I Was a Loner, but My Class Got Summoned to Another World…

Logan looked around. The fog wasn't as thick now, sparing his eyes the usual strain. At least twenty frogs surrounded him—maybe more—each one ready to lash out with its tongue.

But Logan didn't see enemies; they were far too weak to be.

These creatures likely had never seen a human before. Even if they had, they didn't understand the concept of a food chain, let alone that they might be on the lower end of it.

He debated taming one or simply moving on. There was no need for carnage here. At least, not for him.

Silis thought otherwise, though.

One of the frogs had dared strike her master with its nasty tongue. That alone earned her wrath. Whether or not they were poisonous didn't matter. She was a basilisk—poison resistance was among her many natural gifts.

Within seconds, four of the oversized frogs vanished into her gaping maw with little more than a crunch.

Scorch and Juggernaut both also ready to pounce, but seeing how easily Silis handled the ambushers, they backed off.

"Alright, Silis. The rest ran. Let's keep going. No point wasting time on weaklings." Logan smiled faintly, secretly pleased by her protectiveness.

[Weaklings can also be tasty,] the massive basilisk replied, cleaning her lips with a slow swipe of her tongue.

Logan nodded at her response and shifted the egg from Scorch's back to Silis instead. It was simpler this way—no need to burn extra mana shielding the egg from the large T-Rex's body heat.

A few minutes later, they resumed their journey through a dense, winding forest. The deeper they went, the more aggressive the local wildlife became. Deer, bears, wolves—even massive lion-like beasts either attacked on sight or fled into the forest.

Logan paid them no mind.

He already had more than enough of those species within his kingdom.

What he needed now was something different.

Something useful, rare, powerful, and of course, unique.

As they continued, Logan noticed something odd—the forest was subtly sloping upward. They weren't descending deeper into the labyrinth anymore. It felt like they were moving along the path of a mountain from below, perhaps tracing the underside of a real mountain's structure.

"So how long do you think we'll be traveling like this…?" Rubina asked, seated beside him atop Scorch's broad back.

It had been at least two hours since they'd entered this chamber. Everyone was quiet, restless, and more than a few were hungry.

Even if their monsters were doing most of the moving, it didn't mean the rest of them could relax. Everyone remained vigilant, watching the trees and the shadows between them.

"I think you can feel it too," Logan said quietly. "We're getting closer. I just don't know how much farther we will be going. Every few hundred meters… I can feel the temple pulling stronger."

"Yes, I can feel it too… I just can't imagine what it'll be like once we actually see it," Rubina murmured, exhaling heat slowly. "I'm already half-crazed from the mana here. I've had to constantly channel fire magic just to vent the buildup in my core. Converting darkness to fire like this… seems like a waste of mana, but it's helping."

"Yeah, same here," Logan admitted. "I've been using light magic nonstop just to stabilize it…"

Suddenly, he lifted a hand, tense and alert.

[Everyone, wait here. I need to check something out.] Logan's voice echoed across the Empathic Link.

He leapt off Scorch's back and narrowed his eyes toward the distant treeline. Something flickered there—barely visible through the mist.

It looked… like a fox. Or maybe a dog. Small, sleek, and striking.

Glowing red glyphs shimmered across its body, dancing along its midnight-black fur like runes cast in bloodlight. It wasn't large. Probably not powerful. But just those few seconds of seeing it reminded him of Luna.

That was enough.

With a burst of darkness elemental energy, Logan spread his wings—not those of Lisa, but Serana's. The ethereal, shadowy appendages allowed him to propel himself low over the forest floor, keeping close without startling the creature.

The fox-like being dashed left and right, weaving through brambles and low brush. Yet despite its agility, the creature never dimmed its glowing glyphs, making it easy to track.

Why wouldn't it shut them off? Logan wondered, heart racing.

It didn't matter.

Logan reached for his whip, already channeling shadow mana. Midnight Web—a bundle of cursed silk borrowed from Regal—formed in his hand. He flung it forward again and again, casting it wide like a net.

But he wasn't aiming to catch the creature directly.

He was driving it and herding it into a trap.

Toward something far more adept at weaving silk than he could ever be.

The true predator was already waiting.

