“It feels really strange.”Lumine sat across from the campfire, watching Nox finish checking the surrounding area to make sure it was safe before finally sitting down as well. Erebus was keeping watch in the distance, his form blending seamlessly into the shadows of the trees.“How so?” Nox asked, tossing a dry twig into the fire.“We almost died fighting some weird entity, found secret data, and now we’re just sitting here relaxing in the middle of a forest,” Lumine replied, shaking her head slightly.“At least we’re not dead,” Nox answered flatly.“Your standards for living are pretty low,” Lumine grumbled.“I’m used to it,” Nox replied shortly.Lumine chuckled, resting her back against a tree trunk. “Honestly, I never imagined I’d be sitting around like this with Azrael.”“Why?”“Because we never really talked back then,” Lumine answered honestly. “We only really knew each other from the leaderboard. You were number one, and I was number two under Valkaros.”“That’s true,” Nox mutt

“This is going to take a long time.”Nox stood at the entrance of the Underground Nest, listening to the faint rumbling of hundreds of creatures dwelling deep within it.Are you sure you want to start here? Erebus asked, his wings moving warily. The population is no joke.“I’m sure,” Nox replied, stepping inside. “A place like this is exactly what I need.”If you get tired, tell me, Erebus added.“I know my own limits,” Nox replied.The first monster appeared, a medium-sized Cave Stalker. Instead of killing it with a full-powered attack as he normally would, Nox incapacitated it first, allowing Shadow Extraction to absorb part of its essence before delivering the final blow.[Shadow Soldier Created: Stalker-type]“I really enjoy this fighting and grinding style,” Nox muttered, watching the new shadow emerge from his own shadow. “Other players kill monsters just for EXP and loot.”You kill them for EXP, materials, and troops all at once, Erebus added.“That’s what I call efficiency,” N

"Who are you supposed to protect?" he asked softly, his voice barely above a whisper, waiting for an answer that, for some reason, felt far more important than it should have.Vanguard stared back, his eyes blinking slowly as he tried to piece together words he had not yet fully mastered.Master... everyone... he finally answered, his voice broken and uneven. Protect... everyone...Nox let out a breath, relieved yet slightly disappointed that the answer wasn't as specific as he had hoped."Everyone who?" he asked again, trying to dig deeper.Vanguard fell silent, unable to answer anymore, as if the energy he had used to speak had already reached its limit. His head lowered slightly, as though exhausted.Maybe he can't explain in more detail yet, Erebus murmured. Like a baby that's just learning to speak. He needs time to develop further."Makes sense," Nox murmured, looking at Vanguard differently now, no longer seeing him as just another ordinary shadow soldier. "We'll figure it out

"Then I'll take the price myself."Nox shot forward with Shadow Step, his body vanishing from normal sight for a brief moment before reappearing right beside the masked figure, dagger drawn.The attack was deflected effortlessly with a single hand."Fast, but nothing new," the figure murmured, sounding almost bored.Nox retreated, regulating his breathing as he tried to understand what had just happened. The speed of his Shadow Step should have been enough to catch any opponent he had faced so far off guard.Nox leaped backward and immediately activated Umbral Veil. His body vanished from normal visual detection as he repositioned himself to attack from a blind spot.The same deflection met him again, striking at the exact point that should have been impossible to predict."How is that possible? You shouldn't be able to see me," Nox exclaimed before quickly retreating."I don't need to see you. I only need to know," the figure replied flatly."Know what?" Nox pressed, searching for an

"Wait a second."Nox opened the system log on the transparent screen before his eyes, trying to trace the activity records from right before his death in Black Hollow."What are you looking for?" Lumine asked, leaning forward curiously."A connection," Nox replied, his eyes quickly scanning the rows of logs. "He called me 'the second subject' when we met. Then I died. Then my level jumped nine levels at once. That can't be a coincidence.""You think those two events were deliberately connected?" Lumine asked."I'm sure of it," Nox answered firmly. "It's too precise to be a coincidence."The system log displayed mostly normal activity, but when it reached the time range corresponding to the battle in Black Hollow, the records changed into a string of corrupted symbols.[Log Corrupted: 03:47 - 04:12]"Just like the archive in the dungeon before," Nox muttered. "Data related to that place always disappears or gets corrupted.""It's always the same pattern," Lumine murmured, watching the