I Stepped on Their Shadows and Skills Started Copying Like Crazy - Chapter 8

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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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08
The next morning.
I woke early as always and boarded the bus heading toward the Tower.
Without the toolbox I’d lugged around every single workday, stepping out of the apartment felt impossibly light.
‘The Inventory really is convenient.’
Everything I needed in the Tower was already stored inside it.
Not that my supplies amounted to much—just the one blade, in the end.
‘This feels strange. Here I am, clocking in as an Awakener….’
You really do see everything if you live long enough.
On the bus to my destination, I reviewed the plan I’d sketched out the night before.
‘I’ve more or less decided what to sell and what to keep. The real question is how to sell it….’
When it came to trading items from the Tower safely, the surest method was the Tower Disaster Prevention Bureau Official Safe Trading Center.
The catch was that registering as an Awakener was mandatory.
‘Hmm, I really don’t want to register if I can help it….’
I had no desire to advertise that I possessed an ability to copy others’ powers outright, but more than anything, I was troubled by what had happened last night when I’d absorbed ‘Endless Hunger.’
‘They said Awakeners are no different from ordinary people outside the Tower… but ordinary people’s shadows don’t just move around on their own like that.’
Was I really supposed to laugh it off—’Well, I’m a confident Awakener now!’—and waltz off to register?
I wouldn’t become an Awakener; I’d become an experimental subject in some underground lab.
Ruling out the best option left me with either paying a commission to some private broker or doing the legwork to trade within the Tower itself.
The former was expensive, and the latter was a sure way to get swindled.
‘For now, I’ve got savings to fall back on. A few months’ living expenses at least, so I can afford to think this through.’
Soon enough, we arrived, and I headed straight for the Plaza near the Tower.
An enormous crowd and noise greeted me.
The Plaza was practically hosting a festival.
“Come on, come on! One and a half times the drop rate! Stock up on Potions—you’ve gotta catch one more to make it worth your while! Regret it forever if you don’t buy now!”
“Come on, mister. Even with all these people, you can’t just double the prices like that. I’m here every day—I know the market rate. You can’t do business that way.”
“Yesterday’s yesterday, today’s today. If you’re not buying, don’t sabotage someone else’s livelihood and move on.”
“Oh, I’m buying, I’m buying! Come on, just knock 30% off for me. That’s fair enough, don’t you think?”
A haggling match between a merchant trying to sell Potions at inflated prices and a savvy customer!
“Hey, you hear? Min Hyeong got a high-grade Short Sword from Floor 7 this morning. Let’s make our own score today!”
“Floor 8 party forming! We just need one Healer and we’re ready to go!”
People excited by a friend’s lucky drop, alongside Awakeners refusing to miss the chance to push for higher floors.
“Wow, I knew there’d be a crowd, but… this is chaos.”
The Plaza was packed solid with people determined to make their share during the three days of the Blessing of Swamp’s Abundance.
At least triple the usual numbers.
Considering most Awakeners didn’t bother coming here and went straight to the Tower’s Waiting Room via the system, it was a staggering turnout.
‘If it’s this packed out here, the Floor 1 Waiting Room must be bursting.’
Among all these people drifted a bewildering mix of odors.
‘So that’s what I’ve been smelling since this morning.’
I’d been uncertain until now, but being here made it clear.
That strange scent I’d noticed all morning must have been the effect of the new skill I’d acquired last night: Delicious Scent.
‘My shadow moving on its own was bizarre enough, and now I can smell things like some kind of animal….’
Honestly, with my shadow already moving of its own accord, smelling a few extra odors hardly seemed noteworthy.
The real problem was why it worked outside the Tower at all.
‘But healing doesn’t work outside. What’s the standard here, exactly?’
If I had to guess, it was only the two skills prefixed with “Shadow”—part of my unique ability, Shadow Mimic—that functioned this way.
‘Delicious Scent was part of the Shadow Predation trait to begin with, so if that works… could Shadow Mimic work outside too?’
If so, that was quite the revelation.
If I could meet a high-ranking player from an entirely different tier in reality and step on their shadow—
‘That’s definitely worth testing.’
Some things worked in reality, others didn’t; I was still drowning in questions, but one thing was crystal clear.
‘…I absolutely cannot register as an Awakener.’
It wasn’t about drawing envy over a special skill; with the way things stood, they’d wonder, ‘Why can this person use skills outside the Tower?’ and probably dissect me to find out.
‘Well, I’ll figure it out piece by piece.’
Setting aside those questions for now, I focused on the scent tickling my nose.
People in medieval-fantasy armor wandering through downtown Seoul’s Plaza.
Looking at what they wore, I could generally guess what kind of skills they had.
And oddly enough, it all seemed tied to the particular scent each person gave off.
‘For instance….’
That Tanker who’d just passed right in front of me.
If I’d caught that scent before, I would’ve assumed the man in the large shield strapped to his back and thick iron armor was a defense-focused Tanker. Just a vague guess.
