The school speakers crackled to life.
"Attention, all A and B-rank students. Report to the auditorium in ten minutes for an urgent announcement."
The entire class stirred.
So-mi looked confused. Chae Rin raised her eyebrows. Jin simply closed his notebook and stood up calmly.
Inside, he was already preparing.
---
The auditorium buzzed with excitement.
Students whispered:
"Is it a dungeon raid?"
"Maybe a team test?"
"Did you hear? Someone got expelled last week for failing one."
Principal Seo walked onstage, dressed in a crisp suit. His sharp eyes scanned the crowd.
"The Dungeon Association has authorized a mid-term combat evaluation," he said. "You will enter a training dungeon in teams of four. Monsters are real, but death will be prevented by the system's barrier."
A murmur passed through the students.
"You will be graded on teamwork, combat power… and survival instincts," the principal continued. "Team assignments will be randomized."
That caught Jin's attention.
Randomized?
He had hoped to avoid any group… especially if they were too sharp or too loud.
But fate, as always, had other plans.
The screen behind the principal lit up.
Team 12: Baek So-mi. Chae Rin. Kim Do-hyun. Jin Haru.
Jin froze.
So-mi gasped. "We're together!"
Chae Rin narrowed her eyes slightly. "Interesting."
Do-hyun, a tall boy with a wind affinity, scoffed.
"Of course I get stuck with the rich guy and the fan club."
He glanced at So-mi and Chae Rin, clearly annoyed.
Jin didn't even react.
He was already calculating.
---
Back in the classroom, So-mi clung to Jin's arm.
"I'm really glad we're on the same team," she said. "You'll protect us, right?"
Chae Rin scoffed. "Tch. He can't even control his flame power properly. Don't rely on him."
Jin gave them both a small, awkward smile. "I'll do my best."
Inside, he was already planning which teammate to use… and which one might be worth stealing from.
The dungeon gate opened with a soft hum.
Blue energy swirled inside like a whirlpool, waiting to swallow the next team.
"Team Twelve," the instructor called. "Enter."
Yeong-ho stepped forward, quiet and confident. The name didn't feel like his, but he wore it now. He had to. He was Jin Haru on the inside—but to the world, he was the only son of a powerful family.
Behind him, So-mi followed quickly, sticking close.
Chae Rin walked with a calm, practiced gait.
Do-hyun dragged his feet, spinning a breeze between his fingers with boredom.
As the four entered the gate, the world twisted.
---
They arrived inside a dark forest.
Tall, black trees reached for the sky, their branches curling like claws. Wind hissed through the leaves, carrying strange whispers.
[System Notice]
Exam Objective: Defeat the Dungeon's Alpha Beast.
Secondary Objective: Survive.
Time Limit: 1 Hour.
---
"This place gives me the creeps," So-mi whispered.
"We should stay alert," Yeong-ho said, scanning the terrain. "There might be more than just the alpha."
"Something's moving," Chae Rin added, pressing a hand to the ground. "It's big. Close."
"Shouldn't we find the smaller monsters first?" Do-hyun asked. "Why rush into danger?"
"Because if we kill the alpha first, we score higher," Yeong-ho replied smoothly. "And I didn't come here to scrape by."
So-mi smiled faintly. "I trust you."
Chae Rin gave a short nod. "Then let's hunt."
Do-hyun muttered, "Of course I get stuck with the rich guy and the fan club…"
---
They moved west, deeper into the forest.
Yeong-ho activated Beast Sense, the stolen power humming in his mind. He felt the presence of something large and hostile nearby. Muscles. Breathing. A predator ready to strike.
[Beast Detected – Fenrir Variant]
Rank: B
Status: Agitated, Hunting]
"There," Yeong-ho pointed.
The alpha stepped into view.
It looked like a wolf—but massive, twice the size of a horse, with glowing blue eyes and matted, armored fur.
It growled, low and deep.
Then it charged.
---
Do-hyun shouted, "Split!"
The wolf's claws tore through the air where So-mi had been moments ago.
Yeong-ho vanished—Shadow Step—and reappeared behind it, slamming a Flame Palm into its flank. Fire burst out in a flash, burning fur and muscle.
The beast howled and spun to bite.
Chae Rin drove a rock spike from the ground into its back leg. The wolf staggered.
Do-hyun's wind blade sliced across its shoulder.
So-mi crouched behind a tree, watching, eyes wide.
Yeong-ho moved again—Shadow Step—to the opposite side and aimed a second Flame Palm at its face.
But before he could strike the killing blow, Do-hyun lunged forward with his blade and slashed the alpha's throat.
Blood sprayed across the leaves.
The wolf fell, twitching, then went still.
---
[System Notification: Alpha Beast Slain.
+100 Evaluation Points]
Everyone exhaled in relief.
"That… was awesome," So-mi said, looking at Yeong-ho.
He just smiled slightly, breathing slow and even.
Chae Rin glanced at him, thoughtful. "You're different from the rumors. Stronger."
Do-hyun snorted. "Got lucky."
Yeong-ho said nothing, but inside, his mind was calm and focused.
Still not strong enough.
