Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons-Chapter 270: Levelling up, Mythical Skill: Living Shadow

Arthur recognised that tone.

'It's the same tone I had when I hated my weakness,'

Arthur offered. "You held your own longer than expected."

"Not good enough." Sarah finally looked up, eyes glinting. "But it will be."

She stood abruptly, smoothing her uniform. "They're discharging me. Let's go."

"Wait," Elara said, catching her arm. "You just took a significant magical injury. Should you be leaving already?"

Sarah lifted her chin. "Academy healers are the best in Caldera. I'm fine."

Arthur could see she wasn't, not emotionally, but he respected her need to maintain composure. Pride was a powerful thing, especially for someone constantly fighting to prove themselves worthy of the elite track.

"Get some rest. If you need anything, talk to me." Elara reassured her new friend.

Sarah nodded.

"Thanks,"

"By the way," Sarah said suddenly, voice forcibly casual, "did I miss any good matches?"

"Arthur beat Liora Gilderhaven," Elara offered.

Sarah nodded, her expression carefully neutral. "It's expected. He is an S-Class student while Liora is part of the A-Class batch."

Arthur caught the slight edge in her voice, comparing herself to Liora, both A-Class students with the same outcomes today. He decided not to comment.

They walked through the Academy's sprawling grounds. When they reached the dormitory building, Arthur stopped.

"Thanks for dropping us off," Elara said with a charming smile.

"Thanks," Sarah said, nodding her head once.

"You're welcome, it's not like you needed it anyway," he smiled back before turning to leave.

As Arthur left the academy and headed toward his guild, a notification chimed in his mind, nearly making him stumble.

[Ding!]

[You have levelled up to Level 20]

[All attribute points will be increased by 1]

[You have gained 1 free attribute point and 1 Skill Point]

Several other notifications followed, but Arthur didn't check them immediately. He could tell that he was being watched.

'The elite families are really taking me seriously, huh?' he thought, maintaining his casual pace.

Still, they made no move to approach, even as Arthur entered his guild building.

Once inside his private quarters, Arthur secured the door and immediately checked the new notifications.

[New Talent Effect!]

[New Skill Acquired!]

Arthur's heart raced. Leveling up was always significant, but level 20 was a major threshold in Armageddon.

He first checked his Primordial Summoner talent—his ultimate trump card.

[New Talent Effect!]

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SSS-Rank Talent: Primordial Summoner

Talent Effect #1: You are able to summon primordial beasts once every 2 months. Additionally, you can summon normal beasts at will, though these beasts are random. Your summoned beasts level up with you.

Talent Effect #2: You are able to 'extract' one talent/Skill from your beast, and keep it as your own.

Talent Effect #3: You are able to summon any beast you have killed as your own summon.

Talent Effect #4: Cooldown of the first talent effect is reduced to 1 month.

Talent Effect #5: Grants the ability to communicate with all summoned beasts, allowing you to hear their thoughts. Summoned beasts are compelled to follow your commands, regardless of their will.

Talent Effect #7: Your summons are now able to communicate vocally.

Talent Effect #8: %"$& (Level up to unlock)

Arthur's excitement dimmed slightly. The newest effect wasn't the combat boost he'd hoped for, but vocal communication instead of just telepathic could be useful in certain situations.

"Well, it's not bad. At least now I can talk to my summons. Right, Formicia?" He glanced at the spider nestled in the corner.

"Yes, master." Her voice was pleasant, melodic even, much like her telepathic presence had been.

Arthur nodded with a smile. "How does it feel to have a voice?"

"Strange but satisfying," Formicia replied, her mandibles moving slightly. "I've always had thoughts. Now I can share them more directly."

Interesting side effect—the summons seemed more independent, more alive with their voices.

After checking his talent effects, Arthur moved on to his new skill.

[New Skill Acquired: Living Shadow]

—

<Living Shadow>

<Rank: Mythic>

<Passive>

<Description: Your shadow becomes a sentient ally that follows your commands. It can separate from you to perform tasks independently, moving freely. You can impart any of your skills or talents to your shadow, though you lose access to them while transferred. Your shadow possesses 60% of your physical and magical attributes, making it a formidable extension of your power.

—

Arthur's breath caught in his throat.

"What an overpowered skill. It truly deserves the mythical rank." He whispered, mind racing with possibilities.

Combined with his Primordial Summoner talent, this skill offered incredible potential. He could extract a skill or talent every week from his summons, then impart those extras to his shadow, creating an increasingly powerful ally without permanent cost to himself.

Arthur stepped toward a patch of sunlight streaming through the window, watching his shadow stretch across the floor.

"Living Shadow," he intoned, activating the skill.

His shadow rippled, then seemed to deepen, becoming darker than the surrounding darkness. It stretched, pulling away from his feet like taffy before coalescing into a humanoid shape beside him.

The shadow stood silently, awaiting commands. No features were visible on its face—just a blank canvas of darkness shaped like Arthur.

"Can you understand me?" Arthur asked.

The shadow nodded.

"Can you speak?"

"Yes, master." The shadow responded telepathically.

"Interesting," Arthur murmured.

'Not vocal then, but clearly intelligent and can speak telepathically.'

He considered his options carefully. Which skill should he transfer first? Something useful but not critical to his own abilities.

"I transfer..." He paused, making his decision. "Blade Whirl."

A tingling sensation washed over him as the skill detached from his consciousness. The information he had about the skill instantly disappeared from his mind; it was a strange feeling, like forgetting a word on the tip of your tongue.

His shadow rippled, absorbing the skill.

The skill was an Epic-rank ability that Arthur didn't have much use for after acquiring Chaos Katana.

Arthur opened his inventory and pulled out two standard blades. "Here, use the skill."

The shadow accepted the weapons, gripping them with surprising dexterity. It nodded once before exploding into motion.