The Gion Street Gate opened into a vast cavern that was instantly cold and oppressive. Despite the silence, the sheer magical energy saturating the dungeon was thick enough to taste, intense and palpable.
"Huh! This energy,"
Renji whispered, his eyes subtly sweeping the area, assessing the unseen forces at play.
The rest of the team was already moving forward, their focus entirely on staying vigilant. Renji stayed at the rear, the Heavy Courier of the group, letting the others take the lead.
"Renji, be careful back there," Yuto called out, flashing a wide, confident grin over his shoulder.
After walking only a short distance, the dungeon's environment changed abruptly. The air became piercingly cold, dropping instantly to near-freezing point.
"What is this sudden change in temperature?" Takeshi muttered, huddling closer to his teammates for warmth.
"This isn't a low-rank dungeon," Renji warned, his voice low and serious. "This feels like an elite-rank dungeon."
The Hunters turned, looking at him with doubt evident on their faces.
"Oh, just forget it, Renji," Daichi scoffed. "How would you even know? I don't feel anything strange enough to panic about."
They continued walking ahead, their swords already drawn and held ready.
Kenta was the only one who seemed to trust Renji's instinct. He approached Renji, smiling gently as he offered to help with some of the cumbersome gear.
"Let me take some of that," Kenta offered.
Renji refused to hand over any of the bags. He was simply following orders, doing the job assigned to him.
"Thank you, Kenta," Renji replied, maintaining his easy smile. "Just focus on the front line."
Kenta nodded, his smile widening, and stepped in front of Renji, raising his arms slightly. "Don't worry, I'm here. I'll protect you."
Renji chuckled lightly at Kenta's earnest reassurance, then nodded, closing his eyes for a brief second. "Yes, sir."
Suddenly, the air filled with a chorus of guttural snarls. A horde of Frost Ghouls emerged from the shadowy walls. They were lean, gray-skinned horrors with razor-sharp teeth and claws, moving with terrifying speed across the frozen floor.
They were immediately followed by dozens of the flying Winged Razorbacks, bony, nocturnal beasts with wings of hardened leather.
The Hunters immediately plunged into desperate action, frantically slashing at the masses of monsters. Meanwhile, Renji calmly walked over to a nearby rock, folded his left leg over his right, and leaned against the wall, watching the carnage unfold.
"They said I'm the weakest," he muttered, closing his eyes briefly. "So the strongest must fight."
The Hunters killed many, but the Ghouls kept pouring in relentlessly. The more they slew, the faster the Hunters became exhausted. Two of their comrades fell, brutally killed by the sheer numbers. The remaining seven, excluding Renji, fought with all their dwindling strength, finally slaying the last of the initial wave. One more Hunter immediately collapsed, dead, leaving only six standing.
In that instant, the flying Winged Razorbacks descended upon them. They were faster and far stronger than the Ghouls. One flew past in a lightning-quick blur, severing Sora's head from her shoulders.
Though these new beasts were much stronger, the Hunters managed, through sheer will and experience, to kill them all.
"Oh god! Sora, Daichi, Akari, and Rin... they're all dead!" a Yuto cried out, his voice cracking.
Suddenly, the dungeon's invisible monster began its attack. Yuto was the first to fall, a sudden, gruesome slash followed by a wet tearing sound. The invisible creature had ripped out Yuto's heart with its raw, bare fingers.
Everyone screamed, and the high-pitched sound made Renji flinch despite himself.
"Yuto!"
The remaining Hunters began spinning around frantically, pure terror twisting their faces. "What is that?"
"Show yourself!"
Slash! Takeshi's arm was instantly severed. Before he could scream, a sword, seemingly wielded by empty air, pierced straight through his throat. He dropped, dead.
Renji sat still, puzzled. He had never encountered such a strange entity. He couldn't visually see the creature, but he could absolutely feel its presence and terrifying aura.
A moment later, Kenta's shoulder was sliced open, just slightly.
"Aargh! Renji, please, help!" Kenta pleaded, sinking to his knees. A second, deeper cut suddenly appeared on his back.
"Renji!"
Renji finally lifted himself from the rock. He looked into Kenta's eyes and saw the tears beginning to fall, moments before the invisible blade struck Kenta's back a third time.
