It was a windy day. The plants and the leaves start to sway as the breeze caresses individuals softly. So hypnotic that it lulls anyone to sleep. It was cold and no one wanted to go outside aside from a few who were tasked to do their work.
Somewhere deep within the forest, was a huge house made of wood and bamboos. Above a little hill that was surrounded by a field of flowers, the main door opened and a woman in a large black hoodie got out. Wearing a plain white t-shirt underneath and green jogger pants, with her hair tied in a ponytail, she wore thin metal-rimmed eyeglasses. With a tired look in her face, she started walking on the little pebbled pathway that had grass growing on it as it was made carefully, to not destroy the beautiful scenery around them. Before she could reach halfway out of the field, a young man could be seen sprinting out of the house shirtless and barefoot. His hair was unkept, and he looked like he was flying as he ran like the wind and within thirty seconds, he was right next to her. He was holding a bag with meals inside of it, and he was handing it to her. "Y-your food!" He was not even sweating, but the cold was now taking an effect on him, so his words stuttered as a result.
She stared at his hand then looked back at him. It was as if to ask, 'What for?'
"I'm going back to the city."
She sighed before taking the bag from him, so he stood still. He felt like he had accomplished something great and with the position, even when he was taller than her, he couldn't see her face as he kept on looking on the ground, avoiding her gaze, as if he was guilty.
But then, he felt something on top of his head. It was a hand.
"Goodluck." was muttered softly, as if a whisper, but it still managed to reach his ears.
Three gentle pats were given before she turned around and started walking away.
He was happy as he stared at her figure as it started to disappear from his view.
This young man here is Yami and that person who just left, was his hero. He just woke up from a snooze, but he made the meal earlier today. A grin plastered on his face as he had something to brag about towards his rival later on, but it immediately disappeared as he started to shiver from the cold blows of the wind. He hurriedly went back to the house.
Inside, he saw his infinite bag on the couch. That was odd. He remembered leaving it on the counter earlier. He looked inside it and looked for any unregistered item on it. He doesn't really care if anything was taken out by his hero.
He paused. There was a hidden item and only a letter was seen, and it wrote: Call for its name in case of trouble. Now the problem is, he had no idea what it was, so he just shrugged it off and was about to close it when he noticed that there was another item added to the storage.
He took it out.
The screen popped up in front of him.
[?????? A long way back!]
[Do you want to wear this bundle?]
[Yes] [No]
Without reading the description, he selected the yes option.
[You have been blessed by the Shadow King. You have acquired an SSS+ item!]
He looked at himself in the full body mirror on the lounge. Not bad, he silently commented, as he was now wearing a black leather jacket on top of a blue shirt. His old pants were now replaced with black cargo track pants with straps on the thighs and black comfy shoes. He also gained a pair of black fingerless gloves. He combed his hair to the side for his signature look. Not bad at all. He looked dashing!
He took out his status window.
Yami [Mx Lv.]
Mana: 0
Agility: 999999
Strength: 9999
Perception: ???????
Skills:
Foraging- A
Cooking S+
Knife Handling SS+
Pure Shadow ?????
Inventory: Soul infinity bag (SSS+) (Infinite) (Will belong to owner as long as the owner's soul is intact.)
Armor: Shadow's Casual (Modified) (Indestructible) (SSS+) (Made to be used only by the owner.) (Any skills will be enhanced 2x.)
(Gained: Blessing of darkness.)
[Achievement unlocked! Being friends with the dark. Darkness is now your friend!]
[??? Skill has now been reactivated. Suppressors have been lifted.]
[The Shadows are now your domain.]
[Equipping the title: Shadow King!]
[Hurrah! You have been given access to your generals. Contact is now available.]
{A new message from Noir: My Lord, we are waiting for your visit. I'll hold them off for now as you are still recovering. The kingdom is doing well, and the goddess has approved our pleas for these past years of your absence. Your crown shall be given later when you arrive. It is an honor to have you back. Your loyal subordinate, The First General}
He smiled. It's good to be back!
He took his things. He will be meeting his cousin before he meets his new team.
"It should be good to try it now." he muttered as he looked at his newly reopened skills. "Devour."
He was now swallowed by the shadow around him and disappeared from where he stood and the lights on the house flickered and all the lights from the lamps went out like a candle.
In a dark alley behind the Dawn's Guild, a dangerous aura was detected, and it alerted everyone near the area. Dungeon leaks were very common, especially when there's a double-layered dungeon around, so a possible SSS class beast that has gotten out was quite possible and the skin-crawling feeling coming from the area made all the higher class run towards that direction and that includes Kaito, the Guardian of Light or the Paladin of the Dawn.
