SWNOVELS
Chapter 11
Suho scanned the area, surveying his surroundings. The miners stood frozen with fear. They were new comrades that Suho had spent the day laughing, chatting, and wielding pickaxes with. The senior minor who handed him a glass of water as he complimented him for working hard earlier was now panic-stricken. The equally frightened man next to him was the person who taught him how to wield a pickaxe.
“Am I supposed to run away and leave these people behind?”
“Young Monarch, I care not for the lives of these humans. I’m on a mission,” Beru said firmly. The life of the son of the Monarch of Shadows was more precious to him than every single soul on Earth. Even if every human down in the dungeon were to die, his mission remained the same—Suho needed to survive so he could return to the Monarch of Shadows, no matter what. “It’s not just about a sense of justice.”
Suho glanced around briefly. “Anyway, all the exits are blocked.” Before they knew it, a multitude of wolves had begun to lay siege to the passage leading to the dungeon exit. They had no choice but to defeat the enemy to escape. “To be honest, there is no other way out.” Suho wore a faint smile as he observed Kim Yongjun, who was accompanied by a multitude of wolves.
As Beru watched the Young Monarch, he suddenly felt a strange sensation. He still considered him to be weak, but he saw a small glimpse of Sung Jinwoo of old.
***
The apparition of the Monarch of Fangs was feeling a sense of anticipation. After awakening from a long slumber, there was no sign of their master, only a crowd of insignificant humans. How amusing. They must view us as weak scavengers. Even though the monsters had only released a hint of their power, the humans still quivered in fear. Oh, how feeble these humans are. Well then, they should be devoured. The prevailing logic of this world was that the weak deserved to be devoured while the strong took everything.
Flinch. Kim Yongjun’s body was being controlled by the apparition, and he licked his lips as he watched the weak humans. “Weak scavengers, you do not deserve to live. It would be much more worthwhile for you to die and become wolf food.” The controlled body moved his arm, and the apparition’s true form, the Monarch of Fang’s sword, swung at the humans. “Die.”
Swoosh! However, the intended attack was interrupted by a shadow goblin who leaped in between and took the blow instead. The expression on the goblin, as it was split in half, seemed to convey a profound sense of injustice. An expression that suggested it wasn’t a voluntary sacrifice.
“What are these creatures?” The apparition looked at the goblins blocking his path with a puzzled expression. The insignificant creatures appeared to have lost their fear and charged at him. “These fools don’t recognize a stronger foe. If they’re hunters, it’s only natural for them to have that level of survival instinct.”
Swish! Without mercy, the sword swung and cut down the goblins once again. However, the goblins, who had fallen gruesomely, were instantly restored and rose to their feet once more. The repetitive attack elicited an exasperated expression from the apparition.
In response, the wolves it controlled surged forward, tearing into the creatures’ bodies without mercy. The apparition now paid no attention to the goblins and turned his gaze back to the humans, who were running away.
“Amusing. Are these insignificant pests really putting up a fight for survival?” Unfortunately, the direction they were heading toward didn’t lead to an escape route, but instead led further into the depths of the dungeon. “Go after them.”
At the apparition’s command, a multitude of wolves chased after them. The menacing phantom turned his gaze in the opposite direction toward the exit where the gateway to Earth was located. Where does that lead? Outside, numerous life forms were bustling about. Individually feeble, their vulnerability only heightened his appetite. The weak should be devoured.
Suddenly, the apparition looked down at his own body, a hunter by the name of Kim Yongjun. The human inside was dead but he planned to use the body for a magnificent purpose. Oh, it’s such a glorious purpose for this wretched body! Now that you’re dead, I’ll eat your fill in your place. I will personally devour all the life forms in the world and beyond. The apparition’s gaze lit up with greed. He slowly made his way toward the exit, leading a horde of wolves, when suddenly, he heard something fly through the air.
Out of nowhere, a battle ax flew toward the apparition’s body from behind. Sensing something approaching, the apparition waved his sword dismissively, parrying the attack with an indifferent expression.
“Oh, what a shame! I almost had it!”
“Almost?” The apparition looked at the human who had thrown the battle ax with a bewildered expression. Immediately, another battle ax flew from Suho’s hand. “Is this the struggle of the weak?”
Flick. The apparition raised his sword again and deflected the attack. But after blocking, another ax flew toward him again.
Once more, it was deflected. And yet, more kept coming. “Excuse me,” the apparition said as he deflected yet another thrown ax, “how many axes do you have?!” In the end, the impatient apparition couldn’t bear it any longer as more axes came flying. “Kill that one first!”
At his command, the wolves simultaneously turned back from the gate and began to chase after Suho.
“Young Monarch! It’s time to escape!”
“Okay, let’s escape.”
“Stop right there!” the apparition shouted.
Suho evaded the wolves, and once again took refuge in the cave. However, the pursuing wolves were numerous, and their speed was too fast. In the blink of an eye, he found himself surrounded.
