My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Chapter 227 227: Prelude To Disaster

Red Cap Goblins werenʼt exactly rare or hard to find. In fact, anyone who had fought in the Demon Wars would have encountered them at some point. These goblins were predominantly found in the demon continent, Centros.

However, due to the wars, they had been transported to other continents as low-level soldiers, and that was when the world truly understood how dangerous they were. Unlike other goblins, Red Caps were war-hungry, bloodthirsty, and far more violent.

It wasnʼt their red skin that earned them the title of Blood Goblins—it was their savage nature. Some old tales even claimed that they had originally been green like other goblins, but their insatiable bloodlust had stained them crimson over generations, dyed by the blood of their enemies.

Damon clenched his fist.

Naturally, that was just a myth. And even if it were true, so what? He had Lilith Astranova on his side. As if a few goblins would be a problem.

So, a day after the whole dark spirit incident, he and Lilith set out to find them.

Too bad the Empire had other ideas.

Apparently, they didnʼt want any traces of the Demon Wars anywhere near the capital. So, Red Cap Goblins? Completely eradicated.

That forced Damon and Lilith to search far beyond the usual borders, but in the end, they gave up. If they truly wanted to find Red Caps, they would have to travel farther than the academy would allow.

And before they could even consider that, they were both summoned back for the end-of-semester evaluation.

That was how Damon ended up on an airship, drifting through the sky.

The only upside? He was far away from the academy, meaning that—if he was lucky—he might run into some Red Caps along the way.

He bit his lip.

”I donʼt need luck… Iʼll find them.”

He didnʼt doubt it for a second.

The system was cruel. It would never ask him to find something unless it intended to throw it in his path soon enough. The dark spirit had been proof of that.

And now, the goblins.

Damon had a sinking feeling that, by the time this was over, he would have seen more than enough Red Caps to last a lifetime.

He glanced at his system panel.

[HP: 150/150] (+90)

[Mana: 14,084/14,084]

[Strength: 134]

[Agility: 57]

[Speed: 100]

[Endurance: 35]

[Class: —]

[Shadow: 600]

[Shadow Hunger Levels: 0%]

[Shadow Level: 6]

[Condition: Shadow is Full]

[Attributes: Umbra]

[Skills:]

[5x] [Remorseless] [Shadow Perception] [Water Celebration] [Sacrifice] [Shadow Control] [Parkour] [Shadow Armor] [Beholderʼs Gaze] [Dead Eye] [Spirit Affinity] [Ashborn]

[Locked]

Damon couldnʼt help but smile.

He was stronger now.

Not as much as he wanted, but it was still progress.

Keeping himself full with magic crystals had been a smart move, but he had only so many left. Over the past week, he had used a lot of what Lilith had given him. He still had enough for another week and a half, but after the evaluation, he would definitely need to stock up at whatever city they stopped in.

With that thought, he pushed open the door, stepping into a long hallway lined with glass windows.

Beyond them, the sky stretched endlessly, clouds floating lazily past.

Flying was… a new experience.

He had never been on an airship before. Until now, he had only been able to look up at these behemoths in the sky and curse the rich for having the luxury of flight.

”Still scary, though…” he muttered.

Not the flying itself.

The monsters and horrors that lurked in the skies.

That was the scary part.

Damon walked forward, reaching a door. He placed his hand on the scanner, and with a soft beep, it slid open.

As he stepped inside, he was met with Kaelʼs cold gaze.

”Youʼre late.”

Damon nodded curtly, barely acknowledging him. His eyes swept across the large battle room, taking in the assembled students—all dressed in their academy-issued combat uniforms, standing in precise battle formations.

They looked like an army.

A disciplined, well-trained force being briefed for war.

He could feel the tension in the air. The quiet anticipation. The barely contained fear.

But more than that—he could feel their resolve.

Damon moved to his position at the front, standing alongside the other top students—his so-called ”peers.” He didnʼt bother sparing Kael a response.

After all, he still suspected him.

The dark spirit summoning… it wasnʼt random. And if anyone had orchestrated it, Kael was at the top of his list.

Kael, for his part, didnʼt seem to care about Damonʼs cold indifference. This was just how things were between them.

Kaelʼs swept his gaze across the room, expression unreadable.

ʼMany of them are going to die.ʼ

His sharp eyes locked onto the assembled students.

”I shall now brief you on your final semester evaluation.”

Unlike the mid-semester exam, which had taken place in a controlled environment, this was entirely different.

”This time…” Kaelʼs voice was smooth, almost amused. ”I can guarantee—death is a very real possibility.”

A murmur ran through the room. Fear spiked.

Damonʼs fingers twitched at his side.

Kael turned, motioning toward an enormous array of magical seals behind him.

The air hummed with the power of spatial magic, dark sigils pulsing in rhythmic waves. These were not ordinary teleportation runes. They were fueled by dark pillars of Kaelʼs own magic, as well as several large mana cores—most likely taken from powerful Rank Four or Rank Five monsters.

”Behind me is a teleportation array,” Kael continued.

”Your task is simple.”

He gestured toward the array.

”You will form parties of your choosing and step through the portal. You will be teleported to a random region within a 50-kilometer radius. Your objective is to survive for one week.”

Kael raised his hand, and a series of bracelets appeared, hovering in midair.

”Each of you will receive a bracelet. However, this is not for teleportation.”

His smirk widened.

”It only acts as a homing beacon.”

Meaning, if you were about to die and activated it—all it would do is let them know where your corpse was.

”Whether you live or die… is entirely up to you.”

Kaelʼs gaze flickered to Damon, his smirk never fading.

”You are free to burn, destroy, and massacre the area as much as you wish. The bracelets will record your kills and award points to your party accordingly.”

Then, with a faint chuckle, he added—

”As for the consequences of failure…”

His voice dropped into something mockingly soft.

”You wonʼt have to worry about your rankings when youʼre dead.”

A heavy silence followed.

Some students turned pale. A few instinctively clenched their fists.

Damon exhaled slowly.

It was about to begin.