Chapter 5: "The System."
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"HOW COULD I FORGET ABOUT THE SYSTEM?!"
Kardia, seated on the Golden Throne of his personal ship, Vimana, face-palmed hard.
His handsome features contorted with intense frustration—frustration at his own forgetfulness and stupidity.
However, as time passed, he quickly calmed down and began to approach the situation in a more rational manner.
Now that he thought about it, he realized why he had overlooked the system he himself had requested.
It was because his system was not intended to be used like other systems; it was not meant to be his primary source of solutions to the challenges he knew he was going to face in this world.
His intellect, powers, and abilities were meant to be the main tools for solving his problems, not the system.
Even though he had chosen to obtain the system, he didn't actually plan to rely on it frequently.
That was the crux of the matter.
To be fair, Kardia had indeed considered using the system, but only the technological side of the System.
He did not plan to utilize the "Summoning" aspect of the system very often.
In truth, Kardia thought of the system as his last resort for solving problems—the FINAL backup solution.
For example, if he acted impulsively and someone attempted to threaten him, he could quickly command Raphael to summon the Doom Slayer to handle the situation.
Alternatively, he could summon someone who might be able to resolve the problem.
This was why Kardia had completely forgotten about the system.
Even if he remembered the system earlier, it wouldn't provide solutions. This is because the functions of the system only work with the internal currency.
And at the time of his reincarnation, about sixteen hours ago, Kardia didn't have a single point, or the currency that the system required.
Kardia sighed in exasperation.
"Raphael, bring up the system that I requested for the System of Reincarnation. Do you know which one I'm referring to, right?" Kardia asked Raphael to bring the screen in front of him.
[Yes, Master. I remember.]
[Right away.] Raphael was quick to respond and to act.
As soon as Raphael finished speaking, a holographic screen appeared in front of Kardia, who was seated and still looking at the distance, at how Gungnir was still killing Tyranids from left to right.
This was the system interface.
As the system screen came into view, Kardia began to analyze its contents.
His red-golden eyes narrowed as he examined everything displayed in front of him.
Kardia noticed multiple tabs, each dedicated to a different game.
Among them were tabs for games like DOOM, StarCraft, Stellaris, and many others that he had integrated into the system.
In addition to games, he also saw a tab dedicated to anime, manga, and even comics.
Kardia decided to explore the content within each tab, starting with the one dedicated to the DOOM series.
When Kardia clicked on the tab, he was presented with two options: the "Technology" tab and the "Summoning" tab.
Upon selecting the "Technology" option, Kardia discovered a wide array of technologies, including vehicles, spaceships, weapons, armor, and more.
These ranged from items that the DOOM Slayer typically uses in each game to technologies like the Machine of Divinity, which players encountered in the story of DOOM.
The Machine of Divinity is a pivotal device that transformed the DOOM Guy into the DOOM Slayer.
This machine purifies both the body and soul, removing any limiters on the individual undergoing the transformation. Furthermore, it enables the transformed person to become compatible with Argent Energy.
As a result, the DOOM Slayer could assimilate Argent Energy, which resides within demons.
Each time he defeated a demon, he absorbed their energy, consequently augmenting his own power. This explains why the DOOM Slayer is so formidable.
If we take into consideration the statement in the Lore that the DOOM Slayer was trapped in Hell for eons as canon, then his strength is justified.
That seems to be canon because the DOOM Slayer is a powerful killing machine capable of defeating even the creator of the universe, as demonstrated in DOOM Eternal, when he defeated the Dark Lord.
Regarding the "Summoning" section of the system, when Kardia clicked on the "Summoning" tab, he encountered multiple categories.
He could summon elite soldiers like the Night Sentinels or various types of demons. However, Kardia decided against summoning any demons.
He is currently using the "Authority" of the Death of the Monarch of Shadows. Well, it is his authority now.
He is using necromancy.
For the same reason, Kardia exited the "DOOM" tab and began to find what he was looking for.
