Solo Leveling : 10 Shadow Technique

On the other side of the gate, a grieving family and two girls bonded over the loss of their true love.

"You know, I met him when I was eight. He was a great man, always helping everybody," Antoneth said, sobbing as she hugged Yuki, Finn's fake girlfriend.

"I only fell in love with him because of how he always helped," Yuki sobbed in response.

Moments later, someone caught sight of movement. "Is—is that him?" they stammered.

Finn stepped out of the gate, his only damage being a shirt that had disintegrated due to venom. He spotted some food and instantly sank into his shadow, emerging with a hotdog in hand. "Thanks, man. I've been in there for hours. I just need my food," he said casually, unwrapping it.

A teenage girl ran toward him. "Brother! You're okay!" His mother and baby brother followed, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Yeah, it's cool. I got some new powers now, no need to worry," Finn reassured them.

Just then, men in black suits approached. "Mr. Picador, due to your reawakening, you must undergo a rank evaluation test."

Finn sighed, taking another bite of his hotdog. "Yeah, yeah. Let's get this over with."

//--\\

The next day, Finn traded a hydra fang for customized weapons forged from the other two hydra fangs. Now, he stood in front of the Mana Sensing Stone.

"Please place your hand against the orb," the female examiner instructed.

Finn did as he was told, and the orb immediately lit up—glowing an intense, bright purple.

Hours later, he found himself standing in an arena, facing off against two S-Rank Hunters. At his side was another S-Rank Hunter, one of the few still remaining in the Philippines.

"I'm telling you, Peter, he still lacks experience," Jean remarked. She was the second S-Rank Hunter in the country, her fists ablaze as she sparred.

"Yeah, but he's already strong enough," Peter, the first S-Rank Hunter, replied. Most of the other S-Rank Hunters had left for other countries, leaving only these three behind.

Finn sweat-dropped, listening to their conversation. Before he could react, Sean—the S-Rank standing beside him—spoke up. "Hey, kid, join my guild. You can come and go as you please."

Finn thought it over for a moment before shaking Sean's hand. "Sounds good to me."

//--\\

Outside, Finn skimmed through the guild contract. "Man, this guy has a solid business proposal," he muttered before signing it. Just like that, he became a member of Sean's guild—with the freedom to leave whenever he wanted.

"So, boss, where are we heading first?" Finn asked with a grin.

"We're going to an A-Rank Gate," Sean replied, setting up his seatbelt. "You need real combat experience. You can't just rely on instinct alone."

Finn nodded. "So, when am I officially an S-Rank Hunter?"

Sean glanced at him before smirking. "Oh, you're already S-Rank. You just need more experience. Maybe after fifty missions or so, we'll see."

Finn simply nodded, a mischievous thought crossing his mind. So now I can do whatever I want, and no one's gonna stop me, huh?

//--\\

Days later, Finn found himself surrounded by goblins. Their grotesque green faces twisted into sneers as they brandished rusted weapons, eyes filled with bloodlust. But despite being outnumbered, Finn only smirked.

"Man, you guys must be real proud, huh?" he mused, stretching his arms. "Ganging up on one guy like this. Classic goblin behavior."

One of the goblins let out a screech and charged at him, club raised. Finn sighed, reaching into his shadow. With a smooth motion, he pulled out his katana, unsheathing it in one swift motion. The scabbard fell into his shadow as he gripped the handle with both hands.

"Alright, let's dance."

With a clean slash, he cut down the first goblin, then spun on his heel just in time to block an incoming club strike from another. The force rattled his arms, but he held firm.

Before the goblin could retreat, Finn let go of his sword with one hand and caught another goblin lunging at him. His fingers wrapped around its head, and immediately, dark purple venom began seeping from his palm. The goblin screeched as the toxin ate through its skin, reducing its skull to a mushy pulp.

Finn exhaled. "Ugh, that is not a pretty way to go."

Letting his katana drop back into his shadow, he rolled his shoulders. "Alright, time to get serious."

Dark purple venom began pooling behind him, twisting and crystallizing into massive, jagged wings. Their glossy surface shimmered under the dungeon's dim lighting. He brought his hands together, forming a hand sign.

From the depths of his shadow, something enormous began to emerge—a monstrous serpent with obsidian scales and piercing violet eyes.

"Time to feast, big guy," Finn said with a grin.

