The Cost of Stealing Shadows

But Chloe hesitated for a moment and still didn't touch the key first.

Although I don't know if this key has any warning function... it's better to take it last, just in case.

The closer Chloe got to victory, the calmer she became. She began to consider various possibilities and reflect on her oversights and mistakes.

After a quiet review, it was confirmed that there were no loopholes.

Iver was indeed drunk; his behavior in his sleep was completely normal.

So she boldly stepped forward. She took out a dark red lipstick from her pocket and gently applied it to herself.

The fundamental ability of those Path of Adaptation is their resistance to poison and disease; the higher the level, the stronger the Path of Adaptation possess exceptional assassination abilities.

As a member of the "Hawk Eye" organization, she knew the methods for making various Secret Poison and Curse Poison. In addition to applying this ointment-like potent poison to "Eagle Feather" throwing knives, she also made them into portable and concealable lipsticks, which were then triggered by a deadly kiss.

Of course, it didn't really mean anything. It was just a kind of quirky pleasure of hers... If you had to put it in perspective, a kiss is always lighter than applying lipstick to someone. But what she really wanted to do was simply "kiss."

A kiss that quietly takes another's life evokes a romantic and alluring feeling, as if one were a legendary succubus or banshee. It possesses a strong sense of ritual.

But Chloe now looks back... perhaps she was inclined towards the Path of Love from the very beginning. Her habits along the way had been constantly reinforcing her Path of Love, without her realizing it. Only now did she truly realize how strong her desires were.

Just as she always dressed herself up beautifully, wearing clothes that were somewhat too revealing and conspicuous for the Avalon. This seemed a bit too high-profile for an assassin.

She had always disguised herself as a follower of the Path of Beauty, but perhaps she was better suited to the Path of Love. Unfortunately, the Path of Love of the Iris was completely controlled by the Child of the Moon, and while she might be able to leave the organization, she could never become Child of the Moon —otherwise, she would definitely be found and killed by her colleagues.

—But it doesn't matter.

Once I obtain this Divine Weapon, I will have the confidence to negotiate with the organization.

After applying her lipstick, Chloe looked at the sleeping, alcohol-smelling Iver and smiled.

... Upon closer inspection, although he seemed quite infuriating before, this young man is actually quite handsome now.

If I kiss him, I won't lose out.

She bent down and gently kissed Iver —but for some reason, she could only bend halfway at the waist.

She could already smell the faint scent of alcohol on the sleeping Iver's breath, as well as the masculine scent emanating from him. But her waist felt as if it were numb, holding her in this laborious position, unable to move at all.

"—Have you had enough?"

A cold female voice echoed in her mind.

Judging from her voice and tone, she sounds like a strong and proud mature woman.

—Not Iver's personal maid.

Damn it, are there other people lying in ambush in this room?!

Chloe snapped back to reality in an instant, instinctively melting into the shadows, breaking free from the unknown source of the restraints, and slipping into Iver's shadow.

But unlike any previous Shadow Stealth—

Or perhaps, just like the last time she infiltrated Iver's shadow, an immense, overwhelming sense of fear gripped her heart.

But it was too late for her to escape.

The shadows that used to move freely now seemed like frozen ice, cold and solid.

It was as if she had thrown herself into a cage, freezing herself in ice.

And that cold voice mocked her in her ear. "You little thief who Stealing Shadows, you actually trust this power quite a bit..."

At that moment, Chloe felt a sudden dizziness.

When she regained her sight, she saw that Iver, who was lying in bed, was very far away.

And from my own perspective...

—It's like being sealed inside a mirror! And "another self" who looks almost exactly like her, except that her hair and eyes are pure black, is standing in the spot where she just stood, looking at Chloe in the mirror with a sneer.

She slowly "walked" closer to the mirror, approaching it—her "walking" was merely a movement, while in reality she floated there. Half of her feet merged into the ground as she walked. And her body didn't rise and fall with her movements, but rather emitted a faint wisp of black smoke.

Chloe in the mirror is completely out of control of her body. She is forced to make the exact same movements as her reflection outside the mirror, getting closer to the "other self" that terrifies her.

As "another self" drew closer, Chloe noticed... that her pupils and hair were not black, but rather a constantly flowing void. Not the kind of black that reflects light and reveals individual strands of hair, but rather "non-existence."

Her skin was so white it was almost ghostly, with a semi-transparent texture... Only her clothes were solid.

--Who are you?

Chloe wanted to speak, but she couldn't even open her mouth. It was as if she had truly become a reflection.

But the person in the mirror seemed to hear their own inner voice, and the corners of their mouth turned up slightly, revealing a charming smile.

But the self trapped inside the mirror did not make the same movements in sync.

Chloe in the mirror still had her short, Caramel- colored curly hair. A visible fear etched on her face, distorting her otherwise beautiful features.

"Followers of the Lord of Scales and Feathers, thieves who steal fish scales and bird feathers... Now, do you not even remember where your power comes from?"

She chuckled, extending her slender, pale fingers to gently trace across Chloe's cheek.

Click—

Chloe seemed to hear a phantom sound. As if her soul were being torn apart, an indescribable pain came—a crack appeared in her reflection, yet she could not utter a single word.