He had to ignore the other, more interesting, and more valuable games that possessed insane technologies and navigated to find a certain game.
And after a while, he found it. He found the tab that belonged to the video game "Solo Leveling: Arise."
When he pressed on the tab, he saw the same two options. Technologies and summoning.
He ignored the "Technology" part of things, and he simply moved on to the summoning part of this tab.
He opened the Shadow Catalog and discovered numerous categories.
During the story, Jinwoo had collected a significant amount of shadows.
Because this system is a system that has video games, anime, manga, and even comics, the information from both the game and the actual series got combined.
This allows Kardia to see 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.
The system currency is points.
Each point is acquired through killing enemies.
These enemies are either alien creatures, demons, or even humans.
This rule applies to all other games that are part of this system. Meaning that this currency is universal within all the functions of the system.
The name of this currency is called "Annihilation Points."
AP for short.
Because there are multiple races, and within each race, there are multiple ranks, each rank is divided differently, and thus, each rank of each race gives different numbers of points.
But because Kardia is fighting against Tyranids, he will tell you the points that he gets from killing Tyranids.
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.
The Hive Tyrant is powerful and technically controls everything. Still, this scale takes into consideration its power, its role, and its energy.
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. For the same reason, the Bio-Titans are truly the most powerful.
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.
Kardia moved on from this and later focused on the most important part of this entire tab, the Shadow catalog.
"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."
"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."
"I believe that the Ants of the world of Solo Leveling are more powerful than the Tyranids of this world. But it depends."
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 100,000 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.
"I'll use these 15,468,000 points to good use.. I will use these points to buy Shadows." That was Kardia's plan.
To simply use all of his points to summon Shadow Soldiers.
"I will buy 16 Shadow Generals. Can I maybe create something like different legions? That would be cool." Kardia thought to himself.
Each General-rank Shadow Soldier demands a hefty price of approximately 10,000 Annihilation Points (AP).
Thank god that Kardia actually included that "15x Currency Reward," because if he didn't, he was sure that he wasn't going to be able to buy even a hundred soldiers.
With his mind made up, Kardia clicked the summoning button sixteen times over the one that was meant for Shadow Soldiers of the General rank.
The system siphoned a staggering total of 160,000 AP from his reserves.
In that moment, as the Annihilation Points vanished into the void of the System, Kardia sensed an unmistakable shift in his shadow—sixteen formidable presences materialized within the depths of his shadow.
"Come forth…"
With his command, Kardia, who was seated on the Golden Throne, felt that his shadow extended. His shadow that extended swelled and twisted, dividing into sixteen distinct forms.
The air crackled with energy as the figures emerged, each one a manifestation of dark power.
"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 Ice 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 S-rank dungeon where Jinwoo played a supporting role. His original name was Kargalgan, but now he was known as Tusk.
Then, Kardia's red-golden 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, after the battle with five formidable hunters who would later be recognized as the Five National Hunters in the Solo Leveling world.
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.
As Kardia observed each shadow bowing before him, he let out a satisfied sigh.
Kardia rose from the Golden Throne and walked past the Shadow Soldier Generals, glancing toward the Tyranids that were still attempting to flee from Gungnir.
His expression was calm, but anyone could perceive the aura of dominance and boredom that crossed Kardia's face.
"Listen closely," he began. "I will summon more soldiers for you, so that you can form your own squads."
"There are sixteen of you. This battle is entirely in your hands."
"You decide how you want to organize yourselves—whether you want to go solo with your squads or combine them. The choice is yours."
Kardia outlined his plan for the Shadow Soldiers: he intended to assign them the task of completely eliminating the Tyranids.
He wanted no further involvement with the Tyranids for a long time.
"Now, pay attention!"
"We are in a COMPLETE state of war. Do you understand that?"
Kardia asked the question, and when he saw the Shadow Generals nodding in agreement, he continued.
"These wretched creatures are called Tyranids."
