The Extra System: Summoner of Shadows

Cedric had never killed an animal before, let alone a human. However, once he faced death, he realized that it was a fate he would kill to avoid. The moments his consciousness faded before he agreed to the system's invitation were still vivid in his mind.

Therefore, he did not hesitate, and he would never hesitate to kill those who wished to kill him. This cultist had already tried to kill him twice, and Cedric did not plan on showing mercy.

Aric lost his composure once he realized that Cedric already knew his name and identity, which shocked him more than the fact that Cedric could use a rank A skill. In his moment of confusion, a small vine manifested next to his foot.

Mimic allowed Cedric to copy any skill that one of the characters had, but only once. Although it was called Mimic, it was nonetheless the real skill alongside its different effects. However, unlike the legacy skill of Ember, Venomous Thornbind consumed Cedric's mana just to create the small vine.

"How did you—" Aric was still confused about how Cedric could uncover his name with such ease. His sentence was cut short when he felt the vine coil around his foot, its barbs breaking through his skin. "What is this?"

"You killed me before with this skill and in this manner, right?" asked Cedric, who grinned at Aric, finally having exacted his revenge. "Don't blame me for returning the favor, Aric."

"How could you use… my—" Aric was still confused as his legs failed him, just like how they failed Cedric before. The poison traveled through the nerves and paralyzed the legs first. Then, the paralysis would ascend upward until it reached his lungs, ending his life.

Aric did not fall without a battle, though. Even with the poison invading his system, he still sent more vines toward Cedric to kill him. This time, Cedric did not have a shield, but he had his Observe Skill just to be cautious.

His observation skill was also the reason that Cedric could create the poisonous vine next to Aric's foot. The vines shot toward him, and he managed to avoid them before they hit. Since their owner was sprawled on the ground and facing hallucinations, they were anything but accurate.

Cedric avoided the vines with his omniscient view, dancing through the trees and using them as shields. Before long, Aric could no longer use his magic because the poison had entered his bloodstream. Once Cedric could see that the mage had stopped moving, he emerged from the trees.

"If you tell me who was the mastermind behind this assassination, I'll make your death quick and merciful. I don't enjoy suffering."

"…fuck you… damned summoner…" replied Aric through gritted teeth, his head being the only mobile part of his body. "Even if I die… thousands more will appear… to eradicate you…"

"As I figured, you already know about my class," said Cedric as he approached. "Your cult doesn't care about you, Aric. Why would you serve them until your last days?"

"…the monsters of your dungeons… killed my family… killed everyone I know," said the man through the mask as Cedric was silent. Then, Cedric walked over, flipped him over, and removed his mask. Aric was no older than eighteen, and he was drawing in his last breath. "May Aelion… receive me… as his subject…"

Those were the last words before Aric died, as the poison reached his heart and stopped it. Cedric stood there, his heart aching for reasons he did not know. Although Aric was a cultist who tried to kill him, he believed that he was doing the right thing by ridding the world of summoners.

In this world, Cedric was a villain because he was a summoner, someone bound to bring doom. The reason that the class was considered the weakest was that no one sold items or skills related to summoning. They were banned by the Church of Aelion.

Cedric closed the young man's eyes, letting him rest. He did not feel guilty for killing Aric the Mask. If anything, he was proud that he emerged victorious against someone who wanted to kill him.

"Kill or be killed."

That was one of the core principles in Records of Elaris. It was also the reason that Cedric had accepted killing others in order to survive. He knew this world better than kings, historians, or gods because he was the extra character who read the novel countless times.

Cedric heard a rustle from the garden behind him, making him flinch and turn. As his eyes fell on the figure, a wave of relief almost made him collapse to the ground. A knight with short black hair and blue eyes was staring at him with confusion.

"My lord? How could you be here? I followed the mana eruption from earlier—" muttered the knight before she spotted the corpse on the ground, making her eyes widen. "Who is that?"

"An assassin from a cult," answered Cedric as he turned back toward Aric and then at the mask which was shaped like a saint's face. "I managed to kill him before he killed me."

"You did?" asked Ember with confusion as she approached the scene, looking at the corpse and her prince with confusion. "How did you know he was from a cult?"

"I overheard his plan with Caroline while I was fleeing from a different assassin," answered Cedric as he collapsed on the ground. "He found me before I could find you. Since this person has revealed himself, we should have enough evidence to exonerate me."

"If we can indeed prove that this man belongs to the cult, then we can prove that there is a threat to your life. However, how can we dismiss the case of proclaimed assault?"

"This man has the skill of the poisonous vines that I have shown you, which made me trip and fall over Caroline. I heard them say that their plan would be revealed under an oath that the court does."

"There are skills to counter that oath and deceive it," said Ember with a shake of her head. "And they can be bought from the market. I doubt we can rely on just that."

Cedric was silent as he stared at the corpse. If Caroline indeed obtains that skill, then she could lie under the oath. However, what didn't make sense to him is how this oath was any useful. But according to Ember, it was used as a routine since not many people had the wealth to buy the skill.

In either case, Cedric could now rest and plan his next course of action. Ember could be his witness that he escaped because there was an assassin chasing him, but he did not forget that there was still one more.

Before they returned to the estate to explain what happened, Cedric looked through the corpse and found several things which he kept to himself. As he used his Observe Skill, he found them to be quite useful.

The first item was the mask, which turned out to be capable of hiding the user's presence and mana signature. The second was a small grimoire that could not be opened, but the narrator told Cedric that it was a way for the cultists to receive orders. As for the last, it was a small black feather.

[…as Prince Cedric examined the strange item, he found that it contained an elusive nature. The feather did not appear special, but it was one of the few keys to enter the ancient Trial of Shadows.]

Cedric remembered how Aric mistakenly assumed that the prince was after the trial as well. If the cult was seeking the trial, what made them bother themselves with assassinating a prince? If the feather was the key, was there a need to kill him?

[You have unlocked the Secret Quest: Trial of Shadows.]