Renji couldn't watch him die. "Shit!"
He darted forward, his speed fluid as shadow. He grabbed Kenta, pulled him from the kill zone, and placed him back near the safety of the wall where he had been sitting.
"Stay here," Renji commanded.
Kenta weakly gripped Renji's hand.
"What are you going to do? You'll die! All of them are dead, you have to run out of the dungeon!"
Renji met his eyes; he saw pure, desperate goodness there. "Don't worry about me. We will both be safe. I promise."
Kenta nodded, momentarily calmed, and released his hand.
Renji immediately jumped to the other side of the chamber, instantly sensing the invisible creature's position.
Slash! His shoulder was slightly nicked.
"Huh."
He drew his Shadow-Forged Dagger, spinning to defend. He listened intently to the wind currents. When the invisible creature tried to strike again, the subtle sound of displacement carried the attack to his ears, and he barely managed to block the sword with his dagger.
The attack stopped, and the invisible entity began circling Renji rapidly.
"Shadow Pulse!"
Renji channeled the skill. A surge of black shadow energy erupted from within him, subtly feeling the dimensional space around him. Through the Shadow Pulse, he was able to see the heat tracks and distorted outlines of the invisible creature.
Moving instantly, he jumped onto the creature's blind side and stabbed it deeply in the neck, but it refused to die. It retaliated, punching Renji with enough force to send him slamming against the wall.
Renji wiped the blood from his dagger and dashed toward the faint outline again.
'Wait, the Shadow Pulse only lasts for 20 seconds.'
The distorted tracks vanished. He couldn't spot the beast anymore.
"Shadow Pulse!"
He summoned the skill again. This time, as the shadow energy flared, he vanished, moving with impossible speed to stand on the wall like a lizard, completely out of the creature's line of attack. From his hidden vantage point, he drove the Shadow-Forged Dagger straight through the beast and sliced it into two.
"Hush! That technique only lasts for 20 seconds," he muttered, jumping back down.
He walked quickly to Kenta. "We have to go now." He gently lifted Kenta onto his back.
As he walked toward the exit, the System's voice cut in with a dire alert.
[Alert! High-Level Soul Signature Detected in Immediate Proximity!]
[Potential for Rare Shadow Extraction!]
Renji hesitated for a moment. He wanted that powerful soul. But Kenta's life came first.
He carried Kenta out of the dungeon. Once they were safely outside the Gate, Renji told his friend, "You have to go. I have something I need to deal with back inside."
Renji then returned immediately to the dungeon. He walked deeper this time, eventually reaching a massive, echoing hall.
The cavern was utterly silent, the heavy air thick with soot and the cold scent of ancient death.
A massive, armored figure rested against a golden throne, its armor blackened by centuries of dormancy, its huge blade buried point-first into the floor. This wasn't a mere corpse; it was a monument.
Renji stood a few steps away. Sweat dripped down his temple, and his hand trembled, clutching a cheap, chipped dagger that barely reflected the dim light.
[Target Detected: Undying Entity - "Venerated Knight of Ashes"]
[Warning: Power level vastly exceeds host's current capability.]
[True Name (in life): Sir Kael Rothar
Race: Human, once a knight-commander of the Empire's Third Legion
Era: Five centuries before the present age
Title Meaning: "Venerated" for his unwavering honor; "of Ashes" because his final stand ended in a field burned to cinders.]
[Origin]
[Kael Rothar led the last defense of the citadel of Edran. When plague-fire swept the city, he ordered the gates sealed and fought until both armies turned to ash. Legends say he died kneeling, blade driven into the scorched earth, praying that no necromancer would ever claim his soldiers.]
He swallowed hard, the dry sound loud in the oppressive quiet.
"So this is him…"
A faint tremor ran through the ground. The armored corpse's head slowly tilted up, and two hollow sockets suddenly flared with a faint crimson glow.
"...Another thief seeking my soul?" The Knight's voice was profound, hollow, and laced with cold disdain. "What do you want, boy?"
Renji clenched his jaw, forcing the terror to stay locked down. "To kill you."
A low, humorless laugh echoed, chilling the air further. "Then come. Earn the right to command me."
