THE SHADOW KING'S RETURN

The First Hunt

,The next morning, Kael woke before sunrise.

For a few seconds, he remained still in his bed.

The room was quiet.

The village outside was silent.

Everything felt peaceful.

But Kael knew that peace was temporary.

He sat up and opened the system.

[Host: Kael Ashford]

[Level: 4]

[Bloodline: Shadow Sovereign]

[Synchronization: 13%]

[First Seal Progress: 10%]

[Next Objective: Reach Level 10]

[Reward: Unlock First Shadow Seal]

Kael stared at the final message.

"Level ten."

That was his first goal.

In his previous life, reaching level ten had taken him almost six months.

This time, he intended to do it much faster.

He dressed quietly and picked up his sword.

Before leaving, he looked toward his sleeping grandmother's room.

"I'll be back before sunset."

He stepped outside.

The morning air was cold.

Kael walked toward the Forbidden Forest.

He knew the dangers waiting inside.

He also knew where the strongest magical beasts lived.

If he wanted to grow quickly, he needed enemies that could push his body to its limits.

The forest would provide them.

---

Kael entered the forest just after sunrise.

The trees became thicker as he moved deeper.

Birds disappeared.

The normal sounds of the forest slowly faded.

This was the territory of magical beasts.

Kael stopped beside a tree and closed his eyes.

He activated Shadow Combat Insight.

The world changed.

He could sense faint traces of magical energy around him.

There.

Something was moving through the bushes.

Kael opened his eyes.

A pair of yellow eyes appeared between the trees.

A Gray Fang Wolf stepped into the open.

It was much larger than the wolves he had fought inside the temple.

Its body was covered in thick gray fur.

Three sharp claws extended from each foot.

Kael studied it.

[Gray Fang Wolf]

[Level: 6]

[Threat Level: Low]

Kael smiled.

"Perfect."

The wolf growled.

Then it charged.

Kael didn't move.

At the last second, he activated Shadow Step.

WHOOSH!

The wolf passed through the place where he had been standing.

Kael appeared behind it.

He swung his sword.

The blade struck the wolf's side.

The beast stumbled but quickly turned around.

Kael frowned.

"Fast."

The wolf charged again.

This time, Kael didn't dodge immediately.

He waited.

The wolf jumped.

Kael rolled underneath it.

As it landed, he struck its leg.

The beast collapsed.

Kael moved forward.

"Shadow Strike."

Black energy covered his fist.

BOOM!

The attack struck the wolf's chest.

The beast fell.

The system appeared.

[Gray Fang Wolf defeated.]

[Experience gained.]

[Level: 4]

[Experience: 42%]

Kael looked at the fallen creature.

"One."

He continued deeper into the forest.

---

By midday, Kael had defeated seven magical beasts.

His level had increased to five.

But he wasn't satisfied.

The creatures near the forest's edge were too weak.

He needed stronger opponents.

He remembered a place from his previous life.

The Bloodstone Valley.

It was located deeper inside the forest.

At the bottom of the valley lived a magical beast known as the Crimson Bear.

It was a level ten creature.

Kael had nearly died fighting one when he was sixteen in his previous life.

But that was exactly why he wanted to face it now.

He needed to know how far his new body could go.

Kael continued walking.

The forest became darker.

Trees grew taller.

The ground became covered with red moss.

Kael stopped.

He had reached the valley.

A deep roar echoed through the trees.

Kael smiled.

"Found you."

A massive bear emerged from the darkness.

Its fur was dark red.

Its claws were longer than Kael's fingers.

Two small horns grew from its forehead.

[Crimson Bear]

[Level: 10]

[Threat Level: High]

Kael's expression became serious.

The bear roared.

The sound shook the trees.

Then it charged.

Kael activated Shadow Step.

The bear's claw missed him.

Kael appeared behind it and struck with his sword.

CLANG!

The blade bounced off its thick hide.

Kael's eyes widened.

"So strong."

The bear turned.

Its paw swung toward him.

Kael raised his arms.

BOOM!

He was thrown backward.

His body crashed into a tree.

Pain spread through his ribs.

Kael slowly stood.

Blood ran from the corner of his mouth.

The system appeared.

[Warning.]

[Host has suffered physical damage.]

Kael wiped the blood away.

He smiled.

"Good."

The bear charged again.

Kael didn't run.

He studied its movement.

The bear was strong.

Its body was heavily protected.

But its speed wasn't impressive.

Kael waited.

The bear raised its paw.

Kael moved.

Shadow Step.

He appeared beside its head.

Shadow Strike.

BOOM!

The bear roared.

Kael attacked again.

The beast swung wildly.

Kael dodged.

Another strike.

Then another.

But the bear refused to fall.

Kael's breathing became heavier.

His body was reaching its limit.

His previous experience told him exactly what to do.

But his current body couldn't keep up.

He needed another advantage.

Kael looked at the bear's horns.

An idea appeared.

The horns weren't just decoration.

They were absorbing magical energy from the surrounding forest.

That was why the creature was so powerful.

Kael waited for the bear to charge.

Then he activated Shadow Step.

Instead of moving away, he appeared directly between the bear's horns.

The beast couldn't turn quickly enough.

