Act 0, Chapter 5: "The System."
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"HOW COULD I FORGET ABOUT THE SYSTEM?!"
Kardia face-palmed himself, angry that he didn't think of the system at the time.
This system was a combination of multiple video games, and it was designed for civilization building and summoning.
Not for power, if he wanted power, he would need to train to gain said power.
He could have summoned someone to help him fight the Tyranids.
"Raphael, bring up the system that I asked for. Do you know which one I'm referring to?" Kardia spoke to Raphael, confident that the system would assist him.
[Yes, Master.]
[Right away.]
As soon as Raphael finished speaking, a holographic screen appeared in front of Kardia. This was the system interface.
Once the system screen came into view, Kardia began to analyze it. He noticed multiple tabs, each dedicated to a different game. Inside each game, there were various categories.
For example, in the StarCraft section, he could see other tabs that belonged to categories like technologies, races, ships, and more.
However, he was using the necromancy abilities of Sung Jinwoo. For the same reason, Kardia focused on a specific section. He ignored the other games and navigated straight to the "Solo Leveling: Arise" game part of the system.
In this part of the system, Kardia found several categories, including weapons, character summons, and, most importantly, shadows.
He opened the Shadow Catalog and discovered numerous categories.
During the story, Jinwoo had collected a significant amount of shadows.
This system contained information from both the game and the actual series, showcasing all the various types of armies Jinwoo had gathered.
For instance, there were the Shadow Knights of Igris, whom Jinwoo had defeated during the "Class Changer Quest," a task the system had compelled him to undertake.
In addition to the knights, there were the Polar Bears that Jinwoo encountered when trapped in the ice red gate.
There were also the Shadow Ogres of Tusk, the Shadow Ants of Beru, the Shadow Angels of Bellion, and other races like dragons, titans, wyverns, and more.
There were multiple races he could choose from, but he needed an insane level of points.
Yes... The system currency is points. Each point is acquired through killing enemies. This applies to all other games as well.
There is a scale of points.
The name of this currency is called "Annihilation Points." These points are universal across all of the games.
Because there are multiple races, and within each race, there are multiple ranks, each rank is divided differently. Especially the alien races.
For example, a ripper swarm would only have a worth of 5 Annihilations Points, also known as AP.
Both the Termagant and the Hormagaunt share a worth of 10 AP points. A Tyranid Warrior has a worth of 50 AP points.
Both the Revener and the Lictor possess a worth of 120 AP points. A Carnifex jumps from the one hundred to the four hundred. Yes, the Carnifex has a worth of 400 AP points.
Both the Trygon and the Mawloc have a worth of 700 AP points. The Hive Tyrant Guard has a worth of 1000 AP points. The Hive Tyrant has a worth of 2,500 AP points.
It is powerful and technically controls everything, but this scale takes into consideration its power, its role, and its energy.
For the same reason, the Bio-Titans are truly the most powerful.
The Hierodule is worth 8,000 AP Points. The Herridan is worth 10,000 AP points.
The Dominatrix, although weaker, serves a greater purpose, as it serves as the neural link of the Norn Queen that is inside the Hive Fleet, as the Norn Queen needs to stay in the Hive Fleet to continue to produce more Tyranids.
For this same reason, the Dominatrix is worth 18,000 AP points. The Bio-Titan, equivalent to the Imperator-Class Threat, is worth around 25,000 AP points.
Of course, the killing of other races can also give points, but because there are so many races, mentioning them right now will most probably overwhelm someone.
"Interesting... It seems there are multiple grades, or in other words, class ranks."
Kardia said as he watched the shadow section in more detail.
"Each shadow is classified into ranks. The most basic class is the 'Normal' grade. This is the lowest tier; shadows in this tier are considered the weakest in the shadow army, but they can match the strength of E, D, and C-Rank Hunters."
"Even the weakest D-Rank and C-Rank hunters in the world of Solo Leveling can be significant in large numbers."
"Additionally, with their ability to absorb psychic energy, they grow stronger over time, which means even the weakest shadows can increase in power."
"Following the Normal grade is the 'Elite' grade. Shadows of this classification are equivalent to B-Rank hunters. After that comes the 'Knight' grade, which corresponds to A-Rank hunters."
