I Stepped on Their Shadows and Skills Started Copying Like Crazy - Chapter 15

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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15
‘…Caught red-handed.’
I didn’t know exactly what “So it was you” referred to, but the feeling was ominous.
Still, as they say—even if a tiger bites you, you can survive if you keep your wits about you.
I turned away without missing a beat, dropping the act entirely.
“…Yes? Is something the matter?”
Through the tightly wrapped face, two eyes fixed entirely on me.
“Don’t be alarmed. I’m not a strange person.”
An introduction that started with “I’m not a strange person”—clearly the work of a strange person.
I felt my guard climb instinctively, but then—
In that moment, the figure glanced around, then pulled down the mask covering their face for just a flash before raising it again.
‘The Sword Saint…!’
I jolted, my eyes flying wide open.
It was only an instant, but I saw it clearly.
The very person I’d seen plastered across the news flashed a warm, likable smile right in front of me.
“C-could I get your autograph…!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, pure fandom burst out of me!
“Approved.”
Approved? You’re going to autograph something? I was thinking about where and what to get signed when strange words followed.
“Hiding your identity is wise. This isn’t the right time yet. With everything you’ve set in motion… the moment your identity comes to light, you’ll find yourself tangled up in troublesome affairs whether you like it or not. But that doesn’t mean I can be fooled so easily.”
“Excuse me?”
I stood there, confused, when Shin Yu-seong continued in a low voice.
“How did I know? Your eyes. That gaze. No one else pays me any attention, but you—you’re different. Like a predator facing its prey. You were conscious of me, hiding your body in the crowd as you drew closer, and in that movement I felt a clear intention.”
‘He sensed all that?’
He didn’t sign anything, but the Sword Saint’s instinct is sharp as ever.
“It’s amusing, really. Just now you were treating me like prey, then the moment your plan fell apart, your eyes shifted completely—pure admiration, a devoted fan’s gaze. You’d probably be good at acting, you know?”
…Never mind. I take it back. His instinct isn’t that good.
‘I should play along.’
I hadn’t even meant to fool him, but since he was this thoroughly deceived, the least I could do was reciprocate.
Imagine how embarrassed he’d be if I said right now, “But I really am a fan?”
From here on, this is genuine acting.
“Ah, you got me. You really are South Korea’s strongest—there’s no hiding from you.”
“…That’s an unexpected reaction, isn’t it? I’ve just discovered an identity you’ve been so carefully concealing.”
Shin Yu-seong’s eyes gleamed with amusement.
My identity was on the verge of exposure, but honestly, I wasn’t that worried.
This wasn’t just anyone—it was Shin Yu-seong.
The man they called South Korea’s guardian deity and all that.
‘If someone of his stature went out of his way to find me and wait here, there’s only one possible reason.’
The Tower Conquest Deadline had been extended.
That had to be it.
Among the hundred thousand Awakeners nationwide, he—the one most sensitive to the Tower’s collapse countdown—wouldn’t just let this situation slide with an “Oh, nice.”
So I decided to push a little harder here.
“Well, yes. So what now? Will you report me to Tower Headquarters? Though I doubt you will. You—the first person in history to extend the Tower Conquest Deadline by means other than conquering the Tower itself?”
Shin Yu-seong laughed again at my bold answer.
“Ha! I like this. I’m relieved to see you already understand your own worth. If you were merely strong but ignorant of your value, or stupid, this would become bothersome. But something tells me that won’t be the case.”
My gamble had paid off—his reaction was far from negative.
“Let me be direct. The reason I came today was… well, yes. I wanted to see you with my own eyes and offer my thanks.”
Just as I’d predicted, he’d come with good intentions.
“Has it been helpful?”
“Oh, absolutely. More than helpful. Those seven days will be put to very good use. I’ve caught my breath because of you.”
“That’s an honor. It was just a secondary reward from something I did to survive, but… I’m glad it’s been useful.”
“My! And humble too! This is serious. I can practically hear foreign audiences clicking their tongues from here.”
Then, as if struck by sudden thought, he exclaimed “Ah!” and made a proposal.
“How about making a deal with me? Tell me your name, and I’ll share something interesting—a secret about the Abundant Left-hand that you don’t yet know.”
My face was already exposed anyway; what did my name matter?
Now that I was dealing with Shin Yu-seong, whether he already knew my name or not had ceased to be important.
What mattered was how much he wanted to know about me, and how far he’d go to satisfy that curiosity.
‘It’s only a matter of time.’
So I told him my name freely.
Besides, I was curious about this secret concerning me that I supposedly didn’t know.
“Kim Si-hyeon.”
At my reply, Shin Yu-seong’s face broke into a satisfied smile.
“Good. I need to borrow your ear for a moment, Si-hyeon.”
“…To that extent?”
What sort of grand secret warranted all this secrecy?
Everyone else was too busy with their own affairs to care about me anyway.
Shin Yu-seong drifted closer, indifferent to my reservations.
‘The world really is unfair.’