Her mind went blank with pain, but soon that word flooded her mind—

—From whom does one's strength come?

It's a Shadow Fiend!... There's a Shadow Fiend in Iver's shadow?!

How could that be!

But... if this is true...

In that instant, she understood everything.

Why can Iver see me? Why is he completely unafraid of me? Why do I feel immense fear when I enter Iver's shadow?

She also realized that what Iver said at the banquet was nothing more than a trap and a disguise to lure her in!

—What priests, what heroes! It's all fake!

He was no good at all— Demon Scholar who could make a pact with Greater Demon could never be this young! This must be some extremely powerful Demon Scholar who also worked on the Path of Twilight, reincarnated into Iver's body, and stole his identity and body! In that instant, regret overwhelmed her heart.

If she had another chance, she would never mess with Iver!

But it was too late.

There's absolutely no way she could escape from the Shadow Fiend!

The power to Path of Adaptation comes from imitating others. Whether it's poison, precognition, invisibility, regeneration, or other abilities, they all originate from imitating other life forms in nature. Her Shadow Stealth ability is a power that the predecessors of the Hawkeye Organization developed by imitating demons like the "Shadow Fiend."

However, that was ultimately a copy; they couldn't truly capture a Shadow Fiend to imitate its talent. It was merely a weakened version of the ability constructed through observation and imagination.

Now she realized that the Shadow Fiend's manipulation of "shadows" actually included mirror images! Rather than saying that this was how he captured her, it was more accurate to say that the Shadow Fiend had already captured her and was giving her a demonstration of how the real Shadow Fiend hunts...

"I don't mind if you copied its talent from one of my kin. But you used it so badly, it's like a toad singing or a donkey dancing. It feels like an elephant is thumping over my head... It's so noisy."

The Shadow Fiend's voice was full of malice, and Chloe became increasingly aware that the Shadow Fiend's voice was gradually becoming more like her own—from that arrogant and mature female voice to her own seductive voice, as sweet as honey.

"And more importantly—the master's shadow, that's my territory."

Her voice was soft yet cold, and her slender fingers, through the mirror, grasped the neck of the person reflected in it. "You've crossed the line, you little thief."

"If it weren't for my master's mercy, I would have torn you to pieces. Fortunately, the Serpent Father protected you, and you dared to come back."

"You're even foolish enough to try and kill my master—who do you think you are? So weak, yet so confident..."

Chloe, writhing in agony in the mirror, was being relentlessly corroded by shadows. Blood seeped from the edges of the full-length mirror, as if it were not a solid mirror, but rather an iron maiden slowly closing in.

Before Chloe lost consciousness, Shadow Fiend's voice echoed in her mind, "You copied me, so I'll copy yours too. I just happen to be missing a skin that suits human aesthetics."

"Since you tried to Stealing Shadows... your voice and face are now mine."

"In human terms, this should be called debt repayment."

As he spoke, the Shadow Demon touched the mirror with his finger, marking a large X on her face. "You're insolvent now, Miss."

In an instant, Chloe's already cracked soul was completely torn apart by Shadow Fiend's nails.

The next day, when Iver groggily woke up, he was still not awakened by the Shadow Fiend.

This was something he had agreed upon with Shadow Fiend: to quietly eliminate the assassin. Unless there was something urgent, there was no need to wake him.

This also shows his trust in Shadow Fiend.

How did things go last night?

The first thing he asked himself when he woke up was, "What were her last words?"

Iver wasn't worried that Shadow Fiend would let her escape.

Because when he woke up, the pop-up window was already in front of him:

[Defeat Fourth Level transcendent being and gain 120 Free Experience]

He was about 100 points lower than the Deformed Limb Demon, but the experience he received was enough. Including the experience Iver hadn't used up, he now had 364 Free Experience points. This meant that after advancing to Demon Scholar at the beginning of the month, Iver could advance again at the beginning of next month—reaching the Third Level in just two months! Now, what was limiting Iver was the cooldown time of the ritual. Of course, to prevent experience overflow, he should continue reading books normally at the beginning and use Free Experience to level up at the end.

Every little bit helps! Iver was just a little worried—wouldn't the Shadow Fiend have torn and corroded everything on her body?

"I remember telling you that she kept all the equipment she had... Where did you put it?"

He pressed further, "And also, the floor and everything else weren't dirty, were they?"

"She left no last words, not uttering a single utterance until her death. She only regretted offending you."

The Shadow Demon's voice, different from yesterday's and more human-like, echoed in his mind, "The spoils are all on the sofa next to me, Master... As for her blood, I've consumed it all. It won't leave any trace."

Iver looked in that direction—and it really was.

The clothes were folded neatly, arranged in an orderly fashion, and sorted by category. It was as if they had been taken off and placed there themselves. They were perfectly intact, without a single scratch.

"... Lily came by?"

Iver's first thought was, "Did Lily come over and set this up?"

But he quickly realized—he had already warned Lily last night not to call him today. She wouldn't just come into his room without permission.

This Shadow Fiend... he's actually quite organized? Update complete, please vote! Also, I'd like to recommend a friend's book, a groundbreaking work in the history of science fiction genre. Check it out if you're interested!