Chapter 52 - 53: Caleb Rowan’s Request

Chapter 52: Chapter 53: Caleb Rowan’s Request

Chapter 53: Caleb Rowan’s Request

Noctis’s ears twitched.

"Meow."

It seemed to agree.

A faint smile finally appeared on Nathaniel’s lips.

"Noctis."

"Whether we can build something great in the future depends on you."

Noctis lay on his shoulder, flicking its tail gently, looking as though it took this for granted.

Nathaniel watched it, and his thoughts about the Beaumont Trading Consortium changed completely.

Previously, he had protected the consortium simply because it was his parents’ life’s work.

He couldn’t allow the foundation they had left behind after disappearing to be carved up by those people.

But now, he had a greater ambition.

The Beaumont Trading Consortium shouldn’t remain just a commercial organization in Westmere.

It should become the foundation of his growing power.

The greater his commercial influence, the more Shadow Energy Noctis could gather through Shadow Harvest.

The more Shadow Energy Noctis gathered, the more freedom Nathaniel would have when clearing dungeons, fighting enemies, and using his skills.

And as his strength increased, he could protect the consortium’s expansion in return.

It was a perfect cycle.

Nathaniel placed Noctis on the table.

However, Noctis was unhappy. It kicked with its four short legs, jumped back onto his shoulder, and settled down again.

Nathaniel couldn’t be bothered to argue with it.

He opened his skill panel.

Now that the pet egg had been dealt with, it was time to use his three free skill points.

Nathaniel studied the panel and began to consider his choices.

[Shadow Execution: Level 2]

This was already one of his strongest offensive skills.

At Level 2, it could deal 1,500,000 True Damage.

That was more than enough for most enemies. Even against opponents with enormous HP pools, he could simply use it again.

Upgrading it further might be useful, but it wouldn’t provide the greatest return right now.

[Shadow Passage]

This skill was extremely useful.

It could open passages through spatial restrictions, formations, dungeons, and sealed areas.

It was more of a utility skill, and its current level was sufficient for his needs.

The two skills worth considering were [Shadow Rebirth] and [Shadow Summoning].

[Shadow Rebirth] was a powerful recovery skill.

It could restore injuries, stamina, and mental condition for himself or a designated target.

The recent battle against the Beaumont Trading Consortium executives had already demonstrated how terrifying the combination of Shadow Soldiers and Shadow Rebirth could be.

His army could keep fighting even after suffering serious damage.

Nathaniel quickly made his decision.

"One skill point. Upgrade Shadow Rebirth."

The next second, one skill point was consumed.

A faint glow passed over the skill.

[Shadow Rebirth upgraded to Level 2]

Nathaniel immediately checked its details.

[Shadow Rebirth: Level 2]

[Consume Shadow Energy to restore injuries, stamina, mental condition, and life force for yourself or a designated target.]

[New Effect: Can also remove abnormal status effects.]

Nathaniel’s eyes narrowed.

It could now remove abnormal status effects!

That was a valuable improvement.

When clearing dungeons, professionals often encountered various troublesome conditions.

Control effects, curses, mental pollution, toxins, weakness, and seals could all turn a battle around.

This upgrade would greatly improve his ability to deal with such threats.

Nathaniel nodded in satisfaction.

He didn’t hesitate over the remaining two skill points.

Both went into [Shadow Summoning].

This was currently the core of his combat strength.

Whether clearing dungeons or fighting groups of powerful opponents, his Shadow Soldiers were his main fighting force.

As long as they became stronger, his overall combat power would rise with them.

Hum!

[Shadow Summoning upgraded to Level 3]

Nathaniel immediately checked the new details.

[Shadow Summoning: Level 3]

[Consume Shadow Energy to summon Shadow Soldiers to fight for you.]

[Summon Quantity: No fixed limit. The number of Shadow Soldiers depends on available Shadow Energy and the summoning conditions.]

[Shadow Soldiers inherit 150% of their master’s primary attributes.]

[New Effect: Each Shadow Soldier gains one additional skill slot and can learn skills from other professions.]

Nathaniel’s pupils contracted.

A skill slot?

His Shadow Soldiers had gained an additional skill slot?

