Being a Slayer meant your name was known far and wide for your deadly reputation. Becoming an influencer with a million followers? Not quite the same.
Not that it mattered right now. First, kill the giant spider. Earn some life extension. Then think about the rest.
His phone and number were technically "internal-use only"—something Uncle Dave had quietly swiped from The Dawnhall. As long as Damian didn't break any laws, no one was allowed to check it. Even if his videos went viral, there'd be no way for them to trace it back to him.
So, he could film as much footage as he wanted, piece it together later, and post it online.
"We're gonna stay quiet, sneak up on the target, land a solid whack, and then just keep beating it down…"
Talking to the phone like this felt a bit too stiff. Damian frowned.
After a moment, he repositioned the phone, stepping a few meters back and facing the camera.
Steel pipe in hand, he raised it and said, "How strong is an Aberrant? That's up to me. Hey everyone. Giant spider Aberrant? I'm taking it on—alone."
Perfect.
He fixed the phone in place, adjusted a few small body-mounted cameras, all positioned so they wouldn't get in the way during a fight.
Then he pressed himself to the wall, creeping toward the spider's rear.
In Shadow Form, he blended almost completely into the Shadow Layer. With his footsteps slowed to a crawl, he became all but invisible.
"We're getting closer. From here on, I'll remain silent. Don't want to startle it."
That was the final line he recorded. Damian's expression sharpened, eyes locked ahead.
He steadily closed the distance, steel pipe gripped tight in both hands.
This wasn't like fighting the ghost earlier.
That ghost had already been drained to near-death, its strength sharply weakened—that's how he'd been able to kill it.
This spider, while injured, still had 60% of its health. That wasn't low.
But this was the Shadow Layer. Exploration and survival went hand in hand. In a half-kilometer radius around this neighborhood, Damian hadn't found many weak Aberrants.
Humans hunted Aberrants. Aberrants hunted humans. Aberrants even turned on their own kind.
The truly weak either stayed hidden or had already been devoured by stronger Aberrants.
There were three low-tier Aberrants nearby earlier, but before Damian made up his mind, they were already gone.
Life was tough even for bottom-feeder Aberrants.
He glanced at the steel pipe. Was it going to be enough?
It was solid, cost him several thousand yuan, and had some unknown metal embedded at the tip to enhance damage.
He'd tested it on his own leg—it hurt like hell. Should be good for a few fights.
Ten meters… nine… eight…
Suddenly, the spider lifted its head, scanning the area.
Damian froze, holding his breath in the shadows.
Faint red clusters glowed on various parts of the spider's body—around its rear eye, joints, shoulder, and abdomen.
The intensity varied slightly depending on its movement, but the message was clear: these were its weak points.
That was the effect of Shadow Strike.
Damian's heart skipped with excitement.
Judging by color concentration, the head was the most vulnerable, followed by—well, the crotch.
A clean blow to the head would be ideal, but the size difference was too great. Damian did a quick mental calculation—no way he could jump that high.
So…
His eyes shifted.
Another weak point would do just fine.
He'd been in this world for a while now.
The spider, for its part, loved this place.
It wasn't as oppressive as the Abyss, and there weren't as many terrifyingly strong Aberrants.
Even a low-tier trash like itself could survive if it stayed cautious.
It had recently fought off another Aberrant. High agility, high burst. The battle was brutal, but in the end, it had torn its enemy apart and eaten it.
The wounds weren't light, but nothing life-threatening.
A few days of sleep, and it'd be good as new.
Its only real concern was getting ambushed by another Aberrant while recovering.
So even when it looked like it was sleeping, it was always alert.
Just now, it had sensed something—something cold creeping up its back. It was being watched.
Instantly alert, the spider twitched uneasily.
Where? Where is it?
Its eight crimson eyes scanned in every direction.
Aberrants could see better than humans in the Shadow Layer—but only marginally.
At its level, it could see maybe ten meters ahead. It looked around several times but spotted nothing out of the ordinary.
Was it just nerves?
Its simple brain couldn't process complex thoughts, but instinct told it: this place suddenly felt too cold. Better to move somewhere else.
It rose.
And then—like a bolt of electricity tearing through its body—its mind went blank.
Paralyzed.
Completely paralyzed.
Every nerve, every muscle—frozen in place.
[Health]: 64% → 44%
A single strike, 20% gone.
Before, Damian had only used brute strength. His ability points had been building inside, with no outlet.
But that swing just now—it was like something unexplainable within him poured out with it.
The sensation was almost euphoric. He nearly let out a scream from the rush.
If not for the fact that he got drenched in spider blood, he might have forgotten to dodge.