"The next rank up is the 'Elite Knight' grade, equivalent to a standard S-Rank hunter. Above that is the 'General' rank. At this level, shadows can easily overwhelm high-end S-Rank hunters, as demonstrated by Beru, if I remember correctly."
"Next is the 'Marshal' rank, representing the highest level a shadow can achieve, making those who reach it the most powerful soldiers in the Shadow Army."
"The final rank is the 'Grand Marshal' rank. It is the ultimate rank reserved for the STRONGEST shadow in the entire Shadow Army. It acts as the lieutenant to the Shadow Monarch himself."
As Kardia observed the system, he narrated his thoughts to himself, believing that verbalizing his understanding would help him grasp the ranking system.
"I think the best strategy in this situation is to purchase a bit of everything, but especially the Knight and the Ants."
"The knights possess skill and individual strength, while the Ants are powerful and can overwhelm opponents with their numbers. The red Ants in Solo Leveling were also extremely formidable."
Kardia began to contemplate how to allocate his points effectively while reviewing the prices of each shadow rank:
The Normal rank is worth 50 AP points.
The Elite rank is worth 200 AP points.
The Knight rank is worth 800 AP points.
The Elite Knight rank is worth 3,000 AP points.
The General rank is worth 10,000 AP points.
The Marshal rank is worth 30,000 AP points.
The Grand Marshal rank is worth 70,000 AP points.
"How many points do I have?"
That was the next question on his mind.
Even though he could see and analyze the situation, if he didn't have enough points to buy what he wanted, it would all be pointless.
However, when he noticed the accumulation of points—and that it was still growing—Kardia felt a wave of relief wash over him.
After ten hours of continuous fighting, he had amassed around 1,031,200 AP points. That was the raw AP, but thanks to the 15x cheat, his total AP amounted to an impressive 15,468,000.
"Can I summon Heroic Spirits from Fate as well? Yes, I'll do that."
"I'll split the 15,468,000. I will use these points to buy Shadows and Heroic Spirits."
That was Kardia's plan.
He decided to start with the Shadows first.
"I will buy 16 Generals—four for each Marshal I intend to summon. Since I'm summoning four Marshals, this setup works perfectly."
Each General-rank Shadow demands a hefty price of approximately 10,000 Annihilation Points (AP). Thus, as Kardia clicked the activation button sixteen times, he siphoned a staggering total of 160,000 AP from his reserves.
In that moment, as the Annihilation Points vanished into the void, Kardia sensed an unmistakable shift in the atmosphere—sixteen formidable presences materialized within the depths of his shadow.
"Come forth…"
With his command, the shadow beneath him swelled and twisted, dividing into sixteen distinct forms. The air crackled with energy as the figures emerged, each one a manifestation of dark power and regal authority.
"We honorably meet our liege!" they proclaimed in unison, their voices echoing like whispers in a tempest.
The sixteen shadowy generals bowed deeply, their forms blending into a tapestry of darkness, paying homage to Kardia—his lord and master for all eternity. This solemn gesture marked the beginning of their allegiance, a pact sealed in shadows and power.
"Incredible..."
Kardia was truly astonished at what he was seeing, but he quickly calmed down.
He saw each shadow in front of him and quickly recognized all of them.
First was Igris, the Bloodred, the very first shadow that Jinwoo had ever obtained. This is also one of the Marshals of the original Shadow Monarch.
Next was Tank, the polar bear, which Jinwoo acquired during the Red-Gate incident at the end of Season 1.
Then came Iron, the musclehead. During the same Red-Gate incident, Jinwoo defeated Kim Chul and transformed him into a shadow named Iron.
"Blades" was another shadow, one of the few original ones from the game "Solo Leveling: Arise."
This shadow was based on a hypothetical scenario where Jinwoo resurrected the Ice Elf leader, Baruka. "Blades" was the outcome of that possibility.
The next shadow was Tusk, who had formerly been the boss of the double dungeon where Jinwoo played a supporting role. His original name was Kargalgan, but now he was known as Tusk.
