The dungeon trembled as the last Hunter's body hit the ground, his blood pooling black under the flickering emergency lights. Seun stood over him, his dagger dripping with a mixture of human and monster blood. The UnRuly System pulsed in his vision like a living thing.
**[Dungeon Cleared: B-rank]**
**[Reward: 1,500 Defiance Points]**
**[New Title: 'Shadow's Herald' – Dungeon creatures now recognize your presence.]**
Seun exhaled, rolling his shoulders. The fight had been too easy. The Hunters—B-rank, supposedly elite—had crumpled like paper when the real monsters emerged.
But the *real* prize was still ahead.
---
### **The Dungeon's Core**
The deeper chambers of the dungeon were unlike the rest. The walls pulsed with veins of dark mana, and the air itself felt heavy, like breathing in liquid shadow. At the center of the room, hovering above a shattered altar, was the **Dungeon Core**—a swirling orb of condensed energy.
**[Warning: Dungeon Core Detected]**
**[Absorbing Core Will Trigger Dungeon Collapse]**
**[Estimated Time Until Implosion: 3 Minutes]**
Seun smirked. **"System, absorb it."**
The moment his fingers touched the core, the world *screamed*.
Black lightning arced up his arm, searing his flesh. His veins turned dark as the System's notifications flooded his mind.
**[Core Absorption in Progress…]**
**[Mana Surge Detected!]**
**[Emergency Protocol: 'Shadowmeld' Activated!]**
His body dissolved into pure shadow just as the ceiling caved in.
---
### **The First True Shadow Soldier**
When the dust settled, Seun stood amidst the ruins, his body reforming from the darkness. The core was gone—absorbed. And in its place, something new.
**[Core Assimilation Complete]**
**[Reward: 'Shadow Extraction' Upgraded to Tier 2]**
**[New Ability: 'Shadow Soldier' – Extracted shadows now retain 90% of original power.]**
A low growl echoed behind him.
Seun turned.
The **Voidfang Predator**, the A-rank beast he had killed earlier, now stood at full strength—its obsidian fur rippling with dark energy, its eyes burning like blue fire. But unlike before, it didn't just *obey*.
It *watched*.
**"You're different now,"** Seun murmured.
The beast dipped its head in what could only be called *respect*.
**[New Shadow Soldier: 'Voidfang Alpha']**
**[Rank: A]**
**[Abilities: 'Sunder Claws', 'Pack Dominance', 'Shadow Prowl']**
Seun's grin widened.
This was no mere shadow.
This was the beginning of an **army**.
---
### **The Clairvoyant's Mistake**
High above, hidden in the fractured remains of the dungeon's upper levels, a lone figure watched.
**Kim Jae-Hwan, A-rank Hunter. Codename: 'Clairvoyant'.**
His skill, **[Eagle Eye]**, allowed him to see details even in pitch darkness. And what he saw now made his blood freeze.
The porter—no, the *thing* wearing a porter's face—had just absorbed a dungeon core like it was nothing. And the shadows… the shadows *bent* around him.
Jae-Hwan's hand trembled as he activated his comms.
**"Director Ko. The dungeon's been cleared. But the team… they're all—"**
A growl.
Too close.
He turned just in time to see the **Voidfang Alpha** materialize from the darkness behind him, its maw dripping with saliva.
Seun's voice echoed from the abyss.
**"You shouldn't have stayed to watch."**
The last thing Jae-Hwan saw was the beast's jaws closing around his throat.
**[Witness Eliminated]**
**[Defiance Points +200]**
---
### **The Aftermath**
Morning light filtered through the ruins as Seun stepped out of the dungeon's wreckage. The Hunter Association's forces had surrounded the perimeter, their weapons drawn.
Director Ko stood at the front, his face unreadable.
**"Where's my team?"** he demanded.
Seun met his gaze, his own eyes cold.
**"Dead."**
A beat of silence.
Then—
**"And the Clairvoyant?"**
Seun's shadow stretched unnaturally long behind him, twisting like a living thing.
**"What do you think?"**
Ko's jaw tightened. He had no proof. No witnesses. Nothing but a gut feeling that the man in front of him was something *other*.
Seun walked past him, the Voidfang's growl vibrating in the air like a threat.
**"Next time,"** he said softly, **"send better Hunters."**