Elias stood motionless in the center of the carnage, breath coming in shallow, ragged pulls. The cavern air tasted thicker now—copper and ozone mixed with the faint rot of dissolving monster flesh. The mana-lamps overhead sputtered, their light dimming as residual energy from the shattered core bled into the environment.
His ribs still ached, but the sharp, grinding pain had dulled to a distant throb. He pressed a hand to his side. No blood seeped through the torn vest. The fractures hadn't worsened. If anything, they felt... stabilized. Like something cold had seeped into the bone and held it together.
[Vitality: 21% → Stabilizing]
[Minor Regeneration Effect Active – Source: Shadow Overflow (Passive)]
The blue text floated in his vision again, translucent and silent. No chime. No fanfare. Just cold information.
He blinked it away. It vanished, but he knew it would return when needed.
Around him, the shadows had grown still. Three goblin shapes crouched low—smaller than the living ones had been, their forms wavering like smoke caught in a draft. Their "eyes" were empty sockets, yet he felt their attention locked on him. Waiting.
The larger shape—the ogre echo—stood behind them. Nearly seven feet tall even in shadow form, chains dangling loosely from wrists that no longer bound it. It didn't move. Didn't breathe. Just existed.
Elias swallowed. His throat was dry.
"Status," he muttered under his breath.
The interface responded instantly.
[Host: Elias Crowe]
[Level: 0 (EXP: 0/?? – Overflow Stored)]
[Class: Unassigned (Shadow Vessel)]
[Unique Trait: Shadow Harvest (Lv. 0)]
Harvest defeated enemies' shadows to gain fragments.
Fragments can be stored, consumed for temporary boosts, or manifested as Shadow Soldiers.
Current Soldiers: 4 (Goblin Echo ×3, Ogre Echo ×1)
Current Storage Capacity: 5/5 (Upgrade path locked until Level 1)
[Stats]
Strength: 8 (Base)
Agility: 9 (Base)
Vitality: 21% (Recovering)
Mana: 0/0 (Core Shattered – Shadow Mana substituting at 5% efficiency)
Shadow Mana Pool: 47/100 (Gained from kills + overflow)
[Skills: None Unlocked]
[Titles: None]
[Warning: Host remains at Level 0. Death will result in permanent deletion of Shadow Protocol. Proceed with caution.]
He stared at the last line for a long moment.
Permanent deletion.
No respawn. No second chances. This wasn't a game. It was a second life handed to him on a razor edge.
He looked at the bodies of his former party.
Harlan Voss—once the unshakeable B-rank captain—lay face-down, gauntlets still faintly smoldering. Lira's silk robes were shredded, one arm twisted at an unnatural angle. Reyes's tower shield had cracked in half beside him. The two DPS—twins, he remembered now, barely out of academy—were barely recognizable.
They had left him to die once before. In Gate #19-F, they'd run while he held the line against the dire bear alpha. He'd crawled out alone, bleeding, core fracturing with every step. They'd gotten a slap on the wrist from the Association—insufficient scouting—and moved on to better contracts.
He felt no rage. Not yet. Just a cold, hollow clarity.
They weren't worth the emotion.
But the Gate still pulsed ahead. The inner tunnel yawned like a throat, purple veins throbbing along the walls. Mana density spiked hard enough that his skin prickled.
If he left now, the Gate would destabilize further. Collapse in on itself. Possibly breach into the real world. More deaths. More cleanup crews. More names on memorial plaques.
Or he could go deeper.
Alone.
With shadows at his back.
He took a step forward.
The goblin echoes rose silently, falling in behind him like obedient hounds. The ogre echo lumbered last, chains clinking softly against stone.
Elias gripped his chipped short sword tighter. The blade felt heavier somehow—or maybe his arm felt stronger. He couldn't tell.
The tunnel sloped steeply downward. The air grew colder, mana so thick it left a metallic film on his tongue. The walls narrowed until his shoulders brushed stone on both sides.
Then voices.
Low. Gruff. Multiple.
He froze.
Around a bend, torchlight flickered. Human voices.
"...told you the outer core was too easy. Double-dungeon my ass. This is jackpot territory."