---
They continued deeper into the dungeon. No new abilities for now—no one had died by his hand. But he could wait. Opportunities always came to those who watched quietly.
The forest thinned as the group moved forward, tension slowly easing after their fight with the alpha beast.
But Yeong-ho felt it—Beast Sense pricked at his nerves.
Something dark… something watching.
Then a shadow darted across the trees.
"Did you see that?" Chae Rin whispered.
Before anyone could reply, a voice echoed.
> "Children shouldn't be here."
From behind a tree stepped a tall man in scorched academy robes, his pale skin veined with glowing black lines. His eyes glowed violet. Magic swirled around him like a cursed fog.
"I was left behind in this dungeon," he said. "They feared me. They sealed me here."
Yeong-ho's eyes narrowed. This guy… he's corrupted.
Chae Rin stepped forward. "We're in the middle of an academy exam. Who are you?"
The cursed mage smiled.
> "I'm your final test."
Dark mana exploded outward. The ground split, and monsters clawed their way up—bone serpents, shadow wolves, and bat-winged insects.
---
The ambush began.
Do-hyun unleashed a wave of wind, cutting down two wolves. Chae Rin raised earth shields. So-mi screamed and ducked behind Yeong-ho.
Yeong-ho activated Camouflage Veil, disappearing into the shadows. He circled around, appearing behind a serpent and slamming it with a burning Flame Palm. It hissed and collapsed.
Suddenly, the cursed mage raised both hands.
> "Come, children of the dark!"
Black tendrils shot up from the earth, striking Do-hyun and knocking him into a tree. His arm twisted at an unnatural angle.
Chae Rin was next, a tendril slashing her cheek.
Yeong-ho appeared in front of the mage, launching fire—Flame Palm—at his face.
The cursed mage spun and dodged, but his shoulder caught the flames.
> "You… you have power," he hissed. "But I will eat it."
The mage reached toward Yeong-ho. But the boy vanished into the shadows again—Shadow Step—and reappeared behind him.
Two daggers stabbed deep into the mage's ribs.
> "You're not the predator here," Yeong-ho whispered.
The mage cried out, stumbling forward, trying to summon another spell.
Yeong-ho grabbed his arm—magic clashing—and poured fire into his chest.
> BOOM.
Smoke, blood, and flame burst through the trees. The cursed mage screamed until his body collapsed, black energy leaking out and vanishing into the dirt.
---
[Skill Gained: Mana Eater – From a cursed mage. Steals magic power from enemies on contact.]
---
The summoned monsters didn't vanish. They turned and charged.
Yeong-ho grabbed a shadow wolf—and as it snapped at his arm, black mist flowed into his skin.
The wolf dropped dead.
> "He just… absorbed it!" Chae Rin shouted.
So-mi stared. "That's not normal. That's… that's not human."
Do-hyun sat up, clutching his arm. "We need to report this guy."
Yeong-ho turned toward them, breathing hard.
He forced a smile. "It's just an ability."
Inside, he was calm. No one could prove anything. He was Yeong-ho to them now.
And he had just gotten stronger.
Yeong-ho walked out of the dungeon gate with his team. Blood stained his gloves, smoke clung to his clothes, and his fake smile was perfectly in place.
The academy staff waited outside. Instructors in black coats and dungeon scouts lined up with clipboards and sharp eyes.
One stepped forward. "You're the last group out. Time's up."
Behind him, students whispered.
> "That guy… isn't that Yeong-ho?"
> "He made it out?"
> "Wasn't he the guy who went missing in that solo dungeon run?"
> "I heard he barely survived—no one even found the bodies."
Yeong-ho stood tall. "One of our team got injured. But we cleared the route and eliminated a corrupted mage."
The instructor raised an eyebrow. "A corrupted mage?"
Chae Rin stepped forward, holding a broken cursed staff wrapped in cloth.
"He summoned monsters and attacked us," she said. "Yeong-ho killed him."
The instructor examined the item, and his eyes widened.
> "...This is real. You handled a Class B threat?"
He looked back at the others.
"Marks will be adjusted accordingly."
---
Later that day
Back on campus, the halls were filled with murmurs.
> "Did you hear about Yeong-ho?"
> "He wiped out a cursed mage."
> "First he survives a dungeon ambush, now this?"
> "What is this guy?"
People watched Yeong-ho as he passed—some with admiration, some with jealousy.
In the corner of the lobby stood Seo Hana, the girl from a powerful family, and Yeong-ho's fiancée by arrangement. She narrowed her eyes as he passed.
In another corner, Baek So-mi, the healer who once had a crush on the old Yeong-ho, clutched her bag nervously.
And beside Jin, walking silently, was Chae Rin—the girl he saved in a dungeon, who now followed him without question.
---
That night
Yeong-ho stood in front of his bathroom mirror.
His eyes gleamed faintly green. His real body—hidden in a safehouse, miles away—was protected. And every kill made him stronger.
> "Mana Eater," he whispered, testing the new skill.
He reached into the air—and the light flickered around his fingers. He could feel the mana in the room draining slowly.
> "Predator… Camouflage… Flame… Shadow…"
One step at a time.
He wasn't going to live in shadows anymore.
He was going to rule them.