The Awakening of Strength and Shadows of Deception
Zaren sat in his hotel room, his mind racing. The words from the priest echoed in his thoughts, sending a chill down his spine. "Monsters... Gates... The Death Primordial..." He clenched his fists.
"Damn it! If this is true, then I need to prepare!" he muttered under his breath. Without wasting another second, he activated his teleportation skill. "Teleportation!"
In an instant, he disappeared from his room, reappearing inside the dungeon where he had been hunting before. The air was thick with the stench of blood and rotting flesh. The growls of monstrous creatures echoed in the distance. Zaren wasted no time. He dashed through the dungeon, cutting down any beast that stood in his way. His sword slashed through the darkness, and in mere moments, he stood before the dungeon boss.
The monster was a hulking behemoth, twice his size, its eyes burning with an eerie light. It roared, shaking the cavern walls. Zaren smirked, gripping his weapon tighter.
"Let's end this quickly."
With a single powerful slash, infused with his dark aura, the boss fell to its knees. It let out one final shriek before collapsing. The dungeon trembled, signaling its completion. Zaren grabbed the monster's head as proof and teleported out.
Back in the guild, Maria was standing near the counter when Zaren appeared before her in an instant. She gasped and stumbled back. "Z-Zaren?!" She lost her balance, but before she could fall, Zaren grabbed her hand, steadying her.
She quickly withdrew her hand, her cheeks flushing. "Oh, um… You… Did you clear the dungeon already?"
Zaren casually tossed the severed monster head onto the counter. "Yeah. Here's your proof."
Maria blinked in disbelief. "You… You really did it this fast?! That dungeon was supposed to take days to clear!"
Zaren shrugged. "It wasn't that tough. Where do I collect my payment?"
Maria quickly composed herself. "Oh, um… Go to the receptionist desk. They'll handle your reward."
Zaren took his payment and walked out, thinking to himself, "That should be enough for today."
But he wasn't done yet. If what he learned from the priest was true, he needed to grow stronger. He needed more training.
---
Zaren made his way to Brannor's blacksmith shop, hoping to see the old man. But as he approached, he noticed something was off. The shop looked different, and inside, unfamiliar voices echoed.
Peering inside, he saw three men sitting around, laughing and drinking. "That old bastard Brannor was such a fool!" one of them sneered. "We tricked him with fake papers, and he actually thanked us! What an idiot!"
Zaren's blood boiled.
"This place is ours now," another man chuckled. "That fool actually believed we had permission from the king."
Zaren stepped into the shop, his eyes darkened with rage. The three men turned towards him. One of them scowled. "Hey, who the hell are you?"
Zaren didn't answer. Instead, he punched the man straight in the face. Blood splattered as the thug crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
The second man lunged at him, but Zaren dodged and landed a powerful punch to his gut, sending him flying into the wall. He, too, fell unconscious. The third man trembled, trying to back away, but before he could escape, Zaren kicked him in the chest, knocking him out cold.
He looked around at the empty shop, his fists clenched. "Damn bastards… Brannor doesn't deserve this."
---
Meanwhile, Brannor sat on a street bench, staring at the ground. He sighed, lost in thought. "Corvin… What should I do?" He thought about asking Zaren for help but felt ashamed. "I have no place to stay now… No food… What am I supposed to do?"
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him. He looked up to see Zaren sitting beside him.
"Zaren? What are you doing here?"
"Just walking around," Zaren said casually. He turned to Brannor. "I heard what happened. Those guys tricked you, didn't they?"
Brannor sighed. "You know, huh…? I was foolish. I'm not well-educated, and they acted so convincingly… I believed them."
Zaren leaned back on the bench. "Why don't I give you some money? You don't have to worry about earning for a while."
Brannor looked shocked. "I… I can't take that, Zaren."
Zaren smiled. "If Corvin were here, he would've done the same. You're like a father to me, Brannor. I don't have my father in this world… Let me help you."
Brannor's eyes filled with tears. Overwhelmed, he hugged Zaren tightly. "Thank you… Thank you so much…"
Zaren smiled, patting his back. "Don't mention it."
---
The next day, Zaren was back in his training spot, determined to master a new skill: Legion Self. This skill allowed him to create duplicates of himself, each as strong as him, though they lacked independent thought. He had to control them himself.
He attempted his first summon. "Legion Self!"
Nothing happened.
He gritted his teeth. "Damn it!"
Memories of training with Corvin flooded his mind. He smiled slightly, recalling their countless sparring sessions.
Taking a deep breath, he focused. "Again! Legion Self!"
A shadow formed, and suddenly, a perfect duplicate of himself stood before him. "It worked…!"
Zaren examined the duplicate. It was identical in every way. "Lumis, can you control it for me?"
"Yes, sir."
In an instant, the duplicate lunged at him. Before Zaren could react, it kicked him, then used Red Eye and punched him in the head, sending him flying.
"Ahh! Damn! Stop!" Zaren shouted.
The duplicate froze.
Panting, Zaren groaned. "Okay… That hurt…"
Lumis spoke. "Sir, if mastered, this skill will allow you to create an entire army with your power. However, controlling them manually is difficult. I can relay your orders to them."
Zaren grinned. "That makes things easier. Let's try again."
---
Meanwhile, in Doryos Kingdom, Finn sat in his office, deep in thought. "How do I recruit Zaren? If he refused Jaxon's offer, how am I supposed to convince him?"
His vice guild master entered. "Sir Finn, do you need something?"
Finn stood. "We're leaving for Elyria."
The vice guild master's eyes widened. "Sir, why?!"
"I want to recruit that SSS-rank hunter, Zaren."
"But our king won't allow it! You have too much work to do!"
Finn smirked. "I'll inform the king myself."
Moments later, Finn stood in the royal garden, addressing the king, whose children played nearby.
"I need to leave for Elyria," Finn stated.
The king frowned. "What? You have responsibilities here!"
"I'll finish them after returning," Finn reassured.
The king sighed. "Fine. But you can't take the guild master with you. He must manage the guild in your absence."
Finn nodded. "Understood."
As he walked away, a determined smirk crossed his face. "Zaren… I'll make sure you join us."
---
Zaren, unaware of Finn's plan, stood in his training ground, watching his duplicate vanish into thin air. "This power… I can take on multiple SSS-ranks at once. But for now… I'll keep it hidden."
The storm was coming, and Zaren was ready for it.
(Chapter 23 Fin)