"Shut it. If there's an enchained boss, there might be a guardian relic. Harlan's party should've radioed by now."
"They're probably looting already. Bastards."
Three figures came into view—another raid party. Low C-rank gear, mismatched but functional. A spear-wielder in the front, archer behind, and a support-type clutching a staff that glowed faintly green.
They stopped when they saw Elias.
The spearman narrowed his eyes. "You... Crowe? The corpse bait?"
Elias said nothing.
"Where's Harlan? The rest?"
Elias glanced back at the carnage visible in the distance. Then back at them.
"Dead."
The archer laughed once, sharp. "All of them? And you're still standing? Bullshit."
The support healer stepped forward, staff raised. "He's injured. Badly. Look at him."
Elias felt the healer's mana probe brush against him—warm, probing.
Then the probe recoiled.
"What the hell... his core is gone. Completely shattered. How are you even conscious?"
Elias met the healer's eyes.
"I got lucky."
The spearman snorted. "Lucky enough to survive an ogre? Yeah right. You probably ran and hid while they died."
Elias felt the shadows behind him stir—subtly. The goblins shifted, ready.
He held up a hand. They stilled.
"I'm going deeper," he said quietly. "You should leave."
The archer drew an arrow halfway. "Deeper? Alone? You're suicidal. Or you're planning to loot the corpses and claim the clear for yourself."
The spearman grinned. "Association payout for double-dungeon proof is fat. If we bring back evidence... and you're the only witness..."
He leveled the spear.
Elias sighed.
He hadn't wanted this.
But the system pinged softly.
[New Targets Detected – Hostile Intent Confirmed]
[Shadow Harvest Opportunity Available upon Defeat]
He raised his sword.
The spearman lunged first—fast, practiced thrust aimed at Elias's chest.
Elias sidestepped. Barely. The spear grazed his vest, tearing fabric.
He countered—short, ugly slash across the spearman's forearm.
The man hissed, dropped back.
The archer loosed.
Arrow flew true—straight for Elias's throat.
But something moved.
One goblin echo blurred forward—black smoke and claws. It intercepted the arrow mid-flight, the projectile sinking harmlessly into shadow-flesh. The goblin didn't flinch.
The archer blinked. "What the fu—"
The ogre echo stepped forward.
One massive hand closed around the spearman's weapon. Snapped it like a twig.
The spearman stumbled back, pale.
Elias advanced.
"Last chance," he said. "Leave."
The healer raised his staff—green light flared, trying to cast a binding root spell.
The ogre echo moved faster than Elias expected. One chained arm whipped out. Caught the staff. Crushed it.
The healer screamed as mana backlash hit him.
The archer turned to run.
Elias didn't chase.
The goblin echoes did.
Two of them pounced—silent, merciless. Claws raked. Screams cut short.
The spearman swung a dagger wildly.
Elias stepped inside the arc. Drove his short sword up under the ribs. Twisted.
The man gasped. Dropped.
Silence returned.
Elias stood over the bodies, breathing steady.
[3 Enemies Defeated]
[Shadow Fragments Acquired: +3]
[Shadow Storage: 5/5 → Overflow Detected]
[Shadow Mana Pool: 47 → 112]
[Minor Stat Increase: Strength +1, Agility +1]
[Warning: Storage full. Excess fragments will dissipate in 30 minutes unless consumed or new soldiers manifested.]
He looked at the fresh corpses.
No remorse.
Just opportunity.
He knelt beside the spearman. Pressed a hand to the cooling chest.
[Shadow Harvest – Initiate?]
[Y / N]
Yes.
Black tendrils rose from the body—thin at first, then thickening. The man's shadow peeled away from the stone, writhing, then settled into a new shape beside the others.
A new soldier: Spear Echo. Rank E+. Weapon intact in shadowy form.
Elias stood.
Four goblins. One ogre. One spearman.
Six now.
The tunnel ahead beckoned.
He felt the hunger again—not in his stomach.
Deeper.
Stronger enemies.
More shadows.
He walked on.
The shadows followed.
Silent.
Loyal.
Growing.
And for the first time in three years, Elias Crowe didn't feel like a corpse.
He felt like the beginning of something unstoppable.