"They are somewhat powerful; they consume biomass to reproduce. They are controlled by a psychic link known as the 'Hive Mind.' While the Tyranids are formidable on their own, their true danger lies in their ability to operate as a unified force."
"I have already eliminated around two million myself, and that was before I summoned you. However, there are millions more on this planet. Eliminate them at all costs."
Kardia pointed at the Tyranids in the distance with indifference, remembering how he had nearly been devoured by a giant Tyranid on his first day.
"Do not show them mercy. Feel free to toy with them if you wish. But if you see humans, do not allow them to be harmed. Am I understood?"
The Shadow Generals nodded in agreement as they observed the Tyranids in the distance.
"They will do everything in their power to kill you—and even me. So respond in kind. Show no forgiveness. If they strike you hard, strike them ten times harder."
Kardia spoke with the authority of a commander, his eyes glaring at each shadow, which nodded in response.
As Kardia got the nod that he needed to see from the Shadow Generals, he walked back to his Golden Throne on his personal ship, the Vimana.
Summoning the System back in front of him, Kardia began to spend the rest of his points in purchasing the necessary shadow soldiers for each Shadow General.
Kardia doesn't know how many shadow soldiers he bought; he only knew that at the end of it, all the Sixteen Shadow Generals had more than enough soldiers under his command to lead.
"Now, go on then, kill all of those Tyranids for me," Kardia ordered, as he looked at the distance.
He saw the Shadow Soldier Tyranids fighting against the Tyranids, while other Tyranids were still trying to somehow stop the ever-non-stopping Spear of Heaven, Gungnir.
Kardia lifted his hand from the armrest of the Golden Throne, and as he did, in the distance, the Spear of Heaven, Gungnir, sensed that its Master was calling him. The Spear of Heaven quickly stopped whatever he was doing and simply rushed towards where the Vimana was floating in the air.
The Tyranids that were trying their hardest to stop the Spear of Heaven, which had killed almost a million enemies in the past few hours, sighed in relief.
Kardia smiled as he saw that the Spear of Heaven responded to his call, as it should.
In an instant, the spear, at insane speeds, approached Kardia's position. Before it could continue its trajectory, Kardia raised his right hand and extended it to catch the spear.
Normally, at the speed at which the spear was traveling, it could technically separate the limb of whoever tried to stop it. Yet, for Kardia, whose body was constantly growing in power due to the energy that he was getting, this was nothing.
Kardia inspected the Spear of Heaven, and he saw that nothing had happened to it.
This spear is made out of Uru and is incredibly durable, but what makes it even more powerful is that it can be enhanced with spiritual energy. In other words, it can be enhanced with Magic.
Kardia smiled.
He later turned to the Shadow Generals, who were still waiting for his order.
"Go now. Kill them for me," with a smile on his face, Kardia ordered.
Beste, the beautiful Ice Elf Witch, in her shadow form, seeing that her king and master ordered them to act, before she left, she came and later hugged her Master.
Although Beste is a shadow, for Kardia, who is their king and can physically interact with them, he felt the massive breasts of Beste as she hugged him.
Kardia blinked in surprise as Beste did that, but he later smiled, and he didn't mind.
"Don't worry, Master. We can eliminate any enemy that can try to come our way, or even your way."
Beste said to his ear, and Kardia simply smiled even brighter.
Before the Shadow Generals and their Shadow Soldier subordinates could leave, Kardia spoke to them, stopping them in their tracks.
"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 hard.
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. You can try to create something like a "Hive Mind," Master.]
[You can also design this Hive Mind so that it allows the generals to be able to physically and mentally control their subordinates for a higher level of coordination. And also allow the generals to be able to report back to you, Master.]
Kardia heard Raphael's idea, and he had to say, " It didn't sound as bad.
"Wouldn't this be dangerous?"
[Not at all, Master,] Raphael began.
