The cave trembled violently.
Dust rained from the ceiling as deep cracks began spreading across the stone walls.
The system warning flashed again in front of Kael.
[Dungeon Collapse Starting]
[Time Remaining: 05:00]
Kael looked around slowly.
The battlefield behind him was filled with destruction.
Broken stone.
Monster corpses.
And shadows.
So many shadows.
Standing silently behind him were his soldiers.
The massive Ogre shadow.
The towering Goblin King shadow.
And the remaining goblin shadow soldiers.
Their glowing blue eyes stared forward, waiting for orders.
Just minutes ago…
Those monsters had been trying to kill him.
Now they were his army.
Kael slowly exhaled.
"…This system is insane."
Another system window appeared.
[Forbidden Shadow System]
[Host: Kael Draven]
[Level: 9]
[Rank: F]
[Shadow Energy: 27]
[Shadow Soldiers: 8]
[Skills]
• Shadow Devour Lv.1
• Shadow Extraction Lv.1
• Shadow Storage Lv.1
Kael read the information carefully.
"So every monster I kill can become my soldier…"
"And the stronger the monster…"
"The stronger my army."
A dangerous thought crossed his mind.
If he kept hunting monsters…
How strong could he become?
But the cave shook again.
BOOM!
Large pieces of rock crashed to the ground.
The system timer dropped.
[Time Remaining: 04:22]
Kael looked toward the glowing portal in the distance.
The dungeon exit.
"Alright… time to leave."
He turned toward his army.
The Ogre shadow alone was nearly four meters tall.
Walking out of the dungeon with something like that would attract too much attention.
Kael focused on the system.
"Shadow Storage."
The shadows beneath the soldiers suddenly began moving.
Like liquid darkness.
The Goblin soldiers were the first to disappear.
Their bodies melted into black smoke.
Then they sank into Kael's shadow.
The Goblin King shadow followed next.
The massive creature bowed slightly.
Then its body dissolved into darkness.
Finally…
The Ogre shadow.
The giant monster looked down at Kael.
Then slowly knelt.
Its body turned into swirling black mist.
The darkness flowed into Kael's shadow.
The cave suddenly felt empty.
Kael looked down.
His shadow looked completely normal again.
But he could feel them.
All of them.
Waiting inside the darkness.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"…Perfect."
Another explosion echoed behind him.
BOOM!
The cave was collapsing quickly now.
Kael turned and ran toward the exit portal.
Each step echoed through the collapsing dungeon.
Stone pillars crumbled.
The ceiling cracked apart.
The system timer continued counting down.
[Time Remaining: 02:41]
Kael reached the glowing portal.
For a moment he paused.
Five hours ago…
He had entered this dungeon as the weakest hunter alive.
An F-rank nobody.
Now…
He was leaving with the power to command monsters.
Kael stepped into the portal.
The world twisted again.
His vision blurred.
Then suddenly—
The cave disappeared.
And Kael found himself back in the real world.
The cold night air hit his face immediately.
The ruined factories of Sector 17 surrounded him.
But something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Because he wasn't alone.
Several powerful presences were standing nearby.
And they were all staring directly at him.
Kael slowly looked up.
Standing near the dungeon gate were five hunters.
But these hunters were completely different from the weak group that had entered the dungeon earlier.
Their equipment alone made that obvious.
Heavy combat armor.
High-grade weapons.
Magic artifacts glowing faintly.
And most importantly…
The pressure they emitted.
Even standing several meters away, Kael could feel it.
These hunters were strong.
Very strong.
One of them stepped forward.
A tall man with short silver hair and a long black coat.
His eyes were sharp like a predator's.
The Hunter Association symbol was engraved on the armor beneath his coat.
He spoke calmly.
"…You."
Kael stopped walking.
The man looked at him carefully.
Then his eyes narrowed.
"You came out of that dungeon alone?"
Kael remained silent.