Then, Kardia's eyes fell on Cerbie, an impressive shadow. This shadow also originated from the game "Solo Leveling: Arise," where players could resurrect the Cerberus from a special dungeon where Jinwoo had met Esil and fought against Baran, the Demon King.
Next was a massive golem, named Bigrock. This shadow, too, came from "Solo Leveling: Arise." Jinwoo hadn't been very creative with names; he simply assigned whatever names came to mind at the time.
Another impressive shadow he spotted was Kaisel, the mount of Baran, the Monarch of White Flames. Kaisel had once been a wyvern that belonged to the Monarch of Destruction, Antares.
After Baran tamed him, Kaisel chose to follow him loyally. Although Kaisel was more dragon-like than a typical wyvern, no one here complained.
Then there was Beru, the Ant King. Their fight in the anime was remarkable, and Beru's innate abilities made him one of Jinwoo's strongest shadows and now a part of Kardia.
Another notable shadow was the Ice Witch Beste, a general-rank shadow originally created for the game "Solo Leveling: Arise." Jinwoo had discovered Beste and made her his own; she was a powerful Ice Witch.
Next was Greed, a Korean S-Rank Hunter who had moved to America and had significant issues because Jinwoo killed his brother.
Kardia unexpectedly encountered a shadow known as the Blue Venom-Fanged Kasaka.
This shadow was one that Suho, Jinwoo's son, had obtained. It was also the very first boss that Jinwoo had faced in his journey to become stronger.
In addition to this, Kardia witnessed the impressive sight of the dragon Kamish.
Jinwoo had resurrected this powerful dragon after only its bones remained, following a battle with five formidable hunters who would later be recognized as the Five National Hunters.
Although the summoning of Kamish lasted just a few minutes, Jinwoo could feel its immense power radiating from it.
Another shadow that Kardia saw was Jima, the boss of the Naga, a race of large humanoid serpents. Jinwoo had defeated Jima and added it to his growing army.
The next one was a shadow that Kardia simply named "Titan." Still, in reality, it was one of the newest Marshal-level shadows of Jinwoo in Solo Leveling: Ragnarok.
The next one was a Shadow that belonged to Sung Suho, who is Jinwoo's son, named "Sita." It is a giant shadow dragonoid with a black smile billowing from its entire body.
His form is special. His form is a mixture of a wyvern, a naga, and a human.
The last one was another Naga named Gordon, who is another shadow that belonged to Sung Suho, and this one is pretty strong.
As Kardia observed each shadow bowing before him, he let out a satisfied sigh. However, his expression changed to one of seriousness a moment later.
"Listen closely. I will summon more individuals for you, so that you can form your own squad."
"There are sixteen of you—four generals for each Marshal who will lead you. Yes, four generals will work together."
"Of course, you can separate under the orders of each Marshal if they require you to go to another part of the battlefield."
"Now, pay attention!"
"We are in a COMPLETE state of war. Do you understand? There are numerous wretched beasts out there. Eliminate them! They are doing everything they can to kill me."
"Those of you who can use magic, do not destroy the bodies of those beasts. Leave them as they are, for I will return to devour those remains so that I can continue to grow the army. Understood?"
Kardia spoke with the authority of a commander, his eyes glaring at each shadow, which nodded in response.
The shadows didn't know what was going on, but for their new king, whom they were infinitely loyal to, they were almost ready to go to the battlefield.
But when Kardia saw this, he was speechless.
"Wait! I didn't say go now. I said, "Wait. I will make your squad." That is what I said."
Kardia simply sighed.
As Kardia saw how the emberrased Shadow Generals came back to where he was standing, he began to buy more and more shadows.
He had to divide the following forces he was buying so each general, and later each marshal, would have the necessary means to fight against the Tyranids' hordes.
Kardia bought around 800 Elite Knight Shadows, 4,000 Knight Shadows, 12,000 Elite Shadows, and around 40,000 normal shadows.
Each one of those numbers had knights with swords, with bows, mages, ice elves, ice mages, ants, the ant queen, titans, and so on.
As the shadow armies began to come together, Raphael was the one who explained how to perfectly pair each shadow for maximum efficiency in combat. Kardia is prepared to summon the heroic spirits from Fate/Grand Order.
