Chapter 140 — Shadow Fang
Kael stared at the creature standing before him.
The Shadow Fang stood several meters away, its golden eyes fixed on him. Its body was larger than the C-rank monsters Kael had spent the last three months fighting in the mountains, and there was something distinctly different about its presence.
It wasn’t simply stronger.
It was sharper.
More intelligent.
More dangerous.
Kael’s breathing had already become slightly heavier from the previous exchanges. His normal blade was beginning to show signs of wear, the weapon having endured countless clashes against the monster’s claws.
The blade itself had been gifted to him by Zion during the tournament, and although it was considerably stronger than an ordinary weapon, even it wasn’t designed to withstand an endless exchange against a B-rank monster.
Kael tightened his grip.
"You’re troublesome."
The Shadow Fang lowered its body.
Then it vanished.
Kael’s eyes widened.
He immediately moved.
CLANG!
A claw collided with his blade.
The force pushed him several meters backward.
Kael planted his foot against the ground and stopped himself.
Before he could recover, the monster appeared in front of him again.
Kael swung.
The Shadow Fang tilted its head.
The blade passed directly beside it.
Kael immediately followed with another attack.
The monster dodged.
Another.
It dodged again.
Kael’s movements became faster.
One strike became two.
Two became four.
Then several.
His blade continuously flashed through the darkness.
But the Shadow Fang avoided every single attack.
Kael clicked his tongue.
"You’re really good at running away."
The Shadow Fang suddenly disappeared.
Kael’s expression changed.
His sensory field stretched outward.
Nothing.
The monster had completely disappeared from his perception.
Kael slowly turned.
Nothing.
His eyes narrowed.
"Where did you—"
SLASH!
Pain erupted from his shoulder.
Kael’s body instinctively leaned backward.
A claw had grazed him.
Blood trickled down his shoulder.
Kael didn’t have time to complain.
Another attack came toward his neck.
He ducked.
The claw passed over his head.
Kael spun around and attacked.
The Shadow Fang had already moved.
Kael’s blade cut through empty air.
The monster appeared several meters away.
It stared at him.
Kael stared back.
For some reason, the creature seemed almost amused.
"Are you actually conscious?"
The Shadow Fang growled.
Kael took a step backward.
This was the first time he had fought a B-rank monster.
The difference was enormous.
For the past three months, Xavier had deliberately restricted him to C-rank monsters.
Kael had fought them until their movements became predictable.
He had fought them until his body could react before his mind even registered the attack.
He had thought that experience would be enough.
It wasn’t.
A B-rank monster was on an entirely different level.
The Shadow Fang was faster.
Its reactions were sharper.
And, most importantly, it seemed capable of understanding his fighting style.
Kael took a deep breath.
His normal blade was still in his hand, but he wasn’t confident that it would survive another prolonged exchange.
He reached toward his saddle sack.
"I guess I’ll have to change weapons."
Kael pulled out a pair of twin daggers.
The weapons were considerably smaller than his sword.
The Shadow Fang immediately moved.
Kael didn’t.
His eyes narrowed.
There was one person among the first-years whose physical statistics he knew were superior to his own.
Auriella Voss.
Kael had never attempted to copy Auriella before.
He had copied techniques.
He had even completely copied his previous opponents.
But Auriella was different.
Her ocular ability wasn’t simply an attack.
It was something connected to the way she perceived the world and it was genetic.
Kael’s expression became serious.
"Let’s see what happens."
The Shadow Fang lunged.
Kael’s eyes suddenly turned pitch black.
Darkness spread through his pupils.
His mana core trembled.
Something inside his body automatically responded to the copied ability.
Then—
Kael’s aura changed.
The atmosphere around him became significantly more dangerous.
Kael himself noticed the difference.
His body felt lighter.
His senses became sharper.
His reactions accelerated.
It was almost as though his statistics had temporarily been raised.
Kael blinked.
"So this is different."
This wasn’t like his previous attempts at copying.
His body wasn’t simply imitating Auriella’s ability.
It was adjusting itself to accommodate it.
His muscles responded differently.
His perception changed.
Even his movements seemed to become more efficient.
Kael locked his gaze with the Shadow Fang.
The monster attacked.
Kael disappeared.
He appeared beside it.
The Shadow Fang immediately swung its claw toward him.
Kael casually raised his arm.
CLANG!
He countered the first strike.
The monster attacked again.
Kael redirected it.
A third strike followed.
Kael twisted his wrist.
Another successful counter.
Three attacks.
Three counters.
The Shadow Fang’s eyes narrowed.
Kael smiled.
"Much better."
The monster vanished.
Kael vanished at almost the same time.
The two figures collided.
CLANG!
His dagger struck against the Shadow Fang’s claw.
The monster attacked again.
Kael blocked.
Kael countered.
The monster dodged.
Kael followed.
Their movements became increasingly difficult to follow.
They raced through the dungeon.
The Shadow Fang moved between the stone pillars.
