Shadow Being System

Emerging from the lake's cold embrace, glowing blue ethereal water cascaded down William's form as he made his way to the rocky shoreline. The chill air in the cave caused goosebumps to rise on his skin, but he wasn't concerned. His objective today hadn't been to draw in the lake's essence as he usually did – today was about something far more exciting, more important.

With practiced ease, William accessed his system inventory, a dimensional pocket that appeared as a translucent blue interface only he could see. His fingers danced through the air, selecting a fresh set of clothes he had stored earlier. In an instant, his wet garments were replaced with dry ones – a fitted black tunic, reinforced leather pants, and sturdy boots designed for both stealth and mobility.

After adjusting his collar, William's heart quickened as he prepared to summon his new weapon. With a simple thought, the bow materialized in his hand, its presence somehow both lighter and more substantial than when he'd held it in the dojo. Now, away from prying eyes, he could properly examine its true nature.

Taking a deep breath, William activated his third eye ability – a rare skill that allowed him to perceive the deeper truths of objects and their origins. Golden runes flickered across his vision as information began to materialize before him:

[Bow of the Ancestral Beast]

- Core Material: Compressed vertebrae of an Ancient Skywhale Experience more content on empire

- Secondary Materials: Heartwood of the Millennium Storm Oak

- String Material: Woven strands of Cloud Serpent sinew

- Durability: Unbreakable (Enhanced by Eternal Binding Rune)

- Weight: 3.2 kg

- Length: 175 cm

- Draw Weight: Adaptable (40-120 lbs)

- Special Properties:

* Indestructible Frame and String

* Perfect Balance Compensation

* Energy Resonance Chamber

* Combat Form Transformation

William's eyes widened as he read through the information. The bow wasn't just a masterpiece of craftsmanship – it was a legendary weapon disguised as a simple training tool. The core material alone was astonishing; Ancient Skywhales were believed to be extinct for over ten thousand years, their bones said to possess the ability to channel and amplify energy beyond normal limits.

The string particularly caught his attention. Cloud Serpents were mythical beings that lived in the highest reaches of the atmosphere, their sinew capable of withstanding forces that would snap normal materials instantly. Combined with the Eternal Binding Rune, it meant his bow would never fail him in a crucial moment.

A smile played across his lips as he noticed the Combat Form Transformation property. Just as he had intuited, the bow could indeed be used as a close-range weapon if necessary. With a specific pulse of energy, it could transform into a curved blade, using the bow's natural curve to create a deadly edge.

Next, William summoned the quiver from his inventory. It appeared on his back, its weight comfortable and familiar. The quiver itself was a work of art – crafted from dark leather with silver reinforcements along its length, decorated with subtle runes that seemed to shift in the shadows. Seven arrows rested within, their obsidian-black shafts gleaming with an inner light.

Carefully, he drew one of the arrows and activated his third eye once more:

[Shadowspine Arrow]

- Core Material: Compressed spinal cord of Shadow Drake

- Fletching: Night Phoenix feathers

- Arrowhead: Void-forged steel

- Base Stats:

* Speed: 300 m/s (variable based on energy input)

* Durability: Self-repairing

* Attack Power: 2000 (base)

* Sound: Null (complete silence during flight)

- Special Properties:

* Energy Channel Conduit

* Ability Resonance

* Perfect Trajectory Maintenance

* Phase Shift Capability

William's breath caught in his throat as he read the arrow's properties. The Energy Channel Conduit alone would have made these arrows exceptional, allowing him to imbue them with his own abilities. But the Ability Resonance feature – that was something else entirely. Combined with his Copy Ability skill, it meant each arrow could potentially carry any power he had ever witnessed and duplicated.

His mind raced with the possibilities. Lightning arrows that could chain between targets, shadow arrows that could phase through obstacles, fire arrows that could split into multiple projectiles, ice arrows that could freeze entire areas – the combinations were endless. Now he understood why the system had guided him toward these arrows. They weren't just projectiles; they were catalysts for his copied abilities.

Just as he was about to return the arrow to the quiver, his still-active third eye caught something unexpected – information about the quiver itself:

[Quiver of Endless Shadow]

- Special Property: Arrow Generation

* Can produce infinite copies of stored arrows for 30 minutes

* 24-hour cooldown period between uses

* Generated arrows retain all properties of originals

* Maximum generation speed: 1 arrow per second

A laugh of pure joy escaped William's lips. What he had assumed to be a simple container was actually the solution to his ammunition concerns. With this ability, he could unleash a virtual storm of arrows, each carrying different copied abilities, without fear of running out in crucial moments. The 24-hour cooldown was a significant limitation, but it forced him to be strategic about when to use this power.

A laugh of pure joy escaped William's lips. What he had assumed to be a simple container was actually the solution to his ammunition concerns. With this ability, he could unleash a virtual storm of arrows, each carrying different copied abilities, without fear of running out in crucial moments. The 24-hour cooldown was a significant limitation, but it forced him to be strategic about when to use this power.

"The system didn't just give me weapons," William murmured to himself, running his fingers along the bow's perfect curve. "It gave me a completely new way to fight." He understood now why the other students' mockery meant nothing. They saw a bow and assumed he had chosen a weaker path. They couldn't see that he had been given tools that would allow him to surpass their limitations.

Standing at the edge of the misty chasm, William felt a surge of anticipation. He had spent years copying abilities from others, building a vast library of powers within himself. Now he had the perfect tools to express those abilities in ways no one would expect. The bow wasn't just a weapon – it was a key to unlocking his true potential.