Arif lay on the cold stone floor of the dungeon.
Pain spread through his entire body. The attack from the Stone Beast had been far too powerful for someone like him.
Around him, the other Hunters were shouting.
"Fall back!"
"That monster is too strong!"
Weapons clashed against the creature's rocky body, but nothing seemed to slow it down.
Arif could barely move. His vision was blurry, and his breathing felt heavy.
"So this… is the end…" he thought.
But just as darkness began to swallow his vision, a strange blue light appeared in front of him again.
A floating window formed in the air.
[Shadow System Activated]
Arif's eyes widened.
"What… is this thing?"
Another message appeared on the glowing screen.
[Welcome, Player Arif.]
[You have been selected as the host of the Shadow System.]
Arif stared at the message in disbelief.
"Host…? Shadow System…?"
Before he could understand what was happening, another message appeared.
[Emergency Quest Detected]
Quest: Survive the Dungeon
Objective: Defeat the Stone Beast
Reward: Shadow Power
Failure: Death
Arif's heart started pounding.
"Death…"
He slowly looked toward the Stone Beast.
The monster was still fighting the other Hunters. Even the stronger ones were struggling against it.
If this continued… everyone might die.
Another message appeared on the system window.
[Do you accept the quest?]
YES / NO
Arif let out a small, bitter laugh.
"If I press NO… I'll die anyway."
His eyes hardened with determination.
"YES."
The moment he accepted, the blue screen flashed brightly.
[Quest Accepted]
Suddenly, a strange energy flowed through his body.
The pain slowly began to fade.
Arif felt something change inside him.
His body felt lighter… stronger.
Another message appeared.
[New Skill Unlocked]
Skill: Shadow Step (Level 1)
Description: Move instantly through shadows for a short distance.
He blinked in shock.
"A skill…?"
Before he could think further, the Stone Beast suddenly turned toward him.
Its glowing red eyes locked onto him.
"GRRRRR!"
The monster charged forward.
His heart started racing.
But this time… he didn't freeze.
He focused on the new power he had just gained.
"Shadow Step…"
In the next moment—
His body suddenly vanished into the shadows.
WHOOSH!
He reappeared behind the Stone Beast.
The monster didn't even realize what had happened.
Arif raised his sword.
"Take this!"
CLANG!
This time, the attack was stronger.
A crack appeared on the Stone Beast's rocky back.
The monster roared in anger.
But his eyes were now filled with determination.
The system window appeared again.
[Battle Started]
Arif tightened his grip on his sword.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Let's see… what this Shadow System can really do."
To Be Continud...