Super in the Shadows

The best bosses are scary, powerful, and one-man armies. This one is no exception. ENJOY!

.

.

.

“WHAT?!!!”

Jack screamed, and so did the creatures, except they screamed in elation.

Then, a second later, he understood two things: one, why they were rejoicing, and two, why the portals had been as big as houses in the first place.

[New Side-Mission! Slay the BOSS!]

As IT spawned, everything changed. Slay! How were they supposed to slay that thing?! Also, what was up with its appearance? It almost looked like—oh god!

Jack trembled, with reason…

[Aggro Rising! You’re HATED!]

[Aggro Rising! You’re HATED!]

[Aggro Rising! You’re HATED!]

….

The creature was maddening.

Ginormous, as tall as a building, and its appearance was grotesque. It looked like a towering worm or snake, yet its horrifying head was one of a giant wolf?!

Then there was its aura. It was one of black and white and despair. Shadows flared through its body like flames, one covered with fur, scales, and wrinkly skin.

It was the worst abomination ever— and its hate was all his.

"Rrraaaughhh! Skreeeooowww! Grrraaaashhh!"

The creature's terrifying eyes locked on him, and it slithered their way. No, slithering was the wrong term. Its body gouged the white plane open, and anything in its way.

The ground ruptured open, the wolves exploded in ink, losing all vitality, and so did any idiotic goblin standing in its path. Then again, even the ones jumping to the sides died.

The thing was colossal and FAST!

As soon as Jack saw it, he knew he couldn’t fight this monster. There was no strategy, there was no counter-play, there was only death!

[Shadow Overlord Has Targeted You!]

As for the distance they had covered running away before? The creature slithered it all in an instant. But that didn’t mean that he’d let himself get killed that easily, either.

He rushed toward the nearest wolf, jumping on its shadow back.

“RIDE! We’re luring it away! GO! GO! GO! GO!”

He felt the wolf under him erupt with power, its mighty legs pushing the ground underneath them as they accelerated, and the whole shadow-riding experience felt more than strange.

He could sense the soft fur brush against him, and yet none of it felt real at the same time. He would have enjoyed it if it had been any other time, but now he just couldn’t.

"Rrraaaughhh! Skreeeooowww! Grrraaaashhh!"

Death was already on their tail! They had barely covered a few meters when it happened. The slithering creature caught them off, its maw powerfully snapping at him with perfect precision.

The wolf jumped sideways. Jack even launched himself off.

It was useless; it was all freaking useless.

The gaping maw was so huge that it didn’t matter. He could only have gotten out of the attack’s radius if he could warp like Lilly. With this, it was already over.

The world around him turned dark as the creature’s maw engulfed him, and in there, he saw atrocities. LOTS and LOTS of shadow cores lined the inside of the creature.

‘So that’s how it is? This thing’s literally made of Ink Wolves.’

‘The perfect counter. Faster, deadlier, and crazier.’

‘I’m sorry, Lilly, sorry I fucked up.’

…

His last thought went to his sister. She didn’t deserve this. It was his own arrogance that had brought him here, his own selfishness. He had wanted power to protect his family, and now…

Regret. Deep and profound regret, at least toward the outcome. Then there was the rage, one at the unfairness. ‘This shit ain’t a White Portal, I swear!’

Yet raging or despairing wouldn’t do anything. Knowing it was over, he grabbed his Volstrike with both hands and struck. He aimed for the Shadow Cores inside the creature.

As the Mana reached the target, many exploded in a purple mist.

[Dealt a Great Blow, but at What Cost…]

[Dealt a Great Blow, but at What Cost…]

[Dealt a Great Blow, but at What Cost…]

…

“At least imma die standing.”

He laughed in self-derision. That was no consolation, but that was the only one he had. And just like that it ended, shadows overwhelmed him and— SHATTER! SHATTER! There was suddenly a change.

Shadow tentacles appeared, prying the maw open as they rescued him! And that’s when a berserker Shadow appeared, its entire body flickering in anger as it burned its life force itself.

Then came the truest and most eldritch war cry ever.

.

.

