"Ashenmoor Ridge isn't enough anymore."Nox stood atop a hill, gazing down at the area he had spent days clearing. The dungeon board in the small city no longer displayed a single location that matched his current strength.Where are you going? Erebus asked, watching Nox open the world map."Elite City," Nox replied, his eyes tracing the fastest route there. "If I want to reach fifty truly high-quality shadows, I need access to high-level dungeons. I can't rely on places like this anymore."That city is far. Are you sure it's time?"Even Silverfang and Vanguard are still lacking opponents strong enough to challenge them here. If I want to progress further, I have to move somewhere harder."That city, Erebus murmured, his tone changing slightly. Isn't that where Azrael used to spend time?"Yeah," Nox answered curtly, offering no further explanation.The journey to Elite City didn't take long thanks to the fast-travel portals that became accessible after reaching a certain level. The mo

"Wait! You think registering on that screen automatically gets you through the main gate?"The muscular man from Iron Vanguard snorted loudly, stopping Nox as he was about to turn toward the outer gates of Elite City. The man crossed his arms over his chest, wearing a mocking grin.Nox slowly turned around. "What do you mean?""You're really just some inexperienced player relying on nothing but guts," the archer beside the muscular man chimed in. "That screen only validates your level requirement. Without an official Ashen Frontier permit from the city authorities, you won't even be allowed to cross its territorial boundary."Nox tilted his head slightly, allowing his eyes to scan the additional notification that had appeared beneath his name.[Ashen Frontier Access: Locked][Elite City Access Requirements Not Met]Nox ignored the laughter of the Iron Vanguard group behind him. He walked toward the corner of the expedition terminal, where a mechanical information panel stood beside th

"Look at this recording! Do you really believe this guy in cloth armor cleared the Ursag's Nest by himself?"The hoarse voice of an iron-armored hunter broke the silence inside an information tavern tucked away in a corner of Elite City. On the wooden table, a recording crystal projected a transparent visual of the battle inside the Dark Valley Ruins Dungeon. Footage of Nox darting through the shadows and taking down the Ironhide Ursag Alpha played on repeat."No way," replied the female mage across the table, staring at the recording without blinking. "The formation of his shadow army moves with far too much precision. There isn't any overlap at all, as if every unit is being controlled by a single mind.""This video only started spreading across the local community boards last night," added the archer who had shared the recording. "Every information broker is scrambling. This character named Nox has a completely clean record on the Elite City tracking boards. He just appeared out of

"Hold your positions! Nobody moves forward until I give the order!"Nox's voice shattered the silence behind the ancient stone ruins stretching along the edge of the cliff opening, moments after he entered the area that had previously been impossible to analyze. His fingers gave a subtle signal to Vanguard and Silverfang Alpha, ordering them to remain close behind the shadows of the walls.Fifty meters ahead, a tall creature stood motionless in the middle of the system's unreadable dead zone. Its form resembled a battered black-armored knight, with a hollow chest radiating a dull gray glow. Every time the creature took a step, the grass and stones around it crumbled into fine dust.Nox focused his vision, trying to penetrate the interference fog surrounding the creature."Observer Eye," Nox hissed softly.The transparent screen before his eyes flickered violently before finally projecting a series of fragmented data.[Target: Ironclad Dreadnought][Classification: Unknown / Corruption

"Finally, the system is giving me an official directive in this dead zone," Nox murmured, his eyes fixed on the transparent golden screen that had suddenly appeared in the air.His footsteps stopped at the entrance of a massive stone ruin shrouded in thick mist. Before his eyes, lines of system text flickered brightly, breaking the silence of the unregistered area.[Hidden Quest Discovered: Legacy of the Dark Legion][Description: Collect 3x Scattered Soul Crystals from three isolated regions in Ashen Frontier to break the main seal][Requirement: Solo][Rewards: Shadow Vessel Capacity Increase (+10 Slots), Special Armor-Crafting Material, & Massive Experience Points]"This quest isn't exclusive to the Shadow Master class," Nox said, brushing his finger across the intermediary screen. "But the additional capacity slots are too valuable to pass up."An additional ten shadow vessels means your army can grow even larger, Erebus interjected from within Nox's cloak shadow."Exactly. I can'