The glowing blue screen flickered in front of Arthur, confirming his new authority.
[Skill 'Shadow Extraction' is ready for use.]
[Target: Obsidian Shadow Drake.]
[Success Rate: 100% (First Extraction Bonus)]
Arthur reached out his hand toward the massive, cooling corpse of the dragon. A strange, dark energy began to swirl around his palm, cold as ice but buzzing with immense power.
"Arise," Arthur commanded.
The ground beneath the dragon began to bubble like black ink. A thick, dark shadow spread across the floor, and slowly, a spectral, knight-like version of the drake began to emerge. Its body was made of violet flames and black smoke, with eyes that glowed with a ghostly white light.
[Ding!]
[Shadow Soldier 'Igris' has been extracted!]
[Rank: Commander Grade.]
The spectral dragon-knight lowered its head, kneeling before Arthur. It was no longer a mindless monster; it was his most loyal soldier.
"Commander Grade?" Arthur muttered, feeling the sheer pressure coming from the shadow. "With this soldier, I don't even need to fight the lower levels myself."
Suddenly, a system notification flashed red, startling him.
[Warning! A high-level 'Dungeon Hunter' squad has entered the Second Floor.]
[Objective: Boss Suppression.]
[Detection: They are approaching your current location.]
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "Hunters? At this hour?"
He realized what was happening. When he killed the boss and the light pillar erupted, it must have signaled to the outside world that someone had cleared the floor. Top-tier guilds always kept an eye on these things.
"Igris," Arthur said, his voice cold. "Hide in my shadow. We aren't ready to show ourselves to the world just yet."
The massive shadow soldier dissolved into a puddle of ink and flowed into Arthur's own shadow. Arthur looked at his reflection in a piece of crystalline glass. He was covered in blood, his eyes glowing with power, and a hundred S-Rank artifacts were hidden in his inventory.
He wasn't the porter who was pushed into the pit anymore. He was the one who controlled the darkness.
"Let them come," Arthur whispered, turning toward the exit. "But they'll find nothing but dust and shadows."
He began to walk, disappearing into the mist just as the first sounds of armored boots echoed through the Crystal Forest.