A profound silence settled over the forest clearing, but it was no longer the tense, suffocating quiet of moments before. This was a peaceful, almost reverent stillness, the calm after a spiritual storm. The air itself felt cleaner, as if the oppressive weight of a decade's regret had been physically purged.
Tony watched the transformed man before him, a genuine, unforced grin spreading across his face. The killing intent was gone, replaced by a sharp, focused aura that hummed with latent power. The ghost had been exorcised; the warrior had returned.
"So," Tony began, his voice cutting through the quiet, "how does it feel to be back in your own skin?"
Brandan Elias—no longer just "Silent Shadow"—let out a long, steady breath, a true smile gracing his features for the first time. It was a smile that reached his eyes, banishing the last remnants of icy shadows. "It has been… ages," he confessed, his voice rich with a newfound warmth. "I had forgotten what it felt like to breathe without chains around my heart." He strode forward, his movements now fluid and purposeful, and offered his hand to Tony. The gesture was one of equals, of recognition.
Tony met the grip firmly. "Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Tony. The pleasure is mine."
Leaving Brandan to bask in the rediscovery of his own spirit, Tony turned his attention to the colossal corpse of the Boar King. The sisters, Maya and Suzy, finally emerged from their stunned paralysis. The sheer, terrifying pressure from Brandan had receded, but the awe remained.
"Big brother," Suzy whispered, her voice small but bursting with curiosity as she tugged on Tony's sleeve. "Who… who *is* that person?"
Tony patted her head fondly. "To understand him, you need to understand the place he came from. Have you ever heard of the Abyss Battlefield?"
Suzy shook her head, her large eyes blinking in confusion. But Maya's expression grew solemn. "I… I've heard of it," she said slowly, piecing together fragments of overheard conversations from a life that now felt distant. "Some of my… classmates… used to whisper about it. They said it's a place where you can find anything, because all the powerful organizations in the world have a stake in it. They said it's a place where only the truly strong can survive."
"Not a bad summary," Tony praised, impressed by her knowledge. "Though the reality is far more brutal and complex than campus whispers can convey. The Abyss is a crucible where fortunes and legends are made and broken. And the man over there," he nodded towards Brandan, "ten years ago, he wasn't just a participant. He was a monster among monsters. In an arena where geniuses are as common as sand on a beach, he was called an absolute genius. His name made the very foundations of that place tremble."
Suzy's eyes widened, sparkling with hero-worship. "What about you, big brother? Are you famous there too?"
Tony chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Well, I'm doing quite alright for myself." His tone was casual, but the way Brandan had reacted to his name—the shock, the immediate recognition—spoke volumes more than any boast could. He was being modest, and the sisters knew it.
His attention was finally captured by the loot window floating above the Boar King's body. As his eyes scanned the list, his usual composure cracked, replaced by a low whistle of genuine astonishment. "As expected of the first Special Elite to fall… This loot… if the other players knew what we just scored, every guild from here to the capital would make us their number one target."
The list was nothing short of astronomical for their current stage:
Currency & Materials:
Bronze x235
Boar King Tooth (Rare) x5
Boar King Skin (Rare) x3
Equipment:
[Boar King Armour(Gold Rank, Lv.7)
Defence +25, Strength +12, Endurance +9, Agility +10
Passive: Power Weakening - Reduces physical damage received by 15%.
Part of the Boar King Set.
[Boar King Helmet] (Gold Rank, Lv.7)
Strength +11, Agility +22
Passive* - 15% chance to halve the next damage received after being hit.
Part of the Boar King Set.
[Boar King Shield] (Gold Rank, Lv.7)
Defence +36, Block Rate: 30%, Strength +15, Endurance +15
Passive: Power of Life - Each attack received grants a stack, increasing max HP by 2% and incoming healing by 1% for 1 minute. (Max 5 stacks).
Part of the Boar King Set.
[Whitewood Staff](Silver Rank, Lv.7)
Attack Power +26, Intelligence +18, Vitality +10, Endurance +23
Chanting Speed +30%
[Flaming Dagger] (Gold Rank, Lv.9)
Attack +29, Strength +18, Agility +19
Passive: Flames Strike - Deals 50% bonus flame damage and reduces target's Defence by 10% for 20 seconds.
Skill Books:
[Angry Roar](C-Rank, Attack-type)
Distracts all enemies in a 4-yard radius for 3 seconds. (30 Mana, 45s Cooldown)
[Nature's Blessing] (B-Rank, Support-type)
* Heals an ally for 33% of their HP, then provides a HoT of +3 HP per second for 10 seconds. (20 Mana, 50s Cooldown)
Special Item:
[Holy Water]: Highly effective against Dark creatures and evil outsiders. Can be used as a splash weapon.
"We truly struck gold this time," Tony murmured, his mind already racing with the strategic implications. Even with his mental fortitude, he was shocked. The sisters, however, were utterly floored. They stood rooted to the spot, their minds struggling to process the wealth of powerful items displayed before them.
"Big sister!" Suzy finally squealed, breaking into a joyful dance. "Do you see this? We're rich! We're rich!"