Kael placed both hands against its forehead.

He released his shadow energy.

"Shadow Drain."

The skill wasn't listed in his system.

It wasn't a real skill.

It was something he had learned from his previous life.

He forced his energy into the bear's magical core.

The creature roared.

Its body trembled.

Kael felt an enormous amount of energy rushing through him.

The bear's power was too much.

His veins began burning.

The black mark over his heart glowed.

[Warning.]

[Foreign magical energy detected.]

[Beginning conversion.]

Kael's eyes widened.

The system was absorbing the bear's energy.

The black energy inside his body grew stronger.

The bear suddenly collapsed.

Kael fell to one knee.

For several seconds, he couldn't breathe.

Then the system appeared.

[Crimson Bear defeated.]

[Experience gained.]

[Level increased.]

[Level: 5 → 8]

[Bloodline synchronization: 13% → 16%]

Kael stared at the message.

"Level eight."

He had gained four levels from one battle.

But something else had changed.

He could feel his muscles becoming stronger.

His breathing became steadier.

His senses sharpened.

The forest suddenly seemed clearer.

Kael stood.

"Two more levels."

He looked deeper into the valley.

There was something else there.

Something much stronger than the Crimson Bear.

Kael's instincts warned him to leave.

But he ignored them.

He had come here to become stronger.

---

Kael walked deeper into the valley.

The red moss became thicker.

The air became heavier.

He soon found a large cave.

The entrance was covered in claw marks.

Kael approached carefully.

He could feel an enormous magical presence inside.

He activated Shadow Cloak.

His presence disappeared.

Kael entered the cave.

Inside were dozens of bones.

Some belonged to wolves.

Others belonged to creatures Kael couldn't identify.

At the back of the cave was a large black egg.

Kael stared at it.

"What are you?"

The egg suddenly cracked.

Kael stepped backward.

A tiny creature emerged.

It had black scales, silver eyes, and two small wings.

Kael's eyes widened.

A dragon.

Not an adult.

A baby dragon.

The creature looked at him.

Then it walked toward him.

Kael slowly lowered his sword.

The dragon sniffed his hand.

The black mark over Kael's heart began glowing.

The system appeared.

[Ancient Bloodline Detected.]

[Creature: Unknown.]

[Classification: Dragon.]

[Special Condition Detected.]

[The creature recognizes the Shadow Sovereign Bloodline.]

Kael stared at the dragon.

"You're connected to the Shadow Sovereign?"

The dragon made a quiet sound.

Kael reached out.

It touched his hand.

A strange connection formed between them.

Then a new message appeared.

[Hidden Quest Activated.]

[The Last Dragon Egg.]

[Objective: Protect the dragon until it reaches maturity.]

[Reward: Unknown.]

Kael looked at the tiny creature.

"Protect you?"

The dragon climbed onto his shoulder.

Kael sighed.

"I suppose I have another problem now."

Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the cave.

Kael turned.

The entrance had collapsed.

Voices echoed from outside.

"Search the cave!"

"There must be something valuable inside."

Kael's expression changed.

Humans.

The people from the academy had followed him.

He looked at the dragon.

"Stay quiet."

The dragon seemed to understand.

It disappeared beneath his cloak.

Kael drew his sword.

Five adventurers entered the cave.

The spear-wielding man from the temple stood at the front.

Kael recognized him.

The man looked around.

"The dragon egg should be here."

One of the others asked:

"How do you know?"

"Our information was correct."

The spear-wielding man pointed deeper into the cave.

"Someone has already killed the Crimson Bear."

His eyes narrowed.

"That means we're not alone."

Kael remained hidden in the darkness.

He could fight them.

But he didn't want anyone to discover the dragon.

He quietly activated Shadow Cloak.

Then Shadow Step.

WHOOSH!

Kael appeared behind the group.

Before they could react, he struck the ground with Shadow Strike.

BOOM!

Dust exploded through the cave.

The adventurers stumbled.

Kael grabbed the dragon and ran toward a narrow passage.

"Who's there?" someone shouted.

Kael didn't answer.

He moved faster.

The dragon held tightly to his cloak.

Behind him, the adventurers began chasing.

Kael smiled.

He had only needed two more levels.

Now he had a dragon to protect.

And five powerful enemies hunting him.

His peaceful training trip had become something much more dangerous.

But Kael wasn't afraid.

For the first time since returning to the past, he felt alive.

He looked at the tiny dragon.

"Looks like we're partners now."

The dragon opened its silver eyes.

A faint black flame appeared inside them.

Kael's smile disappeared.

That flame...

He recognized it.

He had seen it once before.

During the final battle of his previous life.

The flame belonged to the creature that had destroyed the Imperial Capital.

The creature that had stood behind the Abyssal Gate.

Kael stopped running.

The dragon looked at him.

Kael whispered:

"What exactly are you?"

The system appeared.

[Warning.]

[The creature's identity has been sealed.]

[Current host level insufficient.]

[Reach Level 10 to unlock identification.]

Kael clenched his fist.

Two levels remained.

But now he had a new reason to become stronger.

He had to discover what the dragon really was.

And why the most terrifying creature from his previous life...

had been reborn in his hands.