREDENTIALS HAVE BEEN DETECTED**
**PLEASE INSERT PLATFORM ACCESS CHIP TO COMPLETE REGISTRATION**
Right. The crystalline chip Administrator Chen had given him. Michael brought it out from his pocket and put it into the terminal's slot. The screen shook, data streams rolling too fast to read, and then resolved into a smooth interface unlike anything he has ever seen in the lower districts.
**ESPERS ASSOCIATION ONLINE PLATFORM**
**CLEARANCE LEVEL: REGISTERED AWAKENER (LEVEL 1-25)**
**RESTRICTED ACCESS GRANTED**
The interface was split into different sections:
**FORUMS** - Discussion boards for Awakeners
**MARKETPLACE** - Buy/sell equipment, resources, and services
**MISSION BOARD** - Available quests and contracts
**KNOWLEDGE BASE** - Educational resources and guides
**MEDIA LIBRARY** - Combat footage and training videos
**PERSONAL PROFILE** - Stats, achievements, and records
Michael's fingers shamed a little bit as he went to the Knowledge Base first. If he was going to survive and win in this world, he needed more information than anything else.
The database was shaky. Thousands of articles, guides, and research papers on every topic pertaining to Awakeners and the Gods Domain. Monster classifications organized by level and danger rating. Dungeon guides with detailed maps and boss strategies. Class development paths with recommended skill builds and equipment loadouts.
He searched for "Shadow Summoner" and was surprised to find dozens of entries despite the class's rarity. Most were academic analyses or historical records of famous Shadow Summoners throughout history. Michael opened the most comprehensive guide, titled "Shadow Summoner Development: A Practical Approach by Executor Marcus Vale, Level 234 Shadow Summoner (Retired)."
The introduction alone was eye-opening:
*"Shadow Summoners are probably the most misunderstood class in the Awakener spectrum. The common thoughts —fragile, weak, not suited for solo play, comes from misunderstandings about how the class scales and what role it's meant to fulfill.*
*Yes, Shadow Summoners have pathetic physical stats. Yes, we die easily in direct combat. Yes, the early levels are brutally difficult. But these weaknesses are intentional design features, not flaws.*
*A properly developed Shadow Summoner doesn't fight directly. We don't tank damage or engage in heroic duels. We are generals, not soldiers. We command armies of shadows that grow stronger with every enemy defeated, every shadow extracted, every contract sealed.*
*By Level 50, a skilled Shadow Summoner can summon a dozen shadows at intervals , each one on par with a mid-tier Awakener. By Level 100, the number either doubles or triples. By Level 200+, we become battlefield controllers capable of soloing dungeon raids that would require full parties for any other class.*
*The key is surviving long enough to reach that potential..."*
Michael devoured the guide hungrily, learning about shadow extraction mechanics (though notably, the guide made no mention of anything like his Infinite Shadow Extraction talent), optimal stat distribution (heavy INT focus with just enough CON to avoid one-shots), recommended equipment (focus on evasion and MP regeneration), and tactical approaches (always fight with summons between you and the enemy, always have escape routes planned).
Several hours passed without him knowing. He went from guide to guide, consuming knowledge like a sponge. He learned about the different grades of classes—how Rare grade like his provided significantly better stat scaling than Common or Uncommon, how Epic and Legendary classes existed but were phenomenally rare, how Unique classes were literally one-of-a-kind in the entire world.
He discovered that humans gained +0.2 to all stats per level from their racial bonus, plus +0.5 INT, plus 2 free Attribute Points. His Shadow Summoner class added another +0.1 STR, +0.3 AGI, +0.1 CON, +0.5 INT, and a whopping 4 free AP per level.
*So at Level 2, I'll have 2.4 STR, 2.9 AGI, 2.4 CON, and 3.5 INT, plus 8 free AP total,* Michael calculated mentally. *The INT scaling is insane—I'll gain a full point of Intelligence per level even before spending free points. By Level 50, my base INT could be over 75.*
And Intelligence wasn't just for show. According to the guides, INT is affected:
- Shadow summon strength and duration
- Shadow Binding effectiveness and duration
- MP pool size (10 MP per point of INT)
- MP regeneration rate
- Skill damage for INT-based abilities
- Resistance to mental effects and illusions
It was, essentially, his primary stat that everything else would scale from.
