Shadow Dragon: The Fallen Angel Is My Teacher

The chains binding it disappeared.

The Cursed Item slowly stood up on two legs.

It looked at me.

"From today, your on-duty name will be Dante," I said.

It didn't respond or nod.

That was normal.

It probably didn't know how to speak anything other than "Capture", "Subject" and numbers.

Gestures like nodding were human, and it wasn't human.

Still, there was a clear sign that it had accepted the name I gave to it.

A new screen appeared in front of me.

[Cursed Item: Security Guard #$% → Security Guard #$% / Dante]

"Alright, now go into my Inventory."

I opened my palm and activated the Inventory Rune.

Dante stared at my face for a moment, as if hoping I would change my mind.

'Does it not like the inventory after being kept inside it for a month?'

'Well, I don't have any other place so he would have to adjust.'

I waited.

After a few seconds, it dragged its feet forward and entered the glowing rune on my palm.

Once it disappeared, I let out a quiet breath.

After that, I returned to the Underworld Branch in Thessaloniki to restock on alchemy materials.

I couldn't purchase normal-alchemy materials. It would give my identity as an alchemist.

So I bought ones that were no one there would recognize as alchemy materials.

…

Alchemy Material Purchases:

1. Fairy Dust: $40,000

2. Aetherroot: $90,000

3. Hollow Ash Powder: $30,000

4. Bloodvine Resin: $60,000

5. Arcane Steel Dust: $120,000

6. Spirit Glass Fragments: $80,000

7. Ironseed Spores: $40,000

8. Empty Soul Flasks: $40,000

Total Spent: $500,000

…

It was expensive.

I repeatedly told myself restocking was necessary, and I couldn't not spend money.

I was planning to go to Exiled Isle soon, and I would start working on my mechanic class there due to the special nature of that place.

I needed every tool and ingredient ready beforehand.

Once the purchases were complete, I stored everything inside my Inventory Rune and teleported back to the forest outside the estate branch.

There, I began preparing a Blood Veil Elixir.

It changed the blood's composition completely.

Anyone trying to trace me through a blood sample, hair strand, or anything similar wouldn't be able to link it to my real identity.

It also protected against curses that used blood or black magic as a medium.

I currently had three types of Blood Veil Elixirs.

Type A was for Alan Veritus.

Type B was for my Assassin identity.

Even though I did not plan to enter combat in that role, I kept the Type B ready in case something went wrong and someone got a blood sample.

The one I was making now was Type C.

This one was for my new identity: Caelum Nocthera.

There was a reason I needed a new name.

I stirred the glowing red mixture in a small flask, added Spirit Glass dust, and sealed it with Hollow Ash powder.

These items had been enchanted by Yuna.

When the process was done, the liquid shimmered faintly, turning black for a moment before going clear.

I lifted it and took a deep breath.

Then I drank it.

The taste was sharp, almost metallic, and a warm pulse spread through my chest.

My body adjusted to the change within seconds.

My bloodline and magical trace shifted.

Every connection to my real identity blurred.

I drank it now since I was going to meet a God today, and I needed to hide my true identity.

'Even a God wouldn't be able to see my real face while I'm using Shadow Assimilation, but he might injure me.'

'I need this Blood Viel Elixir to make sure no one can trace me from my blood.'

After drinking the potion, I laid out more alchemy materials and placed the Catalyst in the center.

Then I drew runes on the ground using Fairy Dust.

When everything was ready, I began chanting.

First, I made a soft clay.

Then I formed blue contact lenses, a white wig, and nails out of it.

I was currently in my Shadow Assimilation state.

This form was special.

My body looked taller, and distorted like a shadow given shape.

But since my real body was shorter, I could adjust the height between both extremes.

'Alright, time to adjust height of Caelum Nocthera.'

I changed my height a little, enough that even someone who knew Alan Veritus closely wouldn't notice the resemblance.

Then I started applying the special clay to my body.

This was the clay I created through alchemy just moments ago.

It felt cool to the touch.

I spread it evenly like a second skin, using Telekinesis for the areas that were hard to reach.

I didn't leave even a single patch uncovered, not even the soles of my feet.

Once that was done, I put on the blue contacts, fixed the white wig, and attached the nails.

Lastly, I drew fine runes over my body using Fairy Dust.

For the stronger rune lines, I mixed in the powdered remains of the Deputy Director I had left from the God Summoning Array.

"Yuna, enchant the materials," I said.

She nodded.

A faint glow left her hands and settled over the clay skin and everything else, making them shimmer softly.

I began chanting in an old tongue.

"Elva sorn arctem vel'tha.

"Mea lunra cor'veth ashan.

"Thir'no vel'ash adrem.

"Sov'ra denir thas'tem."

As the words left my mouth, the clay, hair, nails, and contacts started to merge.

The process was smooth and it didn't hurt.

It felt warm, like the clay was becoming part of my skin.

When it was done, it looked natural. There were no seams, cracks, or anything fake about its appearance.

This was called [Disguise Skin].

It was a rare piece of equipment used mostly by assassins.

Thanks to my knowledge, the Rank 3 Cursed Spirit materials, and Yuna's enchantment, the quality of this Disguise Skin was extremely high.

Even someone at a high rank would have trouble seeing through it.

Once the disguise settled, I drew another set of runes on the new skin.

This time I used a small amount of my own blood.

I began chanting.

The Disguise Skin shimmered, then peeled off my body like shedding a layer of film.

It condensed into a small glowing sphere about the size of a pearl.

I caught it in my hand.

This was a technique called Condensed Mimic Seal.

It allowed me to store the Disguise Skin in a portable form and activate it whenever I wanted.

I pressed the sphere against my skin and channeled mana through it.

It quivered, then spread over my body, reforming the disguise perfectly.

Even the blue contacts appeared on my eyes.

I moved my fingers, stretched my arms, and looked down.

Everything felt natural.

I passed mana again in a specific pattern through the Disguise Skin, and it peeled off smoothly, returning to the small pearl form.

"Alright, this works perfectly," I said.

I pressed the pearl back into my palm, activating it again.

"Now, time to meet the God."

The disguise reformed, seamless as before.

I looked around the forest clearing and adjusted the runes on the ground.

It took me a full day to remove the limiters on this summoning circle.

Every last limiter was gone now.

As I finished, the Positive Energy in the air began to churn violently.

It shimmered faintly, visible even to the naked eye.

It looked like glowing fireflies drifting through the night.