The Dragon-kin roared, a sound that shook the very mana crystals embedded in the dungeon walls. But the two hunters were already moving.
Jin-Woo was a streak of violet lightning. He used [Godspeed], his boots barely touching the ground. Behind him, a trail of shadows flickered as his soldiers prepared to emerge.
But Ren was different. He didn't run; he glitched.
[Skill Activated: Void Step (Phase 1)]
Every time Ren's foot hit the ground, the space around him folded. To a normal eye, it looked like he was teleporting short distances. He wasn't faster than Jin-Woo in a straight sprint, but he was cutting through reality itself.
"System," Ren commanded internally. "Analyze the Boss's core."
[Analyzing...][Target: Abyssal Drake (Rank S - Mutated)][Weakness: The exposed mana-vein beneath the left wing.]
Jin-Woo reached the Drake first. He leaped into the air, his daggers—Baruka's Daggers—glowing with lethal intent. "Kaisel!" he shouted, summoning his shadow dragon to distract the beast.
But as Jin-Woo swung for the killing blow, a shadow darker than his own flickered right in front of him.
Ren appeared out of thin air, literally stepping out of the Drake's own shadow. His hand was coated in a swirling vortex of purple-black energy.
"Sorry, Jin-Woo," Ren whispered. "I need this heart more than you do."
[Skill Activated: Void Devourer.]
Ren's hand plunged straight into the Drake's chest, bypassing the scales entirely by phasing through them. The beast didn't even have time to scream. Its massive body began to turn grey, its life force being sucked into Ren's arm like water down a drain.
[Level Up!][Current Level: 18][New Skill Acquired: Shadow-Void Synchronization (Passive)]
The Drake collapsed into dust before Jin-Woo's daggers could even touch it. The Shadow Monarch landed gracefully, his daggers disappearing as he stared at Ren with a look of genuine surprise.
"Phasing through solid matter..." Jin-Woo muttered, his eyes narrowing. "That's not a Hunter skill. That's a Monarch's authority."
Ren pulled his hand back, clutching a glowing, dark-purple crystal—the Drake's heart. He felt his power stabilizing. The 'Debt' he owed the System felt a little lighter.
"I told you," Ren said, breathing heavily. "I'm a glitch. And in a world run by a System, a glitch is the only thing that's truly free."
Jin-Woo stood his ground, his shadow soldiers—Igris and Beru—slowly emerging from the floor, their eyes locked on Ren. The 'Race' was over, but the real tension was just beginning.
"You won the race," Jin-Woo said, his voice dropping an octave. "Now, tell me. Who is the 'Architect' you're running from?"