“Tsk. In the end, vermin like you are meant to be devoured.” The apparition mocked Suho and ordered his death. “Kill him. Tear his limbs apart.”
At once, the wolves all lunged at Suho. As they did, Suho chuckled and inserted a key into his own shadow.
[Would you like to enter the Shadow Dungeon?] (Y/N)
“Enter the Shadow Dungeon!”
[You have entered the Shadow Dungeon.] contemporary romance
Shoom! Suho’s shadow engulfed him.
“Huh?” The apparition looked around in confusion, agitated. His prey had vanished without a trace right before his eyes. “What is this? Where did he hide? Find him!”
The wolves sniffed the air, trying to trace Suho’s scent, but there was no way they could find him.
“What is this? How can he hide without leaving behind a scent?” The apparition wandered with the wolves, searching but struggling to find Suho’s whereabouts.
Meanwhile, Beru cautiously poked out his head and surveyed the surroundings from the spot Suho vanished from. As the wolves moved a bit further away, he murmured toward the shadow, “It’s okay to come out now.”
[You have exited the Shadow Dungeon.]
Suho revealed himself from within the shadow once more. And as soon as he emerged, he swiftly grabbed an ax and hurled it toward the apparition’s back.
“Wh-what is this!”“ The apparition was taken aback, spinning around. Barely deflecting the ax, his expression stiffened upon the sudden appearance of his missing prey. “There you were, you rascal! You should’ve kept hiding...! Ugh! Stop throwing those!” The shaken phantom lost his composure as Suho continued to hurl axes at him at every opportunity. “Kill him! Kill that fool!”
The chase resumed once more. Each time Suho was surrounded, he would unhesitatingly vanish into his shadow dungeon.
“Where have you gone again, you coward!” The apparition was seething with anger. As it did, an ax flew toward his back once more. “That’s not going to work!”
***
Meanwhile, the miners who had been observing Suho’s actions from a distance were left speechless.
“What on earth...”
“What skill is that...?”
They were aware that the new recruit was an E-ranked hunter, known for their utter uselessness in combat. They couldn’t believe the scene unfolding before them.
“I can’t tell if he’s weak or strong...”
“Something’s off...”
“He’s fighting too well!”
“Is that even considered fighting in the first place?”
Still, one thing was certain. Suho’s skills were highly specialized, particularly in the art of annoying people. His abilities aside, the way he taunted and challenged his formidable enemy without the slightest sign of intimidation was inspiring to the miners.
“Maybe it’s not his skills, but a naturally strong temperament.”
“Or maybe it’s just a bad personality...”
In this desperate situation, he was their only hope.
“But wasn’t that rookie a summoner?”
“Oh, right. He hasn’t used any summoning skills.”
“You saw it earlier, didn’t you? His summoned creatures were wiped out with one shot.”
“That’s why people say summoning skills suck...”
“If only he had combat skills...”
The miners sighed with regret as they lamented Suho’s summoning skills. In their eyes, his combat instincts were far too good for a summoner. Suho had displayed the natural senses of a hunter just a few days ago at the art gallery. There were strong, capable hunters who would freeze in combat due to a lack of battle instincts. They collectively rued the boy’s lot in life as a summoning-type hunter.
“He could have become a truly remarkable hunter.”
Beru, who had been overhearing their conversation from a distance, couldn’t contain his frustration. “The power of Shadow Extraction deserves better treatment than this!”
However, there was little time for complaints. Suho was unable to fully utilize the shadow soldiers’ abilities at his current level, not to mention his significantly lower mana level. The true strength of the shadow soldiers was their ability to endlessly resurrect. Which was only possible when supported by abundant mana. But his mana was largely depleted from the previous battle. As a result, the shadow goblins that had been diligently digging with Suho earlier in the day had long disappeared.
“However...” Beru’s gaze became ominously intense.
At the same time, Suho grinned slyly and muttered to himself, “Creating shadow soldiers doesn’t consume any mana at all.” Among the many wolves that were following his trail, he suddenly noticed a suspicious movement.
[Shadow Wolf - Level 1 - Normal Grade]
[Shadow Wolf - Level 1 - Normal Grade]
[Shadow Wolf - Level 1 - Normal Grade]
Suho had repurposed the wolf hides left behind by the collection team to create his new soldiers.
“What?!” The shadow wolves sneakily bit into the legs of the distracted apparition, who was busy deflecting the countless axes thrown at him. The startled phantom swiftly swung his sword, cleaving the creatures apart. The cuts sliced open their skin, revealing the shadow wolves underneath, their dark energy pulsating. “How dare these puny creatures!” Boiling with anger, he swung the sword and ruthlessly brutalized the shadow wolves in an instant. With their master’s mana depleted, he could no longer resurrect them. “Checkmate.”
But to his surprise, Suho’s double axes were right next to him about to strike.