After what felt like an eternity, Modret finally opened his eyes slowly, feeling his eyelids heavy. Regaining consciousness, the first thing that met his eyes was his mother's tired gaze filled with nervousness.
'I must have made her worried, huh?' he thought silently, then his eyes scanned his surroundings. He was in his room, and aside from that, his father remained seated not too far away, gazing off into the distance as though reminiscing about something.
Only the two of them were in the room. With that, Modret groaned slightly, signaling to them that he was awake. The moment the groan escaped his lips, Anna's eyes snapped open, and she glanced at him, her expression filled with worry.
"Son!" she exclaimed and hugged him tightly, a pair of warm, soft treasures pressing lightly against him.
"How are you feeling? How is your body? How is your health? How is…" his mother frantically asked as her voice trailed off. After she was done, Modret flashed her a smile and answered,
"I'm fine, Mom, you don't have to be so worried."
Hearing the confirmation from Modret, Anna finally exhaled in relief, a smile blossoming on her face. At that moment, Donald finally cleared his throat lightly.
"Father!" Modret called out softly.
Donald gave Modret a nod of acknowledgment. However, there was a hidden curiosity in the depths of his eyes — after all, he was wondering how Modret had managed to survive the assassination attempt on his life twice.
But he didn't want to pry into his son's secrets. It seemed to be something Modret would share in due time, when he felt ready.
"Do you remember what happened?" he asked, approaching Modret.
Modret thought for a moment, then relayed everything that had happened. At the end of his sentence, he hesitated a bit before ultimately deciding not to share his speculations.
If he told his parents about what had happened when he was just a few weeks old, it would sound too absurd. After all, he had just been born. In fact, it might even cause his parents to harbor suspicions toward him.
Modret sighed faintly as he glanced at his parents, who were digesting the information.
"Such meticulous planning. This can't be something plotted recently… they must have timed us. It's as though the mastermind can read our movements," Donald muttered under his breath.
Anna's eyebrows furrowed with worry as she glanced at her husband. "Don, you need to do something about this. I can't stomach the fact that they're constantly targeting our son. What if… what if he doesn't survive the next assassination attempt?"
'Talk about jinxing my situation,' Modret rolled his eyes slightly, his expression turning peculiar as he gazed at his mother.
Donald sighed and then reassured Anna, "Don't worry, my love. I'll do all I can to apprehend the one responsible."
Hearing this, Modret's eyes flashed slightly and he spoke up, "Father, what if it's someone from the royal family?"
'That's right, Dad! A hint! Focus on the family members and you might be able to apprehend the target in due time!' Modret exclaimed internally.
However, Donald immediately shook his head.
"What nonsense?!" he glared at Modret as though he were spouting rubbish. "Don't dare accuse any member of the noble family like that. It's impossible they'd do such a thing!"
After he finished speaking, he turned and walked away.
Anna, who was by the side, sighed at the shocked expression on Modret's face. He hadn't expected his father to overreact like that. Then what would have happened if he'd shared his full speculations?
Modret was thankful he hadn't been impulsive. He smiled wryly as his mother gradually consoled him.
…
Soon after his mother departed, Modret's gaze sharpened. He could still remember the messages he'd seen before losing consciousness. With that thought, he quickly called up the system's interface. A blue luminescent panel materialized in front of his eyes.
[Obtained a shadow servant.]
[Obtained a D-grade movement ability.]
[Gained 100 shadow fragments.]
"What?" Modret exclaimed aloud, his eyes filled with shock.
'I obtained an ability? How's this possible? Fairy, quickly, come and explain what this is about!' Modret immediately called out.
The next moment, a floating creature materialized out of thin air. She glanced at the system interface curiously, then after a slight silence, began speaking.
{It's pretty understandable that you've gained 100 shadow fragments. Just kill a couple more people and you'd be able to spin the roulette. However, they have to be awakened.}
Hearing her explanation, a calculating light flashed in Modret's eyes. Despite the thought, he was repulsed by the idea of killing innocents to gain strength.
'There must be another way,' Modret said silently in his heart, then shrugged.
Noticing this, the fairy was unbothered. She continued…
{As the name implies, you've obtained a shadow servant. Whenever you kill someone, you can make them your shadow servant. They'll be devoid of life and unable to grow stronger anymore since they're basically dead. You can call your shadow servant to see.}
{Concerning the aspect of obtaining an ability: as the Lord of Shadows, it's pretty normal that you obtain the abilities of your shadow servants…}
Hiss!
Modret sucked in a deep breath, trying hard to comprehend the words spoken by the fairy. But they continuously thundered in his mind and echoed relentlessly.
'How terrifying!'
'How exciting!'
'How truly delightful…' Modret exclaimed three times within his heart, then went over the fairy's words again.
"So you're saying as long as I kill and obtain shadow servants, I can also get their abilities? Is this world trying to make me overpowered or what?" Modret took a sharp breath.
{Don't get too hasty. You're unable to use the ability for now since you have no mana in your body.}
The fairy quickly doused his mood. However, Modret was undeterred. "As long as I have the ability, getting mana will be a natural process…"
He restrained his impulsive urge to check the ability and asked curiously, "How do I summon the shadow servant?"
As he finished speaking, the fairy immediately replied.
{To summon your shadow servant, you just have to summon her. It's a natural process, so it should be pretty easy to do so…}
Modret nodded, then closed his eyes, feeling a peculiar sensation in his heart. Following his instincts, he called out lightly. Immediately, a whooshing sound echoed in the surroundings, and faint shadows began to materialize in the room.
The next moment, the shadows twisted and writhed, quickly forming a figure. When Modret opened his eyes, he froze, and his heart skipped a beat.
For a moment, he thought he was about to be assassinated again because… the shadow servant looked exactly human!
She looked no different from before Modret had killed her, and the moment she took form, she immediately bowed slightly and called out, "Lord of Shadows…"
Modret was startled, recovering from his daze.
'She can speak? And did she just call me the… Lord of Shadows?' Modret was stupefied.
It seemed things had just gotten a little more interesting than usual…