[If you try to do this with other sentient beings, then yes, it could potentially be extremely dangerous. However, these are beings that are "Created" through your energy and authority.]
[They use your energy to exist. They are completely bound to you. And because you are Immune to the corruption of Chaos, they are also immune to the corruption of the Immaterium.]
[This allows this Synaptic Link to be unable to be corrupted at all, as you would be the Master.]
As Kardia heard the explanation, his Red-Golden eyes shone brighter as if they were a Red Sun.
"Yeah, we can do that."
"No, let's 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, who was seated on the Golden Throne of Vimana, barely had time to finish his words when Raphael interrupted him.
He blinked as Raphael was pretty much just informing him of an idea, and later telling him that said Idea was already established. He just needed to give approval to fully implement it.
"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, and even the Generals.
Kardia sensed a bond with each and every one of them.
"Is this what it feels like to control the Hive Mind?" Kardia asked himself as he felt a sensation of control he never had before.
"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 spiritual energy through the link," he thought.
"Well... I guess I can only do this to my Shadows. If I were to give my energy to humans, I am sure they could be overwhelmed and die."
This was a possible theory, and it had some evidence to back it up.
Kardia thinks he can strengthen Shadow Soldiers because they are technically "Spiritual Life-Forms," and they take energy better than any organic life form in the Galaxy.
A human wouldn't be able to absorb his energy without getting overwhelmed or even dying from the insane amount.
"It seems I can access and witness the memories of each shadow, both before and after their resurrection. Even before being summoned to this world."
"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 even take control of them at any moment, even if they are unwilling."
"Damn... Is this what it means to be omniscient? No wonder the "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. A shadow? No.. They can create 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 still needed to send his Shadow Soldiers to fight against the Tyranids.
"I am sure you guys felt the sudden shift, right?"
Kardia asked the Shadow Generals, who were in front of him. Nearly all of them were kneeling, with the exception of Kamish, who manipulated his own height to be smaller, but he was still floating in the air.
"We did, our liege."
Beru, the Ant King, was obviously the first one to feel the changes.
Beru used to be the Ant King of the Red Ants, and as the King, his purpose was to command the Ants. Beru also had something akin to a Synapse Link. And he felt that Kardia, his new King, had forced a Synapse Link with all of them.
Kardia had placed himself as the absolute authority, and there were only their enforcers.
None of the Shadow Soldiers minded Kardia doing that; instead, they were happy, as they could feel a strong link with their new King through that Synaptic Link.
It was as if their new King was next to them at all times.
"Now, for the third time, go and kill those Tyranids for me."
Kardia ordered once again, and this time, the Shadow Generals nodded, and they quickly jumped into different directions on the Battlefield.
"Raphael, analyze them. Analyze their fighting styles, skills, abilities, and magics of each one of the Shadow Generals. Also, arrange a set of skills for the Shadow Soldiers, make them skilled."
"For Igris, optimize his sword skills; for Beste and Tusk, optimize their magic spells, and so on."
Kardia ordered as he saw how the Shadow Generals and their respective Shadow Soldiers jumped into the battle against the Tyranids.
He chuckled when he saw the confusion in the wretched eyes of the Tyranids.
They seemed to be confused.
They were most probably confused as to why the Spear that seemed to have a mind of its own, which killed almost a million of them in two hours, suddenly went flying in another direction.
But they were even more confused as to why, moments later, what seemed to be shadowy creatures appeared before them and later began to attack them.
But when they sensed the same type of energy as that of the monstrous man that had humiliated them, the Tyranids got extremely angry.
They were quick to understand that these shadowy creatures were the soldiers of that monster of a human. Well... They were confused at first because they had never seen the creatures that Kardia had summoned to fight against them before.
The Tyranids thought that if they couldn't beat their leader, they could defeat his subordinates.
Oh, they don't know how wrong they were.
Kardia saw this, and he simply chuckled.
"Raphael, once you are done with that task, 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 truly make him unstoppable.