Yami was now walking in the streets far away from the scene, towards the opposite direction where everyone was running. His phone vibrated, so he looked at the screen.
[Kai: I can't meet right now as I have to check into something. You can always visit the guild, and we will welcome you with open arms! *winking dog emoji that's making a thumbs up*.]
He just replied with a [No, thanks. All good.] and proceeded on walking away. Nothing changed from his 'twin', as he still prioritized his curiosities. 'Curiosity killed millions, Kaito. You should not have forgotten your guild master's rampage. He destroys a whole city by experimenting with his own powers, killing his peers, relatives and his own family in the process. Working for the strong does not guaranty your safety.' He huffed air from his lungs to settle his nerves. 'That was close. I forgot to conceal the animosity of devour. It should be good next time. I just have to make sure to remember that.' he noted to himself. He looked at the clock in the center of the huge tower. 'I still have time to talk to oldy.'
>>>>>>>> Time skip >>>>>>
He's now standing in front of the inn. His new team will now be waiting for him inside. He gathered his strength to get in when a person called out to him. "Mr Yami!" so he looked over his shoulders, and saw a group of teens conversing with a guy waving at him. Well, it seems like they're all here.
"Gab," he greeted back as he started to walk towards their little group.
He observed them one by one.
An energetic red-haired teen was there teasing two female teammates. He wore basic newbie armor and a sword that was probably bought from one of the cheap offers at the weapon shop. He must be a swordsman that could easily be mistaken as a knight with his gear. Newbies are known to make bad purchases at the beginning of their journey. His sword was also inappropriate for his class but would make do as he needed to gain experience, level up and earn money before he could get his proper gear. This one is Marcus, a merchant's son who got kicked out for choosing to become a licensed adventurer. Nice family.
The girl, who was having a spat with Marcus, was a mage. She wore a shirt and pants under a mage cape and was holding a beginner's staff as she was trying to prove to him that he'd be needing the healer the most, because of how reckless he was even in the training area. She clearly had knowledge, but only for her class. Though, she's not wrong when saying that a certain teammate was prone to getting involved in trouble. Looking at her, he could feel that she was one of those multi-elemental mages which gives her a great advantage. Yet he will be looking out for any possible adjustment needed as she would likely need Mana potions as her Mana pool is currently low. This one is Claire, a mage's apprentice that had a blocked potential as she was following an ice elemental mage, focusing mainly on one element and forgetting to enhance the others, so he would have to guide her later on.
Next, is the girl who was hiding behind the mage, the group healer. Her name was Freya and, though it was not obvious to others, he could see through her magic disguise, and her ears were visible to him as they twitched each time Marcus shouted out loudly.
The little elf was being tortured by her companions as healer elves were known to be sensitive towards noise. He noted himself mentally to buy equipment necessary for his little group. This should be a fun adventure, especially with having the last two boys around.
Gab, his contractor, is an adventurer's son. He's said to be a tank class and his slim figure made it more amusing. A tank class with no muscles on his body was common, especially with newbies, but considering his background, it's a possibility that the teen was pretending to be a tank, as tank class easily develops muscles even in just a week in the training area. So, something's definitely going on and Yami likes it.
The last member, who was the tallest member of the group (Yami not included), stands straight as he looks at them. It seemed that he was concerned, but he chose to stay back, but it was clear that he's ready to stop them if ever a fight broke out. This guy is the most secretive. In his background, it was said that he was an orphan yet with the way he stands and his aura, no matter how you look at it, he's from a noble family, but with that human appearance, it's hard to tell, especially since vampires were the closest species but he does not smell any blood on him, so it must be another specie. He's supposedly an archer, but now that he sees it, Yami grinned widely.
These kids were definitely amusing, indeed. He laughed in his mind.
The teens swapped classes, and it should be because of their pride, as they were probably in a disagreement about how one should act during a fight. It seems like the problem is not just on the other three but also with this duo. He can't wait to see how this will end, so for now, he'll let them be. A dungeon adventure is more fun when the team struggles (for him at least) as it will help them strengthen their bond.
He just smiled at them as they now parted ways.
Tomorrow will be their first adventure as a team and before that, he will have to make sure that there will be no problems with the clearing, so, he bought ten small Mana potions and twenty small health potions as a precautionary measure. Although the group had a healer, it was not impossible for the healer to get injured and there was no way that their mage would not run out of mana. It's better to be safe than be sorry. Even in an easy dungeon with just wild animals as enemies, you shouldn't be overconfident as they all see you as threats and will immediately attack upon sensing strangers in their territories. There are also herbivores that turn hostile during the breeding season. So yeah! Yeeeey for dungeon hunting! Poisonous encounters were also a possibility, so he also bought a dozen anti-poisoning potions. He's so excited about tomorrow.