60% health made it a challenge. But now? 40% left. Totally winnable—
BANG!
A dark shape went flying like a meteor, smashing into a wall nearby.
Buildings in the Shadow Layer were unnaturally tough. The crash left only a faint dent in the wall, but Damian hit the ground hard.
"Haa… Haa… Not bad."
He gritted his teeth. That one blow had probably shaved off at least 10%, maybe 15% of his health.
"SCREEEEE!!!"
The massive spider twisted in place.
Now facing him, Damian could finally get a clear look.
Across its grotesque body, dark violet patterns coiled and squirmed with unnatural energy.
It looked like a spider, but its head resembled a crooked, upside-down triangle drawn without a ruler. No symmetry, no grace.
On one side, seven or eight tentacles flailed about as it let out a screech, its mouth lined with jagged, misshapen teeth.
Its eight eyes were unevenly spaced, adding to its nightmare appearance.
This thing? It could be a horror film boss with no extra editing.
[44%] → [42%] → [40%]
The steel pipe had gone in deep and caused real damage. Even after rolling around for a while, the spider couldn't shake it loose—and it was still bleeding.
Damian shook his head, pushed off the ground, and melted back into the shadows.
Exactly.
Shadow Strike. A deadly ability built for ambushes.
A natural-born assassin's skill—there was no need to fight head-on.
He stepped back, shadows creeping up from beneath his feet until they wrapped around his entire body.
Stalker? Slayer?
What once seemed like a strange set of powers now felt like they'd been crafted just for him.
As he watched the furious but blind spider lashing out in confusion, Damian's eyes shifted subtly.
Aberrant? Transcendent?
Hunter? Prey?
He glanced down at the camera. Playing the clowny influencer… maybe it wasn't really his thing.
If he was a Slayer, he might as well take the job seriously.
Stay silent. Let the footage speak for itself.
He picked up the second steel pipe he'd placed to the side earlier.
Then, in a low voice—just loud enough to be caught by the mic, and if not, he'd add it in post—Damian whispered,
"The hunt begins."
…
Lily was a senior in high school.
Her grades hovered in the middle of the pack—good enough for a university, but nowhere near good enough for the elite academies.
Her parents, both businesspeople, had pulled some strings and shelled out a good chunk of money to get her a preliminary Transcendent eligibility test.
The result: she had potential. Whether it was strong or weak would be determined after school started.
In the past, info about Aberrants and Transcendents was heavily restricted. Most regular people knew almost nothing.
But recently, Lily had noticed a wave of short videos popping up—introductions to Aberrants, explanations of Transcendence, that sort of thing.
Most were educational, and honestly, not all that entertaining.
Still, they were novel. And for the average person who'd never touched this world, that was enough to be fascinating.
Just a few wide-angle shots of the Shadow Layer, even without filters, were enough to draw millions of views.
Over the past two days, Lily had seen at least five videos with over a million likes. With so many creators explaining things, she was starting to form a general picture of what the Shadow Layer was.
She fell into thought.
No doubt about it—this was government-backed.
But since she wasn't a Transcendent yet, she couldn't fully understand the motives behind the push.
Oh well… not her problem.
She was just a regular girl. Checking out hot guys and watching videos—that was what mattered most.
Lying on her bed, she scrolled through shorts one after another.
"Sunset Patrol. Your safety, protected by The Dawnhall. Hey everyone, I'm a Nightwatch Officer, and today I'll be giving you a basic intro to low-tier Aberrants…"
"Hey guys, this is Lalala, today we're checking out a hidden gem restaurant tucked away in an alley…"
"Best liver in town, right at our doorstep. I'm taking you there to try it out."
What the fuck?
Lily's face twisted. How had she ended up on this side of the algorithm?
She swiped through several videos in a hurry, trying to reset the feed.
Then—
"Ahem…"
A soft cough came from her phone. She froze, then scrolled back up.
The dark video appeared again, the frame locked on a narrow street—then suddenly, a leg swung into frame, blocking half the lens.
Black mist curled around the figure, too blurry to see clearly.
Far in the background, shapes could be seen leaping across rooftops.
The camera work… was impressive. The voiceover and background music, too.
Was this a movie?
Lily perked up.
The scene shifted again—Aberrants flickered across the screen, their faces shown in full.
How the hell were they filming this? Were they sticking the lens right in an Aberrant's face?
The camera panned upward, following a building until it reached a shadowy figure standing on the rooftop.
"I'm Shadow Hunter, from the North District."
Then he jumped.
Holy shit!
Lily inhaled sharply.
What the hell did I just watch?