Cold rain poured from the dark sky, washing away the blood that stained the stone courtyard of Ravencrest Academy.
Lucien Void stood motionless.
Just minutes ago he had died.
He could still remember the cold steel of Marcus Valerian's dagger piercing through his chest.
The pain.
The darkness.
The moment his heart stopped beating.
Yet somehow…
He was alive again.
A faint blue screen floated before his eyes.
[Forbidden System Activated]
Lucien slowly raised his hand and tried to touch it, but his fingers passed straight through the glowing interface.
"…So this isn't a dream."
The system responded instantly.
[Correct.]
[You have been selected as the host of the Forbidden System.]
Lucien's heart pounded.
A system.
Power.
Things that only existed in legends and ancient myths.
Yet here it was.
Right in front of him.
Rain dripped from his dark hair as he stood in the empty courtyard.
But the silence didn't last long.
"…Impossible."
Lucien turned his head slowly.
Marcus Valerian stood several meters away.
His face was pale.
His eyes were filled with shock.
"You were dead," Marcus whispered.
Behind him, the two other students stared in horror.
Lucien looked down at his chest.
The wound was gone.
Not even a scar remained.
He slowly looked back at Marcus.
"You're right," Lucien said calmly.
"I was."
Marcus's expression twisted with anger.
"Then how are you standing?!"
Lucien didn't answer.
Because he didn't know either.
But the system did.
A new message appeared.
[Host has acquired the ability: Shadow Extraction]
Lucien frowned.
"Shadow extraction…?"
The system explained immediately.
[Ability allows the host to extract shadows from defeated enemies.]
[Extracted shadows become loyal servants.]
Lucien's eyes widened slightly.
Servants?
That meant—
An army.
Marcus suddenly laughed.
"So what if you're alive again?" he sneered.
"You're still the weakest trash in this academy."
The two students beside him regained some courage.
One of them stepped forward.
"Let's kill him again."
Lucien remained silent.
Three minutes ago he would have been terrified.
Now…
Something inside him had changed.
Something cold.
Something dark.
The system voice spoke again.
[First Mission Available]
Lucien focused on the screen.
[Kill the enemies who murdered you.]
[Reward: Shadow Soldier]
Lucien slowly lifted his eyes.
Marcus was still talking.
"…After we're done with you, no one will even remember your name."
Lucien whispered one word.
"Extract."
At first nothing happened.
Then—
The shadows beneath Marcus's feet began to move.
Marcus froze.
"…What?"
The ground darkened.
Black tendrils shot upward like living snakes.
Marcus stumbled backward.
"What the hell is that?!"
The shadows wrapped around his legs.
Marcus panicked and tried to cut them with his sword.
But the blade passed through them like smoke.
Lucien watched silently.
The system screen flashed.
[Shadow Extraction initiated.]
Marcus screamed.
"GET THIS OFF ME!"
The shadows climbed higher.
Up his torso.
Around his arms.
Marcus's eyes filled with fear for the first time.
"You—what did you do?!"
Lucien said nothing.
Because even he didn't fully understand what was happening.
But the system did.
[Target life force collapsing.]
Marcus's body suddenly went limp.
The shadows tightened.
Then—
Everything went silent.
Marcus Valerian fell to the ground.
Dead.
The other two students stared in terror.
"No…"
"That's impossible…"
Lucien stepped forward slowly.
Rain continued falling around them.
The shadows surrounding Marcus's corpse began to move again.
They rose like black smoke.
The darkness gathered in front of Lucien.
Then the system spoke.
[Shadow available for extraction.]
Lucien felt his heartbeat quicken.
"…Do it."
The smoke twisted and formed a shape.
A humanoid figure made entirely of darkness.
Glowing eyes slowly opened.
The shadow figure knelt before Lucien.
[Shadow Soldier Created]
Lucien stared in disbelief.
"…Marcus?"
The shadow bowed its head.
"Yes… my master."
The two students screamed.
"That's Marcus!"
"No way!"
Fear completely consumed them.
Lucien looked at the shadow soldier.
It looked identical to Marcus.
But it had no emotions.
No pride.
No arrogance.
Only obedience.
The system explained.
[Shadow soldiers retain combat abilities of original host.]
Lucien's mind raced.
Marcus had been one of the strongest students in Ravencrest Academy.
And now—
He belonged to Lucien.
The realization sent chills down his spine.
Lucien slowly turned toward the remaining two students.
They immediately fell to their knees.
"Please!"
"We won't tell anyone!"
Lucien studied their faces.
They had watched Marcus kill him earlier.
They had laughed.
They had enjoyed it.
Now they begged for mercy.
