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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: The Moonlight Knight's Shadow
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It was truly a bizarre event.
The shadow of a already deceased lifeform was wriggling and rising.
[Successfully summoned the shadow of Moonlight Knight Karuna.]
[Attempting to inherit skills.]
[Karuna's shadow fails to replicate Moonlight Slash.]
[Shadow Summon's rank is very low.]
[High Wisdom assists the ability.]
[Moonlight Slash degenerates into Full Moon Slash.]
[Karuna's shadow successfully replicates Moonlight Ascension.]
[Shadow Summon's rank is very low.]
[High Wisdom assists the ability.]
[Moonlight Ascension is inherited in its complete form.]
[Shadow Summon's rank is very low.]
[The summon can only exert 20% of its original power.]
Karuna's shadow gazed at the original flesh it had been born from.
It had always been pallid, but Karuna's crumpled head and fallen body now evoked a profound pity.
Karuna's shadow then turned to Kang Seol. And it knelt on one knee before him.
"I am yours."
Karuna's warm voice adorned the night sky.
Kang Seol looked at him and erased the memory of the arrogant Karuna who had relentlessly pursued him.
Now, Karuna was his loyal servant.
Those watching Snowman were stunned by the sight of Kang Seol commanding the Karuna he had just been battling as a summon.
'Ah, I get it' has sponsored 100 Madness!
[That lewd smell was coming from my armpit....]
- That's not lewd at all... Why doesn't he seem like a newbie...
- So this is what a perfect clear looks like lol terrifying; first and the best;
- Not a single misstep on the platforms;; Other rooms were tap-dancing on platforms like crazy before getting their heads chopped off;
- What the hell is that! No penalty for Shadow Summon?
- Checked the guidebook; seems like stats and ability penalties are pretty harsh. No wonder I was worried lol Yeah, the descriptions check out.
- Phew... Thought it was balance-breaking lol
As Kang Seol achieved the accomplishment, countless beings flocked to watch him.
['This place is lit' has entered Snowman's room.]
['Heard the rumors' has entered Snowman's room.]
['Found my love' has entered Snowman's room.]
...
- Is this the room where that guy's skills are insane?
- Yes it is! I saw it!
- What's up with Karuna; why's he all black?
- He got stolen. Please downvote.
- NTR plot, absolute disgust ㅡㅡ
- In this industry, it's actually a reward.
Kang Seol crossed to the safe zone and checked Karuna's status.
[Moonlight Knight Karuna]
Title: None
Rank: Hero
Race: Shadow
Level: 1
HP: 240/240
MP: 140/140
Available Stats: 0
Strength 22 Agility 20 Vitality 24
Intelligence 15 Wisdom 14 Mental Strength 18
Talents: Dignity 1, Escort 1
"Not bad."
In fact, it wasn't just not bad—it was absurd.
As far as Kang Seol remembered, summons were divided into 10 ranks.
Common rank for ordinary monsters, Rare rank packed with boss monsters.
Most summoners used Rare rank.
'And Karuna is Hero rank.'
Why?
Kang Seol knew Karuna was Hero rank, but not the reason.
He was one of the stronger early boss monsters with diverse abilities.
Perhaps that was reflected.
Above Hero were Legend, Transcendent, Mystery, Inexplicable, and more.
Still too distant for Kang Seol to even dream of.
'Securing this much harvest already guarantees survival!'
A summon far stronger than its master—the dream of any summoner.
'Shadow Summon has very generous conditions among summoning magics....'
The corpse of a monster whose shadow he had defeated.
As long as that was met, summoning was possible.
Thus, he could obtain summons he normally couldn't. Just like now.
But was there such a thing as a perfect job from the start?
Of course, problems abounded.
'Summoning is easy, but on the flip side, it's very situational....'
First, the summon's abilities were determined by the monster that was its original shadow owner.
Reviving a goblin would just yield a goblin weaker than the original.
Of course, that could be compensated somewhat if Shadow Summon's level matched the monster's rank.
'But in this situation, it worked in my favor.'
Karuna's original abilities were tremendous, so the shadow summon replicating him was equally tremendous.
Shadow Summoning: Defeat the foe, then command it as a summon.
'Luckily, no mistakes.'
