My breath hitched as I saw the colossal creature that loomed before me.
A gaping maw dripped saliva onto the ground, deep green fur intertwined with a black mane, and claws nearly as long as its arm clawed at the wall.
Its hunched posture radiated raw power as its furious red eyes locked onto mine with unrelenting ferocity.
"Just my damn luck," I stepped back, then bolted as fast as my trembling legs could carry me. This wasn't what I had signed up for.
According to the original plot, there was nothing like a giant green-furred bear in the cave—but what changed? Was it the timing of my arrival?
Before my legs could enter one of the caverns, a long talon slashed in my direction, grazing my back.
I shrieked as the drifter growled. My body froze, and my eyes widened at the beast charging toward me.
It wasn't that dodging was impossible, but... I was just an ordinary guy from Earth a few hours ago, someone who got scared of a dog. How was I supposed to face a freaking bear?
Suddenly, I felt my mother's warm touch, my father's rambling, and my sister's annoying provocations.
'Is this what they call your life flashing before your eyes?' I thought, bracing myself for imminent doom.
[User has been paralyzed with fear. Theron stretches his hand to help.]
My eyes widened as a bolt of lightning struck the raging bear. Its once vibrant body was left roasted like an overgrilled beef.
"What?..." I whispered, baffled. "What the hell happened?"
The drifter, just inches away from ending my life, was now obliterated—and who the hell was Theron?
My mind raced as the initial message that played upon transmigration echoed in my head.
"Theron is on your side."
It was pointless to ponder about the one who likely transmigrated me, and asking the system was futile. But not all hope was lost, if a god-like figure out there wanted me alive, didn't that mean I had a trump card?
I smiled through trembling lips, still unable to rise to my feet.
[YOU HAVE SLAIN A SEQUENCE NINE DRIFTER—]
[YOU HAVE EARNED 10 STAT POINTS—]
[CONDITION: OVERPOWER TARGET HAS BEEN ACHIEVED—]
[DOES USER WISH TO EXTRACT SAINT—YES/NO.]
"What?" I muttered, jaw slack. "How is it even possible? I didn't do anything."
[Attention: Lord Theron intervened on your behalf, so it is counted as your kill.]
"I see... and since he literally one-shotted it, the system automatically credited me."
[Correct.]
"Not like I'm going to complain about it." I paused, eyeing the window that hovered in front of me. "Yes."
[EXTRACTING SAINT—]
Mana surged through the cave, pushing me back a few steps. A dim light glowed from the drifter, casting eerie shadows throughout the cavern.
The dripping sounds once made by the raging bear had vanished, rendering the tranquil cave even more ominous.
The dim light, which resembled a glowing dark shadow, finally faded.
[USER HAS EXTRACTED SAINT—NAME____]
My gaze shifted to the drifter's corpse, which remained intact, then to its shadow, which was still present but slightly dimmed.
"So its true form comes from part of its shadow—fascinating."
But now wasn't the time to be amazed. My lips parted as I whispered, "Shiki."
[SHADOW SAINT: SHIKI HAS BEEN BORN.]
The shadows within the cave seemed to dance with joy as a large bear figure materialized, its former green fur now replaced by black energy-like strands, and the black areas turned to a glowing blue.
Its crimson eyes gleamed as it knelt on one knee, bowing its head before me.
"Wow, it actually worked—so Shiki, what can you do?"
[User, you are currently too weak to communicate with your Shadow Saints.]
"Okay, so what's next?"
Ding!
[Pick one of your shadow's two abilities:—]
[Clairvoyance: You can see beyond the normal range of perception—Rage: Your stats increase by 20% each time your negative emotions exceed your positive ones.]
I studied the window carefully, absorbing every detail. Raising my hand, I clicked on the first option.
Ding!
[You have earned the sub-talent: Clairvoyance.]
"System, show me my talent stats."
---
[CURRENT MAGE SAINTS: 0...]
[CURRENT SHADOW SAINTS: 2...]
---
[Sub-talents]
Alabaster Ice [Sub]: A talent acquired from a Sequence Nine drifter—Goblin. Enables the user to reduce the surrounding thermal energy by 20% in normal to low-temperature environments, and by 150% of the excess heat in high-temperature zones. The "surrounding temperature" is measured immediately before activation.
Clairvoyance [Shiki]: A talent acquired from a Sequence Nine drifter—Raging Bear. You can see beyond normal perception range. With enhanced vision, heightened senses, and a sixth sense, you can perceive events or information beyond the range of ordinary senses.
---
"Hihihi," I laughed softly.
The main reason I chose the first talent wasn't because I could control my emotions like some sort of genius or because the second wasn't appealing, but because...
"There's no way I'm fighting someone head-on."
In novels centered around reincarnation or transmigration, the MC always enters a weak body and then chooses a sword.
There's nothing inherently wrong with that—but for me, it's too terrifying.
Meltonia is a world teeming with various forms of magic categorized under three archetypes: Augmentors, Manipulators, and Enchanters.
These three archetypes give rise to five classes that every mage plays in a team: Arbiter, Tank, Wave Controller, Healer, and Scout each with a specific niche.
Since I was a Manipulator, classes were more flexible for me, I could potentially fit into any. But that didn't mean I could just pick one at random.
"Haah, why is this so hard," I sighed, collapsing to the cave floor.
The entrance ceremony didn't just serve as a welcome, it was also the venue for class selection.
The Arbiter class was ideal for a charismatic leader, one who led from the front and made strategic decisions. Healers, conversely, operated in the rear as support units.
Tank was a complete no-go for me. Avoiding frontlines was my top priority, and I didn't even have the stamina to endure direct hits.
That left only two options: Scouts—the shadows of the team who gathered intel, offered backup, and performed reconnaissance. It wasn't a bad class, but it only slightly reduced my chances of front-line engagement.
That left one last option—
"Wave Controller."
The most versatile of the remaining classes. They could engage directly or offer support. As the name suggested, Wave Controllers were typically mages or snipers who dealt large-scale, long-range damage using mana.
After some thought, I made my choice.
"Wave Controller isn't so bad."
And with my new talent I could very much, become a decent sniper and marksman.
Pushing myself to my feet, I entered the cave from which Shiki had emerged, with him standing behind me.
I didn't know what other horror might appear, but having someone to protect me was reassuring.
"System, how do I summon or dismiss my Saints?"
[User must assign a name for summoning. For dismissal, simply think it.]
"I'll do that later. First—summon Gobo."
A shadowy light manifested before me, as if it had been sleeping within my shadow. I felt my own shadow swirl, and a goblin figure wielding a dagger appeared before me.
Just like Shiki, it too was composed of dark energy and radiated a faint blue glow.
"Okay, let's go get the elixir before another unknown dread shows up."
With that, I vanished into the cave's depths.