But the sharp smell of blood was unmistakable.
‘Not a Tanker. More like a Knight or warrior. His weapons—maybe they’re in his Inventory, or he left them for repairs.’
The woman walking in step beside him wore a ridiculous pointed hat and brown robes that marked her as a Mage at a glance.
Normally, that’s all I would’ve noticed.
‘A Fire Magic Awakener.’
But now I could almost guess what kind of magic she used.
The acrid scent brushing my nose was the proof.
Not unpleasant, really—more like the smell of well-dried wood burning? Whether it counted as a delicious scent or not, it wasn’t foul.
‘For a skill actually called Delicious Scent, you’d think…’
The moment that thought crossed my mind, a sweet smell drifted in from somewhere.
Something like a fruity fragrance, but one I’d never encountered before.
“…Hm?”
Beneath the seductive, heavy sweetness, a faint other scent was hiding.
Cool and fishy—the kind of smell you’d expect from a reptile.
Since this was a scent I’d never come across before, my curiosity drew my feet forward to follow it. At the end of that trail stood a man in a crisp black suit.
‘Ascending the Tower in that?’
In a place where people wore plate armor, someone in formal dress looked far stranger.
The atmosphere he gave off made it clear enough.
‘I’m a Tower Disaster Prevention Bureau agent.’ That was written all over him.
Only a day had passed.
I never expected Tower Disaster Prevention Bureau personnel to show up here so quickly.
‘This situation seems to be growing bigger than I thought…’
When I glanced around, there weren’t just one or two others dressed similarly.
Just within my line of sight, there were four or five of them.
They were moving throughout the Plaza, approaching both merchants and Awakeners without distinction, speaking to everyone.
The conversation topics were predictable.
They were probably asking about the owner of the EX Rank.
‘If I stay here, one of them will definitely approach me soon enough.’
I tried to slip away, but someone called me to a stop.
“Oh! Perfect timing! Si Hyeon!”
Shop owner Jung, grinning brightly and waving at me.
The agent was already looking in my direction.
It was too late to escape.
‘If I run now, it’ll only look more suspicious. Direct approach it is.’
There was nothing to fear.
‘Dozens of Swamp Dungeons opened yesterday—how would they ever find me?’
As far as I could tell, yesterday’s kidnapping event had taken an unspecified number of people, divided them into groups of four or five, and locked each group in a different room.
Regardless of which room you entered, the objective was the same: the Ruler of the Swamp.
We were simply thrown into one of those many rooms.
Unless I went out of my way to raise my hand and shout, ‘Ah, everyone! It’s me! I’m the Abundance itself!’ there was no reason for them to find me.
I sharpened my senses and approached Shop Owner Jung to greet him first.
“Hello! Shop Owner Jung.”
“Ah, Si Hyeon! You got dragged into the Tower yesterday and didn’t come back for so long—I was worried sick. Are you hurt anywhere?”
Since Shop Owner Jung was someone I’d exchanged greetings with regularly before, I could feel the genuine concern and care in his words.
“Yes, I was dragged off together with one of my regular Awakener clients, so thanks to that, I came back safe and sound like this.”
“Thank goodness. Thank goodness.”
Just then, the man in the black suit let out a soft “Ahem” from beside us.
“Oh! Forgive me, Si Hyeon. This person here is…”
“It’s fine, Shop Owner. I’ll introduce myself.”
A firm, clear voice.
The man in the suit pulled out his Government ID from his pocket and introduced himself.
“I’m Lee Do Hyeon, Team Leader of Field Team 2, Tower Disaster Prevention Bureau. I understand you survived yesterday’s forced summons incident at the Tower. If it’s not too much trouble, might I ask you a few questions?”
“Yes, of course. Please, ask freely.”
“I’d like to hear what happened inside. How was it?”
“Oh, I really thought I was going to die. Fortunately, the Awakener who was captured with me was quite the veteran, so thanks to him, I barely made it out alive. And those Goblins—the boss especially…!”
A decent answer, leveraging quick thinking.
The shudder I gave, as if I didn’t want to even think about it again, was just for show.
“I see. You’ve been through quite an ordeal. One more question—did you perhaps Awaken while you were inside?”
It made sense they’d call the kidnapping incident a new recruit recruitment event.
An Awakener who’s been kidnapped doesn’t have an easy time of it, but if they manage to survive, about eighty percent of them do awaken.
I was no exception.
“Ah, I went in and awakened as a Healer. I was fortunate.”
“Ah, awakening as a Healer—how rare and fortunate. Congratulations indeed.”
“Thank you. But I’m curious—what brings government officials all the way here? Are you perhaps looking for that person who handles the Blessing of Swamp’s Abundance?”
“Yes, your intuition is correct. The authorities have made the safety and management of that individual our top priority. I was wondering if you might have witnessed anyone who stood out for their accomplishments inside, or if anything struck you as unusual.”
