SSS Transmigration: I Can Extract And Evolve Overpowered Shadows-Chapter 36: The Promise Of Power

Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. Falmouth City, which was left in ruins due to Hinata’s battle, had been fully rebuilt, with new immigrants and refugees arriving to settle in the town.

Because of Hinata’s proposition to grant each immigrant a free shop so long as they signed a contract outlining their tax obligations and acknowledging that the property still belonged to the city and could be reclaimed at any time, Falmouth began to prosper.

Unlike before, the back alley was no longer used as a pleasure house. In its place, and in the place of the surrounding buildings, rose a large white administrative structure.

At first, the members of the Dragonforge family were hesitant to these new changes, since they relied on human mana to substitute for the scarcity of mana needed to sustain and grow their family. However, Hinata and Tamara soon devised a solution.

The grand door of a room on the top floor of the administrative building swung slowly open, revealing the massive suite within.

Along the left side of the room stretched a long window running from one end of the wall to the other, through which anyone inside could observe the entire city below, while no one in the city could see them in return.

Along the right side of the room hung several paintings and high-tier items, accompanied by a cupboard and other fine furnishings.

Tamara, who had swung the door open, paid no attention to any of it. Her gaze went straight to the bed directly opposite the entrance.

It was a round, king-sized bed, draped with red see-through curtains.

Seeing the two figures on it, Tamara smirked. "Looks like another successful session master."

On the bed sat a handsome young man with long, silk-like black hair. His eyes were shut tightly as he sat cross-legged, bare-chested.

The woman climbing down from the bed pressed a finger to her lips, signaling Tamara to keep quiet. "Aunt, he’s trying to comprehend something."

Tamara’s eyes widened. "Again?"

Lilith nodded, pulling her clothes on. "I should go share the mana I’ve gathered."

Tamara nodded, then reached over and ruffled Lilith’s now-pink hair. "You’re doing well, my little niece. Carrying all of this must be no small burden."

Lilith shook her head, her now-golden eyes drifting away from Tamara. "I don’t think helping my brothers and sisters is a burden at all. Besides," she added quietly, "I like the master and don’t mind serving him."

Her gaze settled on the man with purple energy swirling around his frame. "If anything, I think it’s the master who is doing too much for us. Giving our clan mana every day while helping me awaken my bloodline—it must be exhausting for him."

Tamara found herself quietly agreeing. Not only did the man she had chosen possess talent that rivaled their god Noctis, he also had a kind heart and a sharp mind for business.

She let out a slow sigh of relief. "I’m glad I lost to him that day."

Her attention drifted back to her niece, who was gazing at the man with open admiration, her face deeply flushed.

Tamara’s lips curled into a slow, knowing smile.

"So my little niece has fallen head over heels for our master, has she?" she teased.

Before Lilith could turn around, Tamara slipped an arm around her and gave her chest a light, mischievous squeeze.

"Au—Aunt—!" Lilith whimpered, face burning as she scrambled to pry the hand away. "W-What are you doing?!"

Tamara only laughed softly, leaning in as though making a careful inspection. "Oh? Hard to believe this cute little niece of mine was making such feral sounds in the middle of the night."

Lilith snapped her head to the side, unable to meet her eyes, her neck flushing just as red as her cheeks. "S-Stop it..." she muttered.

"What? The master does it with you every day, and I’ve only had my turn twice. Does that seem fair to you? Perhaps I should start calling you Senior Sister."

"Aunt~" Lilith protested, her pout deepening. "You know the master only does it because it’s necessary... and it helps his training."

Tamara released her with a sigh. "All right, I’ll stop teasing you." Lilith turned to face her, lower lip still jutting out. "Don’t look at me like that."

Lilith’s expression held firm, drawing an exasperated sigh from Tamara. "Enough of this. We have a great deal to accomplish in the meantime. It isn’t as though Hinata is dying anytime soon—if anything, we might go before he does if we aren’t careful."

Lilith pumped her fist. "Don’t worry. Now that my bloodline is fully awakened, I’ll only keep getting stronger."

Tamara moved toward the door. When she opened it, she spared one last glance at Hinata before stepping out.

The young man remained perfectly still, sweat beading across his forehead.

The purple energy coiling around him was threaded through with a faint pink, filling the room with a soft, sweet fragrance.

After his battle against Tamara, Hinata—now leader of the Dragonforge family—had been ready to kill Lilith, who had caused the entire conflict in the first place.

That was until Tamara explained that Lilith was the only child of Noctis, and that being with her could not only heal injuries and restore mana, but in her awakened form, she could grant enlightenment or even construct a dream world indistinguishable from reality.

That revelation shifted his view of Lilith from an annoying piece of baggage to an annoying piece of treasure.

After helping her awaken—which also resolved the clan’s mana shortage, since she could redistribute the mana she absorbed from him to the others—he was able to test a theory that had been sitting at the back of his mind.

If she could truly reconstruct another reality, complete with everything she had seen before, then rather than venturing out to find what he needed to evolve the goblin shadow, couldn’t he simply do it within the dream realm?

After considerable experimentation, he confirmed that it was possible. So long as the space resembled reality and had mana, the system recognized everything within it as valid.

And after five nights, each spanning what felt like a lifetime within the dream, he had finally gained enough understanding of his ability and discovered a way to defeat the Terror Goblin.

One year.

That was the promise he made to himself.

In one year, he would reach the peak of goblin evolution.

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A/N: This marks the official end of Volume One. Please consider sending power stones, golden tickets, and gifts for me 🎉