N̷̡͙̺̲̣̯̻̈́̊̄̃̐̚̚͘̕͝ͅÓ̶̫̱͚͇͔̂̅̑͌̿̏͘͝Ơ̶̥̮͔̼̦̭̺̮̠͚̒̓͑̀̏̎N̷̨̥̻̄̎̇̓͘͜ͅE̴̡̘͎̫͓̳͎̪͆̎̾̔̉ ̷̨͕̖̠̳̖͍̦̠̬̓͐̍͊͗͘͝Ţ̶͈͆͌̊́̐̓͋̎̚̚O̷̲͇̾̔̇́U̷͖̮̰̇̇̋̃͗̒̾͝͠C̷̖͚͚͈̝̤̗̳̊̐̽̒̚ͅH̶̡̱͚͔̀̃͑͛͌͗̅E̵͙̖̘̒̇͐͜ͅS̸̖͍̗̯͖̫͔̩̓̄͠ ̷̙͐̔͋͑̂M̴̧̛̲̦̯͉̪̬̎̆̀̈̂̍̃̽͝Ȳ̶̨̢̺̱̖̣͐͋͝ ̴̦͕̒̀̇́͘͝Ḫ̶̃̎́̔̄̎U̷͉̥̼̗̫͙͚͕̰͊͜M̸̨̢̞̬͈̠̌̊̍̌͒̆̀̕͝A̶͍̤̭̦̟̩̘̹̼͌͒̄͒͘͝N̴̨̖̻̻͍̞̹͎͖͌͗ ̷̛̳͓̙͉͚̳̖̎̑̒̈́̓̌̑͛͝ͅB̷̨͔̲̮̜̦̻̭̲̅͒̋̿͋̕͘͝U̴͉̦̟̹͛̆͋̚͜ͅŢ̶̡̣̼̫̞̣̎͒̅̌̾̈́̈́͛̚ ̵̛̮̬͇̺̺͗͊̋̕͘͜M̸̛͔͉̥̙̺̃͜͝E̸̡͖̺̤̫̹̩͍͋̔̾̆̋͛̆͜!̴̧̘̥͔̙͈̝͓͈̈͠ ̶̯̻̮̳̘̝͇͛͗̈́͆͜Ḣ̴̖̱͉̘̦̥̣͉͆͆̎͛̔͑̓̆E̵͈̥͔͔̝̰̖̓̏͘͘ ̶͖̙̥͈̀͋͛S̵̪͇͌̕T̵̩̲̘͕̦̲͈̙̞̋́̏̊̀͑͗̌͜I̵̧̡̨̭̘͒̀̀͗̚͠ͅL̶̢̻̙̞̩̠̺͈͈͛́̎̆͆͑̐̌͂̅Ĺ̸̹̘̜̟̤͍͊ ̵̨̯̝̗̽̉̀̎͛̊͐Ḧ̴̖͉̖̘̙͙́̈͆̋̚A̸̘̳̝̮̹͍͋S̶̢̖͔̫̣͋͊͋̈̃̓̐͒͛ ̶̛̊̄̅̑̏͝ͅM̸̛̳̜͙̙̋͑O̵̠̗͕̱̳͔̪̫͒̈͂͋̓̈̾͊Ŗ̸̢̲̦̿̚ͅͅḘ̵̛̼̖̋̈́͂͆͜ ̶̗̺̙́T̶̺͓͗̐̔̈́̈́̚Ö̵̫̮̙̱̜̟̭̠̺̞̇̃̓̒̍̇̊̌͗ ̷̨̤͚̫̖̒T̷̞͆̀̍͊̈͌Ẽ̵̬̖̬̐̇̈͗̀̕Á̸̺͒͌̀͑̿̋͘C̴͎͎͍̳̮͈̿͜H̵͚̣̘̑ͅ ̵̗͒͐̅̔̃̍̎Ư̵̞͇͕̹͉͖̰͕̪̐̔̽̕͠S̷̛̛̙̈̃͋̎́͗͋̚.