Chapter 11

Suho looked around at the miners, frozen in terror. These were the people he had spent the day swinging pickaxes with, laughing and chatting.

That man over there had handed him some water, saying it was hard work for someone so young. And that other man had personally shown him how to use a pickaxe.

"You want me to leave these people behind and run away on my own?"

[Young Monarch, those humans' lives are no concern of mine. I have a duty to fulfill.]

Beru spoke firmly.

To Beru, the life of Suho, the Shadow Monarch's son, was worth more than the lives of everyone on Earth. Even if every human here died, his duty was to get Suho back alive, whatever it took.

"I'm not just saying this out of a sense of justice."

Suho glanced around.

"All our escape routes are blocked anyway."

GRRR.

Countless wolves had already massed in the passage leading out of the dungeon. Defeating the enemy was their only way out.

"Besides... I don't think we're completely out of options."

Suho smiled faintly at Kim Yongjun, who commanded the hordes of wolves.

Watching him, Beru suddenly felt something strange. For a moment, Suho—whom he had thought still so frail—looked just like Sung Jinwoo from long ago.

* * *

The Monarch of Fangs' "specter" was feeling exhilarated. It had awakened from a long slumber to find its master nowhere in sight, but plenty of insignificant humans.

'How laughable. Pathetically weak vermin.'

It had released only a trace of its energy, yet they were trembling, crushed beneath their terror.

'Ah, what feeble little creatures.'

Then they ought to be devoured. That was how the world worked: the weak were eaten, and the strong took everything.

The body of Kim Yongjun, now under the specter's control, licked its lips hungrily at the puny creatures.

"Weak vermin, you have no right to live. You would be worth far more dead, as food for the wolves."

At that moment, Kim Yongjun's hand moved of its own accord. It swung the sword—the specter's true body—at the humans.

"Die."

SLASH!

But its wish went unfulfilled. A Shadow Goblin suddenly leaped between them and took the blow instead.

[Kerrrk!]

The goblin, sliced in half, wore an expression of supreme injustice. It looked as if this sacrifice had been anything but voluntary.

"... What are you creatures?"

The specter stared in puzzlement at the goblins blocking its path.

[Kerrk, kerrk!]

The ridiculous creatures were charging at it as though they had forgotten what fear was.

"You cannot even recognize your betters. Any magic beast ought to possess that much survival instinct."

SLASH!

It swung its sword mercilessly, cutting the goblins down again. But what was this? The mangled goblins' bodies repaired themselves in an instant, and they rose once more.

[Kerrrrk!]

"Oh?"

The specter looked annoyed at their relentless attacks. At once, the wolves under its command lunged forward and ruthlessly tore them apart.

No longer sparing the goblins any attention, the specter turned back to the humans. They were fleeing.

"How laughable. Even those puny vermin struggle to stay alive."

Unfortunately for them, however, they were heading not toward an escape route, but down a passage leading deeper into the dungeon.

"After them."

GRRR!

At its command, countless wolves chased after them.

The specter turned its gaze in the opposite direction, toward the Gate that led outside the dungeon to Earth.

'What is that place?'

Countless lives pulsed beyond it. Each was pitifully weak, which only whetted its appetite.

'The weak must be eaten.'

The specter glanced down at its body. A hunter named Kim Yongjun. This human's body was already dead, but from now on it would serve a grand purpose as the specter's own flesh.

Ah, what an honor for this lowly creature!

'Since you are dead, I shall eat my fill on your behalf. I shall personally devour every living creature in the world beyond.'

The specter's eyes gleamed with greed. Leading a horde of wolves, it slowly headed toward the exit.

Then it happened.

WHOOSH!

"Ah."

A stone axe came flying toward the back of its head. Sensing it, the specter flicked its sword with a disdainful look, swatting the attack aside.

"Aw, so close! I almost had you!"

"... Almost?"

The specter stared incredulously at the human who had thrown the axe.

Just then, another stone axe flew from Suho's hand.

"The struggles of the weak, is it?"

TAP.

The specter raised its sword again and deflected the attack.

But no sooner had it blocked that axe than another came flying.

WHOOSH!

"Now, wait."

It deflected that one too. Another followed.

"Look here."

It deflected that one too. And then another...

"How many axes do you have?!"

Finally losing patience, the specter roared in anger. All the while, more axes kept flying at it.

"Kill that one first!"

GRRR!

At the specter's command, the wolves heading out through the Gate turned as one and began chasing Suho.

[Young Monarch! Now you must run!]

"Right, let's run!"

"Stop right there, you wretch!"

GRRR! ROAR!

Suho ducked back into the cave to evade the wolves. But there were too many in pursuit, and they were so fast that he was surrounded in moments.

"Tsk. In the end, this is how all insignificant creatures get eaten."

Sneering at Suho, the specter pronounced his death sentence.

