"The sea breeze is so refreshing."
Yami Tsukishiro leaned back on a beach chair beneath a wide umbrella, stretching lazily as the wind teased his black hair.
He wore only a pair of beach shorts, his fair skin catching a warm golden glow under the sun.
His lean, well-toned muscles drew curious glances from nearby girls in swimsuits, their eyes lingering a little too long.
Not that he cared.
He wasn't here to flirt... only to enjoy a rare moment of peace.
This was the start of his new life, his rebirth in a world far different from the one he knew.
Here, there were no countries. Only the Alliance of Earths.
Tokyo District — in this imagined future, the world had changed, but that didn't stop him from carving out a good life.
Years of experience, hard work, and the inheritance from his parents had left him with more than enough wealth to live comfortably.
And on a weekend away from school, it was the perfect time to unwind.
But then… his hands froze mid-stretch. His arms lowered slowly.
His brows drew together.
"…What is this?" he muttered under his breath.
[Ding! A Rampage event has been detected in your world. The Multiverse Dungeons have opened!]
"Multiverse Dungeons?"
The voice rang clear in his mind, throwing him off.
Before he could react further, a strange light curtain shimmered into existence in front of him.
It displayed a vast star-filled cosmos, as if countless universes had been stacked into a layered structure, floating in midair, about half his height.
"…Huh?"
Baffled, Yami glanced at the people around him... no one else noticed a thing. Couples laughed, kids played in the sand, and life went on as normal.
So, only he could see this.
Which was already far from normal.
Pushing the thought aside, he turned his full attention to the glowing "Multiverse Dungeons" display.
Before he could figure out what it meant, more text appeared.
[Ding! Your personal Multiverse Dungeon is now active. You have obtained the following permissions:]
[Monster Embryo Permission — Activated!]
[Meme Extraction Permission — Activated!]
[Essence Observation Permission — Activated!]
[Dungeon Creation Permission — Activated!]
[Dungeon Summoning Permission — Activated!]
[Otherworld Summoning Permission — Activated!]
[Ding! You have one Dungeon Summon available!]
[Ding! You have three Otherworld Summons available!]
"…???"
This was… exactly like the cheat systems in the webnovels he used to binge-read.
It was a lot to take in, but the interface seemed straightforward enough.
"Use Dungeon Summon," he thought, giving the command mentally.
[Ding! Dungeon Summon in progress!]
"…It actually works."
A small sigh of relief escaped him. At least he didn't have to talk to himself like a lunatic.
Five seconds later, a new notification appeared.
[Ding! Dungeon Summon successful! Congratulations on obtaining the SS-Rank Meme: Shadow Monarch. Do you wish to fuse immediately?]
A deep black sphere materialized beside the floating dungeon projection, pulsing faintly.
"…Another mystery."
Yami rubbed his forehead in mild frustration and another alert chimed instantly.
[Ding! Essence Dialysis — Activated!]
Whatever that meant, it was already in motion.
---
The black sphere in front of Yami seemed alive. Streams of light like flowing data ran across its surface, converging into a translucent display that resembled a game interface.
[Meme]: Shadow Monarch
[Rank]: SS
[Effect]: Gain the power of the Shadow Monarch upon fusion.
"…Game item?"
The layout, the text... it all felt strangely familiar, like déjà vu.
So, a Shadow Monarch, huh? Like the one from Solo Leveling? Now that would be interesting.
At this point, there was nothing to lose.
Without hesitation, Yami gave the mental command.
"Fusion."
[Ding! You have 115,000 magic stones. Would you like to use them to boost your meme?]
"Magic stones? …I have no idea what that is, but sure. Boost it."
[Ding! Meme fusion complete!]
[Ding! 71,600 magic stones consumed. SS-Rank Meme 'Shadow Monarch' upgraded to Level 6!]
"—!!"
A sudden rush flooded his body. It was like warm liquid coursing through his veins… or a faint electric current sweeping across his skin.
The sensation was so comfortable it almost made him groan aloud. Thankfully, it only lasted a few seconds.
When it passed, his eyes sharpened.
"I… know more. And I feel… stronger."
He glanced at his hands, slowly curling his fingers into a fist. A restless energy surged through him... the kind that made you want to test it on something just to see the result.
If there weren't so many people here, he might have punched the ground just to see what happened.
Then, out of habit, his gaze drifted to the shadow beneath his feet.
"Wait… no way."
The dark outline rippled unnaturally, as if it were a pool of liquid. And when he imagined it moving it did.
The shadow peeled away from the ground, rising into the air, shifting from flat darkness to a vertical spear of pure black that spiraled in midair.
"…Huh."
The sudden awareness of someone watching snapped him back. He willed the spear to melt back into its natural place at his feet and glanced sideways.
A woman nearby had turned to look at him, her gaze lingering for a second. Their eyes met.
For a moment, she looked almost captivated but Yami barely acknowledged her. His mind was still processing the changes.
"My senses… they're sharper."
He could see clearly for kilometers. Every detail, every shift in the air.
He could hear the faintest sounds from every direction without strain.
It wasn't just an upgrade... this was a superpower.
The game-like window appeared again when he focused.
[Name]: Yami Tsukishiro
[Rank]: Level 6
[Title]: Shadow Monarch
[Race]: Human
[Magic Stones]: 43,400
[Meme]: SS — Shadow Monarch (Level 6)
Simple. Clear. Easy to understand.
But when he focused on the meme itself, more information unfolded.
[Meme]: Shadow Monarch
[Level]: SS
[Abilities]:
「King's Body」— Physique of the Shadow Monarch.
「Shadow Control」— Shape and manipulate shadows freely.
「Shadow Soldiers」— Extract soldiers from shadows.
「Shadow Space」— Internal domain within the shadows.
「Shadow Traverse」— Travel and vanish through shadows.
"…It even lists the abilities?"
Hmm… so this really is the Shadow Monarch I was thinking of? Did I just become Sung Jin-Woo?
Is this system created by the Shadow Monarch… or is it something entirely different?
The more he saw, the more certain he became... the Multiverse Dungeons were his cheat, his system.
He was about to investigate further when another alert appeared.
[Ding! Warning! The world's first Rampage Node 'Behemoth' has appeared. The rampage will not stop!]
Another new term. Rampage Node? He could guess what it meant, but his instincts told him there was no time to think.
His sharpened senses picked up a disturbance.
Yami's head snapped toward the ocean, focusing thousands of meters away.
The waves were rough but beneath them, something massive was stirring.
"…What the hell?"
A green, armored carapace broke the surface. Slowly, a colossal form rose from the sea, water streaming down its towering body.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
The deafening bellow shook the air, freezing the beach in shock for a split second before panic exploded.
The creature's massive claws clamped and snapped, each movement radiating raw strength. The green armor glinted under the sun, its bulk easily dozens of meters tall.
"It's… a monster!!!"
Screams erupted as people trampled over each other to flee. The carefree laughter of moments ago vanished, replaced by chaos and terror.
Humanity, in that instant, came face-to-face with a fear it had never known... the fear of being prey beneath the shadow of a giant beast.
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