̴͎̣̣̫͖̮̖̫̫̈́̀͆̕̚ ̵̨͍͈̗̣̳̅̀̅̎͊̈͘͠H̵̖̊̉͑͝E̵̝͖͇͐̽̀̈́̐̽̂͐̕ ̷̢̼͚͇̭̠̬̅̾S̴̨͍̩͈̭̒͆͛̉͆̃̂̽̈́͘Ţ̴̛̖̘̩̬̭̑͒͆̄͌I̷̧̥̜̿̾͋͋̏̋̒L̷͔͋͌́̈́̌̀Ḽ̴̢̣̬̗̒̓͛͑ ̴̥̘͉͊̆͌̊̓͘H̸̩͇̗͕͇̝͙̔̋̑̊̏́̏̈́͝͝ͅA̵̳̱̠͖̭̾̏̒̾̆͝S̶̝̲̩͇̠͎̺̖͙̱̽͂͑͂̍͌͒͝ ̴̝̣͚͇͐͊̈́Ă̸̩̦̳̻̻̌͑̚ ̷̦̬̮̯̼͍̮̪͚͆̽̈́̕̚F̸̳̥̣̿A̸̜̜̺͖̜̲̳͓͒͋͜͠M̷̺̱̝̣͈̟͚̈́̈́͂̿̊̅͘͘͝Í̷̛͈̣̑̎̈͘͝͝L̴̻͉͗̅Ŷ̵̨̡̢͖̜̼͍̜̮̀̉̌͝ ̵͕͉͖̬̻̜͇̠̟̆̈́̄̄̔͂͛͜T̸̜̻̭́̈O̴̱̯̙͙͓͒̏ͅͅ ̵̧̦̥̊̐̀̿͠P̸͖̠̓͆͒̊͗̿͘̚͠R̵̢̙̫͇̝̹̯͆͆̊͐̕͠͝O̶̤͊͋̌̌̃T̴̹̘̤́̊E̶̡̮̣̗̗̪̾̅̉̕C̶̡͖̥̬͎̏͠T̷̥̯́.̸̯̬̯̍̏̈́͗͐̄͂́͠ ̶̢̢͈̮̏̊̔͛̅̀͊̓̋͝H̷̨̧̰͉̦͚͍̭̱̥̚É̵̜̖̭̻̦̦̈́͌͒̍̀͑̐̒'̷̖̂͐̎̕L̶̟̀͐̌̂̂̈͘͘͠L̸̳̥͐͝ ̶̛̞̼̮͛̀̈́̋̉͗̄Ş̴̣̖͙̰̟̟̙̈̅̀̃͠A̶͚͇̟̳͎̻͆̀̈́̈́͑͜͠ͅV̷̻̻̮̘̮̪̻̅͗̍Ȩ̸̝̥̿̏̇͠ͅ ̸̧̹̺̣̰̝̼̮̒̃̒́̈́̂́͝T̴̳͇̺̩̭̙̟̀̕H̷̢̖͍͉̠̰͖̮̩̝̔̅̑̉̑̔́̉I̶͇̲̞̘̤̪̰̐̈̉̇̉̑̽̾ͅŚ̶̢̢̟̼̻͙͕̠͈͂̋͊̄̀̏̍͝ ̸̨̩͑̅͗͘̚͝͠W̸̜̮̙̘̞̳̫̏͌̇̃̍̿͝Ŏ̶̡̐͗̈͌̊̌͆͘͘Ṟ̷̢̛̞͔̠͔̱̯̑̀͋͋̋̑L̶̯̽̀̄̽̆͘D̶͔̻͓̅̓͛͋,̴̡̝̖̘͓͔̟̔̒́̓̍͋ ̵̡͚̞͒͌͒͊̔̈́̽͘̚ͅͅĄ̷͚̮̹͈̱͙̑Ń̵̠̲̳͊̂̂̔̕͘̚͜Ḑ̸̨̰͙̥͚͈̯͊̎͆͑̌̋̓̚͝ͅ ̴̛͕̦͖͉͌̐̑̎̃̊Ṫ̷̢̤̥̠͉̱̥͊̌Ḩ̷̨̫͚͚̮̦̦͐̌̋̒͒́̀̔͝Ê̷͕̘̲̩̠͈͜N̷͓͍͉͗͒̀̅ ̴̘̜͈̋̾̐͐̒̽̆̽̉͜ͅG̴͖̭̙̗̩̱̥̀͜ͅͅO̶̡̞̬͕̓ ̶̳̯̈́̎B̴̧̭̯̬͚̟̦̱̦͙͑A̴̛̛̛̭͈̹̫̤̥̘̎̅̔̓̿̕͝ͅC̷̠̬̥͔͈̖͚̙̆͂̃͛͊̕K̶̩̱̰͚̫͕̀̓́̂ ̴̼͇͍͉̰͎̹͆̆͛͜T̸͎̺̬̜̙͛ͅͅƠ̴̧̩̮̦̗̟̠̓͒̈̒̄̕͠ ̸̨̼̥͚̳͐̓͂͒͋̈̚̕͝Ţ̴̛̝̅͐̎H̶̡͙̺̝̘̠̮̊̔̚̚͝E̵̞̱̤̫̔̃̓͒̃̒͠͝ ̶̼͛̍͌̅͂̋͝B̸̢̛̭̱͌̔̋͗̃̍͆͝Ļ̸̳̙̄̀Ư̶̢͕̱̼͙͓͎̭̾̈́̏́͒̔̑̿͘Ę̷͈̘͐̏̅͗ ̷̯̥̳̙́̍͌̓̆́̕P̷̨̭̺̤̩̺̝̩̌͆͋Ḽ̵̜̱̗̜̳͌̈͜A̸̛̗̖͖̖̗͊͆͜͜͜͝͝N̵̛̪̻͇̳̩̻̣͎̻̈́͗̆̓͒͘ͅE̸̡̠̟̹̞̕T̴̨̛͙̪͎̟̳̲̳͙̍̇́͐̕͝͝!̶̛̞͕͚̯̝͓͆͛̿̏̓͜͜͝ ̷̢̫̦̰͎̃͠͝͝T̸̢͕͓̫͕͈̤̠̝̺͋͑͗͊͌H̵̺͖̫̝͔̅͆Ḙ̷͒̇N̸̜̏̒͑̿ ̸̦̗̲͔͎̥̭̓͆͊͑̾͑̏̎͘͜͜ͅH̷̛̞̰͚̳̘͕̰̼͗̍́̽̈́͑̃͠É̶̥͊̉̂͑͑̊͒'̴̲͑̈́̐̍͠͝Ḽ̴̻̝̗̐́̍̇͘͝L̵̡̲͓̥͈͍͍̝̊̃̓̾͒́ ̷͚̞͕̈̀̾͌̐͊̐́͝L̶̡͍̞̲͚̩̜̗̥̯͝I̸̘͍̖̞̔͂̈͊͑V̶͕̤̀͌͐͋Ȩ̴̥̘̙̱͓͇͒̏̈͑͌̽̽̑͐͝ ̸̪̺̬̊͐̐̔͐T̷̬̫̥̃͂͗̔̈͒̔̂̃Ȟ̵̩͕̱̥͖͇̔͊͛͗́̕É̴̠͎̆̍͋̔ ̷̗̯̭̜͕̭͊́̈́͆̒̔͜͝͝B̴̻̪̠͂͌͆͐͑́̌E̵̼̟̭̬̖͍͙̫̖̋̈́̀͒͋͝͝S̷̨̼̗̱̤̭̬͘ͅT̷̢̛̮͔͉̜̬̱̳̙̣̾̐͊͌̃̉̒̀͝ ̶̨̻̝̈́̍̔F̴̢̛͙̖̲̯͋́́̾̽̃͊̀͘Ư̷̧̝̮͚̙͓͇̈́̎͆͐̅͐̾̐̅C̵̜͓̩̻̜̻͇̭̊͂̄̈́̑̚ͅǨ̸̖̜͙͚͉̲̘̫̠̘͑̓͝Ḯ̸̢̧̼̍̔́̒N̸̠̲̆Ǵ̵̨͙͎̯͚̜̏ͅ ̴̡̨̨̥͇͉͆͂̉̋̀̿́̕͝ͅL̶͎̟̜̥͐̊͌̋̐I̸̧͙̞͚̙͍͗͐F̷͚̮͈̰̰͋͊̎́͂̚̚͠͠E̴̢̨̔͒ ̴̛̛̗̀̂̾̈̽̔̌E̸̟̘͇͖͛V̷̘̘͓͍̱͚͆̀͛̽̎ͅE̴̛̳̲͓̙͈͊R̶̩̳̭̹͍͛ ̴̭̄̎̇̎͆̓̅̿̏͝ͅȀ̵̦̤̮̼̾̀͊̐͊̀S̵̢̧̬͈͚̼̽̓̂̎̒͆̎ ̴̡̖̱̯̲̖̓Ḩ̵̘̻̹͚͈̝̥̝̗́̓̐̒͗́̈́E̷͉͇̤̎̀͝—̸̨̨̛̛͖̐̇̅