Maya, ever the pragmatic one, quickly placed a calming hand on her sister's shoulder, though her own eyes were wide. "Suzy, that's not correct. All of this… it belongs to Brother Tony. He defeated the Boar King. We were just… bystanders."
Tony heard her and turned, his gaze softening as he looked at Maya. "Are you still treating me like an outsider?" he asked, his tone gentle but firm.
The question made Maya flush, lowering her head in slight embarrassment. "N-no, it's not that…"
"Then if you both truly see me as an outsider who hoards all the spoils," Tony said, feigning seriousness, "then perhaps I should just take my leave and let you two continue on your own."
"NO!" The shout came in unison from both sisters, their voices laced with genuine panic at the very thought.
A smile broke through Tony's stern act. "Good. Then since I'm not an outsider, we never speak like that again. We are a team. We share in the risks, and we share in the rewards." With that, he began distributing the loot with a strategic eye. The [Whitewood Staff] went to Suzy, its stats perfectly complementing her burgeoning magical power. To Maya, he handed the [Nature's Blessing] skill book, a powerful healing tool that would make her an even more invaluable protector. He also gave them two Boar King Skins, two Teeth, and 100 Bronze coins for their personal funds, keeping the core armor set, dagger, and other materials for himself.
Their gratitude was palpable, a warm feeling that settled comfortably in the clearing.
Their attention then shifted back to Brandan, who was now slowly, deliberately, moving through a series of forms with his daggers. His brow was furrowed in concentration, his body visibly struggling with movements that should have been second nature.
"See?" he said, not stopping his practice. "A decade of letting myself rot. The muscle memory is there, but the connection is… rusty. The timing is off, the flow is disrupted. I was truly an idiot, thinking I could just hide from myself."
"Your body is out of sync because you abandoned the path of improvement," Tony analyzed, his fighter's eyes missing nothing. "You stopped fighting, you stopped training. Your combat sense isn't gone; it's dormant. But this game…" Tony gestured to the world around them. "Ancient Myth is your best hope. Its fidelity can remap those neural pathways, rebuilding the connection between your mind and your instincts."
He paused, then made the offer. "Why don't you use me as a sparring partner? To regain your edge, there's no better whetstone than a live blade."
Brandan's eyes lit up with a fierce gleam at the prospect. The idea was perfect. But just as quickly, a shadow of his old pain crossed his face, and he shook his head. "Even if I regain my prime, what's the point? I've already lost everything that mattered. Reclaiming my skills won't bring her back."
Tony stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low, intense pitch. "Then don't do it for the past, Brandan. Do it for the future. Bet on me."
"Bet on you?" Brandan repeated, lowering his daggers. "What are you implying?"
"It's simple. My goal is to stand at the absolute peak of this world, and I can't do that alone. I need companions, a core group of the most capable individuals I can find. The requirements will be harsh, because I don't want an army. I want a scalpel. A small, elite force. And I want you to help me build it, and to lead it."
This was the first time Tony had vocalized his ambition so clearly to anyone, and the scale of it visibly shocked Brandan, a man who had seen the heights of worldly power.
"What kind of squad are you envisioning?" Brandan asked, his professional curiosity piqued.
"An assassination and intelligence squad," Tony stated without hesitation. "I'm thinking twenty members to start, and it will never grow beyond a hundred. Every single member must be exceptionally talented, but more importantly, they must have an adaptive aptitude—the ability to think on their feet and overcome any variable. With your experience, you understand what I'm looking for, don't you?"
Brandan's mind was already working, fitting the pieces together. "So, you don't just want killers. You want a group of monsters who can assassinate any target, gather intelligence from the shadows, and execute any manner of covert mission with flawless precision." He looked at Tony, a new layer of respect in his gaze. "Your ambition is… vast. But," he shook his head, "your invitation honors me, truly. However, I've grown accustomed to my freedom. I have no desire to be bound to a guild or become someone else's subordinate."
"You misunderstand," Tony interrupted, his gaze unwavering. "This isn't about you working for me. This is about us working *together*. The purpose of this group isn't just to serve my goals. Each member will be free to walk their own path, to pursue their own strength. My role will be to provide the resources—the best equipment, the rarest skills, the most effective training techniques. In return, I ask for loyalty and absolute commitment. Conquering a world isn't a task for the half-hearted."
The words were wild, dripping with an arrogance that should have been laughable. But spoken with Tony's utter conviction, they were electrifying. They painted a picture of a future so grand and terrifying that it made Brandan's heart beat with a frantic, forgotten rhythm. He could see it—a shadowy force so potent that their name alone would silence kingdoms, a group that stood beside a king in the making.
A slow, predatory smile spread across Brandan's face, the smile of the Phantasm Slasher rediscovering his hunt. "What do you want to call this group of yours?"
Tony didn't hesitate. "They will be blades in the dark, striking from nowhere and vanishing without a trace. They will be the unseen edge that decides the fate of nations." He met Brandan's gaze. "We'll call it Hidden Edge."
The name hung in the air, a promise and a threat, marking the true beginning of something monumental. In a quiet forest clearing, over the corpse of a fallen king, a legend was not just reborn—it was recruiting.