The cave trembled again.
BOOM.
Small rocks fell from the ceiling and rolled across the ground.
Kael slowly turned toward the deeper part of the dungeon.
Darkness filled the long tunnel ahead.
But something inside that darkness was moving.
Something massive.
Another system message appeared.
[Warning]
[High Level Monster Detected]
[Analyzing…]
Kael frowned slightly.
"…Another monster?"
Behind him, the shadow soldiers reacted instantly.
The goblin shadows turned toward the tunnel.
Their glowing blue eyes sharpened.
Even the massive Goblin King shadow stepped forward protectively.
It was as if they could feel the approaching danger.
The footsteps became louder.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Each step shook the cave floor.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"…That's big."
The creature finally stepped into the faint light of the cave.
And Kael immediately understood something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The monster was enormous.
Nearly four meters tall.
Its body was covered in thick grey skin that looked harder than stone.
Massive muscles stretched across its arms and chest.
And in its hand—
It held a giant rusted iron hammer.
The creature's yellow eyes glowed with intelligence.
The system completed its scan.
[Enemy: Dungeon Ogre]
[Rank: B]
Kael's heart skipped a beat.
"…B-rank?"
That was two full ranks above the Goblin King.
A monster like this usually required a squad of strong hunters to defeat.
But this dungeon was supposed to be F-rank.
Something about this place was completely broken.
The Ogre slowly looked around the cave.
Its gaze moved across the goblin corpses.
Then the Goblin King's body.
Finally…
Its eyes locked onto Kael.
The monster grinned.
Rows of jagged teeth appeared inside its mouth.
"Human…"
Its voice echoed through the cave like thunder.
Kael's eyes widened.
"…It can talk?"
The Ogre lifted its hammer.
Then slammed it into the ground.
BOOM!
A powerful shockwave blasted through the cave.
Several goblin shadow soldiers were thrown backward.
The Ogre roared.
"ROOOOOOAAAAARRR!"
The monster charged forward.
The hammer swung downward.
Kael shouted immediately.
"Shadow Soldiers—attack!"
The goblin shadows rushed forward instantly.
Ten dark figures jumped toward the monster.
But the Ogre moved faster than expected.
It swung its hammer.
BOOM!
Three shadow goblins exploded into black smoke.
Kael felt a sharp pain in his chest.
"…So I feel it when they die."
The system confirmed it.
[Shadow Soldier Destroyed]
[Shadow Soldier Destroyed]
[Shadow Soldier Destroyed]
Kael clenched his fists.
"Damn it…"
The Ogre roared again and stepped forward.
But suddenly—
A massive shadow jumped in front of it.
The Goblin King soldier.
The shadow monster slammed its claws into the Ogre's chest.
BOOM!
The two giant monsters crashed into each other.
The Ogre staggered slightly.
Surprised.
The Goblin King shadow attacked again.
Its claws tore across the Ogre's arm.
Dark blood spilled onto the cave floor.
The Ogre roared in anger.
It grabbed the Goblin King shadow by the throat.
Then slammed it into the ground.
CRACK!
The cave floor shattered beneath the impact.
Kael watched the battle carefully.
His mind was racing.
"…Even the Goblin King can't beat it easily."
That meant one thing.
This fight would be much harder.
Kael tightened his grip on his dagger.
But he wasn't afraid.
Because this time…
He wasn't alone.
The Ogre roared in fury.
It lifted the Goblin King shadow into the air and threw it across the cave.
BOOM!
The giant shadow monster crashed into the wall.
Stone shattered from the impact.
But the Goblin King shadow slowly stood up again.
Its glowing blue eyes burned brighter.
The Ogre looked surprised.
Most monsters would have died from that attack.
But shadows were different.
They didn't feel pain.
They didn't fear death.
They simply obeyed.
Kael saw his chance.
"Everyone attack together!"
The remaining shadow goblins rushed forward again.
They climbed onto the Ogre's body like dark insects.
Their small shadow blades stabbed repeatedly.