.

.

Jack felt the care from it.

Even as his world had been threatened, Shadow hadn’t been that angry.

Even as his brethren had been slaughtered, he had kept his cool.

Even as his own existence was attacked, he had been fine.

…

But enough was enough. As he rampaged, years of loneliness were coming out. He didn’t care about the cost. He wouldn’t let the ONLY human who had ever cared die!

That’s when the craziest stalemate happened.

Shadow VS Shadow Overlord

Eldritch Shadow Summoner VS Mighty Abomination

Terrifying Shadow Tentacles VS World-Ending Maw and Body

…

This wasn’t a fight Jack had the qualifications to participate in. This earth-shattering duel would have made a giant ape and a giant lizard’s scuffles seem like child-play.

As if Jormungand, the creature slithered and bit while Shadow kept the shadow tentacles onslaught going! The white plane trembled, and so did anyone watching.

But that wasn’t the craziest part. Even now, the creature wanted JACK!

[Shadow Overlord is still Targeting You!]

[Shadow Overlord is still Targeting You!]

[Shadow Overlord is still Targeting You!]

…

If it hadn’t been for Shadow stopping it over and over, he would have died already. But one thing was clear: protecting him took a toll on his eldritch friend.

Without waiting, Jack jumped on a wolf’s back, and then…

“Later, you fucker! Hope you die in a ditch, you shitty snake. You couldn’t even deal with one human? How useless are you? Choke on those shattered Shadow Cores of yours!”

Even as he left, he taunted. The more he could rile up the creature, the worse its performance would be on the battlefield. Thus, he quickly left, flipping it the bird.

The creature understood the motion, and it raged even more.

As its body trembled with hate, Shadow pressed on. Some of his tentacles managed to slip inside its mouth, shattering a few more cores. But just as Jack was about to rejoice…

[Shadow Overlord used Shadow Curse!]

All of a sudden, IT happened! A shadowy, ethereal arrow escaped the creature, one that flew right at him. It was so fast that he never had any chance to dodge. It flew right inside him!

Undodgeable?! What kind of overpowered attack was this?!

[Affected by Shadow Curse: DEATH ARENA!]

[Affected by Shadow Curse: DEATH ARENA!]

[Affected by Shadow Curse: DEATH ARENA!]

….

The world around him changed.

His body exploded with darkness, and that darkness spread all over the battlefield, filling it completely. Then toward the edge, dreadful black burning walls appeared.

Wait, arena was it? That’s when he understood. This wasn’t a damaging ability; it was an imprisoning one. And from the boundary, he could feel incredible dread.

‘A single touch and I’ll die. I gotta remain here.’

"Rrraaaughhh! Skreeeooowww!"

The creature cackled.

So what if Shadow protected Jack? He wasn’t the only one who had friends. And that’s when ALL the nearby enemies turned his way with evil grins. They wouldn’t miss it.

They charged at him, knowing Shadow was far too busy. As for the Ink Wolves that surrounded him protectively, it would do little in the face of so many enemies.

“That won’t work. That won’t work at all.”

“Everyone, with me! Let’s ride to battle!”

“Stay mobile above all else!”

…

As he ordered, they jumped forth as he held on for dear life. Nothing had prepared him for this, with the Ink Wolf he was riding running so fast he almost fell many times.

