Chapter 6: Into the Abyss

Raon's breath came in shallow gasps as he sliced through the creatures with brutal efficiency. His movements were fluid, every step calculated, as though the shadows themselves were guiding him. With each kill, he could feel the power within him grow—the Abyssal energy pulsing through his veins like wildfire.

Behind him, Jae-Hyun struggled to keep up. The C-Rank hunter was strong, but the creatures they were facing now were on an entirely different level. His sword sliced through a creature's chest, but it barely slowed the beast down before it lunged at him, claws extended.

"Jae-Hyun!" Raon shouted.

Without hesitation, he vanished into the shadows, reappearing beside his teammate. He pushed Jae-Hyun out of the way just as the creature's claws swept through the air. The beast screeched, its mouth opening wide to reveal rows of sharp, jagged teeth.

Raon didn't hesitate. He leaped forward, the shadow blade forming in his hand, and drove it straight into the creature's mouth. It howled in pain as the blade pierced deep into its skull, and with a final twitch, it collapsed.

Jae-Hyun stood there, wide-eyed. "Raon... how did you do that?"

Raon didn't answer. His focus was entirely on the next wave of creatures emerging from the shadows, their eyes glowing with malice. The air around him thickened with the darkness—and the Abyss was calling him.

More creatures surged forward, but Raon was already moving. He was faster, stronger, more dangerous than he had ever been before. The shadows twisted and danced around him, responding to his will. Each movement was fluid, precise, deadly. The dungeon was becoming his playground, the Abyss his weapon.

[Abyss Strike Activated.]

Raon thrust his hand forward, sending a wave of shadow toward the oncoming beasts. The darkness collided with them, tearing through their flesh like paper, leaving nothing but shredded corpses in its wake. The dungeon trembled, as if acknowledging the raw power he was wielding.

Jae-Hyun's voice came from behind him. "Raon, what is this? You—you're unstoppable."

Raon didn't answer. Instead, he focused on the next wave. There was no time to waste. The deeper they went, the more dangerous the dungeon became. The creatures, the traps, the darkness itself—everything seemed to be evolving in response to his power.

A cold chill washed over him as a new presence made itself known. The shadows at the edges of the dungeon flickered, and then something huge stepped into the light.

A creature unlike any he had seen before.

A Demon Lord.

It was taller than any human, its body covered in dark, armored plating. Its horns curled backward like the roots of an ancient tree, and its glowing red eyes locked onto Raon with an intensity that made the air crackle.

[New Enemy Detected: Demon Lord of the Abyss.]

The ground trembled beneath Raon's feet as the Demon Lord raised its massive sword, dripping with dark energy.

"Jae-Hyun, get back!" Raon shouted, feeling the power surge within him. The Abyss within him was awakening—and the time had come to see just how far he could go.

The Demon Lord swung its sword with terrifying force, and Raon barely managed to dodge, his body moving faster than he had ever imagined. He vanished into the shadows again, appearing directly above the beast.

The Abyss Walker was no longer afraid.

[Shadow Strike Activated.]

Raon's blade glowed with dark energy as he brought it down on the Demon Lord's skull. The beast roared in fury, but Raon wasn't done.

He vanished again, sinking into the shadows, reappearing to the side. This time, he didn't just strike.

He drove the shadows deeper, pulling them into the very core of the Demon Lord's body, where the dark energy surged through the creature's veins.

The Demon Lord staggered, its body convulsing as the shadows consumed it from within. The abyss was closing in.

[Critical Hit!]

[Demon Lord of the Abyss has been slain.]

The world seemed to hold its breath as the massive beast collapsed to the ground. Raon stood over it, his shadow blade still glowing with residual power. The dungeon itself seemed to shake, the air growing heavy with the aftermath of the battle.

Jae-Hyun, eyes wide, stumbled toward him. "Raon... you... you killed it. You actually killed the Demon Lord."

Raon didn't reply. He didn't need to. The Abyssal energy still throbbed within him, and with each passing moment, it was becoming clearer—this was just the beginning.

The shadows whispered to him, calling him deeper into the unknown. The Abyss Walker was no longer an E-Rank hunter. He was something more.

And the world would soon learn to fear his name.