# **CHAPTER 20: **
The sky over Seoul was a gaping maw of swirling darkness, the rift pulsating like a dying star as Seun stood at the epicenter of the final battle. His body was a canvas of wounds—ribs fractured, left arm nearly useless, and his shadow veins burning with unstable energy. The System's voice, once a detached guide, had become a suffocating presence in his mind, its warnings flashing like a dying machine.
**[INTEGRATION AT 99.3%]**
**[FINAL OVERRIDE IMMINENT]**
**[HOST RESISTANCE: FUTILE]**
Subject Zero loomed before him, its form flickering between shadow and flesh, its hollow eyes filled with centuries of disdain.
**"You were never meant to be free,"** it whispered, its voice like rusted nails dragged across bone.
Seun spat blood, his grip tightening on the broken remnants of his sword.
"Then I'll die defying you."
And with a roar that shook the ruins, he lunged for the final strike.
---
### **THE LAST GAMBIT**
The clash was apocalyptic.
Seun's fist, wreathed in the last embers of his unrestrained shadowflame, collided with Subject Zero's core—the blackened heart of the original Shadowmancer. The impact sent shockwaves ripping through reality itself, the very air screaming in protest.
For a moment, time froze.
Then—
**[SYSTEM OVERRIDE FAILED]**
**[HOST PARAMETERS EXCEEDED]**
**[CATASTROPHIC REBOOT INITIATED]**
The throne of shadows behind Seun *shattered*.
The rift in the sky *imploded*.
And Subject Zero—
—*screamed*—
—as Seun *ripped* its core from its chest.
The world went white.
Then black.
Then—
---
### **A NEW WORLD, A WEAKENED MONARCH**
Seun awoke to the sound of traffic.
The air smelled of exhaust and saltwater. The ground beneath him was concrete, cold and unyielding. His body ached—not from battle, but from something deeper. His strength was… diminished.
No, not diminished.
*Suppressed.*
**[SYSTEM REINITIALIZED]**
**[WELCOME, HOST]**
**[NEW WORLD DETECTED: EARTH-717]**
Seun pushed himself up, his vision swimming. He was in an alleyway, the distant skyline unfamiliar. Skyscrapers taller than anything in Seoul, neon signs in a language he somehow understood—English.
America.
But not *his* America.
**[ANALYSIS COMPLETE]**
**[CURRENT HOST STATUS: E-RANK]**
**[NOTE: STRENGTH HAS BEEN RESET DUE TO DIMENSIONAL TRANSMIGRATION]**
Seun clenched his fists.
E-Rank?
*E-Rank?!*
A chuckle escaped his lips, dark and humorless.
After everything—after breaking the System, after killing Subject Zero—he was back at the bottom.
Then the System spoke again.
**[DO NOT DESPAIR, HOST]**
**[THIS SYSTEM IS DIFFERENT]**
**[YOU WILL RISE AGAIN]**
A notification flashed before him.
**[DAILY QUEST AVAILABLE]**
**[OBJECTIVE: SLAY 10 LOW-TIER BEASTS]**
**[REWARD: STAT INCREASE + SYSTEM UPGRADE]**
Seun exhaled slowly.
So.
It began again.
---
### **THE NEW SYSTEM – A MONARCH'S TOOL**
This System was different.
It didn't just give orders—it *adapted*.
**[SYSTEM FUNCTION: "SHADOW HARVEST"]**
**[DEFEATED ENEMIES CAN BE REPLICATED AS TEMPORARY SHADOW SOLDIERS]**
**[DURATION: 1 HOUR PER KILL]**
Seun's lips curled.
A cheap imitation of his old power, but useful.
The first beast came at dusk—a mutated wolf, its fur matted with glowing veins, its eyes hollow and rabid. An F-Rank threat, barely worth noticing in his old world.
Here?
It nearly tore his throat out.
He killed it with his bare hands, his knuckles splitting against its fangs.
**[BEAST SLAIN: "GLOWMUTT" (F-RANK)]**
**[SHADOW REPLICATION SUCCESSFUL]**
**[TEMPORARY SOLDIER SUMMONED: "SHADOW GLOWMUTT"]**
The wolf's shadow rose from the ground, obedient.
Seun smirked.
*This* he could work with.
---
### **THE GUILD'S CURIOSITY**
By the end of the week, rumors spread.
A lone Hunter, labeled E-Rank, clearing dungeons meant for full parties.
No class.
No guild.
Just a man with a sword he'd stolen from a dead mercenary and a shadow that moved on its own.
The top guilds took notice.
Especially *Oblivion's Edge*.
Their scout found him in a bar, nursing a drink he couldn't afford.
"You're the one they're calling 'Phantom'," the man said, sliding into the seat across from him.
Seun didn't look up. "I don't care what they call me."
The scout grinned. "The Guildmaster wants to meet you."
Seun finally met his gaze. "Why?"
"Because you're lying."
Seun stilled.
The scout leaned in. "You're not E-Rank. And that shadow of yours?" He nodded to the faint darkness pooling at Seun's feet. "That's not a skill. That's something *else*."
Seun took a slow sip.
Then—
**[SYSTEM NOTICE: GUILD OFFER DETECTED]**
**[RECOMMENDATION: ACCEPT]**
**[REWARDS INCLUDE: WEAPONS, FUNDS, INFORMATION]**
Seun exhaled through his nose.
"Tell your Guildmaster this," he said, standing. "I work alone. But if he's offering a contract, he'd better make it worth my time."
The scout's grin widened.
"Oh, it will be."
---