The battlefield zoomed before his eyes, his legs working overtime to keep his balance. But this clearly wouldn’t work long term. The wolf underneath him was struggling.

“Awooo! Awooo!” It cried out in pain as bone spears stabbed its flank and as bone arrows lodged themselves deep inside its shadowy flesh.

Dashing amidst a battlefield was already hard, but doing it while protecting a rider was insanity. Any second now, it would drop dead from all the attacks, and it knew it.

Jack forced himself to focus.

So what if the world spun before his eyes? So what if even hanging on was near impossible? So what if this was the first time he was doing this? He still had to do it!

Using his legs to hold on, he swung with all his might!

His Razorpear slashed the air and— FALL!

His body tumbling, he fell right into the goblins' midst. They didn’t wait, and all struck while he was down. Their bone weapons magnified before his eyes and— SKEWER!

At the very last second, a wolf dashed between him and them, using its body to protect him. As its shadow core exploded, it gave him one last look filled with hope and relief.

It was so glad he was okay. It was so damn glad. Even as it died a true death, it was still grinning with relief, Jack feeling it so damn much. Fuck. Yet another had died because of him.

But he didn’t let its sacrifice go to waste. He rolled over, shocking the nearest goblin with his Volstrike, killing another two with his spear, and then jumping on another passing wolf.

That’s when his eyes turned incredibly resolute.

“Wolves! Get ready to pick me up if I fall!”

He should have been scared shitless, and he was, but he didn’t have the luxury to let it affect him. Right now, he was dead weight, and he HAD to fix it ASAP.

They say madness is doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome. He let madness overwhelm him as he tried again, and again, and again….

His Razorpear slashed the air and— FALL!

His Razorpear slashed the air and— FALL!

His Razorpear slashed the air and— FALL!

….

How many times did he fall?!

The first few times, he crashed to the ground, albeit rolling instantly to dodge as many attacks as possible. But soon enough, he had more control and was able to land better.

Instead of crashing to the ground, he’d land on goblins, stomping their dirty faces in as he slaughtered the ones near his landing spot in a ruthless killing spree.

Then a second later he’d remount as if nothing had ever happened.

Yet all of that had a HUGE cost: half the wolves sacrificed.

So many goblins died that he had lost track of it all, but it didn’t really matter either, as they might as well have been infinite. His vain struggles even had the Orcs laughing.

Had the human turned stupid? At this rate, it would only be a matter of time before he fell for good. Soon, there wouldn’t be any wolf to sacrifice, and he’d be deader than dead!

But there was one thing they didn’t account for…

[Ding! Mastered New Technique!]

[Shadow Rider Unlocked!]

[New Title Obtained!]

…

Finally! Freaking finally!

It wasn’t the System granting him power. It was the other way around. Something had changed inside him. Falling and getting up so many times had finally paid off.

He didn’t know how to explain it, but he felt it all. His mount's muscles coiling and exploding with power, its paws tapping the ground beneath, and even the quaking of its existence.

He was ONE with the wolf, as if an extension of his body.

That’s when everything changed. He didn’t know why, but riding the Ink Wolf became as easy as breathing. And from that point onward, he was free to focus on attacking.

His Razorpear slashed the air and— SPLATTER!

His Razorpear slashed the air and— SPLATTER!

His Razorpear slashed the air and— SPLATTER!

….

Each of his strikes meant death.

But killing wasn’t the only thing he did. With his soles, he tapped his companion’s sides, ordering it where to go, ordering them all where to go. They moved as one, as a pack.

This feeling of being one, a sense of belonging, and that crazy speed.... it felt liberating and so goddamn amazing! He even found himself ignoring the system’s constant affinity messages.

He didn’t care about any of it. He existed solely to ride, stab goblins, and deflect their strikes. He, who had started as the worst luggage ever, had turned into a protector.

“An arrow volley? Cool, but we ain’t there!”

“Trying to stab us? Not on my watch!”

“Where are you even poking?!”

…

He kept attacking, killing endless goblins, all the while running from the orcs.