The Great Serpent hissed before lunging forward, tearing through goblins like a scythe through wheat. Meanwhile, Finn flapped his venom wings and took to the air. As he soared above the battlefield, dark shards of venom formed around him.

"Hope you guys like fireworks," he called down.

With a flick of his fingers, the Venom Prisms rained down onto the battlefield, embedding themselves in the goblins. For a moment, everything was silent. Then—BOOM! The shards exploded, sending green limbs and black blood flying in every direction.

Finn chuckled. "Man, I should start charging for the show."

Just as he was about to fly toward the gate, a deep, guttural roar echoed through the cavern. Finn turned, raising an eyebrow. From the shadows of the dungeon, a group of orcs emerged—taller, bulkier, and far more armored than the goblins.

One particularly massive orc, wielding a giant cleaver, stomped forward and let out a battle cry.

"Ah, great," Finn muttered. "Bigger goblins with an attitude problem."

The orcs rushed him all at once. Finn barely dodged the first strike, twisting in midair as a blade whizzed past his head. He landed lightly on the ground and grinned.

"Alright, guys, one at a time, please. I know I'm popular, but sheesh."

An orc came at him with a massive hammer. Finn jumped up, planting his foot on the hammer's handle before flipping over the orc's head. Midair, he summoned his katana from his shadow and slashed downward. The blade cut clean through the orc's thick neck.

"Boom! Headshot!" Finn quipped as the body crumpled.

Another orc swung a club at his side. Finn ducked, then countered with a venom-coated punch to its gut. The orc gagged, clutching its stomach as purple venom rapidly spread through its body.

"You ever wonder what it's like to have your insides melt? No? Well, surprise!"

The orc collapsed with a sickening gurgle.

Before he could celebrate, the leader charged at him, cleaver raised. Finn barely had time to raise his sword to block. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed, the impact pushing Finn back.

"Okay, wow, you hit like a truck," Finn admitted. "Respect."

The orc snarled and swung again. This time, Finn dodged low, rolling under the swing before slicing at the orc's legs. The blade cut deep, making the creature stumble. Finn took the opening and vaulted onto its back, pressing his palm against its head.

"Nighty night," he whispered.

Venom seeped from his palm, covering the orc's face. It let out a strangled cry before collapsing.

With the orcs defeated, Finn dusted himself off. "Whew. That was a workout."

But before he could fully relax, another roar shook the dungeon. A massive figure stepped out from the shadows—an ogre, towering over everything. It had thick, gray skin, rippling muscles, and a massive spiked club resting on its shoulder.

Finn let out a low whistle. "Well, someone skipped leg day but went all in on upper body."

The ogre let out an earth-shaking roar and charged.

Finn smirked. "Alright, big guy, let's see what you got."

As the ogre swung its club, Finn flapped his wings, propelling himself backward just in time to dodge. Midair, he twisted his right wing, reshaping parts of it into a massive, jagged sword made entirely of hardened venom.

"You like big weapons? Me too."

Finn dove toward the ogre, slashing with his venom sword. The ogre tried to dodge, but the blade still cut deep into its left shoulder, slicing down to its stomach.

The ogre howled in pain, its wound already beginning to heal.

Finn raised an eyebrow. "Oh, great, you're one of those guys. Should've brought a flamethrower."

The ogre swung again, forcing Finn to back off. Instead of engaging up close, Finn smirked and raised a hand.

"Alright, enough playing around."

Above him, a colossal sword made of crimson venom materialized. It hovered ominously before plummeting toward the ogre. The beast tried to dodge, but it wasn't fast enough. The blade sliced deep, but not enough to kill.

The ogre roared, preparing to counter.

Finn just grinned and snapped his fingers.

The venom sword that had embedded itself in the ogre suddenly expanded, covering its entire body in a writhing, acidic mass. The ogre let out a final, agonized roar before the venom consumed it completely, leaving behind nothing but scorched bones.

Finn landed, clicking his tongue. "Man, that skin would've made some great armor. Oh well, can't win 'em all."

He picked up the mana stone from the remains and let his shadow expand, swallowing the surrounding corpses. His Shikigami within his shadow devoured the bodies, growing stronger with each meal.

Summoning Piercing Ox, Finn climbed on top of it and glanced toward the next gate.

"Alright, that's two down," he muttered, patting his mount. "Let's go for the third one."

And with that, he rode off toward his next challenge.