The New Student
1612 Words
The cold air around the South District Rift buzzed with tension as Juno stood at the edge of the waiting zone, eyes locked on the swirling vortex of the dungeon gate. The metal gate shimmered in eerie hues of violet and green, like it pulsed with a heartbeat of its own. His fingers twitched around the strap of his bag, and the system window hovered before his vision.
[New Mission: Join D-Rank Raid Team – Accept/Decline]
Juno tapped “Accept.” He needed the experience, needed the dungeon kills—and more than anything, he needed to understand what “Shadow Extraction” truly meant.
A voice called out.
“You the E-rank joining us?”
Juno turned to face five strangers in battle-ready gear. The leader was a tall man with silver hair slicked back, holding a greatsword almost as long as Juno was tall.
“I’m Goro. These are my teammates—Sena, Tyke, Kellan, and Hael.” He gestured to a woman with a staff, two brawny guys with axes and knives, and a quiet boy standing awkwardly to the side.
“I’m Jaemin,” the boy said softly, giving Juno a small nod. “First dungeon.”
“Same,” Juno lied. “I’m Juno.”
They passed the usual hunter check-ins and stepped through the Rift.
The world shimmered and twisted. A flash of darkness—and then they were inside.
The dungeon was unlike anything Juno had seen before. Thick stone walls stretched up into darkness, and torches burned with cold blue fire. The air was heavy, filled with the iron scent of something ancient.
[Dungeon Type: Sacrificial Temple]
[Special Condition: Boss Chamber Triggered Upon Two or More Sacrifices]
The group advanced carefully, cutting through lower-level beasts with practiced ease. Juno hung back, pretending to struggle while masking his true strength. He noticed Jaemin doing the same, barely keeping up.
“You two sure you can handle this?” Tyke sneered.
“We’ll be fine,” Juno replied flatly.
In the fourth corridor, Goro stopped.
“This is where we split,” he said. “Jaemin, Juno—you two take the left passage. We’ll take right.”
“Wait, aren’t we supposed to stay in teams of six?” Jaemin asked.
“Dungeon’s not that hard. Just clearing trash,” Sena said sweetly.
Juno narrowed his eyes. Something didn’t feel right.
As they walked, Juno checked his system again.
[System Alert: Magic Signatures Altered. Trap Detected.]
Before he could react, the floor dropped beneath them.
“JUNO!” Jaemin shouted.
They fell.
Juno landed hard on stone, Jaemin crashing beside him.
Above them, Goro’s voice echoed.
“Sorry, boys. Nothing personal. The boss won’t awaken unless it tastes blood—and frankly, we don’t want to be the ones bleeding.”
“YOU BASTARDS!” Jaemin shouted.
Rubble sealed the chamber.
[Special Trigger Activated – Sacrificial Chamber Engaged]
Juno stood, groaning. “I knew it.”
The shadows around the room rippled.
[Emergency Protocol Engaged – Combat Threshold Met]
[Shadow Extraction System Awakening... Lv. 2 Unlocked]
“Juno… what’s happening?”
He turned to Jaemin. “Stay close. I’m done holding back.”
A massive figure rose from the dark—ten feet tall, with blade-like limbs and glowing red eyes.
[Mini-Boss: Temple Warden – Elite Class]
“System,” Juno said. “Give me a blade.”
[Basic Shadow Sword – 100 Coins]
[Purchased]
The sword appeared in his hand. He dashed forward, faster than Jaemin could track.
He slashed the warden’s leg, then rolled under its spinning blade. Shadow tendrils reached out from the ground, grabbing at the monster’s limbs.
[Skill: Shadow Bind – Success]
Juno leapt, sword plunging into the beast’s neck. It shrieked, and dissolved into black mist.
[You have defeated the Temple Warden]
[Shadow Extraction Available – Proceed?]
“Yes.”
[New Shadow Acquired: Temple Warden – Rank C]
Jaemin stared in awe.
“What… what are you?”
Juno helped him up. “Alive. That’s all that matters.”
The chamber cracked open. They moved forward and found themselves in the main boss room.
Goro and the others stood at the center, confused.
“What the—how are you alive?”
“I told you,” Juno said, stepping forward. “I’m done holding back.”
The dungeon king emerged—a titan of a creature with molten skin and twin flaming blades.
The others panicked. But Juno’s eyes glowed.
“Shadow Mode: Revenant.”
The warden’s shadow rose beside him.
“Cover me,” he said to Jaemin. “I’m ending this.”
The fight was brutal. Juno dodged flaming strikes, stabbed deep into the beast’s belly, and used his shadow to wrestle it to the ground.