Renji dashed forward, thrusting his dagger in a desperate lunge. The Knight moved with absolutely terrifying speed, a single swing of his massive, rusted blade sent shockwaves tearing through the stagnant air.
Renji rolled aside, his breath ragged, the near-miss an icy shock.
He charged again, steel meeting steel.
The impact was sharp, brutal, and final.
Renji's dagger shattered.
He froze, eyes wide, staring at the useless shard in his hand. Before he could even process the loss, the Knight's gauntleted fist crashed into his chest, the force hurling him violently across the stone floor.
Pain exploded through his ribs, and the taste of blood flooded his mouth.
[Health: 37% Remaining]
[Warning: Bone Fracture Detected.]
The Knight advanced slowly, his enormous blade dragging against the stone with an abrasive screech. "You wield no strength, no resolve. You insult me with this challenge, boy."
Renji coughed, the effort tearing at his chest, and forced himself up. His body screamed in protest, every nerve on fire.
"Maybe I'm weak… but I won't die here," he wheezed, stubbornness replacing fear.
He rushed forward again, a reckless, desperate, and unarmed charge.
The Knight's sword was quick, tearing open his shoulder and sending a spray of hot blood across the ash-covered ground.
He dropped to one knee, chest heaving, his vision beginning to cloud. Darkness crept into the corners of his sight.
[Vitality: Critical]
[Host Life Force Falling—]
The Knight raised his greatsword for the final, finishing strike.
But then, the system shouted in the haze of his mind:
[Emergency Protocol Triggered.]
[New Skill Unlocked — "Soul Drain: Tier I"]
[Description: Devour the dying will of your enemy and convert it to power.]
Renji's eyes snapped open, a faint, unnatural green light now glowing from their depths.
A freezing wind swirled around him, whispering like the collective voices of the freshly dead.
"I told you…" his voice was barely a sound, cold, utterly distorted by the emerging power. "I won't die here."
He raised his hand.
Shadows erupted from the ground, coiling and spiraling toward the Knight's ancient armor.
The air violently vibrated as the Knight roared, attempting to physically resist but Renji's strange new power clamped down like invisible crushing chains.
The Knight staggered, its red light flickering wildly.
[Soul Drain Activated.]
[Absorbing residual essence… 87%... 94%... Complete.]
Renji used the Knight's paralysis, stepping forward, blood running freely down his chin, and drove the useless, broken dagger shard into the one tiny visible seam in the Knight's chest plate.
The red light in the Knight's eyes dimmed and then was completely extinguished.
[Entity: Venerated Knight of Ashes — Defeated.]
[EXP + 2,300]
[Level Up! Stats increased.]
[Achievement Unlocked: "Defy the Dead."]
He dropped to his knees, utterly exhausted, gasping for breath. The massive body of the Knight lay motionless before him.
The System's voice returned, oddly quiet in the aftermath.
[Attempt Soul Extraction?]
[Y/N]
He raised his trembling, bloody hand.
"Extract."
[Extraction Failed.]
[Entity Resistance: 96%.]
He tried again, his voice raw.
"Extract!"
[Extraction Failed.]
His vision blurred from the pain and effort, blood dripping onto the stone. He clenched his fist, his rage overcoming his physical exhaustion. "One more time… I need you!"
[Attempting Extraction...]
[Success Rate: 7%...] 14%... 42%...]
[Success!]
The Knight's body immediately ignited, not in normal fire, but in pure spectral green flame. His armor rattled as unseen chains wrapped tightly around his soul.
The Knight slowly rose, halting on one knee. His deep, hollow voice echoed once more, softer, now tinged with reverence.
"...You fought with nothing but pure will. You have earned it, Master."
Renji took a single, deliberate step forward, his eyes cold and distant as true death.
"Kneel, and live again under my will."
The Knight lowered his massive, armored head in absolute submission.
The green flames settled and cooled into his armor, and silence filled the cavern once more.
[New Servant Acquired — The Venerated Knight of Ashes.]
[Rank: Elite Undead.]
[Skill Unlocked: Ashen Vanguard.]
He exhaled shakily, his eyes still faintly glowing.
For the first time, Renji truly understood what it meant to be the one who commands the dead.