He’d swing his Razorpear constantly. In fact, he did it so many times that he felt like his arms would fall off, yet he kept going even then, his heart and mind aflame.

Perhaps it was his near-death experience, but he was buzzing.

Right now, he felt more than ALIVE!

Blood stained him from head to toe, even his teeth turned blackish from the creature’s blood. But just as he was reveling in the slaughter, he suddenly felt incredibly bad.

Something was wrong, hella wrong, but what?! He hadn’t fallen off in forever; goblins were dying by the hundreds, his troops were doing good, and the Orcs were despairing as—

FUCK! The Orcs, it was the goddamn orcs!

They stood in the back as they screamed for the goblins to kill them, yet only now did he finally realize. The Orcs, there were fewer of them than before?!

This place was sealed off, and they sure as hell hadn’t left, which could only mean one thing., “TURN BACK, NOW!” Jack screamed, but it was already too late.

Orcs, a shitload of Orcs, all appeared at once.

Orcs weren’t as fast as the wolves. Orcs were also easy to spot, and they had been avoiding them all along, but those orcs had used the sea of goblins to crawl to them sneakily!

"Grrahnk..." They screamed as they attacked them with bone clubs bigger than he was. No, actually, those weren’t clubs, but spines, spines of their previous victims, no doubt.

The wolves tried escaping. They didn’t succeed.

A single strike and they were reduced to paste, their shadow cores shattered. And that’s when the deviousness of the trap revealed itself. They were completely surrounded!

It wasn’t a first for them, but orcs were something else entirely. They were taller and way more dangerous. They couldn’t simply be dodged and toyed with like the goblins.

Damn. Goddammit. How had he even missed that?!

Had he grown overconfident? Had he lowered his guard? No, he had simply been way too busy attacking and defending to notice. His inexperience was about to cost them dearly.

He hurriedly turned toward Shadow. Could he help?!

No, he was still locked in a duel with the Shadow Abomination. The thing had been made with Ink Wolves' bodies, and it clearly resisted Shadow’s attacks. They were on their own.

What should he do?! What if he had the wolves throw him out of the orc encirclement? As long as he managed to leave it, they might go after him and forget the wolves.

After all, HE was their only target.

It seemed they had misunderstood. They wrongly believed that he was the summoner. Then again, he couldn't blame them since wolves and Shadow all protected him.

Yes, first get out, and then he could deal with everything else. As long as he survived and they kept misunderstanding, there would be hope. As long as— that’s when he froze.

“Are you kidding me?! Don’t tell me they thought of it?!”

He stared outside the orc encirclement, shellshocked. There, tons of goblins awaited, but there was something very specific about them. THEY WERE ALL ARCHERS!

That’s when he saw the evil glint in the Orc’s eyes, almost taunting him.

‘Go on. Try and run, but they’ll shoot you down.’

He wasn’t like the Ink Wolves. They may not care too much about arrows, but he DID. Without their cover, a single well-placed volley would turn him into a bloody porcupine.

Then it got worse, the encirclement closing.

60 meters

40 meters

20 meters

….

They were now right upon them.

Jack could smell their fetid breath and sense their eagerness as they came over. And as they engaged the wolves, there was absolutely no room for any counter from the latter.

SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! SMASH! Every smash meant one more dead Ink Wolf. In a matter of minutes, there were only a handful left, all huddled around him.

Even now, they only cared about his safety.

“Awoooo! Awoooo!! Awoooo!”

They powerfully howled even in the face of death. If their sacrifice could buy him a few instants of life, they’d do it, every death pulling on his heartstrings.

Those weren’t Ink Wolves dying. They were his new friends and family. It had only been a few days, but the bond they now shared went far beyond the mission.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He apologized, yet they didn’t care. They knew he had done his best. His best hadn’t been enough, but so was life. They wouldn’t hold it against him.

The few remaining hugged him for the last time, their fur brushing against him.

“You guys. Thank you for everything.”

It soothed his bleeding heart and—

[Ding! Affinity With Ink Wolves Increased!]

[Ding! Affinity With Ink Wolves Increased!]

[Ding! Affinity With Ink Wolves Increased!]