Kael followed.
The creature attempted to attack from behind.
Kael turned before it reached him.
His dagger intercepted the claw.
Kael kicked the monster away.
It landed several meters away.
Kael’s breathing became heavier.
His mana was draining considerably.
He immediately understood why.
The copied ocular ability wasn’t free.
His body was using an enormous amount of mana to maintain the temporary enhancement.
Every exchange consumed more.
Every movement demanded more.
But there was one advantage.
Kael was adapting.
The longer the fight continued, the more familiar the Shadow Fang became.
Its attack patterns.
Its timing.
Its footwork.
The way it shifted its weight before attacking.
Kael began noticing everything.
His agility increased with every passing second.
The Shadow Fang attacked from the left.
Kael dodged.
The same attack came from the right.
Kael countered.
A claw came toward his chest.
Kael stepped backward.
His dagger cut across the monster’s arm.
Blood splattered onto the ground.
Kael’s eyes sharpened.
"Got you."
He disappeared.
The Shadow Fang reacted immediately.
Kael appeared behind it.
His dagger slashed.
The creature barely avoided the attack.
Kael attacked again.
The monster dodged.
Again.
It dodged.
Again.
The Shadow Fang suddenly parried Kael’s dagger.
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
Then the monster vanished from his range.
Completely.
Kael froze.
His sensory perception searched the surrounding area.
Nothing.
He couldn’t sense it.
"Again?"
A claw suddenly appeared beside his shoulder.
Kael instinctively moved.
The attack barely missed.
He immediately turned and stabbed.
The Shadow Fang avoided it.
Kael followed with another strike.
The monster dodged.
Another.
It parried.
Kael continued attacking.
The Shadow Fang continued avoiding him.
It was almost as though the creature had become conscious of his intentions.
Kael took another step backward.
His breathing was becoming heavier.
His shoulder was bleeding.
His mana was steadily declining.
And his weapons were beginning to suffer from the repeated clashes.
Kael glanced at the twin daggers.
Even these were beginning to show signs of damage.
He sighed.
"You’re making me work too hard."
The Shadow Fang charged.
Kael didn’t retreat.
His pitch-black eyes locked onto the monster.
The world seemed to slow.
Not literally.
His perception had simply become fast enough to make everything appear slower.
The monster moved.
Kael saw it.
He saw the movement of its muscles.
The shift of its claws.
The direction of its attack.
And the moment it committed itself.
Kael vanished.
The Shadow Fang instinctively dodged away from Kael’s original position.
But it was already too late.
Three cuts appeared across its body.
The monster froze.
Kael stood several meters behind it.
His twin daggers remained raised.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then the Shadow Fang’s severed arms fell to the ground.
Its massive body began to tremble.
Kael watched silently.
Like a building without a foundation, the creature finally collapsed.
Its body dissolved.
The Shadow Fang transformed into a puff of black smoke that slowly disappeared into the air.
Silence returned to the dungeon.
Kael lowered his daggers.
He exhaled.
"That was close."
Something remained where the monster had fallen.
Kael approached.
A small orb floated above the ground.
It was completely black.
Not merely dark.
Shadowy.
The surface of the orb seemed to move like smoke trapped inside glass.
Kael reached out.
The moment his fingers touched it, his expression changed.
The orb pulled toward him.
"What?"
He stared at it.
For some reason, he felt strangely attracted to it.
Not emotionally.
His mana itself seemed to be responding.
Kael sat down.
He crossed his legs and placed the orb between his palms.
"Let’s see what you’re hiding."
He began absorbing it.
Black energy entered his body.
His Darkness mana immediately reacted.
Then his Demonic mana reacted as well.
Both energies began circulating around his mana core.
Kael’s expression became serious.
His mana core started rotating faster.
And faster.
The energy from the orb was being absorbed at an astonishing speed.
Kael remained completely still.
Minutes passed.
Eventually, the orb disappeared.
The final traces of its energy entered Kael’s mana core.
Silence.
Kael opened his eyes.
A familiar blue screen appeared before him.
[Host has obtained a new skill.]
Kael stared at it.
"That’s rare."
The notification changed.
[New Skill Acquired: Shadow Sense.]
Kael raised an eyebrow.
[Shadow Sense: Allows the user to spread Darkness mana through the surrounding environment, detecting living beings within the affected range regardless of visibility.]
Kael smiled.
"So that’s what you gave me."
He stood.
His body felt different.
Not dramatically.
Just enough for him to notice.
Kael stretched his arms.
Then he looked toward the far end of the chamber.
A passage had opened.
He stared at it.
The stone wall had shifted, revealing a dark pathway that hadn’t been there before.
Kael approached slowly.
He didn’t know what was waiting beyond it.
That uncertainty brought a faint smile to his face.
He had already defeated a B-rank monster.
Whatever was waiting ahead would have to be stronger.
"What am I to expect here?"
Kael stepped toward the passage.
Then he entered the darkness.