As an Awakener, he was known as the strongest in South Korea, the Sword Saint, with the kind of face that rivaled any actor—and up close, I could see he had to be well over six feet tall.
‘Did this man save the nation in his past life or something? No—he’s saving it now. Maybe he saved it then too?’
Shin Yu-seong’s whisper cut through my wayward musings in an instant.
“…Si-hyeon, you saved South Korea.”
“…?”
What?
For a moment I thought I’d misheard, and my head whipped around to face him.
Seeing my bewildered expression, Shin Yu-seong smiled faintly and continued.
“To be precise: you prevented the Tower’s collapse and saved twenty-five million people in the Seoul Metropolitan Area. Without those seven days you earned, the government would have made an official announcement to abandon the capital. If things had gone that route… they’d probably be announcing it today or tomorrow.”
So Shin Yu-seong hadn’t stretched the deadline to the very last second on a whim—our country had nearly ended up like Russia?
“How did that happen? You were here, after all.”
Shin Yu-seong’s smile turned bittersweet.
“Because I failed quite spectacularly. It’s a long story, but… let me think about how to explain this. Ah, here’s a good way.”
He paused to gather his words, then began to illustrate the situation through analogy.
“Think of it this way. Suppose there’s a certain fruit that is ‘absolutely’ necessary to conquer the highest floor. No exceptions. Absolutely. Necessary. The problem is that the fruit takes time to ripen. Quite a bit… of time.”
A man of his caliber had emphasized ‘absolutely’ twice.
No exceptions, then. Which meant…
“You ran out of time.”
“Yes. We were short by exactly five days. But then seven days appeared. Thanks to ‘someone’s’ efforts.”
Shin Yu-seong mentioned this someone with a playful expression.
I couldn’t quite believe it.
But the person saying it was who he was, so I had no choice but to believe.
“Twenty-five… million…”
I felt oddly blank.
Just days ago I’d been trembling over rent and utilities. I didn’t even have twenty-five million won in my possession right now. And yet I’d saved the lives of twenty-five million people? Really?
Shin Yu-seong tapped my shoulder as if to say he understood exactly how I felt.
That face, which had worn nothing but laughter until now, had grown more serious than ever.
“From here on, it won’t be a simple climb. Your every step, Si-hyeon, will shape this nation’s destiny. I hope you walk the righteous path. If you do, then whenever your identity is revealed—whether by your own choice or not—South Korea will welcome you. They’ll sing your praises as a hero.”
A declaration without a trace of doubt.
Spoken with the certainty of one reciting an already-written future.
“That’s what happened to me too.”
A brief addendum, accompanied by a self-deprecating laugh.
Something complex flickered across Shin Yu-seong’s eyes before his expression settled back into that cheerful smile.
“I’ll remember your face. Well then, I should be going. I’m busier than I look. Ah, this is my contact information.”
Shin Yu-seong produced a neat Business Card from his pocket and handed it to me.
The card bore some official state seal or other—apparently the government hands out business cards when you sign a contract with them.
“If there’s anything I can help with, feel free to reach out. Or better yet, contact me anytime at all. I’ll do whatever I can within my power to help.”
The fact that Shin Yu-seong was standing before me at all felt surreal, and now he was handing me his contact information and telling me to call whenever I wanted.
‘Is this a dream? Or is this some con artist imitating Shin Yu-seong with an Awakener ability?’
I was starting to feel genuinely unnerved.
“…Why are you going this far?”
“Because I’ve taken rather a liking to you, Si-hyeon. I have a feeling we could become good friends. That’s the sense I get.”
“What could you possibly be judging from…”
“Intuition, perhaps? I think you’re a good person, Si-hyeon.”
He let out a soft chuckle and pressed on.
“I compared your eyes to those of a beast earlier, remember? Half right, half wrong. Your eyes definitely belong to a predator hunting prey, but there’s no greed or killing intent behind them. A person with eyes like that doesn’t easily go astray. You work ceaselessly toward your goals, yet there’s some line you’ve drawn for yourself that you never cross. That’s the kind of person you are.”
Shin Yu-seong went on at length about my eyes as though he’d suddenly become a physiognomist.
If anyone else had said this, I’d have brushed them off with ‘I don’t know, I’m broke’—but given who I was talking to, his words carried an odd weight of conviction.
‘Hmm, is that really true?’
“If you showed real signs of corruption, I’d even consider killing you without anyone knowing… but I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”
This man delivered remarks that would make anyone’s spine crawl, wearing a perfectly casual expression.
‘Wait… was that a joke?’
It seemed like he could arrange that whether inside the Tower or outside it.
Without even dirtying his own hands.
“Mm… I must respectfully decline.”
“Hehe, of course you should. Well then, let’s meet again next time.”
Shin Yu-seong bowed lightly as though he’d said everything he came to say, then turned to leave.
I couldn’t let him go just like that.
“Wait a moment, please.”
“…?”
I pressed my Business Card into Shin Yu-seong’s hand again as he stopped.
