The Abyss portal closed behind them.
The swirling violet rift shrank slowly until it vanished into thin air, leaving only quiet grasslands where the dungeon entrance had once stood.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Hundreds of awakened youths had gathered around the exit site earlier that morning, but now the crowd had grown silent. Everyone had received the same system announcements.
First the Slime King.
Then the impossible one.
A hidden boss.
Abyss Tyrant defeated.
And the name attached to both kills.
Yang Lionheart.
Whispers spread through the crowd like wildfire.
"That's him…"
"The rejected one…"
"He cleared Hellish difficulty…"
"That's impossible."
Yang stepped out of the fading rift slowly.
His clothes were torn, and dried blood streaked across his arms, but his posture was calm. The shadows around his feet seemed darker than normal, as if they followed him willingly.
Behind him, Yuan and Cheng emerged as well.
Their escorts limped out afterward.
Gasps echoed everywhere.
Even the instructors stared.
The lead instructor—a veteran knight named Garrick—walked forward with a stunned expression.
"You three… survived?"
Cheng rubbed his bruised shoulder.
"Barely."
Yuan remained quiet.
Her eyes kept drifting toward Yang.
The whispers around them grew louder.
"He killed the Tyrant…"
"He's only level eight…"
"No… that can't be right…"
Yang ignored them all.
His system was still glowing faintly.
Multiple notifications remained unopened.
He finally blinked them open.
[Hidden Boss Slayer Bonus]
Reward Granted
New Skill Acquired: Shadow Domain (Lv.1)
Yang's eyes narrowed slightly.
A domain skill.
Those were extremely rare.
Even high-ranking awakeners struggled to obtain abilities that altered an entire battlefield.
He focused on the description.
Shadow Domain (Lv.1)
Create a 15-meter domain of living darkness.
Within the domain:
• Shadow abilities cost 50% less mana
• Enemies suffer reduced vision and slower movement
• Your physical stats increase by 30%
Duration: 20 seconds
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Yang exhaled slowly.
That was… terrifyingly powerful.
The Shadow God's voice appeared again in the back of his mind.
Good.
Yang replied quietly in his thoughts.
"You're enjoying this."
You are becoming what they feared.
Yang glanced up at the sky.
Somewhere above those clouds…
The three gods were watching.
And they would soon realize something had gone terribly wrong.
"Yang."
Yuan's voice pulled him back to reality.
He turned toward her.
For once, there was no arrogance in her expression.
Only hesitation.
"We need to talk."
Cheng crossed his arms beside her.
"This time without trying to kill each other."
Yang raised an eyebrow.
"Bold request."
But he nodded.
The three of them walked away from the crowd toward a quiet hill overlooking the valley.
Wind rustled through the tall grass.
For a long moment, none of them spoke.
Finally Yuan broke the silence.
"When we were children… you used to follow us."
Yang frowned slightly.
"…What?"
"You were five," she continued quietly. "Cheng and I were training in the courtyard."
Cheng looked away.
"You kept trying to pick up the wooden swords."
Yang blinked.
Fragments of old memories stirred in his mind.
Yuan sighed.
"You were too small. The sword was bigger than your arm."
Yang slowly nodded.
"I remember that."
Cheng finally spoke.
"You asked us to teach you."
Yang looked at him.
"And you refused."
Cheng's jaw tightened.
"We didn't refuse."
Yang frowned again.
"You did."
Yuan shook her head slowly.
"No… we didn't."
Yang felt confusion twist inside him.
Yuan continued softly.
"Mother stopped us."
Silence fell.
Yang's eyes widened slightly.
"What?"
Cheng's voice dropped low.
"She told us to stay away from you."
Yang stared at them.
"That makes no sense."
Yuan's eyes darkened.
"She said the gods had marked you."
Yang's chest tightened.
"She said you would bring disaster to the family."
Yang felt the Shadow Mark pulse faintly under his skin.
Cheng clenched his fists.
"We didn't understand it then."
"But after she died…"
Yuan's voice cracked.
"The priests told us the same thing."
Yang slowly looked away.
"So you blamed me."
Cheng's expression twisted with guilt.
"We were children."
Yang laughed quietly.
"But the hatred stayed."
None of them had an answer for that.
The wind carried silence between them again.
Then suddenly—
Yang felt something.
A disturbance.
His Shadow Affinity reacted instantly.
Darkness trembled beneath his feet.
The system flashed.
[Hostile Presence Detected]
Yang's eyes snapped toward the forest beyond the valley.
"Something's coming."
Cheng immediately grabbed his spear.
"What?"
Yuan's flames ignited again.
A shadow moved between the trees.
Then another.
Three figures emerged slowly.
All wearing black robes.
Their faces hidden behind silver masks.
The air around them felt wrong.
Heavy.
One of them stepped forward.
His voice was calm.
"You must be Yang Lionheart."
Yang's eyes narrowed.
"And you are?"
The masked man tilted his head slightly.
"Someone who has been searching for you."
Cheng stepped forward aggressively.
"If you want trouble—"
The masked man raised a hand.
The ground exploded.
Dark chains erupted from the earth, binding Cheng instantly.
Yuan attacked immediately.
Flames surged toward the stranger.
But the man simply waved his hand.
The fire vanished.
Yang's eyes sharpened.
That power…
It felt similar to his.
The man's gaze settled on Yang.
"So the rumors are true."
"Shadow power."
The two other masked figures moved forward.
Their bodies began radiating dark energy.
Yang felt his instincts scream again.
These enemies were strong.
Very strong.
Stronger than the monsters in the dungeon.
The leader spoke again.
"We serve the forgotten one."
Yang's Shadow Mark suddenly burned.
Pain shot through his chest.
The man smiled beneath his mask.
"Ah."
"So he chose you."
Yuan shouted from behind Yang.
"Who are you people?!"
The masked man answered calmly.
"We are the Order of the Eclipse."
Yang's heart pounded slightly.
That name…
The Shadow God's voice whispered darkly in his mind.
Followers who once served me.
Yang's eyes widened.
The man continued.
"We have waited centuries for the Shadow God's vessel to appear."
Yang slowly raised his blade.
"And what if I'm not interested?"
The three masked figures spread out.
Dark energy gathered around them.
The leader smiled again.
"That was never a choice."
Yang exhaled slowly.
Shadow energy swirled around his feet.
"Good."
His voice dropped.
"I was getting bored."
Darkness exploded outward.
The ground beneath them turned black.
Shadows rose like living creatures.
Yang activated his newest ability.
"Shadow Domain."
The entire battlefield plunged into night.
And the real fight…
Was about to begin.