Michael went to the Marketplace afterwards, the strong desire to learn was getting the better of him. The interface showed thousands of listings in a well detailed category: Weapons, Armor, Consumables, Materials, Skill Books, Equipment Enhancements, and more.
He checked for equipment fitting for Level 1-10 Awakeners and nearly gasped for breath after seeing the prices.
**Basic Iron Dagger (Level 1-5):** 500 Ç
**Leather Armor Set (Level 1-10):** 2,000 Ç
**Minor Health Potion (x10):** 1,000 Ç
**Minor Mana Potion (x10):** 1,500 Ç
**Basic Storage Ring (+10 inventory slots):** 3,000 Ç
And these were the *cheap* options. Higher-quality equipment ran into tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of credits. Michael understood now why the Federation provided equipment vouchers—new Awakeners would be completely unable to afford even basic gear otherwise.
He had about 5,000 credit vouchers from his registration. Gazing at the prices, that would cover maybe a weapon, some armor, and a lot of potions. Not generous by any means, but enough to not die immediately upon entering the Gods Domain.
*I should plan my purchases carefully,* Michael thought, making mental notes. *Prioritize survival over damage. I need to live long enough to start building my shadow army.*
A message came up on his screen:
**NEW MESSAGE FROM: SUPER CLASS ADMINISTRATION**
Michael opened it to find a detailed schedule for tomorrow's orientation:
**0800 - Welcome Assembly (Mandatory)**
**0900 - Mark of Origin Tutorial**
**1000 - Basic Combat Training**
**1200 - Lunch**
**1300 - Cultivation Technique Introduction**
**1500 - Equipment Distribution**
**1700 - Free Study Period**
**1900 - Curfew**
So tomorrow would be packed. Michael glanced at the time—nearly midnight already. He'd been absorbed in research for over four hours without realizing.
*I should sleep,* he thought, but his attention drifted back to the Media Library. Just one more thing...
He looked for "Shadow Summoner combat footage" and clicked a video named "Emperor-Class Shadow Summoner vs. Dragon Lord (Level 287)."
The video loaded, showing a battlefield that looked like a nightmare. A dragon—the size of a building, roared and poured out a flow of molten flame across a landscape. And standing in the center of the whole thing was a human figure covered in living darkness.
The Shadow Summoner raised one hand, and the shadows responded immediately.
Michael watched in awe as hundreds—no, *thousands*—of shadow came from the ground. Shadow warriors, shadow beasts, shadow dragons that matched the real dragon in size. The army moved as one, a flood of living darkness that came at the Dragon Lord like a tsunami.
The battle went on for about three minutes. When it ended, the Dragon Lord was already dead, its corpse turning into loot drops, and the Shadow Summoner simply walked away without a scratch, his army of shadows going back into nothingness.
The video description read: *"This is what a peak Shadow Summoner gameplay feels like. Level 287, over 500 contracted shadows, INT stat exceeding 800. Notice how he never personally fought the dragon,his summons did everything while he stayed at a safe distance and tactical control."*
Michael replayed the video three more times, his heart beating with joy and determination.
*That,* he thought with so much confidence. *That's what I'm going to become. Not the weak, fragile summoner everyone dismisses. Not the pathetic Level 1 who can barely create two shadows.*
*I'm going to become a walking menace.*
He then forced himself away from the terminal and crashed on his bed, a real bed with comfortable sheets and a pillow that didn't give a bad smell. The kind of luxury he'd never experienced in the lower districts.
As sleep claimed him, Michael's last conscious thought was of the system's Infinite Shadow Extraction talent, of the [REDACTED] warning, of possibilities that extended far beyond what even that Level 287 Emperor had achieved.
*I have advantages they never had,* he thought. *I just need to survive longer in order to use them.*
*I just need to become strong to protect Mia, to protect myself, to make this second chance mean something.*
Tomorrow, his real training will begin.
Tomorrow, he would take his first real steps toward becoming the Shadow Summoner everyone would learn to fear.