Chapter 147: Who is that summoner

Words : 1521 Updated : Oct 8th, 2025

Chapter 147: Who is that summoner Drip! Drip! Drip! The sound echoed faintly within the hollow expanse of the cave, the subtle plop of water falling from the jagged ceiling to the cold ground below. It was slow, almost meditative. Yet, in its persistence, it became maddening. It was not the only sound in the cave. Accompanying the dripping water was something far more grotesque—the wet, tearing sounds of flesh being ripped apart. Again and again. The repeated crunch and pull of sinew, the slick squelch of meat between teeth. It was dark. Not the kind of darkness you blink away or adjust your eyes to—but a consuming black, thick like tar, seeping into every crevice and robbing the world of detail. It was a mystery how anyone—beast or man—could see well enough to eat in such suffocating obscurity. But this wasn’t a beast. It was a man. A soldier. One of the human military forces that had been dispatched to Planet Pascoloid—only to become stranded, left to rot in the belly of this cursed place. Trapped. Alone. Fending off starvation, thirst, and insanity. He had survived this long thanks to the rings he carried—military-issue tools embedded with survival enchantments. They gave him light, warmth, basic water purification, and even limited food. They kept him breathing. But even they had its limits. After a month of clawing through each day like a rat in a coffin, he came to a chilling realization—the military wasn’t coming. His rations had less than a week before they expired entirely, beyond what even the rings could salvage. So, he devised a system. One day of starvation. The next, a full meal to rebuild strength. Rinse and repeat. At first, it was bearable. But the deeper he fell into this cycle, the more he began to question his own sanity. The starvation days twisted his mind into knots. He started dreaming of food—smelling cooked meat where there was only blood. Seeing steam rise from raw flesh. He found himself chuckling after meals. Then crying. The satisfaction he gained from his feeding schedule—like a reward after punishment—was nothing to be proud of. It was depraved, and he knew it. But he had no other way. Each time he attempted to push beyond the cave, into the ruins above or the tunnels beneath, he froze. The beasts that stalked these parts—the shadow beasts—had wiped out his squad. He wasn’t ready to die like they did. Torn. Screaming. Forgotten. He had barely scratched the surface of this cavernous prison. Fear kept him boxed in. Sometimes he would break. He’d scream into the blackness, hurling empty threats at the air: ’I don’t care anymore! I’ll eat all my rations, walk into the open, and die like a soldier should!’ But when his voice died out, the silence would creep back in... and so would the fear. The fear of the unknown. The fear of not dying, but being devoured. He wanted to live. That instinct, however fragile, kept him shackled to caution. In his solitude, he turned to the only thing left that connected him to the outside world—his military-issued phone. It was damaged but still functional. Within it was a broadcast, one that explained the rise of a contamination caused by none other than Kairos . The soldier had watched the message repeatedly. He loathed it. Kairos’ enraged face. His smug expression. His cold words. He despised him. Especially knowing what that student had done—killed another human, someone with a family, someone innocent. ’How can a student be so heartless?’ The man clenched his fists and stared into the void. He prayed every night to escape this forsaken place. Not just to survive, but to bring Kairos to justice. It was his duty. At least, that’s what he kept telling himself. But the dream of escape felt more delusional by the day. His hope had dwindled into a flicker, a spark trapped beneath a sea of despair. He had one final ring left, saved for a single, good meal—his last supper. While gnawing on his current ration, the faint crackle of energy snapped through the cave. His body tensed. His eyes widened, straining to see. His heart pounded against his ribs like a war drum. ’Was it a beast? Was I being hunted?’ Every possible nightmare clawed its way into his imagination. His breath quickened. Cold sweat slid down his back. Then... silence. Until his gaze fell on it—a dark, square-shaped portal had formed ahead of him. It wasn’t swirling or glowing like the military’s portals. No, this one pulsed like living shadow, bending the air around it. A portal. At first, a spark of hope lit within him. But it quickly died. He knew better. This was not one of Earth’s portals. And he had no illusions left to delude his mind. Whatever emerged from it wouldn’t be friendly. So he stood still, rooted in terror, accepting death. From the dark portal, a figure emerged. The portal shut behind him as though swallowing its own trail. He was unlike anything the soldier had ever seen. Clad entirely in black—high-collared cloak down to his ankles, nose mask, wide-brimmed hat, and gloves that gleamed like fresh leather. Only his eyes were visible... barely. They glowed a monstrous red. "I thought I’d arrive in the sun or something," the man muttered with a calm, unimpressed tone. "But this is kind of hectic." The soldier flinched. The man spoke fluently in the general language—disturbing, yet oddly comforting. Then the man’s voice sharpened. "So you’re the shadow user that’s been stirring up trouble. Oh well, I guess I don’t have to search too far to get you." Before the soldier could react, darkness exploded beneath his feet. Tendrils of pure shadow erupted, twisting into massive hands that bound his arms, legs, and torso like chains forged from nightmare. He screamed and thrashed, but it was futile. The grip was unbreakable. "That was too easy," the man said. "For your age as a Reaper, I kind of expected quite more." He reached out to seize the soldier when— "Wait, please! I—my entire squad was wiped out by the shadow beasts! Please, spare me!" The glowing eyes paused. Dimmed. "Did you just say shadow beasts?" The soldier blinked, caught off guard, but nodded eagerly. If this meant survival, he’d cling to it. "Yes," he said, voice trembling. "We were sent to investigate the sudden appearance of the shadow beasts. They... they killed my team. Even took my summon away from me." He was careful not to reveal too much about the military’s mission. If he was going to die here, he wanted at least one enemy, not two. The tendrils slowly slithered back into the ground. The dark figure raised a hand to his masked face, almost as if disappointed in himself. "I knew I’d fuck up eventually... but not this early," he muttered under his breath. The soldier, sensing opportunity, leaned forward. "But I know where this person is. I know who they are." The red in the man’s eyes flared again—and the soldier froze. It wasn’t fear. It was something else. His limbs locked in place. He couldn’t move. His gaze was forced to meet the red light. He felt... chained. ’What is this?’ A terrifying, enthralling power had gripped his mind. He could barely think, let alone breathe. "I-if you take me off this planet," he stammered, voice hollow, "I’ll show you everything." The dark figure didn’t answer. His gaze remained fixed, glowing even brighter. The soldier’s eyes began to imitate the glow. He wanted to scream, shake it off—but the longer he stared, the more his mind slipped away. He was no longer thinking. He was obeying. Then, suddenly, the man turned around—and the soldier could move again. He collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. His chest heaved. Sweat dripped from his jaw. He had no idea what just happened. But the man in black did. He knew exactly what that was. Or at least... he’d experienced it before. "Thank you for the tutorial on what Earth looks like," the man said casually. "I’ll remember your sacrifice." And just like that, he began to sink into his shadow—like melting ink vanishing into the earth. The moment he fully disappeared, the darkness vanished with him. The cave was silent once more. The soldier remained still. Trembling. Heart racing. "Isn’t that..." he whispered to himself in a trembling voice, "...the same shadow ability as that kid?" His mind began to spiral. Thoughts swirled in a storm of confusion and fear. ’Just who... who was that man...?’ ***Author’s note*** Not getting much promotion lately, so please encourage me and the work so I can release more. Mass releasing is not easy, and the part of not having new readers is discouraging. So please support with gifts. Cola isn’t too small, castle isn’t small and can help promote the work greatly. And if super gifts are given I will do my best to mass release more Chapters. Thanks for the support again and share the work with your friends. Thanks

Chapter 147: Who is that summoner

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