The second warg never stood a chance.
Haruto didn't dodge this time.
He stepped straight into its lunge, letting the beast's momentum carry it forward—right onto the point where his shadow tendril had already coiled like a noose around its own throat.
One sharp yank.
The creature's neck snapped with a wet crack. Its body hit the ground limp, black mist pouring from the wound like smoke from a dying fire.
[Enemy Defeated: Shadow Warg (Lv.3)]
[Necrotic Energy +8]
[Experience +30]
[First Wave – Complete]
[Reward: Level Up]
[Necro-Shadow Initiate → Level 2]
[Necrotic Energy: 31/75]
[Minion Limit increased: 1/5]
[New Passive Unlocked: Shadow Regeneration (Lv.1)] – Minor wounds heal faster in low-light or shadow-rich environments]
The blue screen faded as quickly as it appeared.
Haruto stood there breathing hard, staring at the fresh corpse. His shadow warg—the first one he'd raised—padded silently to his side and sat like an obedient hound, purple eyes fixed on him.
He reached down without thinking and placed his palm on the second corpse.
[Shadow Extraction Available]
[Raise as Shadow Minion? Cost: 10 Necrotic Energy]
[Y / N]
He selected Y.
Black mist swirled again, faster this time, more practiced. The second shadow warg materialized—identical to the first but somehow… sharper. Hungrier.
Two minions now. Both Level 1. Both staring at him with absolute, unnerving loyalty.
Haruto exhaled slowly.
He didn't feel triumph. Not yet.
He felt empty. Like the rage that had carried him through the fight had burned away, leaving only cold calculation.
The wasteland hadn't changed. Still gray. Still endless. But now he could sense the shadows more clearly—thin veins of darkness threading through the cracked earth, pooling under rocks, even seeping from his own shadow that stretched long and wrong under the red sky.
[System Notification]
[The Eternal Gate Realm operates on cycles. Waves increase in difficulty. Rest periods are short.]
[Next Wave begins in: 9:59… 9:58…]
Nine minutes.
Not enough time to run. Not enough time to hide.
Just enough time to prepare.
Haruto knelt beside one of the original corpses—the one he hadn't raised yet. He studied it. The flesh was already dissolving into mist, but something remained: a faint purple glow at the base of its skull.
He pressed his fingers to it.
A jolt ran up his arm.
[Analysis Complete]
[Shadow Warg Core Fragment detected]
[Absorb? Cost: 0 Necrotic Energy (Passive Skill synergy)]
He didn't hesitate.
[Absorb]
Cold energy flooded his veins—like drinking ice water that somehow burned. His vision sharpened. The purple in his eyes flickered brighter for a second.
[Minor Stat Increase: Strength +1, Necrotic Affinity +3%]
[New Skill Unlocked: Core Devour (Lv.1)] – Consume defeated enemy cores to permanently increase stats or unlock minor abilities. Success rate decreases with higher-level enemies.]
Haruto clenched his fist.
So that's how it works.
Grind. Kill. Raise. Consume. Repeat.
Like cultivation, but crueler. No qi gathering from nature. No meditation under waterfalls. Just blood, shadows, and endless death.
He stood.
The timer hit zero.
[Second Wave – Activated]
[Objective: Eliminate 5 Shadow Wargs or survive 10 minutes]
Five this time.
They appeared all at once—bursting from fissures in the ground like nightmares given form. Larger than the first batch. Spikes along their spines. Jaws dripping black ichor that sizzled on the stone.
Haruto didn't wait.
"Flank left. Flank right. I'll take center."
The two shadow wargs obeyed instantly—silent, perfect soldiers.
He sprinted forward.
The lead warg met him head-on.
Haruto slid under its leap, Shadow Lash snapping out to wrap its hind leg. He pulled hard, flipping the beast onto its back.
His minions struck at the same moment—one tearing into a throat, the other ripping at a flank.
Black blood sprayed.
Haruto didn't stop to admire the teamwork.
He vaulted onto the downed warg's chest and drove both fists into its skull—again and again—until the red glow died.
[Enemy Defeated]
[Necrotic Energy +10]
[Experience +40]
He extracted immediately. No hesitation now.
Third minion.
The wave became a slaughter.
His shadow pack grew to four by the fifth minute.
By the eighth, five.
The final warg of the wave tried to flee.
Haruto didn't let it.
He raised a hand.
All five shadow wargs moved as one—cutting off escape, harrying, tearing.
When it finally collapsed, Haruto walked up slowly.
He placed his palm on its head.
[Shadow Extraction Available]
[Raise? Y / N]
He selected Y.
[Minion Limit: 6/5 – Overflow detected]
[Choose: Evolve existing minion or create temporary berserk summon?]
Haruto paused.
He looked at his pack—five identical shadow wolves, loyal, silent, waiting.
Then he thought of Hana's face when she turned away.
Of the elders' cold smiles.
Of chains made from his own bloodline.
"Evolve," he whispered.
[Selection confirmed]
[Alpha Evolution triggered on Minion #1]
The first shadow warg he'd ever raised began to writhe.
Its form stretched, grew taller, more humanoid—shadows coiling into the rough shape of a cloaked shinobi. Claws lengthened into blades. Eyes burned brighter purple.
[Shadow Minion Evolved: Shadow Blade (Lv.3)]
[New Passive: Pack Synergy – All shadow minions gain +10% damage when fighting near the Alpha]
The timer hit zero.
[Second Wave – Complete]
[Reward: Level Up]
[Level 3]
[Necrotic Energy: 68/120]
[New Active Skill Unlocked: Shadow Step (Lv.1)] – Short-range teleport through shadows within 15 meters. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]
Haruto looked at his new Alpha.
It knelt—silent, reverent.
For the first time since falling into this hell, he allowed himself a small, cold smile.
"They thought they sacrificed me to save their village."
He placed a hand on the Alpha's shoulder.
The shadow nin bowed its head deeper.
"They were wrong."
The wasteland rumbled faintly in the distance.
Another cycle beginning.
But this time, Haruto wasn't afraid of what came next.
He was waiting for it.
To be continued…