Shadow Being System

William lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, a small smirk forming on his lips. His thoughts were entirely consumed by the rewards the system had gifted him. "Shadow Lord's system truly doesn't disappoint," he thought. He mentally commanded the system to open the quest tab.

The first quest caught his attention: "Stop Mr. Duke from blowing up the bus." Somehow, William had managed to accomplish that, even though it seemed impossible at the time. His reward was a level-up, bumping him to Level 2. All his base stats had increased by one, and the system had rewarded him with 50 store coins. "That's useful," William thought.

He figured the store coins would be essential for purchasing items or abilities from the system's store, though he hadn't explored it yet.

The second quest was simple: "Don't die from the enemy attack." William chuckled bitterly, remembering how he'd narrowly escaped death. Surviving an onslaught of more than 2000 enemies was no small feat. He received another level-up for this, pushing him to Level 3, but he couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. "A mere level-up for surviving that?" he thought, shaking his head.

Still, another 50 store coins came with it, bringing his total to 100.

But it was the "Additional quest" that intrigued William the most: "Kill enemies for more rewards." The system had been clear about this, and William had succeeded in killing a newborn-tier beast, albeit by sheer luck and his transformation into a shadow being. He clicked on the reward for the quest—an attribute labeled Child of Thunder.

His curiosity piqued, William mentally selected the attribute.

Attribute: Child of Thunder.

Description: When the malicious beast attacked a group of helpless children, a dashing hero stood up against the beast and vanquished it.

William's lips twisted into an amused grin. "A dashing hero? Me?" He couldn't help but laugh. The description was cheesy, but something about it appealed to him. Maybe it was the idea of being a hero, of standing against impossible odds.

Then he moved on to the attribute's abilities.

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Ability 1: Thunder Ward.

Description: Shields 10% of all lightning abilities aimed at the host. This is a passive ability. Note: Can be improved.

William's eyes widened. "10% immunity against lightning?" He would've fallen out of his bed if he were standing. Lightning was one of the most powerful abilities out there, and now he had partial immunity. The best part? It could be improved. Someday, he might even be immune to lightning entirely.

And since it was a passive ability, it didn't require him to use soul essence.

He suddenly had the urge to touch the nearest electric circuit, just to test it out. Shaking his head to dismiss the reckless idea, he continued reading.

The second ability was Thunderborn.

Ability 2: Thunderborn.

Description: The host's affinity to lightning increases by 10%. This allows the host to perform minor lightning-based attacks using soul essence. Note: This is an active skill.

William's heart pounded in excitement. "I can actually perform lightning attacks?" It was almost like he had gained a full lightning-based ability. The system had now provided him with two abilities—his 3rd Eye and now, lightning control. However, there was a catch. He didn't have a soul crystal yet, meaning he had no soul essence to activate his new powers.

The last ability was Thunder Affinity.

Ability 3: Thunder Affinity. Experience new tales on empire

Description: When using weapons with lightning effects, the durability and sharpness of the weapon increase by 10%.

William couldn't help but feel satisfied. Though he didn't currently own any weapons with lightning properties, it was nice to have an ability that could enhance them when he eventually acquired one. He was tempted to buy something, but the thought of his empty wallet made him frown. "No money means no weapons," he thought.

Feeling the weight of his current financial problems, William opened the system's store tab. As expected, the store was full of tempting items and skills, all of which were grayed out, indicating he didn't have enough coins to buy them. Except for one—Darkseer, a skill worth exactly 100 store coins. The price matched what William had, but he hesitated.

"Is it worth spending all my coins on this?" He deliberated for a moment, then made a decision. He wasn't sure when he'd earn more coins, so he decided to go for it.

"Do you want to purchase this skill?" The system prompt appeared. "Price: 100 coins. Yes or no?"

"Yes," William confirmed mentally.

The system chimed, and a new notification popped up: "Skill Darkseer purchased."

Skill Description: In the darkness, you find clarity. Active skill. Requires soul essence.

William's suspicion was correct—it was a night vision skill. "Great for sneaking around in the dark," he thought, although it did require soul essence to use, which he didn't have yet.

Just as he closed the store, his stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him of how long it had been since his last proper meal. He stood up, went over to his luggage, and pulled out a bag of chips. Tearing it open, he sat back down on the bed, cross-legged, and began munching absentmindedly.

He stared ahead, chewing slowly. "That's all the rewards," he thought. It was a good haul, but something inside him told him this was only the beginning. He sent a mental command to the system: "Status."

The interface appeared before him.

---

[Status]

Name: William

Age: 16

Gender: Male

Level: 3

Experience Value: 0/400

Strength: 4 (+2)

Agility: 3 (+2)

Endurance: 3 (+2)

HP: 100

Skills: [The 3rd Eye – Level 1] [Darkseer – Level 1]

Attributes: [Shadow Being] [Child of Thunder]

---

William closed the interface and gazed out of the window. The night outside was eerily silent, and the faint moonlight filtering through the glass cast long, ominous shadows across the room. His head began to ache, the weight of the day finally crashing down on him. Exhausted, he laid b

ack on the bed and closed his eyes.

Sleep came swiftly, but not peacefully.