Another hunter stepped forward.
A woman carrying a long spear made of dark metal.
Her eyes were glowing faintly blue.
She spoke quietly.
"That dungeon collapsed."
"We felt a massive energy spike inside."
Her gaze sharpened.
"And then you walked out."
Kael's mind raced.
These hunters had sensed something.
But how much did they know?
The silver-haired man crossed his arms.
"I'll ask again."
"What happened inside that dungeon?"
Kael hesitated.
He couldn't tell them the truth.
If the Hunter Association discovered the Forbidden Shadow System…
Everything would change.
His life would become a nightmare.
So he gave the simplest answer possible.
"…The raid team died."
The hunters exchanged glances.
The spear woman frowned.
"And you survived?"
Kael nodded slightly.
The silver-haired man stared at him for several seconds.
Then suddenly—
His eyes widened slightly.
"…Wait."
The man stepped closer.
He looked directly at Kael.
Then his expression changed.
"That's impossible."
The spear woman looked confused.
"What?"
The man spoke slowly.
"I can't sense his mana."
Silence fell.
Another hunter stepped forward.
He was carrying a massive shield.
He focused on Kael carefully.
Then his eyes widened as well.
"…He's right."
"There's no mana flow."
The spear woman frowned.
"That's impossible."
"Every awakened hunter has mana."
But the silver-haired man shook his head.
"…Not this one."
He looked directly at Kael again.
"…What rank are you?"
Kael answered calmly.
"F-rank."
The hunters froze.
The shield user laughed suddenly.
"An F-rank survived a dungeon collapse?"
"That's a joke."
But the silver-haired man wasn't laughing.
His eyes were sharp.
Suspicious.
Because something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Even though Kael's body emitted almost no mana…
There was something else.
Something dark.
Something hidden.
Something that made his instincts uneasy.
The man slowly spoke again.
"…What is your name?"
"Kael Draven."
The man nodded slowly.
"…Kael."
He turned toward the collapsing dungeon gate.
The glowing vortex was shrinking rapidly.
Soon it would disappear completely.
The man looked back at Kael.
"…We'll talk again."
Then he turned away.
But Kael noticed something important.
Even though the man was leaving…
His eyes never stopped watching.
Kael understood immediately.
The man was suspicious.
Very suspicious.
The dungeon gate collapsed moments later.
The glowing vortex shrank rapidly before disappearing completely.
The remaining hunters from the Association began investigating the area.
Several of them moved around the ruined factories.
Scanning for monster energy.
Searching for survivors.
Kael stood quietly nearby.
Trying to look normal.
Trying to hide the truth.
But inside his shadow…
His army waited.
The Ogre.
The Goblin King.
The shadow soldiers.
All of them were silent.
But Kael could feel them.
Like sleeping beasts inside darkness.
The silver-haired hunter returned after several minutes.
His sharp eyes were still focused on Kael.
"…Kael Draven."
"Yes?"
The man spoke calmly.
"You should report to the Hunter Association tomorrow."
"For a full incident report."
Kael nodded.
"Understood."
The man studied him one last time.
Then finally turned away.
Soon the Association hunters left the area.
Their vehicles disappeared into the distance.
The ruined industrial zone became quiet again.
Kael stood alone under the night sky.
The glowing cracks in the sky were still visible far above the clouds.
Dimensional gates.
The source of the world's chaos.
Kael looked down at his shadow.
"…Come out."
The ground beneath him darkened.
Then a massive shadow rose from the darkness.
The Ogre soldier.
The giant monster knelt before him.
Kael looked at it silently.
Then he smiled slightly.
Five hours ago…
He had been the weakest hunter in the world.
Now…
He commanded a B-rank monster.
And that was only the beginning.
Kael turned toward the distant city lights.
His journey had just started.
And somewhere inside the Hunter Association…
Someone had already begun investigating him.
Because a power like his…
Shouldn't exist.