Lucien felt nothing.
No anger.
No pity.
Only calm.
He spoke quietly.
"Run."
The two students didn't hesitate.
They turned and sprinted away into the rain.
Lucien watched them disappear.
The shadow soldier stood silently beside him.
Lucien finally exhaled.
Everything felt unreal.
He had died.
And now he controlled shadows.
The system suddenly flashed again.
[Shadow Soldier Status]
Name: Marcus
Rank: Low Shadow
Level: 1
Lucien stared at the information.
"So they can level up too…"
Interesting.
Very interesting.
But before he could think further—
A loud alarm echoed across the academy.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Students began shouting in the distance.
Lucien looked toward the academy gates.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Another message appeared.
[Emergency Alert]
Lucien frowned.
"What now?"
The system displayed a warning.
[Multiple hostile creatures detected.]
Lucien's eyes narrowed.
"Creatures?"
Then he heard it.
A deep roar.
It came from the forest outside the academy walls.
The ground trembled slightly.
Students began running through the corridors.
"MONSTERS!"
"THE GATE HAS BEEN DESTROYED!"
Lucien's heart skipped a beat.
Monsters inside the academy?
That had never happened before.
The protective barrier around Ravencrest was supposed to keep them out.
Another explosion shook the ground.
A section of the outer wall collapsed.
Dust and debris filled the air.
Then—
A massive creature stepped through the smoke.
It was enormous.
Black scales covered its body.
Its claws were longer than swords.
Its glowing red eyes scanned the courtyard.
A **Dark Fang Beast**.
But far larger than normal.
Students screamed.
Some tried to run.
Others froze in terror.
The monster lunged forward.
One unlucky student was caught instantly.
CRUNCH.
The beast crushed him in its jaws.
Blood splattered across the ground.
Lucien stood frozen.
The shadow soldier stepped slightly in front of him.
Protecting him.
Lucien clenched his fists.
"This thing…"
The system appeared again.
[Emergency Quest Activated]
Lucien read the message carefully.
[Defeat the Dark Fang Beast]
[Reward: 5 Shadow Soldiers]
Lucien's breathing slowed.
Five soldiers.
If he succeeded…
He would gain an entire squad.
But the monster looked unstoppable.
It smashed pillars like they were made of wood.
Students were running everywhere.
The academy guards hadn't arrived yet.
Lucien looked at the shadow soldier.
"…Can we win?"
The soldier turned toward him.
"Your command… my master."
Lucien stared at the monster again.
For years he had been the weakest person in the academy.
Powerless.
Helpless.
But now—
He had a choice.
Run.
Or fight.
Lucien slowly raised his hand.
His voice was quiet.
But firm.
"Attack."
The shadow soldier moved instantly.
It dashed forward like a black blur.
The Dark Fang Beast roared and swung its massive claws.
But the shadow soldier dodged with unnatural speed.
Lucien watched carefully.
Every movement.
Every strike.
His mind began analyzing the battle.
The monster lunged again.
The shadow soldier jumped onto its back.
It drove its blade into the beast's neck.
The monster roared in rage.
It slammed its body against the ground.
The shadow soldier was thrown across the courtyard.
Its body flickered slightly.
Lucien's heart tightened.
If the soldier was destroyed…
He would lose it forever.
Lucien took a step forward.
Shadows began spreading beneath his feet.
Something deep inside him awakened.
A power connected to darkness itself.
The monster charged again.
Lucien whispered one command.
"Shadow Bind."
The ground exploded with darkness.
Black chains wrapped around the monster's legs.
The beast stumbled.
That moment was enough.
The shadow soldier rose again.
It leapt through the air.
And plunged its blade straight into the monster's eye.
ROOOOAAARRR!!!
The Dark Fang Beast screamed.
Blood poured from its wound.
It staggered.
Then collapsed.
The entire courtyard trembled as its massive body hit the ground.
Silence followed.
Lucien stared at the corpse.
His chest rose and fell slowly.
Then the system spoke.
[Monster defeated.]
[Shadow extraction available.]
Lucien raised his hand.
Rain fell harder now.
He spoke one word.
"Extract."
The monster's shadow began rising from its body.
But something strange happened.
The shadow grew larger.
Much larger than Marcus's shadow.
The system voice spoke again.
[High Rank Shadow detected.]
Lucien's eyes widened.
The darkness formed a massive beast made entirely of shadow.
Two glowing red eyes opened in the dark.
The creature bowed its enormous head.
[Shadow Beast Created.]
Lucien felt a chill run through his spine.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
"…This power…"
His eyes glowed faintly in the rain.
"…might change the entire world."