The Ogre roared and shook its body violently.
Several shadow goblins were crushed instantly.
But the others continued attacking.
Meanwhile…
Kael moved.
He dashed forward.
The Ogre noticed him immediately.
The giant hammer swung toward him.
BOOM!
Kael rolled beneath the attack.
The ground exploded behind him.
He jumped.
Landing directly on the monster's back.
The Ogre roared and tried to grab him.
But Kael was already moving.
His dagger stabbed toward the monster's neck.
The blade barely pierced the thick skin.
Still—
The monster felt it.
The Ogre screamed and slammed its back into the cave wall.
CRASH!
Kael jumped away before he could be crushed.
He landed beside the Goblin King shadow.
The monster's massive chest was bleeding now.
Dark blood flowed across its grey skin.
The system window appeared.
[Enemy HP: 82%]
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…Still a long fight."
But then another idea appeared in his mind.
The cave floor was covered in goblin corpses.
And those corpses still had shadows.
Kael raised his hand again.
"Shadow Extraction."
The shadows of the goblins rose from the ground again.
New shadow soldiers formed.
Five more goblin shadows appeared.
The Ogre roared in anger as the army grew again.
Kael smiled slightly.
"…Let's see how long you can last."
The battle had only just begun.
The cave shook violently as the battle continued.
The Ogre swung its massive hammer again and again.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Each strike shattered stone and sent shockwaves through the dungeon.
But Kael's shadow army kept attacking.
The Goblin King shadow clashed with the Ogre again.
Claws slashed.
The hammer crashed.
The two giant monsters looked like titans fighting for dominance.
Meanwhile…
Kael waited.
Watching carefully.
He needed the perfect moment.
The Ogre roared and lifted its hammer again.
This time—
It swung toward the Goblin King shadow's head.
CRASH!
The attack knocked the shadow monster backward.
But it didn't fall.
Instead—
It grabbed the Ogre's arm.
Holding it in place.
That was the opening Kael needed.
He dashed forward.
Then jumped.
Higher than ever before.
His dagger aimed straight for the Ogre's eye.
The blade plunged deep.
"ROOOOOOAAAAARRRR!"
The Ogre screamed.
Blinded on one side.
It swung wildly.
BOOM!
Two more shadow goblins were destroyed.
But Kael didn't stop.
He jumped again.
This time—
He aimed for the monster's throat.
The dagger pierced deep.
The Ogre froze.
Its massive body trembled.
Then slowly…
It collapsed.
THUD.
The dungeon shook as the monster's body hit the ground.
For a moment…
Everything was silent.
Then—
DING
System notifications exploded.
[Boss Monster Defeated]
[Experience Gained]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
[Level Up]
Kael felt power surge through his body.
His wounds began healing instantly.
Another message appeared.
[New Skill Unlocked]
[Shadow Storage]
[You can store shadow soldiers inside your shadow.]
Kael blinked.
"…That's useful."
Then the system showed another message.
[Shadow Extraction Available]
Kael slowly turned toward the massive corpse of the Ogre.
His heart began beating faster.
"…No way."
He raised his hand.
"Shadow Extraction."
The Ogre's shadow trembled violently.
Then rose from the ground.
A massive shadow warrior appeared.
Even bigger than the Goblin King shadow.
The system confirmed it.
[Shadow Soldier Created]
[Name: Ogre Soldier]
[Rank: B]
Kael stared at the giant shadow monster.
"…I just turned a boss monster into my soldier."
Behind him now stood:
The Ogre Shadow Soldier.
The Goblin King Shadow Soldier.
Several goblin shadows.
An army born from darkness.
But just as Kael began to relax—
The system spoke again.
[Dungeon Collapse Starting]
A glowing portal appeared deeper in the cave.
The exit gate.
Kael turned toward it.
What he didn't know yet…
was that outside the dungeon…
a group of high-rank hunters had just sensed something impossible.
A terrifying shadow power…
coming from an F-rank dungeon.