Chapter 144

The most stealthy being I had ever met was, by far, the Shadow Empress.

Ki Soyul.

The world’s 379th-ranked assassin.

Her footsteps were as light as a feather, and her movements carried no presence.

– Grrr! Woof!

But I had a feeling that ranking was about to be updated today.

– Grrrrrr……

A shepherd that leaped out of the shadows bared its fangs.

Kk-crunch!

A horrifying sound—something you couldn’t call the bite of an ordinary dog—echoed through the air.

‘Damn it.’

I twisted my waist and urgently thrust out the weapon I’d changed into a spear.

It was a good thing I’d trained my reaction speed to some extent in the previous Theme.

Without that preliminary training, I would’ve been eliminated already.

Thwack!

Fortunately, its defense seemed weak. It flew off with a dull thud.

‘The problem is…’

This wasn’t all there was to it.

If that was the extent of their speed, I wouldn’t have even bothered bringing up the Shadow Empress’s name.

“Everyone, be careful!”

I shouted.

“There are more terrifying ones lurking nearby!”

The ones fighting on the front lines weren’t all of them.

The number of Shadow Shepherds was large.

And there were various types.

How did I know?

– “You… you punk. Keep your wits about you. Those things are no joke.”

Because the Elder was chattering away right next to me.

– “Some of them over there probably have stealth you can’t even sense. And among them… there’s one creature that even I can barely find.”

‘Huh, for real?’

Out there in the universe.

Had the absolute ruler of the shepherd world appeared or something?

If the Ten Thousand Arts Elder—who used to toy with Ki Soyul with one hand—was saying that, I had to be on guard.

– “I’m pretty good with Dark Art myself. But those pitch-black doggies feel like they’ve evolved specifically for it. Look at that smooth skin—no wind resistance at all. And don’t you notice how you can barely hear them, like they’ve got cushions on the soles of their feet? This is a different class from the Dark Art humans use.”

Sssst!

When I looked back, another one was already approaching.

– “Crazy.”

The only reason I noticed was because my reaction speed had sharpened.

It wasn’t because I’d predicted it.

They were so stealthy they were barely picked up by the Supreme Azure Mind Method.

This… I might not be able to last long.

I scanned my surroundings.

Black aura already filled the area in every direction.

“Everyone, maintain formation. Don’t give them an opening to slip into the rear!”

Whoosh! Thwack!

I swung my spear and batted away one that had launched a surprise attack.

– Woof! Whine!

I could feel the damage land properly.

And immediately—

Whoosh!

I changed the spear into a staff and slammed it into the ground.

Woooong!

Heat haze rose from all sides and swallowed my body.

The manifestation of the skill, ‘Summon Skeleton Lord’ (S-rank).

Sssst!

“My liege, did you call?”

“A new race this time as well, Master.”

The ones who were now Lords—no longer ordinary skeletons—appeared on all sides.

Everyone from Bone One to Bone Eight, excluding Dmir.

– Grrrr!

The charging shepherds backed away, growing wary.

At the same time, they tapped their feet against the ground—thump! thump!—as if preparing to charge again.

“Damn it!”

Vladimir shouted.

“Alright! You sons of bitches! Bring it on! I’ll take you on with my newly upgraded skill!”

“Tell me if you need a heal urgently!”

“Right, nobody be scared! What’s the worst that can happen besides getting eliminated!”

“Hey, Uncle Maxi. That’s what’s scary.”

The team members each held their positions.

Whoosh!

I lowered my spear, letting it hang low.

‘From now on, there are no shortcuts.’

I drew up the energy in my entire body.

From Theme 3 onward, it was literally a training ground.

I would train myself through head-on battles, just as the name implied.

‘Elder.’

– “Yes.”

‘I’ll take all the lessons I couldn’t get before, right here. A practical, hands-on education.’

I had Sunny take the lead in controlling the skeletons.

In truth, they moved in perfect sync even without being told.

– “Of course. That’s how it should be. So what will you master first? Sword? Bow? Spear? Or a new weapon?”

‘Since it’s a real battle, a new weapon is a bit much. I’m most comfortable with the spear.’

Sssst!

I took a step forward.

I moved in front of my comrades, who were maintaining formation.

At the same time, I shut out everything else.

The shouts of my teammates, the creaking of skeletons, the clash of weapons—

They would only get in the way of dealing with assassin dogs.

I focused solely on the Elder’s voice.

– “You punk. Don’t think about countering. Let the ambush flow past you and seize the initiative. No matter what weapon you hold, don’t get dragged into the battle—dominate it. That must be your priority.”

‘Like when you fought Ki Soyul back then, Elder?’

– “Ki Soyul? Who’s that? I don’t even remember, you punk.”

A very Elder-like remark.

Thud.

I walked.

At the same time, I drew up the Supreme Azure Mind Method in my chest.

– “That’s right. Use the Supreme Azure Mind Method. The Supreme Azure is the greatest mind method of all time, chosen by this master. No matter how those mutts split into dozens—hundreds—of branches to attack, as long as you grasp the flow of energy, you’ll naturally know which attack is weak and where you must slip through.”

‘Find the weak point and evade toward it. Easier said than done… I’ll give it a try.’

I closed my eyes.

I could faintly feel the flow of ki lurking in all directions.

‘The weakest among them is to the left.’

Thud.

As I stepped in that direction, I swung my spear fiercely.

It was the most comfortable Spear Path I could unleash—swung as my heart desired.

“That’s right. That is the standard movement.”

Sssst!

Three shepherds passed through the spot where I’d been.

Thwack!