However, before he could begin, Raphael suddenly stopped him.
[Master, do not proceed as of yet,] Raphael spoke out.
"Huh...? Why?" Kardia was surprised that Raphael had halted him from summoning the heroic spirits.
[It is not safe to do so, Master,] Raphael continued.
[If you summon a heroic spirit that uses magic (psychic energy) or even a berserker, their reflection is connected to the warp, which could attract demons and even the Chaos Gods. Therefore, summoning them is not recommended. At least at this very moment.]
[Until we can establish a safe mechanism for the heroic spirits to draw power from a reliable, non-corrupted source of psychic energy, it's best to hold off on the summoning.]
[The shadows are advantageous because they utilize your own psychic energy, Master. While it is true that heroic spirits also draw energy from their master, in this case, you, the overall cost of summoning shadows is significantly lower than maintaining a heroic spirit at all times.]
That seemed quite reasonable. In fact, it was a thoughtful response.
Imagine that he gets to summon Hercules Berserker, someone who is filled with rage towards the Gods because of what they did to him, and out of nowhere, he gets possessed by a random demon, and now he has to fight against an almost-immortal demigod.
No... that is not something that Kardia wants to see.
"I guess the plan failed."
With the plan to summon five-star heroic spirits to act as the marshals of each shadow general denied by technicality, it was Kardia's turn to feel embarrassed.
Beste, the beautiful Ice Elf Witch, in her shadow form, seeing that her king and master was feeling embarrassed for his plan failing, she came to hug Kardia from behind.
Although Beste is a shadow, for Kardia, who is their king and can physically interact with them, he felt the massive breasts of Beste on his back.
"Don't worry, Master. We can eliminate any enemy that can try to come your way."
Beste said to his ear, and Kardia simply smiled.
"Well, I guess I can summon Heroic Spirits later. Let me purchase your signature weapons, and you all can fight against those wretched Tyranids."
Kardia proceeded with his plan.
He opened the shop and began to buy equipment.
For Igris, he spent around 100,000 AP on the Demon King's Longsword, the weapon belonging to the Demon King Baran, the Monarch of White Flames.
This sword was a prize Jinwoo acquired after defeating Baran and had previously given to Igris. Kardia bought the sword again and gave it to Igris.
For Blade, who was based on Baruka, the leader of the Ice Elves, Kardia provided his signature weapons: the ice daggers.
Jima, on the other hand, used a pair of tridents, and Kardia purchased them for him, which made Jima extremely happy.
Tusk didn't require anything fancy, as he was a master sorcerer. However, Kardia bought him the Orb of Avarice, which boosts Tusk's magical spell damage and potency.
Interestingly, Beste only needed a grimoire. For this reason, Kardia found a grimoire of magic for her inside the Gate of Babylon and handed it over.
The other shadows didn't necessarily need weapons.
For instance, the shadow general named Greed relied on his overwhelming strength, and Kaisel and Kamish, who are a wyvern and a dragon, respectively, had physical and fire attacks that were more than sufficient.
Kasaka also did not use weapons.
"Communicate with me if anything happens," Kardia instructed the shadows. Still, they looked at him as if they didn't know how to do that.
Igris, ever the righteous knight, stepped forward with a measured stride. He bowed his head as if he was embarrassed to be the one to deliver bad news.
"My liege, we lack proper methods of communication," Igris said, actually very embarrassed that this was happening.
"Really...?"
Kardia face-palmed his head. How could the Shadow Army not have a safe method of communication?
"Raphael, solutions?"
Kardia asked the one who could give him a solution instantly, and thank god that he did.
[As they are part of your power, Master, you can force a psychic link. Something like a "Hive Mind."]
[This will also allow the generals to be able to physically control their subordinates for a higher level of coordination. And also allow the generals to be able to speak to you.]
"Yeah, we can do that."
That was actually a very good idea.
"Upload the method on how to create the Psychic link, raph---."
[It has already been created, Master.]
[Requesting to upload information, Master.]
Kardia barely had time to finish his words when Raphael interrupted him, informing him that the psychic link, or hive mind, had already been established.
