https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-238-A-Correction-the-Premise-of-Being-Human/12850389/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-240-They-re-All-Dead-So-Isn-t-It-Whatever-I-Say-/12850391/
Chapter 239: The Shadow, Dressing for the Shadow
Chapter 239: The Shadow, Dressing for the Shadow
After a friendly exchange, Qin Muye had a bountiful harvest.
Acquired: 10 Dead Shadows.
He found an uninhabited place and began to disassemble these Dead Shadows.
As he had expected, these Dead Shadows seemed to be armor, though they varied, such as leather armor and light armor.
"So, the awakening ability of shadows isn't something they can choose. What is the basis for their awakening?"
For example, Black Eagle's shadow was a massive hawk, which was somewhat legitimate, but Cold Ghost's shadow was a pair of daggers.
Then there was Mountain Tower, whose shadow was even more exaggerated, resembling a small mountain.
Qin Muye had also seen the transformed forms of others, including elemental types like fire and lightning.
Qin Muye further disassembled the Dead Shadows. Although they appeared hollow inside, they were actually filled with a dense, black substance, similar to a human shadow.
From previous conversations, Qin Muye knew that Dead Shadows could absorb the omnipresent shadows in the Shadow Realm to grow stronger, and they could also hunt Shadow Beasts to extract their spiritual energy.
He also knew that there was another method they had not mentioned: killing other Dead Shadows to absorb their shadow spiritual energy, which was far more effective than the spiritual energy from Shadow Beasts.
The conversion efficiency between Shadow Beasts and Dead Shadows was low, but the efficiency between Dead Shadows was very high, though there was always some loss during the process, making it impossible to absorb everything completely.
These two unique life forms in the Shadow Realm had a strong desire for energy. Although they didn't need to eat or drink to survive, they could be tormented by hunger. They usually survived by hunting Shadow Beasts, and it was rare for them to kill each other.
Qin Muye pulled out a ball of black shadow from inside one of the Dead Shadows. It felt like cotton candy, but it was accompanied by sharp pain.
Perhaps because of his high attributes, the pain was limited to his skin, and the shadow could not penetrate his skin defense.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed something interesting: his hand holding the shadow turned black, as if coated in ink.
Through his crimson pupils, Qin Muye could clearly see that the shadow contained numerous particles. These particles were moving rapidly and trying to break through his skin to enter his body.
"Intriguing, let's give it a try." Qin Muye relaxed his skin's defense, and the shadow particles instantly flooded in, as if his right hand were a sponge, absorbing everything.
"I can feel a clear pain, along with a corrosive sensation. It's actually assimilating? Fascinating."
He watched as his right hand turned into a black, shapeless shadow. He could control it, but it was painful.
As the shadow intensified, the flesh began to change in an orderly manner, forming armor with the same patterns and style as the Dead Shadow he had disassembled and experimented with.
"Without any will of its own, it seems to be just a simple assimilation?" Qin Muye grew increasingly curious.
After observing for a while, he decisively tore off his right arm. The expected gush of blood did not occur; instead, layers of crimson crystals spread out, eventually forming an arm-like shape. The flesh then reformed, with numerous buds and tentacles wriggling in the red crystals.
In just a few seconds, his right arm regrew.
Regeneration was nothing unusual; he could even detach his head and regrow it, so regrowing an arm was no big deal.
He then took a vial of biological nutrient solution and injected it into the severed arm.
Before severing it, he had deactivated the various cell and gene defenses in the arm, so the shadow's invasion was quite smooth. However, due to the severe transformation, the arm lacked nutrients and looked emaciated. Qin Muye had to inject some nutrient solution to maintain its vitality.
Otherwise, it would have withered and dried up in a minute or two.
He picked it up and, after a thorough examination, discovered that his arm, when left defenseless, had been completely transformed into a structure similar to Dead Shadow armor. However, it still contained a lot of flesh and bone, all of which had turned black, with some parts resembling jelly.