"Kill him. Tear him limb from limb and devour him, bones and all."

SNARL!

The wolves lunged at Suho all at once. At that moment, he grinned and plunged a key into his shadow.

CLICK!

[Would you like to enter the Shadow Dungeon?] (Y/N)

"Enter the Shadow Dungeon!"

[Entering the Shadow Dungeon.]

WHOOOOSH!

In that instant, Suho's shadow swallowed him whole.

GULP!

"Huh?"

The specter looked around in confusion. Its prey had vanished without a trace right before its eyes.

"What? Where has he hidden? Find him!"

The wolves began sniffing around, trying to track Suho's scent.

GRR?

Of course, there was no way they could find him.

"Wh-what? How can he hide without leaving even a scent?"

The specter roamed about with its wolves, searching for Suho.

Then Beru peeked out from the spot where Suho had vanished and surveyed his surroundings. Once the wolves were a little farther away, he murmured toward the shadow.

[... You may come out now.]

WHOOOOSH!

[Exiting the Shadow Dungeon.]

Suho emerged from the shadow again. The instant he was out, he hurled another stone axe at the back of the specter's head.

"Wh-what?!"

Startled, the specter spun around.

WHOOSH! CLANG!

It barely managed to deflect the axe, its expression hardening at Suho's sudden appearance.

"There you are, you wretch! You should have stayed hid—!"

WHOOSH!

"Argh! Stop throwing those things!"

Suho kept hurling stone axes whenever he had an opening, making the specter lose its composure.

"Kill him! Kill that wretch!"

GRRR!

And so the chase began again.

But whenever they surrounded Suho, he promptly hid in the Shadow Dungeon.

WHOOOOSH!

"Where have you gone now, you wretch?!"

The specter exploded with frustration, thoroughly enraged.

And in that opening, another stone axe came flying at the back of its head.

WHOOSH!

"I told you, that won't work!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the miners watching Suho from a distance were speechless.

"What on earth..."

"What kind of skill is that...?"

They knew Suho was an E-rank hunter. They also knew perfectly well that E-ranks were no help at all in combat. So what were they looking at?

"I honestly can't tell whether he's weak or strong..."

"There's something weird about it..."

"But he's fighting so well!"

"Wait, does that even count as fighting?"

At least one thing was clear: Suho's skill was extremely well suited to getting on people's nerves. And it wasn't just his skill. The way he kept provoking that being, utterly undaunted by its murderous aura...

"Maybe it's not the skill. Maybe he's just naturally gutsy."

"Or maybe he's just got a nasty personality..."

In their desperate situation, Suho was their only hope.

"But wasn't the new guy a summoner?"

"Oh, right. He's not using his summoning skill at all, even now."

"You saw what happened earlier. His summons were bitten to death in one hit."

"That's why summoning skills are no good..."

"If only he'd gotten some other combat skill instead..."

Having witnessed Suho's potential firsthand, the miners sighed regretfully. His combat instincts, his actions during the art museum incident a few days ago—Suho had a natural gift for being a hunter.

How many hunters had awakened powerful abilities, only to freeze up and die in actual combat because they lacked those instincts? It truly was a shame. If only Suho weren't a summoner-type hunter...

'He could have become an incredible hunter.'

Listening to their conversation from a distance, Beru erupted in indignation.

[Skreee! To think shadow power should be treated this way!]

But the time had not yet come. At Suho's current level, his shadow soldiers could not demonstrate their true capabilities. His exceedingly small mana reserves were another problem.

The shadow soldiers' true strength lay in being an undying army that revived endlessly. But that was possible only with Suho's mana providing solid support. The earlier battle had already left his mana almost depleted. As a result, the Shadow Goblins that had worked so hard with their pickaxes today had long since vanished.

[However.]

Beru's eyes gleamed sinisterly. At the same time, Suho grinned and murmured,

"Creating shadow soldiers doesn't cost any mana at all."

That was when a suspicious presence stirred among the countless wolves following the specter as it pursued Suho.

[Shadow Wolf Lv.1]

Normal Grade

[Shadow Wolf Lv.1]

Normal Grade

[Shadow Wolf Lv.1]

Normal Grade

They were none other than Suho's new soldiers, draped in the wolf pelts the collection team had skinned.

[Snarl!]

"What?!"

While the specter was distracted by deflecting the endless stream of stone axes, the Shadow Wolves sank their teeth into its legs.

Startled, the specter slashed them with its sword. The wolf pelts draped over them split apart, revealing the Shadow Wolves beneath, their bodies rippling with dark energy.

[Grrr!]

"How dare you insignificant creatures!"

Utterly enraged, the specter swung its sword and hacked the Shadow Wolves to pieces in an instant. With his mana exhausted, Suho could not revive them again.

But...

"Checkmate."

Suho had already closed to within striking distance. Mercilessly, he brought down the stone axes in both hands.

CRUNCH.