Chapter 1: Bait
Pain. That was the first thing Riven felt as he regained consciousness. A deep, bone-chilling pain that pulsed through every fiber of his being. His breath came ragged, his body sprawled across the cold, hard ground of the dungeon floor. His vision blurred, flickering between darkness and the dim blue glow of the cavernous chamber.
The last thing he remembered was standing beside his party—his so-called allies. The people he had trusted. The people who had thrown him to the wolves.
"We don't have a choice, Riven." His ex-girlfriend's voice still echoed in his ears. "We have to use you as bait."
Then the screams. Not his own—but the sounds of their retreating footsteps, abandoning him to the horde of monsters that had swarmed from the shadows.
He clenched his fists, his fingers scraping against the stone. Rage burned through him, dulling the pain. They had used him. Sacrificed him. Left him for dead.
Yet, he wasn't dead.
Slowly, he pushed himself up, his body protesting with every movement. Around him lay the mangled corpses of monsters—goblins, twisted humanoid creatures with jagged weapons, and larger beasts with razor-sharp fangs. They were all dead. But he hadn't killed them.
A sudden chime rang in his ears, and a translucent screen appeared before him.
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🔹System Notification
◆ You have awakened as the Shadow Monarch.
🟢 Class Change: Shadow Monarch.
🟢 Skills Unlocked: Shadow Extraction, Shadow Storage, Stealth.
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His breath hitched. Shadow Monarch? What the hell was that?
Then, as if answering his unspoken question, his vision shifted. The shadows around him seemed darker, more tangible. A presence loomed in the air, something ancient, something powerful. And then he felt it—a pull, an instinctive command buried deep in his mind.
He looked at the corpse of a goblin, his fingers curling as he whispered, "Rise."
Darkness swirled around the lifeless body. A cold, black mist seeped into the monster's form, and slowly, unnaturally, it moved. The goblin's eyes, once vacant, now glowed with a deep violet hue. It knelt before him, silent yet obedient.
Another notification appeared.
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🔹 System Notification 🔹
◆ Shadow Extraction Successful!
◆ 50 MP Consumed.
⚫ New Shadow Soldier Added: Goblin Minion.
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Riven's lips curled into a smirk. So that's how it works.
He glanced at his MP bar—it had dropped from 150 to 100. Each summoning required careful resource management. He would need to be smart about how many shadows he created. But the potential…
His gaze drifted across the battlefield. Corpses of monsters lay scattered everywhere, a graveyard of opportunity. Testing his newfound power, he lifted a hand toward the fallen creatures.
"Arise"
Dark mist surged forward, engulfing two more goblins. The system screen flickered again.
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◆◆ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ◆◆
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◆ Shadow Extraction Successful!
◆ 100 MP Consumed.
◆ New Shadow Soldiers Added: 2 Goblin Minions.
◆ MP Remaining: 0/150 ◇
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A sudden wave of dizziness hit him like a hammer. His legs buckled, and he barely caught himself on one knee. Damn… so summoning drains my mana directly.
He clenched his jaw and focused on steadying his breathing. His MP would regenerate over time, but for now, he had reached his limit. The shadows he had summoned stood before him, awaiting orders, their glowing violet eyes locked onto him like loyal soldiers awaiting a command.
Riven pushed himself to his feet and took a deep breath. His mind raced. He had been left for dead, abandoned in a dungeon where no one was supposed to survive. His former allies thought he was nothing more than a sacrifice, a distraction to ensure their own escape.
They thought they had gotten rid of him.
They were wrong.
His fingers twitched with anticipation. He had 50 floors ahead of him, filled with monsters, danger, and endless opportunities to grow stronger. If he wanted revenge—no, if he wanted to walk out of this place more powerful than any of them could imagine—he had one objective.
Clear the dungeon. Survive. And return as a nightmare.
Turning to his newly formed Shadow Army, he pointed deeper into the cavern. His voice was steady, filled with new resolve.
"Move."
The goblins lurched forward, silently advancing into the darkness, their presence blending with the very shadows that had given them life. And for the first time since his betrayal, Riven felt something other than pain or rage.
He felt power.