A scream rang out right in front of me—from the one that had been in the spot I’d moved into.

The impact was satisfying.

And because my body moved exactly as I intended, it was fun.

‘It’s reassuring. Probably because you’re by my side, Elder.’

– “Heh heh. You’re doing well yourself. You’ve reached the stage where if I teach you one thing, you understand one thing.”

‘Hmm? Isn’t that… a given stage to be at?’

– “Tsk. Weren’t you the one who couldn’t do something so obvious?”

‘Elder, my bones don’t just ache—they’re freezing.’

Sssst!

The Shadow Shepherds’ attacks grew fiercer.

As I put up a fair bit of resistance, faster ones began joining in, one by one.

– Grrrr! Woof woof!

If the one I’d faced earlier was a beginner, was this one intermediate?

Even its cry was different.

It wasn’t just barking—it felt like it was echoing up from the bottom of the Abyss.

A sound that stirred instinctual fear.

Sssst!

And the sound of its movement was even more reduced.

It felt like fighting with earplugs in.

“Still, it’s a relief, you punk.”

The Elder looked genuinely relieved.

– “I don’t know if it’s because this is a trial or for some other reason, but it’s a relief they’re coming in sequence. The real one hasn’t even moved yet.”

‘For you to keep saying that, Elder… there must be a truly formidable one, huh? Don’t tell me it’s greater than you?’

– “What did you say?”

The Elder’s eyes widened.

– “Insolent punk. How can you say such a thing? Of course it’s not greater than me.”

He might sound prideful, but the Elder’s words were objective.

If he said it wasn’t better than him, then it was truly beneath him.

‘Then.’

That was a relief.

At the very least, it wasn’t an absolute being on the level of Aranvalon or the Great Demon Dragon.

Then again, if you had to rank those two dragons, they wouldn’t be at the absolute level—they’d be catastrophe-class, one step above it.

“Hoo.”

With a breath, I began to dominate the space, just as the Elder had said.

‘Then compared to what I’ve been through so far… this is manageable, right?’

Just as one builds tolerance to pain, trials are also about experience.

The one who has overcome before has a higher probability of overcoming again.

‘In that case…’

Smirk.

A smile formed on my stiff lips.

‘That fearsome one you mentioned, Elder—may I try to catch it?’

Sssst! Bam!

I bashed another approaching shepherd with my spear.

Using the force of its charge, I landed a precise counter.

Because I was dominating the space, predicting its path was easy.

Thwack! Craaack!

The thoroughly provoked shepherds charged again, but—

‘Where do you think you’re going.’

Every time I swung my spear, a shepherd’s skin split and bone shattered.

Their fangs and claws couldn’t reach my body.

– “Heh heh, do you think that’ll be easy? You punk. Don’t be mistaken.”

The Elder clicked his tongue as he watched.

– “The reason you were able to catch Aranvalon was because the Great Demon Dragon had completely drained its power, and because the dreadful being contained in your weapon lent you its strength. You did not catch it with your own complete power.”

‘I know, I know.’

I nodded, unconcerned.

‘I’m not being dismissive. It’s just my little hobby, Elder.’

– “Hobby?”

The Elder tilted his head.

‘Yes.’

I smiled.

‘A hobby of challenging what others say is impossible.’

===

‘Hmm.’

Delilah, who was staring at the hologram, bit her right index finger.

In her field of vision, Joo Donghoon was diligently swinging his spear.

‘I see. What kind of record will he show this time?’

Delilah was tense.

Because Theme 4—like Theme 2—was a space that had formed a contract with the absolute ruler of a world.

‘The Shadow Shepherd King.’

One of the beings that interfered with ‘Dungeonization,’ similar to the Dragonkin.

Not as strong as the Dragonkin, but a shadow clan whose stealth was unmatched by any other.

Delilah recalled her past encounter with the Shadow Shepherd King.

– A curious being.

– An alien race from somewhere in that universe? How did you reach this place?

A being she had met while wandering with a Dungeon open.

He could only convey his intentions.

There was no sound.

Complete silence.

The sound of walking, the sound of barking, the sound of movement itself—completely, utterly inaudible…

A being that could truly be called the final boss of assassination.

– A being that can connect one world to another? Interesting.

– In that case, can you connect us to a better world? This place is a barren and dark world.

That world was dark.

They say shadows exist because there is light.

But that was a world with too many shadows, where the light was buried.

– A shadow shines brighter when there is light. We too wish to go out into the sunlit lands.

What the ink-black dog wanted was simple.

To abandon its gloomy world and move to another.

However, that was impossible with her ability.

Every ‘Dungeonization’ she performed had to be backed by a corresponding amount of Probability.

She could come and go from place to place, but others could not.

If they wanted to, they needed accomplishments that matched the cost.

And so, a contract was formed.

– Fine.

– You’re saying all we have to do is face the races you send into a virtual space you’ve created?

– We earn points based on the level of the beings we face, and once those points accumulate, you will grant our wish…

– Not bad. It’s worth a try.

The shepherds had nothing to lose.

Moreover, since they would return to their own world upon taking lethal damage in the virtual space, there was no need to risk their young.

And so, Theme 4 was created.

“……”

Delilah, who had been briefly reminiscing, opened her eyes.

‘O, Shadow Shepherd King.’

She muttered inwardly.

Perhaps today might be that chance.

The chance to send your race to the sunlit lands.

The chance to accumulate enough Probability.

She clenched her fists tightly.

‘Who will win?’

It was an absurd thought she would have never dared to have in the past, but now, Delilah found herself thinking it naturally.