The air of the Shadow Forest dungeon was a nauseating mixture of humidity and death.
Ethan let out a stifled groan as the leather straps of the three backpacks he was carrying sank deeply into his flesh.
Every step on the irregular ground was torture, but he did not dare to stop.
"Move faster, scum! If we fall behind because of you, I'll withhold your pay and leave you here for the wolves to have fun with you," roared Kevin, the leader of the group.
Kevin walked at the head; his golden armor shone with an artificial light that repelled the shadows.
He was a Rank B 'Hero', the epitome of the arrogance that the Great Tree System had fostered in humanity.
At his side, Lucia, the healer of the team, adjusted her white silk robe without even deigning to look back.
'Shit... how did it come to this?' thought Ethan, while sweat stung his eyes.
'Only a year ago, she told me that we would be together no matter what happened. Now, she treats me like trash.'
"Kevin, stop wasting your breath on him," said Lucia with a gelid voice. "He is nothing more than a Rank F without any active skills. He is lucky enough that we even bring him along to pick up the leftovers."
Ethan clenched his teeth, tasting blood in his mouth.
'Shut up. One day, I swear that I will stop being your mule,' he promised himself, although deep down he knew that his classification of 'Porter' was a life sentence in this new world.
Suddenly, the environment changed.
The murmur of the leaves of the black trees ceased, and a deathly silence, charged with overwhelming murderous intent, fell over the group.
"What is that?" murmured Kevin, his right hand flying toward the hilt of his sword. A flame emerged from it, wrapping the blade in intense crimson.
From the roof of the cave, a mass of liquid darkness detached. Soon, five meters of pure horror landed with such force that it made the ground tremble.
It was a Shadow Chimera, a Rank A creature that should not have appeared in this sector.
The group shuddered with terror. Its three heads—one lion, one goat, and one snake—roared in unison, releasing an aura of dread that paralyzed the adventurers.
"It's a Hidden Boss! Shit, we cannot win!" shouted one of the rank mages accompanying them, backing away in a fit of panic.
The Chimera launched itself and, with a single blow of its tail, pulverized the shield of the vanguard warrior.
He went flying, crashing against the walls of the cave as if he were a rag doll.
Panic seized Kevin.
His eyes spun in all directions until they finally stopped on Ethan.
"Ethan, come here right now!" shouted Kevin.
Ethan, by pure survival instinct, ran toward his leader looking for protection. However, when he reached his side, Kevin did not unsheathe his sword to defend him.
Instead, the golden warrior charged energy into his boot and violently kicked Ethan's chest, throwing him directly toward the jaws of the creature.
"Be useful for once and buy us time to escape! Your death will finally serve a purpose!" roared Kevin while he pulled a teleportation scroll from his belt.
As Ethan flew through the air, his vision clouded. Falling to the ground, he turned his gaze toward Lucia, who was activating the scroll next to Kevin.
She returned his gaze.
She looked directly into his eyes while a blue light enveloped them. There was no sadness in her look, only cold relief.
'They sold me...'
This was Ethan's last thought before feeling the claws of the Chimera pierce his abdomen.
A mouthful of blood escaped his lips; his entrails spilled from his body before his very eyes. The pain was unbearable.
Ethan felt his lungs fill with blood.
The Shadow Chimera towered over his body, its three heads dripping corrosive saliva as it prepared for the feast.
'Is this how I'm going to end? As a sacrifice so those bastards can keep living their lives of luxury?'
Suddenly, the pain disappeared, replaced by a cold sensation that ran down his spine.
A weak murmur escaped his mouth. "If there is a God... if there is a damn System… give me the power to drag them to hell!" In that instant, time stopped.
The last traces of light were extinguished, submerging the world in absolute darkness.
A mechanical voice resonated in his soul, devoid of all emotion. [Detection of the cessation of vital functions of subject: Ethan.]
[Analysis of the Registry of the Soul...]
[ALERT! Existential incongruity detected.]
[The soul of the subject is not linked to the "Great Tree". The subject is an error in the code of the world.]
'What?'
[Elimination of Class: "Porter" (Rank F).]
[Restarting energy core... Extracting the essence of the Primordial Void.]
[New Class assigned: VOID SOVEREIGN (Grade: CALAMITY)!]
Suddenly, an explosion of purple energy sprouted from Ethan's chest. It was not a bright light, but a 'twinkling darkness' that warped the space around it.
Then, the flesh simply reconstructed, woven by threads of shadow that vibrated with an ancient power.
Ethan opened his eyes. His pupils were now like pits of abyssal violet.
'Am I healing?' [Unique Skill Activated: The Throne of the Fallen.]
[Effect: You can summon the souls of the heroes and monsters that the Void has devoured through the eons.]
[Welcome Gift: You have received an 'SSS Grade Summoning Ticket (Guaranteed)']
The Shadow Chimera, which before looked like a god of death, now trembled.
Its animal instincts screamed at it to flee, but a gravitational pressure emanating from Ethan kept it pinned to the ground while it shook violently between muffled screams. Ethan stood up slowly.
"This… is what it feels like to have power..." he whispered.
Suddenly, his mind filled with information; something that normally he would not have understood had become obvious, natural.
He looked at the floating screen in front of him and a cruel smile was drawn on his face.
"Summon."
Suddenly, as if reacting to his words, the ground of the dungeon cracked. Intense blue and silver flames sprouted, forming a summoning circle with geometric figures joining one another.
After a few seconds, a figure rose in its center.
Ethan stayed paralyzed.
She was a beautiful woman with silver hair and smooth white skin without imperfections; her eyes were closed with absolute serenity.
Her curvaceous body was covered by an armor of white plates that seemed forged from the stars themselves. On her back, six metallic wings deployed, cutting the air like blades.
The system spoke:
[Successful summoning!]
[Name: Seraphina.]
[Title: Commander of the Legion of the Void Valkyries.]
[Rank: SSS (Evolutive).]
[Loyalty: 100% (Absolute Fanaticism).]
Seraphina opened two beautiful eyes of an electric blue color that would make anyone sigh.
She briefly observed her surroundings, ignoring the monster, then knelt before Ethan.
"My Lord."
"The Void has returned me to existence to serve your will. My wings are your shield, and my spear belongs to you. What is your first order?"
Ethan looked at the powerful Valkyrie, then at the Chimera that was trying to get up.
"Kill it," he ordered. "Don't even leave ashes."
With an almost invisible movement, Seraphina projected her hand forward.
A bolt of pure energy pierced the head of the Chimera, disintegrating it instantly.
[You have defeated: Shadow Chimera (Rank A).]
[Experience obtained... Level up...]
[Level 1 → Level 15.]
Ethan stopped for a moment, feeling a wave of energy running through his muscles.
Then he turned toward the exit of the dungeon, toward where Kevin and Lucia had fled.
'They can run all they want,' thought Ethan.
A light smile stretched his lips. "Seraphina... Let's get out of here. I have some debts to collect on the surface."
"As you wish, my Sovereign," responded the Valkyrie, her eyes shining with a promise of massacre.