The JAA investigation had turned the university into a cage. Every corner had a camera, and every "Zero" was treated like a ticking time bomb. Kaizer knew he couldn't stay on campus. He needed information, and he needed a place to bleed without being watched.
He headed to the "Electric District" of Tokyo, finding a sub-basement internet café that didn't ask for ID. The air was thick with cigarette smoke and the hum of overclocked servers—the perfect place for a ghost to hide.
Kaizer sat in a dark corner booth and bypassed the standard search engines. He went deep into the "Abyssal Web," a network for unregistered Awakened and information brokers.
[SEARCH QUERY: 2025 Light Incident - Shadow Property - Korea]
The screen flickered, loading a grainy, redacted file. There were no official records, only survivor accounts from a dungeon break in Seoul six months ago.
"The Grey Reaper," Kaizer whispered, reading the translated text.
The man's name was Kang-Jun. Like Kaizer, he was a Zero who had been left for dead. But when he emerged from the rubble, he wasn't alone. He was followed by an army of silhouettes that didn't just kill monsters—they erased them. The JAA's Korean counterpart had tried to draft him; he had responded by vanishing into the DMZ, leaving three S-Rank heroes hospitalized.
"He is a clumsy child," Paimon's voice hissed in Kaizer's ear, her spectral form momentarily reflected in the dark monitor. "He drinks the shadows, but he does not rule them. He is a slave to his hunger. You, Contractor... you have the System. You have me. Do not compare your potential to a scavenger."
Kaizer shut the monitor. Kang-Jun wasn't an ally; he was a warning. If Kaizer didn't grow fast enough, he wouldn't be a King—he'd be a hunted animal.
Following a tip from the Abyssal Web, Kaizer traveled to an abandoned construction site on the outskirts of the city. There, tucked behind a rusted crane, was a Hidden Gate.
Unlike the violet vortexes monitored by the government, this portal was a jagged, bleeding slit in the air. It was "unregistered," meaning no one knew what was inside, and no one would come to save him if he failed.
"Fenris," Kaizer murmured.
Shadows coiled around his ankles and surged upward. The smoke-furred wolf materialized, its violet eyes glowing with predatory hunger.
"We need levels. Don't leave a single one alive."
[REGION ENTERED: The Sunless Catacombs (D-Rank Hidden Dungeon)] [WARNING: Mana recovery is slowed by 20% in this environment.]
The interior was a labyrinth of wet stone and bioluminescent moss. The smell hit him first—the stench of rotting vegetation and "Grave-Walkers," undead monsters that thrived in low-light conditions.
Grawwwwl!
A pack of five Grave-Walkers—skeletal husks wrapped in rusted armor—lunged from the darkness.
"Fenris, left. I'll take the right," Kaizer commanded.
With 17 Agility, Kaizer didn't need a weapon. He moved like a flicker of black flame. He Shadow Stepped behind the first skeleton, his fist—reinforced by 15 Strength and dark mana—shattering its ribcage in a single explosion of bone.
On the other side, Fenris was a blur of violence. The shadow wolf didn't just bite; it tore the shadows right off the monsters, literalizing the "Devour" mechanic of Kaizer's class.
Ping! Ping!
[You have defeated a Grave-Walker. +150 EXP] [Fenris has consumed a fragment of 'Undead Essence'.]
"This is it," Kaizer said, wiping black ichor from his cheek. "The JAA is looking for a student. They aren't looking for a God."
He pushed deeper into the catacombs. For three hours, he became a whirlwind of destruction. He wasn't just fighting; he was practicing. He learned how to sync his movements with Fenris, using the wolf as a shield while he delivered the killing blows.
By the time they reached the Boss Room—a massive chamber guarded by a Skeletal Knight (C-Rank)—Kaizer was drenched in sweat and mana-exhaustion.
[BOSS: The Hollow Knight] [Rank: C (Elite)]
The Knight stood seven feet tall, wielding a blade of cursed iron. It let out a silent scream that shook the very walls of the dungeon.
"Finally, a challenge," Paimon laughed. "Show me, Contractor. If you can't defeat this tin can, you don't deserve my name."
Kaizer took a breath. "Fenris... Full Sync."
The shadow wolf dissolved and wrapped itself around Kaizer's right arm, forming a massive, clawed gauntlet of pure Abyssal energy. This was a new application of his power—one he hadn't known he possessed until his Intelligence hit 10.
"Let's see if your armor can hold back the Underworld," Kaizer hissed.
He lunged.
One hour later.
Kaizer walked out of the construction site, his clothes torn but his eyes burning with a new intensity. The Hidden Gate collapsed behind him, vanishing into nothingness.
He pulled up his status screen.
[USER STATUS] Level: 6 -> 10 New Skill Unlocked: Shadow Storage (Lv. 1) - You can now store up to 5 Shadow Soldiers. New Skill Unlocked: Dominator's Touch - Physical contact allows you to briefly paralyze targets with lower Willpower.
[Available Stat Points: 8]
He had survived his first solo dungeon. He was stronger, faster, and he had a new soldier—the Hollow Knight—resting in his shadow.
But as he looked at his phone, his heart dropped. He had 15 missed calls from Hana. The last text read:
"Kaizer, where are you? The JAA found something in the gym. They're taking everyone from our class to the Central Detention Center for 'Deep Soul Scanning.' They're coming to your apartment now!"