After all, Igris is a Shadow Soldier who has fought alongside the original Monarch of Shadows, Ashborne, for what seems to be thousands and thousands of years before Jinwoo made Igris his shadow.
Why was Kardia so focused on trying to optimize the Shadow Generals and the Shadow Soldiers?
In an army, numbers matter, but what truly matters is skill.
If a large army has soldiers who are extremely skilled, those soldiers can then pretty much defeat any army in the world.
Kardia already has numbers, but he now needs his army to have insane skills.
That is why he asked Raphael to optimize the fighting styles, skills, techniques, and abilities of the Shadow Generals, including the Shadow Soldiers.
This way, his now Shadow army can do its job more efficiently.
[Understood, Master.]Raphael was quick to respond.
Raphael was quick to respond because she had been planning to do this from the very beginning.
Her core mission is to protect her Master and to ensure his safety; she knows she must strengthen him to the point where no battle or power can challenge him.
When Kardia assigned her the task of optimizing the skills of the Shadow Generals, Raphael took the time to replicate the experience data of each General.
She then, using her sub-skills, transformed that data into valuable information that her Master could use.
Raphael doesn't concern herself with moral considerations. As long as her Master is safe and strong, she disregards the source of that power or experience.
Even if someone were to argue that what she is doing is morally wrong—essentially stealing thousands of years of hard-earned experience and giving it to someone who did not go through the struggles of War to be good in combat—Raphael would meet their gaze and respond, "I don't care," with the utmost seriousness.
It didn't take long for Raphael to complete her task.
The first ones to feel the changes were the Shadow Generals, and later the Shadow Soldiers of lower rank.
The Shadow Generals and all the Shadow Soldiers suddenly felt new.
Some of them changed their stances instinctively, and others changed how they gripped their weapons in an instant.
Even the weakest Shadow Soldier in the Shadow Army of Kardia felt that they had the battle experience of a Master.
This was the effect of Raphael optimizations.
The Shadow Generals and Shadow Soldiers gained the Perfect Information and Experience on how to respond to multiple types of enemies, and how to deal with those enemies in various ways.
In theory, this Shadow Army had completely changed in an instant.
The Tyranids were the first ones to notice the change as well, as the tactics of the Shadow Soldiers changed, and the results were even more effective than before.
Kardia, on the other hand, also felt changes.
These changes weren't major changes, as Kardia already possessed a perfect fighting style for his perfectly balanced body build. But the change that Kardia felt was the inclusion of the battle experience of his Shadow Soldiers.
"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.
Igris has been fighting for multiple years alongside Ashborne. In the current story, 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 that Kardia had summoned him to.
"I think this is enough for now," Kardia murmured to himself.
It seems that everything is settled, for now, at least.
For that reason, Kardia decided to take a break.
With that in mind, Kardia snapped his fingers, and as he did that, a large barrier surrounded Vimana. Still, at the next second, the barrier seemed to have vanished into the air.
What actually happened is that the barrier became invisible to the naked eye, but the barrier is still protecting Vimana's surroundings in a perfect circle.
This means that Kardia is protected.
"Raphael, help me sleep."
Kardia ordered Raphael to put him to sleep.
It's not that Kardia wants Raphael to do everything for him, but Kardia found out that he can't sleep at all.
His body and mental energy are at an all-time high, and because of "Eclipse Breathing," he can't get fatigued. This means that Kardia is pretty much unable to sleep in the normal way.
[Right away, Master.]
[Also, master. May I make some adjustments to your body while you are asleep?]
Kardia heard the question, but he truly didn't care.
Kardia knew that Raphael was not going to do any harm to him, so he simply allowed it.
"Yeah, sure. Just put me to sleep for at least five hours."
[Understood, Master.]
"Man... life in this world sure is going to be hellish," Kardia murmured to himself, beginning to close his eyes as he felt that Raphael was effectively putting him to sleep.
"It is going to be a long journey..."
....
End of Chapter 5.