The academy's training yard buzzed with nervous chatter. Students gathered in uneven circles, their newly awakened profession badges glimmering faintly with mana. For many, this was the first time they had worn their insignia proudly, a symbol that they were no longer ordinary humans, but Awakeners—warriors, mages, and healers who stood between civilization and the encroaching curse.
For Raven, the badge felt heavier than iron. He hadn't even received a proper classification from the crystal. His badge was blank, its surface dull compared to the others. While the rest compared their glowing emblems like children boasting of new toys, Raven stood apart at the edge of the crowd, hands buried in his pockets, head tilted down to hide his unease.
If anyone looked too closely, if anyone noticed what pulsed beneath his skin, he was finished.
"Attention."
Instructor Valen's voice cut through the noise like a blade. The silver-haired mage strode forward, cloak trailing behind her, her gaze sweeping across the gathered students. Her eyes were sharp, unreadable, but Raven thought—just for a moment—that they lingered on him longer than the others.
"You survived the breach," Valen said. "That much is commendable. But survival is only the first step. Today, you will experience your first dungeon."
A wave of shock rippled through the yard.
"A dungeon? Already?"
"We just awakened yesterday!"
"Isn't that dangerous?"
The nervous chatter swelled into a storm, but Valen silenced them with a single glare. "It is dangerous," she said. "And that is precisely why you will go. The world does not wait for you to grow comfortable. The curse spreads with each passing day. Shadow Walkers multiply in the dark. If you wish to call yourselves Awakeners, you must learn to fight them in their natural domain. Now."
The words settled like a weight on their shoulders. Even Raven felt his stomach twist. A dungeon already? He had barely come to terms with his system, let alone mastered it.
At the far end of the yard, shimmering rings of light flared into existence—the academy's teleport gates. Through their glowing frames hung swirling black rifts, pulsing faintly like the heartbeat of some unseen beast. Raven's skin prickled just looking at them.
"Dungeon: Tier F," Valen announced. "Low-ranked. Minimal risk. You will enter in groups of five, under instructor supervision. Survive, adapt, and learn. That is your task."
Some students sighed in relief at the word "low-ranked," but others still trembled. Raven knew better. He had read enough in the orphanage's library to know that even a low-tier dungeon could kill the unprepared.
Valen's eyes scanned the crowd once more—and locked on him.
"You. Silva."
Raven straightened instinctively. "Yes, Instructor?"
"You'll join Group Seven. Report to the gate."
His throat tightened. He felt dozens of eyes on him, whispering already. As if things couldn't get worse, his gaze caught Marcus smirking from across the yard. Of course. Fate had a cruel sense of humor.
Moments later, the gate swallowed him whole.
The world twisted. Cold air swept past him like a tidal wave. When Raven's vision cleared, he found himself standing on cracked asphalt beneath a shattered sky. The dungeon was a ruined cityscape, its streets fractured, buildings caved in as though some titan had clawed through them. Above, the heavens swirled with a void deeper than night, its shifting colors painting the ruins in shades of ash and violet.
"This is… creepy," one student whispered, hugging themselves.
Raven felt it immediately. The air was thick with corrupted mana, pressing against his skin, seeping into his lungs. His shadow twitched restlessly beneath his feet.
[Dungeon Detected.]
[Shadow Energy Density: High.]
The system pulsed like a second heartbeat. The dungeon was food. And his shadow was starving.
"Stay close," Marcus declared loudly, striding ahead with his glowing staff. He puffed out his chest, basking in the way the others glanced at him for reassurance. "I'll keep us alive."
Raven nearly snorted. Marcus had barely held his own during the breach.
They didn't have to wait long before the first monsters came.
Shadow Hounds.
They emerged from the ruins in snarling packs, their canine bodies warped with jagged shadows, eyes glowing with eerie white light. Their limbs twitched unnaturally, as though puppeted by the void itself.
"Combat formation!" one of the students shouted, though their voice cracked.
The group scrambled. The warrior charged forward, sword swinging wildly but barely clipping one hound. The mage hurled a fireball that went wide, exploding harmlessly against rubble. Marcus stood at the back, shouting, "Heal! Heal!" though the scratches they received hardly warranted it.
