The exit rift tore open with a sound like tearing canvas soaked in oil.
Violet light bled into the real world first—then Elias stepped through.
Rain greeted him.
Not the gentle drizzle from earlier. This was a full, hammering downpour that turned the parking lot asphalt into black mirrors. Emergency beacons spun red and blue across the chain-link fence surrounding Gate #47-D. Three Association vans idled with doors open, floodlights cutting harsh cones through the sheets of water. Medics in yellow ponchos huddled under a pop-up tent. A recovery team in heavy hazmat suits stood ready with containment crates.
They all froze when they saw him.
One medic—a woman with short-cropped hair and a tablet already raised—lowered it slowly.
"Crowe?" Her voice cracked on the second syllable. "Elias Crowe?"
He nodded once. Water streamed off his torn vest, mixing with dried ichor that still clung to the leather like tar.
"You're… listed as KIA. Thirty-seven minutes ago. Vital signs flatlined on the party beacon."
Elias glanced at the collapsed Gate behind him. The rift was already shrinking—edges fraying like burning paper—violet light collapsing inward until only a faint shimmer remained, then nothing. The air pressure normalized with an audible pop.
"Guess the beacon was wrong," he said.
He walked past them.
No one stopped him.
A junior scout—a kid who looked barely eighteen—stammered as Elias passed. "The others? Captain Voss? Lira Voss? The twins?"
Elias didn't break stride.
"Dead."
He kept walking toward the chain-link gate. Rain hammered his shoulders. His boots left wet footprints that shimmered faintly violet for a second before fading.
Behind him, voices erupted.
"Call it in—single survivor from double-dungeon breach—"
"His core signature is gone, scanners are reading zero mana—"
"Wait—he's walking out alone? No wounds? No gear loss?"
Elias didn't look back.
He reached the perimeter fence. A guard in Association tactical gear stepped in front of him, hand on holster.
"Sir, you need medical eval. Standard protocol after—"
Elias met his eyes.
The guard flinched.
Not from fear exactly. More like he'd just stared into an empty room and felt someone staring back from inside the walls.
Elias spoke quietly.
"I'm fine."
The guard swallowed. Stepped aside.
Elias walked through.
The city swallowed him again.
District 17 at night under heavy rain looked the same as always: sodium streetlamps bleeding orange into puddles, holo-billboards flickering recruitment ads ("Awaken Today—Risk Nothing, Gain Everything"), distant gate-warning towers pulsing steady orange.
But Elias felt different.
His steps were lighter. The constant ache in his cracked core was gone—replaced by a cold, steady hum deep in his chest. Like a second heartbeat made of frost.
He flexed his fingers.
No pain.
No tremble.
Just control.
**[Current Status – Hidden Mode Active]**
**[Level: 1]**
**[Shadow Mana Pool: 94/150 (regenerating @ +22/min due to Title + Void Affinity)]**
**[Soldiers Available: 10/10]**
- Goblin Echo ×4 (upgraded from overflow fragments)
- Stitched Warden Echo ×1 (Rare – B-rank equivalent)
- Miscellaneous low-grade echoes ×5 (rats, dire wolves – auto-harvested during collapse)
**[Active Skills]**
- Shadow Extraction (Lv. 1)
- Void Affinity (Lv. 1 – Passive)
**[Titles]**
- First Gate Breaker
He pulled up the Warden echo mentally.
It didn't manifest—too large, too conspicuous—but he felt its presence coiled inside his shadow, patient, four arms crossed, waiting for permission to step out.
A low chuckle escaped his lips. First real laugh in years.
He turned down Maple Lane—the same route he'd walked home a thousand times.
Halfway, he stopped.
A black sedan idled at the curb ahead. Tinted windows. No plates. Engine off, but exhaust still curling faintly in the rain.
Association cleanup didn't use unmarked cars.
Guild recruiters did.
The rear door opened.
A man stepped out—mid-thirties, tailored charcoal coat, silver cufflinks shaped like crossed swords. Iron Fang guild crest on the lapel.
Harlan Voss's cousin. Elias recognized the face from guild banquets he'd never been invited to.
"Mr. Crowe." The man's voice carried easily over the rain. Polite. Professional. "A word?"
Elias didn't move.
The man smiled—small, practiced.
"We monitored the Gate collapse. Single survivor. Impressive. Harlan's party was one of our best. Losing them is… costly."
He gestured to the open door.
"Dry off. Talk. Iron Fang would like to make you an offer."
Elias looked at the car.
Then at the man.
Then past him—to the shadows under the streetlamp across the street.
His own shadow stretched long in the sodium light.
Inside it, something stirred.
The Warden echo flexed one hand—silent, invisible to anyone else.
Elias smiled.
Thin.
Cold.
"No thanks."
The man's smile faltered for half a second.
"Think carefully. You're unawakened. Core shattered. No affiliation. No gear. No prospects. We can fix that. Medical. Training. A new start."
Elias stepped closer.
Rain dripped from his hair into his eyes. He didn't blink.
"I already have a new start."
He walked past the car.
The man called after him.
"You'll regret this, Crowe. Gates don't forgive weakness. And neither do we."
Elias kept walking.
Behind him, the sedan door slammed.
Engine started.
Tires hissed on wet asphalt as it pulled away.
He didn't look back.
Three blocks later he reached his building.
Six flights up.
Three deadbolts.
Inside, same as always: damp plaster, instant noodle smell, single bulb buzzing.
The unopened Hunter Association letter still sat on the counter.
FINAL REMINDER – Aptitude Reassessment Window Closed.
He picked it up.
Tore it in half.
Dropped the pieces in the trash.
Then he crossed to the window.
Rain lashed the glass.
Across the street—same rooftop as before.
No shadow this time.
Just memory.
He pressed a palm to the cold pane.
"Harlan Voss," he said quietly. "Lira Voss. Iron Fang."
Names like promises.
He turned away.
Stripped off the ruined vest. Shirt underneath was shredded, but skin beneath was unmarked. No scars from the ogre. No burns from the Warden's ichor.
Clean slate.
He sat on the edge of the narrow bed.
Closed his eyes.
Pulled up the interface one last time tonight.
**[Daily Quest Unlocked – First Night After Awakening]**
**Objective:** Absorb or manifest at least one new shadow before dawn.
**Reward:** Shadow Mana Pool +50 (permanent), Random Skill Shard ×1
**Penalty for Failure:** None (yet)
Elias opened his eyes.
Dawn was five hours away.
Plenty of time.
He stood.
Walked to the door.
Locked it behind him.
Descended the stairs.
Out into the rain.
The city waited.
Full of monsters.
Full of people who thought he was nothing.
He smiled again—sharper this time.
"Let's go hunting."
The shadows under his feet rippled once—like breathing.
Then followed.
Ten strong.
One level deeper into the night.
End of Chapter 4
The rain kept falling.
But Elias Crowe no longer minded getting wet.
He had stopped feeling cold a long time ago.