Chapter 6: Secrets in the Shadows
The academy halls were quiet after dinner. Most students retired to their dorms.
Most.
Not me.
I moved silently through the shadowed corridors toward the hidden library.
The Arcane Shadow Codex had revealed far more than I expected.
[System Upgrade Available: Shadow Veil Technique → Shadow Manipulation]
I studied the ancient diagrams carefully.
Not just movement or hiding anymore—shadows could be used to create illusions, restrain opponents, and even spy without being detected.
The thrill of learning made my pulse quicken.
Footsteps echoed behind me.
"Lucien…"
I didn't turn.
Golden light. Soft, precise. Calm, but deliberate.
Caelum Ardent.
"You're moving fast," he said quietly.
"I know. You would notice." I finally turned slightly, letting the shadows curl around me like a cloak.
He frowned, scanning the shadows.
"Why do you hide your strength? Why not follow the script?"
I smiled faintly.
"Because the script kills me. I prefer survival."
He tilted his head.
"I see. Then we're… at a crossroads."
I felt it in his aura: subtle tension, curiosity, respect.
Dangerous.
[Hero Analysis Completed: Probability of future conflict increased]
I left him without a word.
In the dormitory, whispers were already spreading.
"Did you see him today?"
"Lucien Vaelthorne…"
"Shadow Rank S. He didn't even break a sweat during class trials."
Fear was accumulating faster than ever.
The system buzzed softly in my mind.
+45 Sin Points
Good. Very good.
I returned to the library.
The Codex suggested a trial hidden beneath the academy—an abandoned shadow dungeon.
Only top-ranked students could enter. Only those clever enough to bypass the wards.
Perfect.
I traced my fingers along the glyphs etched into the walls.
Shadow cracks appeared.
A doorway opened.
[Hidden Dungeon Access Granted: Shadow Veil Dungeon]
I stepped in.
Darkness greeted me.
But this wasn't just ordinary darkness.
It responded to me.
Shadows shifted into sharp edges, platforms, even enemies made of living darkness.
The system hummed:
[Shadow Manipulation Mastery Test Initiated]
Goal: Survive and dominate the dungeon.
Reward: Major System Evolution
I smiled.
This dungeon was not in the original story.
This is where I would grow beyond Lucien Vaelthorne.
Outside, two students lingered in the hallway.
One: a tall, arrogant fire user named Darius Valecrest.
The other: a quiet water affinity girl from the first-year class.
"Where does he go at night?" Darius hissed.
"I've heard rumors… forbidden library… secret trials," she whispered.
Observation Complete: Faction Potential Detected
Good. Let them talk. Let them plan.
I'd rather others underestimate me.
Deeper in the dungeon, I encountered my first test.
Shadows formed into spectral figures from my past—villages I had burned, innocents I had terrified as Lucien.
The system prompted:
[Sin Choice: Confront the past to gain mastery (High Risk, High Reward)]
[Ignore the past and progress safely (Low Risk, Low Reward)]
I clenched my fists.
"High Risk," I muttered.
Shadows surged.
Pain, memories, echoes of screams—they filled my mind.
But I embraced them.
Not as Lucien.
As me.
[System Alert: Emotional Integration Successful]
Shadow Manipulation Evolved: Abyss Step → Shadow Merge
I moved through the dungeon like a predator.
Every shadow obeyed.
Every illusion became real.
Every obstacle… irrelevant.
At the exit, I paused.
A golden light shimmered faintly at the far end—an observer from outside the dungeon.
[Ancient Entity Observation Detected: Interest Increasing]
I smiled.
It's finally watching me closely.
The game was only beginning.