He had originally expected their inherited attributes to increase after the upgrade.

For example, their inheritance might rise from 150% to 180%, or even 200%.

But their attributes hadn’t changed.

Instead, they had gained something far more interesting.

After a brief silence, an excited light appeared in Nathaniel’s eyes.

This upgrade might be even more valuable than a simple attribute increase!

Were his Shadow Soldiers already strong?

Of course.

Each one inherited 150% of his primary attributes. With their terrifying physical strength, they could overwhelm countless professionals of the same level.

But their biggest weakness was also obvious.

They lacked flexibility.

Their fighting style was too simple.

Charge forward.

Strike.

Tear apart their enemies.

Endure incoming attacks.

Their overwhelming attributes made this approach effective against most opponents.

But what would happen if they encountered flying enemies, opponents who attacked from a distance, powerful crowd-control abilities, or enemies with unusual combat mechanisms?

The Shadow Soldiers would have fewer ways to respond.

The Spirit-Trapping Contract-Severing Formation used by Gideon Shaw was one example.

Without Shadow Passage, his Shadow Soldiers would have been trapped and their connection with him disrupted.

The new skill slot could help solve this weakness.

With the right skills, his Shadow Soldiers’ fighting styles could undergo a complete transformation.

"Learning skills from other professions..."

Nathaniel began considering the possibilities.

The first option was to improve their ranged combat abilities.

They could learn skills from Archers, Mages, or other professions with long-range attacks.

That way, they wouldn’t need to charge straight toward every enemy.

When facing flying monsters or opponents who preferred ranged combat, they could attack from a distance as well.

The second option was to improve their ability to fight groups.

They could learn area-of-effect attacks, crowd-control skills, taunts, shockwaves, or other abilities that affected multiple enemies.

This would improve their dungeon-clearing efficiency and make battles against large groups of monsters easier.

Both choices had clear advantages.

Nathaniel considered them for a moment.

Area attacks would improve dungeon-clearing speed.

But he already had a large Shadow Army. Their numbers and overwhelming attributes could handle most ordinary monsters.

Ranged combat, on the other hand, was a more obvious weakness.

If they encountered a flying boss or an enemy skilled at keeping its distance, his Shadow Soldiers might be forced to chase it around.

That would waste time and put them at a disadvantage.

Nathaniel quickly reached a decision.

"Let’s improve their ranged combat first."

"We can consider group abilities later."

He closed the skill panel.

Noctis, still resting on his shoulder, seemed to sense his good mood and let out a soft meow.

"Meow."

Nathaniel stretched.

He had spent the entire previous night clearing dungeons.

But after his first class advancement, his body, spirit, and life force had all been refined.

Tired?

That was hardly a concern.

His parents were still missing, and the large Beaumont estate was quiet.

There was no one else at home who needed his attention.

Rather than sitting around and overthinking things, he might as well continue leveling up.

He could also search for useful skill books while clearing dungeons.

With that thought, Nathaniel raised a hand and rubbed Noctis’s head.

"Let’s go."

"Let’s get stronger."

Nathaniel was just about to leave when his communicator suddenly vibrated.

He looked down.

Caleb Rowan.

His eyes flickered slightly.

Nathaniel answered the call.

"What’s wrong?"

On the other end, Caleb’s voice sounded hoarse.

"Nathaniel."

"I want to ask you for a favor."

Nathaniel didn’t answer immediately.

"Go on."

Caleb fell silent for a moment, as though trying to organize his thoughts.

A moment later, he finally spoke.

"I want the Rowan Trading Consortium to come under your protection."

Nathaniel raised an eyebrow.

The Rowan family’s current situation was quite similar to what the Beaumont Trading Consortium had faced before.

In fact, it was even worse.

After all, Nathaniel possessed the strength to suppress anyone who challenged him.

Caleb didn’t.

On the other end of the communicator, Caleb continued.

"I know this request is presumptuous."

"And I know you have no obligation to help me."

"That’s why I’m willing to pay the price."

"If you’re willing to step forward and protect the Rowan Trading Consortium, I can arrange deep cooperation between our two organizations."

"One-quarter of the Rowan Trading Consortium’s commercial channels can be transferred to the Beaumont Trading Consortium."

________________________________