The Shadow Limit

Chapter 107 — The Shadow Limit

Three days passed.

Aether never returned to the city.

He traveled through the wilderness, hunting only creatures strong enough to interest him.

Some battles lasted seconds.

Others lasted several minutes.

The important thing was that Aether wasn't simply killing everything he encountered.

He was testing his army.

Blackfang became increasingly skilled at rapid attacks and tracking.

Ironhide became better at absorbing powerful attacks and controlling the battlefield.

And Aether remained the strongest among them.

His Origin Points continued to increase.

[Origin Points: 760 / 900]

Aether sat on top of a cliff overlooking a forest.

Below him, Blackfang and Ironhide were fighting a Stage 7 armored boar.

The boar charged.

Ironhide blocked.

Blackfang attacked from behind.

The beast suddenly released a shockwave.

Both shadows were destroyed.

Black mist scattered through the forest.

Aether watched calmly.

A few seconds later, both shadows returned to his feet.

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The battle continued.

The boar eventually fell.

[Stage 7 Origin Beast defeated.]

[Origin Points +40.]

[Origin Points: 800 / 900.]

Aether looked at the System.

“Only one hundred.”

He stood.

The two shadows returned to him.

But something unusual happened.

The moment Blackfang entered his shadow, Aether felt a slight fluctuation.

Not pain.

Something else.

A restriction.

Aether closed his eyes.

He focused on the connection.

The Origin Energy flowing through his shadow suddenly became clearer.

He could sense the space where the extracted Origin imprints were being stored.

There were several.

The Stage 8 tiger.

The giant ape.

The Blackridge cultivators.

Other beasts he had defeated.

Yet none of them could become new shadows.

Aether frowned.

“Why?”

He focused harder.

The answer gradually became apparent.

His Origin Shadow Authority had a limit.

It wasn't simply a matter of collecting imprints.

The Authority itself needed to become stronger.

A private System notification appeared.

[Origin Shadow Authority has reached its current manifestation limit.]

[Current Authority Stage: Initial]

[Maximum stable Origin Shadows: 2]

[Additional shadow manifestations require Authority advancement.]

Aether's eyes narrowed.

“So that's the restriction.”

The system continued.

[Potential advancement condition detected.]

[Required: Sufficient Origin Shadow experience.]

[Required: Compatible Origin imprints.]

[Required: Origin Energy accumulation.]

Aether smiled.

“That makes more sense.”

He didn't want an army appearing overnight anyway.

Two shadows were enough for now.

He looked at Blackfang and Ironhide.

“Then we'll strengthen the foundation first.”

Aether sat down.

He began circulating his Origin Energy.

The shadows remained beside him.

For the next several hours, Aether experimented with the connection.

He discovered that his shadows didn't simply consume Origin Energy when they were manifested.

They also returned a portion of their unused energy to him when they returned to storage.

The system recorded the process.

[Origin Shadow synchronization increasing.]

[Shadow Command efficiency improved.]

[Origin Energy circulation efficiency improved.]

Aether opened his eyes.

“Interesting.”

He stood.

“Blackfang.”

The wolf immediately disappeared.

Aether didn't issue another command.

Blackfang moved through the forest independently.

He could feel everything through their connection.

Movement.

Smells.

Hostile presences.

Distance.

Then Aether sensed something.

A powerful presence.

Stage 8.

He smiled.

“Found one.”

Blackfang returned instantly.

Aether looked toward the eastern mountains.

The next target was there.

He started walking.

But this time, there was a difference.

He wasn't simply hunting for Origin Points.

He was hunting for experience.

Every battle would strengthen him.

Every battle would strengthen his shadows.

And eventually, the Origin Shadow Authority itself would break through its current limit.

Only then would the army truly begin to grow.