Chapter Thirty-Four ــ Seed of the Shadow Monarch
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"I have truly been waiting for you, hunter."
After the Architect uttered these words, (Sung Jin-Woo) felt a strange sensation emanating from this place. It was a pressure, not physical, but existential—a cold draft on the soul. The air grew still and heavy, the faint hum of residual magic dying into an absolute, deafening silence.
Then, suddenly, a voice from the System appeared.
[Alert: Administrator authority activated. Official System suspended. All abilities granted by the System are being revoked.]
It happened in a single, terrifying moment.
One second, he was the Shadow Monarch, a well of immense power thrumming in his veins. The next…
Pop.
It wasn't a sound, but a feeling. A series of internal, metaphysical snaps, like cords being cut. The intricate network of stats, levels, and connections that had become his second nervous system simply… unraveled.
All the levels he had obtained disappeared. Not just that—his connection to the shadows. Every single one of those abilities, in addition to his enhanced physical capabilities… all of it vanished in an instant.
It was like being plunged into ice water while simultaneously having his skeleton removed. His legs, which had felt capable of kicking through mountains, now trembled with a basic, human weakness. His mind, which could process battle data at lightning speed, fogged over with normal, sluggish human thought. The comforting, ever-present chorus of his shadow soldiers in the back of his consciousness was replaced by a yawning, lonely silence.
Thud. Thud-thud.
His own heartbeat,suddenly loud and vulnerable in his ears, was the only power left.
The Korean hunter stared, his eyes wide with profound confusion, at the smiling statue. He didn't understand what was happening. His mind, stripped of its enhanced processing, could only cycle one raw, panicked thought.
"Impossible… How did my stats disappear? This is madness…"
His voice came out as a hoarse whisper,thin and reedy in the vast chamber. He took an involuntary step back, his boot scuffing weakly against the stone floor.
But the statue, which was still smiling, emitted the voice of the Architect once more.
"Do not be tense,hunter. This is normal. I revoked these things because I am the one who created the System in the first place."
He created the System?
The information hit (Jin-Woo)'s defenseless mind like a hammer. Did that mean he was the one who gave me this System? How? That can't be. Does he want to take it back now? What will happen if he does that? What should I do? This is all insane!
The frantic, disjointed questions tumbled over each other, a car crash of panic in his head.
"You seem very tense, human."
The statue could see(Sung Jin-Woo)'s face changing—from cold composure, to severe tension, to confusion brimming with fear. These changes were rapid. But to the Architect, an entity that had observed eons, it was natural. For a being who had obtained great power to have it taken away so swiftly… it was simply terrifying. Especially when he realizes the puppet master behind his strings.
The Architect felt a slight tinge of disappointment at this reaction. After all these years of studying the planet, and especially from the person he had chosen to be the vessel for Ashborn, the Shadow Monarch and the strongest of all Monarchs, the Lord of all Shadows.
"I revoked these abilities because I wanted to speak with you a little, human."
To be perfectly frank,the human body before him had not yet reached the required level to make it a complete vessel for the Shadow Monarch. It still needed some additional… refinements.
But the reason that had forced the Architect to withhold sufficient tasks to develop the vessel efficiently through System means was due to the strange interference of the being who came from a different world.
The Monarchs, in addition to most monsters in all the worlds behind the gates, had sensed a strange breach. A dimensional barrier had been broken from the outside. This matter had forced the Architect to alter some of his plans and… accelerate the vessel's training period to a greater degree. But the vessel was in danger after that battle with that person from another world.
"Tell me… what are you going to do? And how were you able to nullify all the abilities I obtained?"
(Sung Jin-Woo)still didn't understand what was happening at this moment. All his stats were gone. He could no longer connect to his shadows or summon his soldiers again. What was going on? All these things were causing a huge problem for him, and he didn't know how to resolve it.
The Architect laughed coldly, the sound a dry, rasping crunch of stone grinding from within the statue, cutting through (Jin-Woo)'s spiraling thoughts.
"Do not be tense,human. These are just minor problems in the end. I am not your enemy. I merely wish to offer you a new opportunity and greater power. Since something strange has interrupted the path I had drawn for you."
(Sung Jin-Woo)'s body retreated several steps.
Step. Step. Step.
His heels hit something solid with athump. He had backed into the massive stone door, which had silently closed shut again. He looked at the statue, unable to believe what he was hearing. He felt like a puppet whose strings had just been yanked. Of course, he didn't believe the Architect's benevolent tone. But when he thought that this entity had managed to nullify the System itself—the same System that allowed him to rise in level, surpass National Rank hunters, achieve things he couldn't have dreamed of when he was the world's weakest hunter… The sheer scale of that control was undeniable.
"You… you… How can you? Why would you give me this System and help me become stronger?"
His voice held a mix of accusation and desperate,naked need.
The Architect felt incredible amusement when he heard this. He didn't know how humans could be this foolish. Did this human really think he held any kind of affection for him? He merely wanted to use him as a vessel for one of the Monarchs—no, for the strongest Monarch of all, the Monarch of Shadows. But this fool thought he wanted to help him.