Perhaps choosing Moonlit Dance as the first adventure was fortunate.
Most other tutorial adventures involved at least simple combat.
He'd have had to fight with Shadow Hand, his only other ability besides Shadow Summon at level 1.
Shadow Hand, weaker than other casters' abilities, would have been a struggle.
'Rewards would've been meh too. Weak summons all around.'
No need to dwell on what didn't happen.
In the end, he got a powerhouse summon and finally embodied a true summoner.
Kang Seol approached the brilliantly glowing moon chest in the safe zone.
He stopped.
Suddenly, he realized he was smiling.
Seventeen years of gaming life wouldn't vanish in an instant.
Right now, he was enjoying this moment.
He was one of the mad ones in the Eternal World.
'...Whatever.'
Click.
Rumble...
Dazzling light burst from the chest.
Whoosh!
[Confirming top reward: Moon Chest.]
[Level up.]
[Level up.]
[Acquired stat points.]
[Acquired Moonlight Sword.]
[Acquired Full Moon Staff.]
[Acquired Moon Seed.]
[Acquired 271 gold coins.]
[Acquired 13 Medium Red Potions.]
[Acquired 7 Small Blue Potions.]
...
At the level-up messages, Kang Seol checked his status window.
[Snowman]
Title: The One Who Dropped the Moon
Race: Human
Level: 3
HP: 120/120
MP: 200/200
Available Stats: 8
Strength 10 Agility 10 Vitality 12
Intelligence 12 Wisdom 22 Mental Strength 12
Talents: Cooking 1, Insight 1
Abilities: Shadow Summon 1, Shadow Hand
Shadow Space: 400 / 850
Two level-ups.
The Eternal World granted 4 flexible stats and 4 fixed stats per level-up.
Fixed stats rose based on job; flexible ones could be allocated freely.
'Shadow Summoners must pour everything into Wisdom.'
Kang Seol dumped all 8 points into Wisdom.
Most summoners had summons level with the summoner on level-up.
Checking, Karuna was now level 3 too.
Kang Seol distributed Karuna's flexible stats evenly, unlike his own.
Next, rewards.
Some minor materials, but insignificant.
"As expected...."
Kang Seol focused on the three most important items from the moon chest.
[Moonlight Sword]
Rank: Rare
Appropriate Level: 1 - 10
Attack Power: 37 - 42
Durability: 35/35
Weight: 1.4kg
The sword Moonlight Knight Karuna favored before becoming an apostle.
Base Effects: Strength +5, Vitality +5
Special Effect: Attacks using moonlight increase range and damage by 20%.
'Fixed drop.'
Moonlight Sword was guaranteed from defeating Karuna.
Equipment ranks: Junk, Common, Unique, Rare, Treasure, and above.
Rare was excellent for a tutorial adventure.
Kang Seol admired the bluish sword briefly, then handed it to his summon, Karuna.
[Equipping Moonlight Sword on Moonlight Knight Karuna.]
Another peculiarity of Shadow Summoners.
Summons grew individually and could equip gear.
Normal summoners grew summons via trickle-down from the summoner's growth, but Shadow Summoners uniquely allowed independent growth.
It required heavy investment and effort, but the returns justified it.
[Full Moon Staff]
Rank: Rare
Appropriate Level: 1 - 8
Attack Power: 22
Durability: 32/32
Weight: 0.8kg
A staff infused with sacred moonlight energy.
Somewhat heavy.
Base Effects: Wisdom +10
Special Effect: All stats increase by 5% at night.
- Ugh lol I skimmed it; Wisdom's like the least important stat?
- Wasted a seed on that. If it was something else, could've sold it lol
- Um... Can I pick again?
- Hey newbie... Watch closely. It's reroll stats.
Unlike the poor reactions from watchers, Kang Seol smiled and equipped the staff.
'Perfect item for the current situation.'
Wisdom options were often seen as a mixed bag by Eternal World players.
Beyond max MP boosts and minor effects, efficiency lagged behind other stats.
'But that's for other jobs.'
Summoner.
No, unlike regular summoners, Shadow Summoners valued Wisdom highly.
Not just for max MP—most abilities scaled with Wisdom.
Shadow Summoners fell into three types: one versatile using magic and summons.