Jaemin covered him, throwing knives and distracting the monster.
With a final leap, Juno sliced its throat.
[King of the Dungeon Defeated]
[Shadow Extraction Possible – Insufficient Level for Extraction]
[Boss Core Acquired: Used for System Upgrade]
He turned back to the others.
“Leave. Now.”
Sena tried to speak. Juno summoned the warden’s shadow.
They ran.
Later, outside the Rift, Jaemin stared at him.
“You’re not normal.”
“No,” Juno replied.
“I’m starting at Blackridge next week. I won’t say anything. But… I want to train with you.”
Juno gave a rare smile. “Deal.”
Outside the dungeon gate, the sky had shifted to dusk, casting a golden hue over the recovering hunters. Goro, Sena, Tyke, and Kellan stood in silence as they were questioned by the Dungeon Authority.
“We just remember entering the boss room,” Sena muttered. “Then… nothing.”
The officials raised an eyebrow. “You remember nothing?”
“Nothing useful,” Goro said, brow furrowed. “I swear.”
Their memories had been clouded, altered by the sheer magical residue left behind by the king’s death—and Juno’s rapidly evolving shadow system. None of them remembered betraying Juno and Jaemin. All they recalled was the chaos, then waking up just outside the dungeon.
Except for Jaemin.
He stood silently beside Juno, watching the scene unfold. Jaemin remembered everything—from the betrayal to the bloodshed to Juno’s transformation. And he had made a silent vow never to forget.
“Guess you’re not just an E-rank,” Jaemin muttered, nudging Juno as they walked away from the crowd.
“I never said I was,” Juno replied.
Jaemin smirked. “Well, you’ve got competition now. I’m not just tagging along anymore.”
---
Blackridge Academy, one week later.
The high-tech modern campus buzzed with students in uniforms, some bearing the patches of minor guilds. Juno walked through the courtyard, eyes as cold as ever, a hood pulled low over his face.
Then, a voice cut through the crowd.
“Oi, step aside unless you want your self-esteem murdered in front of your crush.”
Students turned.
Jaemin had arrived.
He strutted across the courtyard with the confidence of a king, stylishly disheveled uniform, one earring glittering, and that ever-present sarcastic smirk. Behind him trailed a group of stunned upperclassmen who had just been verbally disarmed.
“Do you even lift, or are you just here to keep the bench warm?” he threw at a muscular student blocking his path.
The guy turned red. “What did you just say?!”
Jaemin tilted his head. “I said I admire your courage—showing up with that face in public.”
Laughter erupted. The guy stormed off.
Juno watched from the hallway window, lips twitching slightly.
Later that day, as Juno sat in class, Jaemin casually slid into the seat beside him.
“Assigned seating,” Jaemin said before Juno could speak. “Totally fate.”
Juno raised an eyebrow. “You bribed the admin, didn’t you?”
Jaemin grinned. “Only a little.”
Word spread fast—Jaemin was a rising star, already rumored to be A-rank potential. And strangely enough, despite his sass and sharp tongue, no one dared to mess with him. And anyone who tried to bully Juno? Well…
In one incident, a senior tapped Juno’s head with a pencil and sneered. “Still weak, shadow boy?”
Before Juno could react, Jaemin materialized behind the guy. “You’ve got two choices: swallow that pencil or walk away with your dignity. Choose fast.”
The bully turned pale and left.
Jaemin flopped into the seat beside Juno. “Seriously, these people act like they’re in a reality show. I should start charging for comebacks.”
“Thanks,” Juno muttered.
“Please. I’m just keeping the idiots in check so you can focus on your creepy shadow stuff.”
Despite the banter, a bond began to form. Where Juno was reserved and intense, Jaemin was loud and chaotic. But together, they were impossible to ignore.
---
One evening after class, Juno trained in the abandoned gymnasium. Shadow tendrils curled around him as he practiced weapon forms summoned by the system.
[Strength +2 | Intelligence +1]
“Okay, scary shadow prince,” Jaemin called from the bleachers, sipping soda. “What exactly are you training for?”
Juno didn’t pause. “To stop getting stabbed in dungeons.”
“Fair.”
Jaemin stretched. “Mind if I tag along next time? I’m kinda itching for something more exciting than lecture halls.”
Juno nodded. “You can keep up?”
Jaemin smirked. “You haven’t seen what I can do yet.”
The system flickered in Juno’s vision.
[New Party Option Available – Partner Detected: Jaemin | Rank Unknown]
Juno narrowed his eyes.
Something told him Jaemin wasn’t ordinary either.
- Writer
