The dungeon had gone silent.
Asher stood alone in the cavern, surrounded by the corpses of monsters. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood. His fingers twitched slightly, the lingering sensation of his merged shadow form still pulsing beneath his skin.
He had felt it. That moment of connection.
The shadow wasn't just a summon. It wasn't a separate entity.
It was him.
He looked down at his hands. They looked normal no dark tendrils, no eerie glow but something had changed within him.
It was still there. Waiting. Watching.
Asher turned toward the exit of the dungeon.
Then he heard it.
A distant footstep.
Not a monster.
A human.
Asher's expression darkened.
Someone else was here.
He pressed himself against the cavern wall, slipping into the shadows as his instincts took over.
In his past life, he had been trained for situations like this. Stealth. Evasion. Precision.
A figure appeared at the mouth of the tunnel.
A hunter.
A woman, dressed in reinforced armor, with two curved daggers strapped to her hips. She moved silently almost too silently for a normal hunter.
Her black hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, sharp golden eyes scanning the bodies of the fallen monsters.
She bent down, touching the corpse of the C-Rank Elite Monster.
Her fingers came away soaked in black blood.
She whispered under her breath.
"…Impossible."
Asher remained still, watching her every movement.
She was analyzing the scene. The cuts on the monsters. The lack of gunfire or external magic burns. The way the bodies were torn apart with inhuman precision.
Then her gaze flickered to the shadows.
Her golden eyes narrowed.
She knew someone was there.
Before she could react, Asher moved.
She barely had time to react.
One moment, she was scanning the room.
The next a blade was at her throat.
Her instincts kicked in, and she twisted away, daggers flashing out of their holsters. But Asher was faster.
He caught her wrist before she could slash at him, twisting her arm behind her back and slamming her into the cavern wall.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips, but she didn't cry out.
Instead, she smirked.
"Fast," she murmured. "For a D-Rank."
Asher didn't release his grip. "Who are you?"
She turned her head slightly, her golden eyes glinting with amusement. "You don't recognize me? I should be offended."
Asher stared at her.
Then, the memory surfaced.
Silva Kain.
B-Rank Hunter. A rising star in the Hunter Association.
Famous for her assassination techniques and information gathering.
She was known for tracking down rogue hunters and investigating anomalies in the field.
And she was here.
Watching him.
"Why are you following me?" Asher asked.
Silva chuckled. "Following? No. I was sent here to confirm a report."
She tilted her head toward the dead C-Rank Elite. "One of these things wasn't supposed to be here. It broke through the dungeon's level cap. The Association sent me to find out what happened."
She smiled, but her expression was unreadable.
"And instead, I find a lone D-Rank nobody who slaughtered an entire C-Rank dungeon by himself."
Asher didn't respond.
Silva's golden eyes locked onto him.
"You're not a D-Rank, are you?"
Asher remained silent.
She smirked. "That's what I thought."
Then, she did something unexpected.
She stepped back and sheathed her daggers.
"I won't report you," she said casually.
Asher narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
Silva shrugged. "I'm interested."
She folded her arms, studying him like a puzzle she wanted to solve. "Hunters rise in rank through combat. Through experience. But you, you're different. You skipped the struggle."
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "And that means one of two things. Either you're some hidden genius with monstrous talent…"
Her smirk widened.
"Or you're something else."
Asher didn't reply.
She stepped closer.
"Tell me, Ash." She whispered his name like it was a secret. "How would you like a job?"
Asher's fingers twitched slightly. "I don't work for anyone."
Silva laughed. "Oh, it's not like that. No guild contracts. No forced alliances."
She leaned in slightly.
"Just information. You keep doing what you're doing, and I keep you off the Association's radar. In return…"
She smiled.
"You let me watch."
Asher studied her.
She wasn't lying. She wasn't offering friendship. She wasn't offering protection.
She was offering anonymity. Freedom.
For now.
He weighed his options.
Then, finally, he nodded. "Fine."
Silva grinned. "Smart choice."
She turned away, tossing him a small black card.
"That has my contact. If you find something interesting—call me."
Then, without another word, she disappeared into the darkness.
Asher watched her go.
Then, he turned back toward the dungeon exit.
It was time to return.
Asher stepped out of the dungeon's portal, emerging back into the ruined cityscape.
The cold night air hit his face.
Hunters loitered near the entrance, talking, laughing, discussing their own dungeon runs.
They froze when they saw him.
A lone hunter. A D-Rank nobody.
Covered in black monster blood.
Their eyes darted behind him, realizing something.
He was the only one coming out.
A murmur spread through the crowd.
"Was he in there alone?"
"No way. That's suicide."
"Look at him he doesn't even have any serious injuries."
Then, someone checked the dungeon records.
The scanner flickered.
A hunter's voice rose in shock.
"An entire C-Rank dungeon was just cleared. But only one name was registered inside."
The whispers grew louder.
Then, someone spoke his name.
"Asher Damien."
For the first time, they knew him.