Steven advanced down the passage until he found a long black chest embroidered with various symbols.
He cautiously approached the chest and opened it slowly.
He looked inside the chest.
Inside, there was a long black sword, its hilt decorated with strange engravings, and in the center of these engravings was a black four-leaf clover. Near the sword, there was a book titled *The Art of Shadows*.
Steven looked at the contents of the chest in shock.
"Impossible!"
"How can this sword be here?"
In the story, this sword was wielded by a powerful demon named Cyrus.
This demon was so strong that he could destroy the strongest Awakened of S-rank.
Because of him, humanity suffered heavy losses in the war.
This demon had skillful control over shadows and wielded a very powerful sword of unknown rank.
The story never mentioned how Cyrus acquired the sword.
Steven never imagined he would find this sword in a place like this.
He picked up the sword and the book from the chest.
He opened the book, wanting to know what *The Art of Shadows* was.
Steven was astonished by its contents.
"This is a skill that allows control over shadows."
"And it can also create shadow entities that can take my form or the form of anyone whose shadow I've taken."
In other words, when using this skill, you must kill monsters to take their shadows. The shadows can have the same strength as the defeated monster.
You cannot take shadows from monsters you did not kill or from corpses that have been dead for more than three days.
The skill owner can control these shadows, and the number of shadows they can control depends on the skill's level.
Steven had obtained the skill *Art of Shadows*, though he did not yet know its rank.
Steven said,
"Status window."
**Name:** Steven Roald
**Age:** 13 years
**Status:** Awakened
**Talent:** SS
**Rank:** -A
**Magic:** S
**Mana:** -A
**Strength:** A
**Intelligence:** S
**Skills:**
* *(Master Swordsmanship)* Level 9; Rank: S
Allows professional-level sword control.
* *(Author)* Rank: S
Lets you see the status of the main characters mentioned in *Search for Hope*.
* *(Memory) [Locked]* Rank: ???
Unlocks upon meeting certain conditions.
* *(Time)* Level 4; Rank: ???
Allows stopping time for 10 seconds.
* *Disguise:*
Can increase your height, change your hair and eye color, duration depends on mana.
* *(Shadow Sword) King:* Level 10; Rank: E
Allows the user and sword to become one with the shadows.
(Can merge with *Art of Shadows*.)
* *(Blood Manipulation) Intermediate:* Level 9; Rank: S
Can manipulate your blood or surrounding blood.
Can form weapons from blood (Intermediate).
* *(Vital Point) Professional:* Level 5; Rank: C
Allows seeing target weak points if the target is one rank below the skill owner.
* *(Shadow Extension) Intermediate:* Level 3; Rank: A
As long as there is a shadow, it can be expanded to create a suitable shadow zone for combat.
* *(Art of Shadows) Beginner:* Level 1; Rank: ??
Can control shadows of creatures you have killed.
(Number of controllable shadows increases with skill level.)
Beginners can only control shadows they killed.
Intermediate users can see what the shadows see and change their form.
Professionals can swap places and emotions with shadows.
Masters can create a copy of the skill owner in appearance, behavior, and strength.
Steven said in astonishment,
"This is an extremely powerful skill."
He sighed in relief.
"Good thing I found it first, not the demon Cyrus."
During the time he was Black Crow, Steven searched for skills with a dark attribute but found none suitable, as dark-attribute skills were extremely rare; the last person with one appeared nearly three hundred years ago.
Of course, he obtained *Shadow Extension* due to the intervention of that old guild leader.
Steven thought,
'It seems I can merge Shadow Sword and Art of Shadows, but it requires a fusion fruit. I can only find this fruit in the inner part of the Mist Forest.'
Steven frowned and shook his head.
'I can't enter that forest now. I'm not strong enough to enter the inner Mist Forest. It's very dangerous for S-rank, let alone -A rank; I'd die instantly.'
Steven placed the sword in his storage ring and found that the passage ended here.
He returned to search the other passage and found the gem.
He soon exited the cave and, upon descending the mountain, searched for a nearby river. After some time, he found it.
Ensuring no one was around, he removed his clothes, storage ring, and smartwatch, and entered the river. It was already dark.
Steven looked at the sky, filled with stars, unlike his previous world, and the crescent moon was beautiful.
He was captivated by the beautiful view and continued staring.
His face relaxed.
'I don't know why, but since I came to this world, I feel nostalgic… I don't know why I feel nostalgic.'
'I always feel like I've forgotten something important, but I know it's connected to that sealed memory.'
Steven closed his eyes and stayed still for an unknown period.
Then he finally opened his eyes and exited the river.
He dried himself, put on a large black T-shirt and wide pants reaching his knees.
He looked nice in these clothes. He wore his items and continued his journey toward the Dwarf City.
---
**Two days later…**
Steven arrived in the city, wearing his disguise before reaching it.
The guards recognized him and allowed him entry.
Upon entering, Steven went straight to the old man Dawn's shop.
