CHAPTER 2: THE FIRST SHADOW

Day 2 in the mine.

My back was bleeding. The whip left 5 new marks. But I didn't care. My mana was 3/10 now.

I learned how this mine worked. The black stones were called Nether Ore. It eats mana. That's why all slaves here have 0 mana. The trader, his name was Gorn, he said no one ever escaped. The mine goes 200 meters deep, and the exit is guarded by 2 C-rank mercenaries with fire swords.

My tiny ant, I named him Ant, was getting stronger. I fed him my blood at night. 1 drop = 1 mana point. Stupid system, but it worked.

"Hey, new kid," a voice whispered next to me. A boy, maybe 15, with one eye blind. "Don't try to be hero. Last week, a boy tried to run. Gorn cut his legs and threw him in the pit."

"I won't run," I said.

He laughed, "Everyone says that."

Night. Day 3.

We slept in a cage, 50 boys in one cage. No water. I sat in corner and called Ant.

Ant was no longer tiny. He was size of my hand now. He evolved. His shadow body turned from light grey to dark black.

[Shadow Ant - Level 2 - Skill: Sharp Bite]

I had an idea. The Nether Ore eats mana. What if my shadow can eat it?

I put Ant on a small ore stone I stole. Ant bit it.

Crack.

The ore broke. And Ant glowed.

[Shadow Ant - Absorbed Nether Ore - Mana +2 - Evolution Progress 20%]

My mana became 5/10. My chest hurt less.

Ant looked at me and made a small noise. He was hungry for more ore.

Day 4. The chance.

Gorn made us go deeper, to Level 3 of the mine. No one goes there. He said 10 slaves died there last month because of a monster.

Perfect.

Level 3 was dark. No torches. I could hear something breathing in the dark tunnel. Other slaves ran back, but I stayed.

Gorn shouted, "Hey! You! Go check!"

He pushed me into the dark.

I smiled. Thank you, Gorn.

In the dark, two red eyes opened. A Cave Ghoul. D-rank. Big mouth, long claws. It smelled human fear.

It jumped at me.

I didn't have sword. I didn't have Igris. I had only Ant.

"Ant, now!"

Ant jumped from my pocket and went straight into Ghoul's eye. The Ghoul screamed.

[Shadow Ant - Skill: Sharp Bite - Critical Hit!]

The Ghoul fell, shaking. I put my hand on its head while it was weak. My old habit.

My mana was 5/10. Enough.

"ARISE."

The glitched system screamed.

[WARNING: Mana Low - Extraction Chance 10%]

10%? In my old life, my chance was 100%. Now 10%?

I pressed harder. I remembered my son's face. I remembered why I said yes to Architect.

"I am Monarch," I whispered. "Kneel."

Dark mana exploded from my chest. All 5 points gone. 0/10.

The Ghoul's body turned to black smoke.

And then it rose.

A new shadow, 2 meters tall, with red eyes, kneeling in front of me.

[Extraction Success! New Shadow: Cave Ghoul - Level 5 - Name: GHOUL]

My first real shadow in this new world.

The system updated.

[Quest Complete: Kill First Monster in Aetheria - Reward: Shadow Storage Unlocked - Mana Limit +10]

My mana limit became 20. Current 0/20. And a small black space opened in my shadow, like inventory.

I put Ghoul inside.

I walked out of Level 3 with empty hands.

Gorn saw me alive, shocked. "Where is monster?"

I looked at him with my tired 16-year-old face, but with Monarch's eyes.

"It ran away. It was scared of me."

Gorn laughed, but for a second, he stepped back. He felt something cold.

I went back to cage. 3 more days left for quest.

3 more days until this mine becomes my first shadow mine.

TO BE CONTINUED...