For a normal Hunter team, a D-Rank Dungeon is a slow, methodical process.
The Tank needs to manage stamina. The Healer needs to conserve mana. The DPS needs to sharpen their weapons and bandage their wounds. A typical raid takes 3 to 4 hours.
For Kai, it was a sprint.
"Forward."
Kai walked at a brisk pace through the misty forest. He didn't check for traps. He didn't scout for ambushes.
He didn't need to.
Fang (The Naga) slithered twenty meters ahead, acting as a massive, armored bulldozer.
Any wolf foolish enough to leap from the bushes was instantly crushed by a tail whip or dissolved by a spray of corrosive acid.
Shadow Jack moved like a phantom beside Kai. The former Captain was a whirlwind of violence. He didn't talk, he didn't complain, and most importantly—he didn't get tired.
Every swing of his shadow blade was as fast and precise as the first.
Slash. Stab. Kill.
[You have killed a Steel-Fang Wolf.]
[Experience Gained: 160]
[You have killed a Steel-Fang Wolf.]
[Experience Gained: 160]
The notifications scrolled past Kai's retina like a waterfall.
"This efficiency..." Kai muttered, checking his mana bar.
[Mana: 650/800] (Potions + Level Ups increased his cap).
Whenever a shadow took damage—like when a wolf bit Jack's arm—the shadow didn't bleed. It just turned into smoke and reformed instantly.
Cost: 10 Mana.
"I am the battery," Kai realized. "As long as I have mana, my army is immortal."
He reached into his inventory and downed a Grade D Mana Potion.
The blue liquid tasted like peppermint and battery acid.
Gulp.
[Mana Restored: +200]
"Keep going," Kai commanded. "Clear the whole sector."
Thirty minutes later.
The clearing was littered with wolf corpses. The air smelled of iron.
Ding!
[LEVEL UP!]
[Current Level: 8]
[All Stats increased by 1.]
[Shadow Storage Capacity Increased: 3 -> 5]
Kai clenched his fist. He could feel the power surging through his veins. His senses were sharper; his body felt lighter.
And most importantly, he had two empty slots.
He looked at the carnage around him. Most of the wolves were mangled beyond recognition (courtesy of Fang), but there was one large wolf near a tree that was relatively intact. It had a darker coat than the others. An Elite.
Kai walked over.
"Arise."
The shadow extraction was instant now. His proficiency was increasing.
A beast made of black smoke clawed its way out of the wolf's corpse. It shook its spectral fur and let out a silent howl.
[Shadow Beast: Wolf (Grade E+) obtained.]
[Shadows: 4/5]
"You're fast," Kai noted, observing the sleek form of the shadow wolf. "You'll be my scout."
He pointed deeper into the forest, toward a massive cave entrance at the base of a cliff.
A heavy, oppressive aura drifted from that cave.
The Boss Room.
"Go," Kai ordered the new wolf. "Lure them out."
The Shadow Wolf became a blur, dashing toward the cave.
Kai checked his loot.
[Wolf Fangs x45]
[Steel Pelts x20]
[Mana Core (E-Rank) x3]
"Conservative estimate... another $10,000 in loot," Kai calculated.
He looked at his army.
Fang the Tank.
Jack the Assassin.
Cinder the Mage.
And now, Wolf the Scout.
A typical D-Rank raid team had 10 people.
Kai was one man, but he was bringing a legion.
"Time for the main event," Kai said, drawing his dagger. He didn't need to use it, but he liked the feeling of holding it.
He stepped toward the Boss Room.