The hounds circled, low growls vibrating in the air.
Raven clenched his fists. His shadow stirred, hungry, begging to be unleashed. But the instructors were watching through scrying orbs. If he revealed too much here, he risked everything.
A hound lunged at him, fangs snapping for his throat.
Instinct overrode caution.
[Devour activated.]
His shadow surged upward, snaring the hound's neck like a noose. The creature shrieked as its body unraveled into smoke, its essence ripped away.
[Shadow Energy +10]
[Assimilating…]
[Skill Obtained: Shadow Bite.]
Raven gasped as power coursed through him. His jaw ached, shadows coiling in his mouth, forming fangs that weren't truly there. He lunged—biting nothing, yet tearing something vital. The hound dissolved into nothingness.
The other students froze.
"What… what was that?" one whispered, horrified.
Raven's blood ran cold. Damn it. He had gone too far.
[Ability Concealment activated.]
A ripple of energy washed over them. Their eyes flickered, memories twisting.
"…He used claws, right? Like shadow blades?" one muttered, uncertain.
"Yeah… I think so."
They nodded, the memory rewritten.
[Shadow Energy -5.]
Raven exhaled shakily. Concealment worked—but it drained him. If he wasn't careful, the system's protection would burn out.
The group pressed deeper. Their nerves frayed quickly; coordination collapsed with each skirmish. Fireballs went astray, sword swings grew sloppy, Marcus's voice grew shrill. But Raven thrived. Every battle fed him.
[Shadow Energy +8.]
[Shadow Claw Progress: 21%.]
[Shadow Bite Progress: 6%.]
Every kill whispered promises of more power. Every whisper urged him to consume again.
By the time they reached the dungeon's core, exhaustion weighed on the group. Scratches and bruises marked every one of them, and their eyes darted at every shadow.
Then the ground shook.
From the darkness ahead lumbered a Shadow Beast.
It was twice the size of a man, its jagged limbs scraping the cracked concrete, a face split into a gaping maw lined with too many teeth. Its body pulsed with dark veins, radiating a suffocating aura.
"This… this isn't Tier F," one student stammered.
The beast roared, the sound vibrating through the ruins.
"Formation! Hold it back!" Marcus yelled, though his voice wavered with terror.
The group obeyed, striking desperately. Fireballs fizzled against its hide. The warrior's blade barely scratched. Marcus's healing spells flickered weakly, insufficient against the wounds piling up.
The beast batted them aside like dolls.
Raven's pulse thundered. His shadow screamed within him, thrashing, demanding release. If he didn't unleash it, they would all die.
Damn it.
He stepped forward.
"Silva, what are you doing?!" Marcus shouted, his face pale.
Raven didn't answer. His eyes darkened.
[Devour activated.]
The ground rippled. His shadow exploded outward, stretching into massive tendrils that lashed around the beast's limbs, holding it down as it shrieked and thrashed.
[Shadow Energy +25.]
[Assimilating…]
[Skill Obtained: Shadow Roar.]
The power built in his chest until he thought he would burst. He opened his mouth—no sound came, only a wave of black force that slammed into the beast. Its body cracked, fissures glowing with darkness.
Raven's claws tore into its chest, shadows sinking deep. The beast writhed once, then dissolved into mist, devoured utterly.
Silence.
The other students stared, trembling. Even Marcus, who never shut up, stood pale and wordless.
Raven's body shook with effort. He forced the shadows back down, retreating into something that might pass for normal. Sweat dripped down his face.
[Warning: Concealment ineffective. Witnesses retained partial memory.]
His stomach lurched. They had seen too much.
A flash of light announced Valen's arrival. The instructor appeared in the chamber, eyes sweeping across the battered students, the remnants of the slain beast, and Raven—standing at the center.
Her gaze locked onto him.
"You," she said coldly. "What… are you?"
Raven's heart skipped a beat. His shadow twitched restlessly at his feet.
He didn't answer.
Because the truth was—he wasn't sure anymore.