“Why this…?”
“An autograph, if you would. Truth is, I’m a genuine fan.”
“Puhaha! Ah, is that so? Well then, of course I must oblige. How could I refuse a request from the hero who saved South Korea?”
Shin Yu-seong burst into hearty laughter at my autograph request.
A few people in the waiting room glanced over, which made me grateful he was still wearing that face covering.
As he drew closer, his shadow fell across me.
I couldn’t miss this opportunity.
This time, I’d finally stepped directly on the target’s shadow.
[New shadow contact detected.]
[Target: Awakener ‘Shin Yu-seong’]
[Activating unique ability ‘Shadow Mimic’.]
* * *
After Shin Yu-seong left, I sat alone lost in pleasant deliberation.
[Analyzing skill information···]
The skill analysis took so long that this was the first moment I truly understood what “loading” meant.
After about ten seconds, the skill list unfurled before my eyes.
[Sword Saint (S+), Divine Eyes (S), Storm Slash (S), Will of the Warrior God (S-), One Flash (A+), Spatial Step (A+), Sixth Sense (A), Super Regeneration (A-)……]
Starting with the Sword Saint, which was Shin Yu-seong incarnate, an array of remarkable skills stretched below—names I’d never heard whispered even in passing.
The skill list extended so far that scrolling down revealed far more than could fit on a single screen.
‘No wonder he’s the strongest in the country.’
I wanted nothing more than to strip away everything visible from top to bottom, but regrettably, I could only choose one.
And I’d only get one chance.
Once I’d extracted a skill from a target’s shadow, I couldn’t draw any more from that same shadow.
‘Then….’
There was nothing to deliberate.
At the very top of that long list, gleaming brilliantly—the S+ Rank skill, the Sword Saint.
‘If I can only choose one, it has to be this.’
It was the skill said to elevate one to godlike mastery in the art of the blade.
‘This is the one.’
[Will you imprint ‘Sword Saint (S+)’?]
‘Yes.’
As though waiting for that choice, a new message appeared. But the color of that message window….
‘Red?’
[Warning: The skill in question is a fully-grown Growth-type Skill. Upon Shadow Imprinting, it will be imprinted in its original state prior to growth.]
‘···What?’
A Growth-type Skill? I’d heard they existed, but never did I imagine that Shin Yu-seong’s Sword Saint was itself a Growth-type Skill.
‘Be more specific. What happens if I imprint it?’
[Following your request, detailed information for the skill you will acquire upon Shadow Imprinting is displayed.]
[Beginning of Training]
Rank: D-
Description: The first step of a swordsman who has finally begun to explore the path of the blade, transcending mere stabbing and flailing.
Every movement unfolded with the sword is refined in minute detail.
[Detailed Information]
This skill is a Growth-type Skill. Its rank and performance improve each time specific conditions are met.
▶ D Rank: Tower Conquest Deadline 5
▶ D+ Rank: Tower Conquest Deadline 10
▶ C- Rank: Tower Conquest Deadline 15
⋮
⋮
▶ A Rank: Tower Conquest Deadline 50
▶ A+ Rank: Tower Conquest Deadline 55
▶ S Rank: Entry into the top 10 of the Tower Conquest Ranking for your affiliated Tower
▶ S+ Rank: Reaching 1st place in the Tower Conquest Ranking for your affiliated Tower
[Warning: Upon loss of qualifications, you will be automatically readjusted to a Rank that meets the conditions.]
A skill that only reaches completion once you surpass all others and become the strongest in a single Tower.
My head went blank.
‘Wait—D-Rank? Shin Yu-seong started from D-Rank?’
I’d always thought of Shin Yu-seong as someone born with everything, a natural genius—the revelation that he’d clawed his way up from the bottom struck me with rueful laughter.
Deep in my chest, something like reverence began to stir.
Only then did I understand.
The skill “Sword Saint” wasn’t merely a skill—it was Shin Yu-seong himself.
‘I knew it, but… he’s far more remarkable than I realized.’
I’d thought about stealing one of the Sword Saint’s incredible skills and milking it for all it was worth, but that wasn’t going to work.
‘Still… this might not be so bad.’
Just climb the Tower diligently, and every five floors you grow stronger—guaranteed. There was real merit in that.
And more than anything, I was curious.
Where would this skill that led Shin Yu-seong down the path of the strongest take me?
Or could I walk the same road Shin Yu-seong walked to its very end?
[Will you proceed with the Imprinting?]
The question hung in the translucent message window, glowing a pale blue.
The answer had already been made.
“Yes.”
[Erasing the existing shadow and imprinting a new one.]
[Shadow Imprinting complete.]
[Shadow Imprinting: Beginning of Training (Rank: D- / Source: Shin Yu-seong)]
Was it because of this path that Shin Yu-seong became the strongest?
Or was it because he was Shin Yu-seong that he could reach its end?
I decided to find out directly.
Where this path led.
Just from stepping on the shadow, the skill gets copied
Author |
Killing Part
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Department
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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