As soon as he entered, Dawn, who was cleaning his tools, noticed him.
He smiled and welcomed Steven.
"Child, you've finally returned."
"Did you find the gem?"
Steven nodded and took the gem out of the ring, giving it to Dawn.
Dawn looked at it with shining eyes.
"What shape do you want, child?"
Steven thought for a moment, then said,
"Make it into a small earring."
Dawn looked at Steven for a moment, then said,
"Remember, your name is Steven."
Dawn looked surprised, realized something, then laughed.
"Hahaha, fine. I won't call you 'child' anymore."
Then he smiled.
"It will take ten days to craft the earring."
Steven replied calmly,
"Alright."
Then he left the shop. Steven decided to rest at a hotel during these ten days since it had been a long time since he last rested and did nothing.
He spent these days resting, rejuvenating his body and mind.
When the ten days ended, he spent most of his time either exploring the Dwarf City or resting in the hotel.
Steven finally left the hotel and went to old man Dawn to collect the tool.
When he got it and placed it in his storage ring, he planned to use it upon entering the academy.
It seemed that today was the day the traders would leave the Dwarf City.
As the traders departed for Oro City, they bid farewell to the dwarves and continued their journey.
The return journey would take four days because they faced a group of monsters that seemed to be waiting to greet them.
Only Steven knew these monsters appeared because of the demon targeting him.
It was another failed attack for the demon, as Steven swiftly eliminated the monsters.
Thus, their journey passed without incident.
Steven arrived at the Star Guild. As he entered, silence fell as usual.
He informed the clerk that his mission was complete and received his reward.
He told the clerk that he wanted to modify his rank because he had broken through.
The clerk was shocked at how quickly Steven had advanced, but not overly so, as she was accustomed to his rapid growth.
He had been only six years old when he first came to the guild, starting at E-rank, and had reached A-rank during this period.
Steven's talent was truly remarkable.
"Here you go, Mr. Black Crow. This is your card."
"Congratulations on your breakthrough."
Steven didn't speak; he took the card and left the guild.
A man approached the clerk, laughing, and said,
"It seems Black Crow has broken through to a high rank again."
The clerk smiled proudly,
"Yes, our Black Crow is very talented."
The man laughed,
"Heh, it seems that over these six years, not only has his rank risen, but his reputation as well."
Then he seemed to remember something and said with amusement,
"That boy has been waiting here for two days."
"Maybe he met Black Crow by now. Shall we go watch the show?"
The clerk frowned slightly and said,
"What? Isn't he bored?"
The man shrugged, pretending he didn't know.
"Are you going or not?"
Clerk: "Hmm, fine."
Then she called another clerk,
"Hey, Devani, come take my place for a moment."
Devani frowned and asked,
"Where are you going?"
The clerk said with enjoyment,
"To watch another losing match."
Devani understood and said, waving her hand,
"Then come back quickly."
Clerk: "Yes."
Then they left the guild.
---
Outside, at the same time,
Steven left the guild and encountered a small boy of the same age smiling at him.
Steven frowned and placed his hand on his head, then said coldly,
"Haven't you had enough of this, Kai?"
Kai smiled at Steven and said,
"But I want to become stronger than you. And to do that, I have to defeat you."
Steven looked at him coldly and said,
"You cannot defeat me. I'm -A rank, and you're still weak."
Kai's smile disappeared, and he said in surprise,
"What… you broke through? Well, fine. I just want to fight you. Even if I lose, I won't let you go without fighting."
Kai smiled again.
Steven gave him a deadly glare, saying,
"You're annoying."
Kai shook his head and smiled,
"Alright, Blacky, I just want to fight you."
Steven vanished from in front of him and appeared behind Kai. A sharp sword advanced toward Kai's neck, stopping just a centimeter away.
Kai raised his hands in annoyance,
"That's cheating! You didn't even let me attack!"
"Are you boasting about becoming -A rank? So what? In a month, I'll reach C-rank, and in a few years, I'll surpass you."
Steven paid no attention to Kai's annoying chatter and disappeared from in front of him again.
Kai frowned and muttered angrily,
"This isn't fair."
After Steven saved his parents, Kai tried every way to convince them to let him become a mercenary in the guild. Initially, they refused.
But because of his persistence, he even told them he would run away if they didn't allow him. Hesitant at first, his parents agreed on the condition that he would contact them daily so they could be assured of his safety.
Kai happily agreed and joined the mercenaries, spending a full year improving his skills.
Eventually, he decided he needed to face stronger people to gain experience.
He wanted to find someone to motivate him to become stronger.
Later, he discovered that his savior was named Black Crow, from the Star Guild.
Kai pursued Steven for two years, wanting to fight him.
Although Steven found him very annoying,
Steven defeated him every time he challenged him.
Every time Kai was defeated, his determination to become stronger and defeat Steven grew.
Yet Kai held admiration and respect for Steven,
and Steven became his ambition and motivation for power.
Kai sighed and walked away.
--