"Yes...?"
Kardia hesitated but ultimately replied with a simple yes. The moment he spoke that word, a rush of information flooded into his brain.
He absorbed the complete knowledge, experience, and ability to control the Shadow Army Hive Mind like a sponge.
He felt a connection to every shadow soldier, regardless of their rank—normal, elite, knight, elite knight, general, or even marshal.
Kardia sensed a bond with each and every one of them.
"Is this what it feels like to control the Hive Mind? If I wanted to, I could empower a weaker soldier, transforming it into an Elite Knight by simply giving that soldier a bit of my psychic energy," he thought.
Well... The unique existence of the Shadows makes it easier for the Shadows to grow stronger. If they were humans, or even the Tyranids, it would be extremely difficult to do something like that.
"I can access and witness the memories of each shadow, both before and after their resurrection. Even before being summoned."
"Not just their memories, but also their techniques, skills, and years of experience. I am guessing Raphael fused this Hive Mind with the sub-skill "Food Chain."
"I can take control of them at any moment, even if they are unwilling. Damn... is this what it means to be omniscient? No wonder the true Hive Mind sends fleets to this galaxy. It wants to expand."
Kardia murmured to himself, adrenaline surging as he grappled with the implications of his newfound power.
It was undeniably immense; his influence over each shadow was absolute, not merely because they were an extension of his power, but due to the profound link created by the Hive Mind.
"If humans could combine their minds, I am certain they could create a shadow as massive in the Warp. No... a sun of hope..."
Kardia kept murmuring to himself as he began to envision a new path for his evolution in this world: the path of unifying humanity.
However, he quickly came to his senses; after all, he was still fighting against the Tyranids. He needed to finish them off first.
"Raphael, observe the experiences, fighting styles, skills, and abilities of each one of the Shadow Generals."
"For Igris, optimize his sword skills; for Beste and Tusk, optimize their magic spells, and so on. Also, enable them to communicate with me through the psychic link."
"Once you are done with that, try to give me the battle experience of Igris.
If the battle experiences of his templates were sufficient to make him an unbeatable warrior, then gaining the thousands and thousands of years of battle experience from Igris would make him unstoppable.
With Raphael's sub-skill, it is not impossible to gain that level of experience almost instantly.
And with the optimization, every general and the soldiers under each general can work more efficiently.
[Right away, Master.]
And that is what happened.
He suddenly felt new, perfected information, like how to respond to multiple types of enemies, how to deal with those enemies in various ways.
"Igris sure did fight against a lot of powerful monsters, goddam... the experience that he has is incredible."
Kardia said to himself again. It was becoming a habit.
The experience of Igris, which was even more vast than the other shadow generals, left him speechless.
Yes...
The reason Igris had more experience than other Generals was that he was one of the Marshals of the original Shadow Monarch, Ashborne.
Igris has been fighting for multiple years alongside Ashborne, and in the current story that he knows, Igris is fighting alongside Jinwoo to fight against the Itarim.
This experience was still retained within him, but his power was locked to the rank he had summoned him to.
"I think this is enough for now."
Increasing the number of Shadows can be done later; the most important priority is to acquire as much power as possible.
The more power he gains, the easier it will be for his Shadows to fight against the Tyranids. For this reason, he issued a command through the Hive Mind.
Once the Tyranids in a specific area have been completely eradicated, he instructed his minions to gather all the bodies of the Tyranids.
This way, whenever he receives a notification, he can head to that location, "Arise" them to make more shadows, and also absorb the dead bodies of the Tyranids.
With that settled, Kardia took a long break.
He didn't need to worry about Tyranids sneaking up on him, largely because his spatial barrier was up.
Even without weapons in hand, he was capable of using other methods to eliminate Tyranids, including his own hands.
"Man... life in this world sure is going to be hellish," Kardia murmured to himself, closing his eyes for a moment.
Although his body had transformed into the body of a war machine, Kardia retained his humanity.
Although he was not tired at all, he simply believed himself to be tired.
For the same reason, he simply waited until someone gave the signal that a battlefield was cleared.
"It is going to be a long journey..."