But "versatile" meant mediocre, the worst type.
Another: Gangster type, maxing weak shadows for mob swarms.
Strong early, but power dropped sharply later.
Boss monsters' presence overwhelmed them then, ignoring minor scratches.
Last: Elite type.
Few high-rank summons, but huge potential made them strongest when grown.
Downside: Acquiring them was hell, especially early.
Kang Seol aimed for the elite type.
And it relied on Wisdom most.
Wisdom boosted summon loyalty, charisma, ability efficiency, inheritance success on revival, enlightenment chances, etc.
Closest to elite type.
High-rank summons were hard to keep loyal; low charisma led to rebellion. Thus, elite type's tight Wisdom link.
No wonder Kang Seol loved the Wisdom-stacked Full Moon Staff.
'Things are going smoothly?'
[Moon Seed]
Rank: Unique
Appropriate Level: 1 - 5
Weight: 0.1kg
Special Effect: Can be consumed in various ways. Effects unknown.
- What's this?
- Uh... It's in the drop list. But no effect listed.
- Dud?
- Don't eat it! It's poison, poison!
'...Never thought I'd get one of these.'
In 17 years, he'd only watched others eat it, never obtained one himself.
'Early lottery item, Moon Seed.'
Eating guaranteed profit.
Bonus abilities or stats? Jackpot.
And Kang Seol knew how to maximize it.
'Not consuming yet... Done with gear?'
Finally, his new title.
[Title: The One Who Dropped the Moon]
Related Accomplishment: Moon Hunt (Adventure: Moonlit Dance)
Special Effect: Moon attribute abilities +5%. Applies to summons too.
Kang Seol stroked his chin.
'Applies to Karuna too.'
Ambiguous for others, but another spec-up for him.
'Good so far. On to the next.'
* * *
Whirr—
After checks, Kang Seol's body teleported to the next adventure.
[Starting next adventure.]
[Second adventure begins.]
[Adventure 2. Friendly 5 Brothers]
Adventure 2. Friendly 5 Brothers
In the Eternal World, Pandea's southern Pointy Rock Mountain harbors a horrific troll tribe.
The Rock Fang Tribe elects leaders uniquely and sustains itself even more uniquely.
Their current leader is 'Tyrant Jamad.'
Weaken the Rock Fang Tribe by any means.
Objective: Kill at least 1 Rock Fang Tribe leader. Failure results in death.
Remaining Time 「20:47」
'It's around noon now?'
Completing by tomorrow morning sends to safe zone.
Adventure 2, rest 1.
Eternal World adventures usually followed this, except specials.
'Anyway, 5 Brothers... Pretty tough one.'
Five targets meant variables and solid difficulty.
'Breaking news' has sponsored 100 Madness!
[Checked the guidebook. Shadow Summoner's core stat is Wisdom.]
- Take that info and go. Don't want it.
- So the staff was a huge win earlier?
- Were the noobs laughing among themselves?
- I didn't laugh
- Me neither
- I stayed quiet thinking it was a god-roll ㅇㅇ
Whoosh—
The adventure started midway up Pointy Rock Mountain under the sun.
Not too high, but rugged terrain and guards meant a trek.
'Seeing the board game stuff in reality feels weird. But... where are they?'
Actually, Kang Seol felt puzzled the moment he saw the new adventure.
'Weird. 5 Brothers is party-only due to difficulty....'
Five foes meant five players. His dream plays of 5 Brothers were always 5-man.
"Wait... Remaining time 20 hours 47 minutes?"
Such an awkward limit?
Moonlit Dance gave exactly 6 hours; now this sloppy one.
'Bad feeling.'
Kang Seol quickly manipulated the adventure interface in his view.
He learned why the time was off and no party at start.
"...Damn."
- Party Member 1 'An Hye-eun' (Status: Dead)
- Party Member 2 'Dangrangkwon Master' (Status: Dead)
- Party Member 3 'Fussy Guy' (Status: Dead)
- Party Member 4 'Supreme Emperor Hwang Tae-ho' (Status: Dead)
- What? All dead?
- Insane;; How to clear this??
- Dark horse dies to party members?
The 5-man adventure had become Kang Seol's solo.
His party members were already corpses.