"Why don't the shadows of Shadow Walkers erode them, even though Dead Shadows do?"
Qin Muye was certain that when a Shadow Walker and their shadow combined, the resulting entity definitely contained shadow-related energy. Otherwise, there would be no significant enhancement.
When not transformed, Shadow Walkers were just ordinary people with no extraordinary powers; their strength was entirely in their shadows.
"Could it be because of their sentience and sense of self?"
"It seems this Shadow Walker system has quite a few hidden dangers."
While the Shadow Walker system was indeed useful, it also had significant risks. It gave Qin Muye the impression of the relationship between a caterpillar and a butterfly.
The Shadow Walker was the caterpillar, and the shadow was the butterfly.
Although it was said that the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, in reality, the caterpillar is not the butterfly but rather the butterfly's placenta.
The relationship between Shadow Walkers and their shadows is similar. Initially, Shadow Walkers nurture their shadows, using them as tools, which essentially aids the shadow's growth and development.
When the Shadow Walker dies, the shadow absorbs all the benefits and returns to the Shadow Realm, forming a new life.
It felt like a parasitic relationship.
Once back in the Shadow Realm, the shadows become Dead Shadows with virtually no lifespan and considerable power.
Qin Muye speculated that perhaps the kinship faction of Dead Shadows had discovered this and thus grew in strength. Otherwise, they would be like premature babies, just like the murderous faction of Dead Shadows.
"Perhaps, to control the number of Dead Shadows, they have erased history and hidden the existence of Shadow Walkers?"
"Large-scale covert military actions throughout history were likely to reduce the number of Dead Shadows. If their numbers grew too much, the starving Dead Shadows might break out of the Shadow Realm."
"Seals are good, but they are not foolproof."
Therefore, the only solution was to control the number of Shadow Walkers, incite chaos among the Dead Shadows, and support the Shadow Beasts to keep the Dead Shadows in check.
"Maybe the Shadow Management Bureau has Dead Shadows as shareholders, and they use this to interfere with the internal affairs of the Shadow Realm."
Qin Muye knew little about the world centered around the Shadow Realm and shadows. Neither Black Eagle nor the ten Dead Shadows he had captured and turned into experiments were high-ranking, at most middle-ranking.
Thus, the information they provided was likely just common knowledge. They might not know more, as the scope was too broad.
"I can try to contact the Shadow Management Bureau. As for Shadow Walkers, I can use them, but not the original version."
Using the original version would mean Qin Muye adapting to the shadow, which was putting the cart before the horse.
He wanted to make the shadow his tool, not become the shadow's developmental food.
Therefore, he couldn't use the original version and had to find a way to improve it.
"Ultimately, I need to start with the Shadow Stones. This thing seems like bait thrown out by the Shadow Realm, and to grow stronger, one has to hold their nose and eat it."
Qin Muye knew the core issue lay in the Shadow Stones, not the shadows themselves.
The shadow was just a medium, not the core.
"Shadow Realm Shell, huh?" Qin Muye didn't know why Shadow Stones were called this, but the name must have significance.
On the contrary, the name "Shadow Stone," which had been localized in the human world, seemed a bit out of place.
"So, the first thing I need is a Shadow Stone. I need to understand the origin of everything and why this thing is called the Shadow Realm Shell."
However, obtaining a Shadow Stone wouldn't be easy. The Shadow Management Bureau or some major powers might have them, but these organizations were deeply hidden and would take time to access.
"Alright, I think the Shadow Management Bureau has already taken action. Next, I need to return and make contact, infiltrating the Shadow Management Bureau."
To contact such a powerful official organization, this was a great opportunity. Other factions might allow the Shadow Realm entrance to expand, but the Shadow Management Bureau would never do so. As an official organization, maintaining stability was crucial.
The unsealing of the Shadow Realm entrance was a significant destabilizing event, and they would definitely intervene to resolve it. Otherwise, they wouldn't be an official organization.
(End of Chapter)
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