“Unfortunately, I’m afraid I missed it all. I was too absorbed in my own struggles.”
The conversation continued with trivial back-and-forth for a while, but I could see my interrogator growing impatient, sensing the exchange was yielding nothing of value.
Not that I minded.
“Well then, thank you for sparing the time. I hope your next expedition is safe.”
The man bowed and started to leave.
But I stopped him before he could go.
“Ah, wait just a moment, please!”
“Yes? Is there something else?”
I stepped ahead and deliberately planted my foot squarely on his shadow.
Immediately, a message window bloomed before my eyes.
[New shadow contact detected.]
[Target: Awakener ‘Lee Do Hyeon’]
[Activating unique ability ‘Shadow Mimic’.]
A hunch confirmed as certainty.
‘Oh, it works.’
Even in reality, when I consciously stepped on a shadow, the skill activated.
“Would it be possible to leave me a Business Card and contact information?”
“Yes… well, it’s not difficult, but. Did something come to mind?”
“Oh, no. Just in case I remember something later, I’d like to be able to reach you. We’re from the same class, after all—that person and I. Who knows how our paths might cross again.”
He smiled warmly then, pulling out a Business Card and handing it over.
“I appreciate your cooperation.”
I accepted it with a matching smile.
“It’s nothing.”
If anything, I should have been thanking him.
‘I appreciate your cooperation, Lee Do Hyeon.’
I’ll make good use of your ability, I assure you.
* * *
After shaking off the Tower Disaster Prevention Bureau agent, I met up with Min Hyeong near the Plaza.
I’d asked him to handle something for me beforehand.
“Here we go, Awakener Si Hyeon. Got it right here—what you asked for.”
Min Hyeong pulled a Short Sword from his pocket and handed it over.
It was the same blade I’d used to cut my arm in the Swamp Dungeon yesterday.
“Thank you so much. I’ll take good care of it and return it to you.”
“Forget it. That thing’s not worth much anyway—just keep it. Call it an Awakening gift.”
“No, really, I couldn’t.”
Despite its crude appearance and lack of special effects, the blade held a clean edge.
Even in its current state, it would fetch several hundred thousand won. I couldn’t just accept it.
“No more talking. Take it.”
“It’s too much for a gift. Let me use it and return—”
“Ah, forget it! Look, I gave it to you. Do what you want with it—sell it, trade it for something else, whatever. I’m leaving!”
“Wait!”
And with that, Min Hyeong bolted, practically fleeing the scene.
Watching his retreating figure, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“…Guess I’m not returning this after all.”
In any case, the preparations were complete.
I could have summoned a Portal and headed straight back to the Tower, but since I’d accomplished what I came to the Plaza for, I made my way there directly.
“Wow… there are even more people here.”
The Floor 1 Waiting Room was indeed packed with far more crowd than expected.
At first glance, there were easily more people here than had gathered in the Plaza.
Yet somehow, despite the crush, the space was so vast that it didn’t feel suffocating.
‘If things got tight, I could set up house here. Though I doubt the Tower would approve.’
I shelved the absurd thought and pushed through the crowd, arriving at the Portal that led to the Floor 1 Field.
‘Better draw my weapon first….’
Among the items I’d received as rewards yesterday, there was only one piece of equipment: a worn and corroded Long Sword.
I decided to give this a try.
‘An EX Rank reward dropped only one piece of equipment… old and corroded, it says. There’s definitely something more to it.’
Above all, its appearance was far from ordinary.
A single-edged curved blade with a dull, murky finish—I couldn’t guess what material the edge was made from.
The system had simply classified it as a “Long Sword” and left it at that, but at first glance, it reminded me of a Japanese katana.
Yet looking closer, something felt subtly different.
‘Actually, the shape looks more like something you’d see in historical dramas. A hwandao, wasn’t it called?’
There was no way this was just an “old and corroded Long Sword.”
So, having learned the art of improvisation, I took it upon myself to restore this blade last night.
I rewrapped the worn leather grip and scraped away the rust, then honed the edge anew.
In the process, my suspicion hardened into certainty.
‘This blade’s balance is genuinely remarkable.’
I knew nothing of smithcraft beyond what I’d picked up from casual observation, but from that limited experience with metalwork, I was willing to bet this sword harbored some hidden potential.
‘Besides, I still have the Short Sword Min gave me.’
I’d originally planned to borrow it—the Short Sword was insurance.
I’d know for certain what the blade was worth once I took it into actual combat.
With that, I took a long stride forward.
[You are leaving the Waiting Room and entering Floor 1 Field.]
[Warning: All actions taken within the Tower may result in fatal consequences. Full responsibility for such outcomes rests with the Awakener. Do you still wish to proceed?]
Of course I do.
“I accept the challenge.”
I Copy Skills Just by Stepping on Shadows
Author |
Killing Part
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Department
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No part of this book may be used in any form or by any means without written permission from Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books.

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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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