Without a word, Regal emerged from the underbrush—silent, beautiful, and deadly. She moved like a phantom queen, her eyes glinting with focus. She didn't need direction. Her instincts were enough.

Webs burst from her limbs with mechanical precision. Like a sniper lining up every angle, she constructed a narrowing corridor—subtle, almost invisible in the fog. A labyrinth of sticky threads and anchored shadows.

The glowing fox didn't see it.

Not until it was too late.

Its paw caught the first thread, then its flank, and then finally its tail. In seconds, it was slowed, then bound—caught in the Shade Matriarch's web.

Logan descended quietly, his wings retracting. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he approached the trapped creature.

It growled low, cornered but not entirely afraid.

Logan reached into his storage, pulling out three darkness elemental crystals. He tossed the first gently near the fox.

It hesitated, then cautiously lifted a paw.

The glyphs along its fur pulsed brighter as it placed one paw over the crystal. In an instant, the crystal began to dissolve—its energy siphoned directly into the creature's body.

It did the same with the second and the third.

Then it looked up at Logan—eyes filled with intelligence, wary… but waiting.

Logan exhaled slowly.

"At least you don't look scary now." He muttered before turning towards the large shadow beside him.

"Thanks, Regal," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "You did a great job. I just hope you don't start acting like Victor now and spend all your time lurking in the shadows."

[Best for me, darkness energy is strong, will make me go mad.] She replied, going back into the shadow. Logan knew what she wanted, and he passed her more than a few crystals.

Logan then nodded before getting a glimpse of Regal, who showed a part of herself while reaching out for the rest of the crystals, she had grown considerably.

Curious, Logan opened her stat page with a flick of mana, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the entries.

She hadn't used a basic trap.

She'd activated Umbral Lattice and layered it with Queen's Duskstep—shadow magic woven into capture techniques that would have been nearly impossible to detect.

So that's how she did it… Logan thought, impressed. She hunted it like it was prey worth her time just to keep it alive.

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Name: Regal / Species: Phantome Matriarch (Primordial Blessing: Darkness Element / Shade Element)

/ Level: 80 / Blood Mark: Crown Thorax / Loyalty: 100/100

Strength: 92 / Agility: 122 / Dexterity: 134 / Constitution: 89 / Intelligence: 102 /  Charisma: 75

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Skills:

Shadow Bolt: Fires a condensed bolt of dark energy that disorients and damages enemies. Leaves a lingering veil that distorts perception and lowers accuracy.

Venomous Bite: Injects abyssal venom that corrodes from within, weakening enemy defense and mobility over time.

Midnight Web: Weaves shadow-thread traps that bind, slow, and drain mana. These webs resist fire and light purification and interrupt teleportation.

Dark Pulse: Unleashes a shockwave of darkness from her body, damaging and pushing enemies back while briefly stunning those with low resistance.

Eclipse Cloak (Enhanced): Grants full invisibility and partial intangibility for up to 10 seconds. Her next attack from stealth is guaranteed to critically strike and applies Terror to nearby enemies.

Shadow Minions (Broodlings): Summons up to 30 shadow spiderlings infused with darkness. Each can latch, poison, explode, or swarm on command. Their damage scales with Regal's Intelligence.

Silken Execution: A high-speed impalement using razor-threaded silk. It deals massive piercing damage and causes rupture if the target is below 25% health.

Matron's Grudge (Ultimate): Summons eight spectral limbs of darkness and silk that strike all enemies around her. Each hit bypasses magical barriers, drains mana, and inflicts Hemorrhage. Enemies killed erupt into webs that bind others.

Eclipse Nest: Creates a sealed dimension of shadow, trapping up to three enemies for 20 seconds. Inside, Regal and her minions attack freely without outside interference.

Queen's Duskstep: Regal melds into surrounding shadows and teleports across the battlefield. Her next attack deals bonus critical damage and has a 50% chance to apply Terror.

Umbral Lattice: Spreads a wide network of shadow threads across the terrain. Enemies who cross them are tracked, slowed, and gradually fatigued. Allies gain stealth and speed when moving along the web.

Abilities:

Monarch Threadweave (Passive): All threads created by Regal gain arcane resilience. They absorb ambient mana, cannot be easily dispelled, and weaken enemies entangled for extended durations.

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