Well, the Architect mused internally, the gears of its ancient, stone mind turning with a silent, oily whirr. Time to exploit this opportunity.
"This is because I love humanity and wish for it to have a future. Especially now that the end of the world has surely begun."
(Sung Jin-Woo)'s eyes widened directly. He couldn't believe the words he was hearing at this moment. Did this statue want to help humanity, and that's why it gave him the System? Did that make sense? Was it true, or was he being deceived? I shouldn't believe him right away. I need to hear more before I decide. I can't conclude anything. Especially since the increase in monsters in the dungeons seems to be linked to this 'end' he's talking about…
The Architect sensed the human was beginning to buy into this fabricated concern. It smiled inwardly, though the statue's fixed, grinning visage never changed. Only the red eyes glowed a deeper, more intense crimson, pulsing faintly like malevolent coals.
Fzzzt. Pulse.
Suddenly, a terrifying pressure spread from the statue. With most of his levels gone, (Sung Jin-Woo) could only feel the overwhelming, crushing weight of the aura emanating from the smiling figure before him. It pressed down on his shoulders, making his knees want to buckle. The air grew thick and hard to breathe.
"Human, I know you wish to become stronger to defeat the same hunter who defeated you. But I want to tell you something important about this hunter."
The Architect's voice was a low,resonant rumble that vibrated in (Jin-Woo)'s bones.
"He is not from the same world as you."
The Player stared, his gaze locked on the statue with disbelief.
The statue continued its speech.
"He came from another world.And it seems his mission will cause the destruction of this world. You must stop him. Otherwise, your world will be destroyed and the humans in it will be eradicated."
The Architect's plan was very simple: control the vessel through this narrative, and also eliminate the target that could cause problems for the vessel's development… and for the events the Architect was trying to orchestrate.
(Sung Jin-Woo) didn't realize this. He was also thinking that he was supposed to defeat (Uchiha Sasuke), finish him, and convert him into a shadow. But because of these words—and now knowing that (Uchiha Sasuke) was a person from another world seeking to destroy their world—the anger in his heart increased. It was no longer just personal revenge; it was framed as a duty, a salvation.
"What must I do? Tell me, so I can become stronger!"
He didn't trust the Architect or the smiling statue.But in the end, the Architect was the one who gave him the chance to rise in levels. He needed to know the path the Architect would use to give him the power to defeat (Uchiha Sasuke).
The Architect smiled. It felt that the stupid, gullible human before him had fallen into the trap. Therefore, it didn't delay.
At the same moment, the System's voice chimed, clear and bright, a stark contrast to the previous ominous alert.
[System functions fully restored. Levels completely recalibrated. Level increased by ten. New stats added. Shadow soldiers reinforcement restored. Old skills restored and enhanced with advanced development.]
In the same instant the System finished sending the notifications, (Sung Jin-Woo) felt it.
Whoosh.
It was a torrent, a tsunami of power crashing back into him, magnified. His connection to the shadows roared back to life, louder and more vibrant than before—a chorus now singing with a deeper, more potent harmony. His strength returned, but it was more. His levels had not just been restored; they had been elevated. He could feel the denser, darker mana coursing through his veins, the sharper edge to his senses, the more solid connection to the sea of shadows within him.
He looked at the statue in shock, unable to believe what was happening to him. He felt that his power had risen far beyond what it had been before.
"I have upgraded your System to the next level. Therefore, your levels have increased more significantly. Now, you must take care of that hunter who threatens your world. Otherwise, the end will come even faster."
(Sung Jin-Woo) found himself drowning in a whirlpool of strange energy—a vortex of dark light that didn't spin in the chamber but within his very soul. The world around the statue blurred, the stone walls melting into streaks of gray and black.
VWOOOORP.
There was no sound of teleportation, only a sudden, disorienting lurch in reality.
Then, he was standing.
The cold dungeon air was replaced by the faint, familiar scent of home—cleaning products, a hint of dust, the lingering ghost of a meal cooked days ago.
He was in his living room.
He stared at his own home, at the ordinary couch, the quiet TV, the mundane peace of it all. It was violently, almost offensively normal.
In the same moment, the System's voice appeared again, crisp and carrying a new, dire weight.
[Quest activated: Eliminate the threat that endangers the world.]
[Reward: Seed of the Shadow Monarch.]
[Failure: Host will be deprived of the System.]
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End of Chapter.
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Well, that was a rollercoaster of existential dread and system updates!
One minute you're the all-powerful Shadow Monarch, the next you're a slightly above-average guy who misses his dark army, and then BAM—you're supercharged and given a "save the world" quest by a creepy, smiling statue that definitely has its own agenda. Classic Tuesday.
The Architect is pulling the strings, Jin-Woo's got a massive power-up and an even more massive ultimatum, and Sasuke is now officially labeled an "inter-dimensional world-ender." The plot just got galactic.
What do you think the Architect's real endgame is? Is the "Seed of the Shadow Monarch" a good reward or the ultimate trap? And how do you think Jin-Woo will try to hunt down Sasuke now?
Drop your theories, your concerns for our favorite shadow-brooder, and your thoughts on the chapter's tense, powerless moment in the comments below! Let's discuss!