…

‘Shut up, annoying system.’

He didn’t need a message to know it. He simply enjoyed the moment, knowing this would be their very last stand. He and the wolves shared a meaningful glance, almost laughing.

One. No matter what, they’d get one. They’d instill fear in the orcs if that was the last thing they did. They’d teach them the savagery of a wolf and how sharp their claws were!

As more Affinity BS messages resounded, they charged as one.

Jack used every last bit of energy he still had. He dodged the first few ginormous bone clubs by some miracle. Then he struck with all he had left. His vision turned red: kill, kill, KILL!!

He’d show them the pride of an Ink Wolf!

He struck faster than bloody lightning.

Then he kept going even faster!

Overflowing with adrenaline, he kept attacking. This was merely the last speck of a dying life, but at that precise moment, he felt so very much alive! He could feel it all.

He felt the White Plane pulsating under him. He felt the ambient Mana colliding with his fur as he dashed. He felt the confusion and fear in the orcs' eyes as he reached them.

He especially felt his fangs sink into gross flesh.

It was ecstatic! The feeling of his fangs tearing the skin, crushing the meat underneath, and then the blissful warm stream that flowed out of his prey. Right now, he was the hunter!

But even that wasn’t enough. He swung his Razorspear, burying it to the hilt into his enemies, his claws soon following the same path as they dug through the flesh and—

That’s when he noticed something was strange…

As he gazed at his hands, all he saw was shadowy darkness. Also, since when did he have fangs and claws? But the system chimed in just as he was utterly confused.

[Ding! Reached Max Affinity!]

[New Ability Unlocked Shadow Meld!]

[Wolf or Human, all are Merely Shadows!]

Seriously?! It seemed like this was an ability of the Ink Wolves, and one had now fused with him?! He had charged as one with the wolves, but it had ended up being quite literal, too.

No wonder the orcs had frozen in confusion!

His current state was a weird human-wolf humanoid hybrid. It almost looked like he was wearing magical armor all over his body, which even gave him claws and fangs.

Three Ink wolves by the side also stared wide-eyed.

They had long accepted the Human as part of their pack, but they never had expected that! Still, that didn’t stop them from reacting surprisingly fast, reaching Jack.

And just as he was liberating his spear from an orc corpse…

“AWOOOOOOOOOOO!”

A powerful howl resounded, and then they struck! Their momentum was so great that even the mighty orcs couldn’t help but take a step back. Except, they had never been the target.

Jack suddenly felt a powerful force as he was catapulted into the air. As the world spun, he saw brave wolves howling him goodbye, with their tails wagging.

Their happiness didn’t stop even as the orcs massacred them.

“Woooooooo!”

He understood it all. They wished him safe travel. They also asked their brother to protect him, the shadow armor on his body rippling in reaction. They died with large grins.

Jack should have felt relief, but all that came were tears.

All of them. They were all DEAD.

But that was precisely why he had to live. By now, the orcs were screaming at the goblins to shoot his ass, and soon the sky darkened with arrows as if an extinction event.

The white plane disappeared, and only darkness was left. He did his best to protect himself with his weapon. The Ink Wolf Armor did the rest, and then he landed safely on the other side.

The orcs bellowed in anguish, but he was out of their encirclement.

He was now free to run once more. Except he wouldn’t. Not only did he not run, but he headed deeper into the sea of goblins, his body soon disappearing amidst them.

A human’s technique and knowledge.

An Ink wolf’s regenerative powers.

He carved a path of blood.

He kept going all the way to his target. In the middle, Shadow and the abomination were still explosively fighting, both growing weaker, with lots of Shadow Cores destroyed.

But amidst a world-shattering fight, a certain abomination stilled. It had just seen something that terrorized it to its core. It was a system message.

[A Bloodthirsty Human is Targeting You!]

[A Bloodthirsty Human is Targeting You!]

[A Bloodthirsty Human is Targeting You!]

It turned its grotesque head in shock… just in time to see Jack right next to it?! He was done with fleeing. He was done with people dying for him. He was done with it all.

The creature was already wounded. Shadow was there to assist, too. The Shadow Meld’s state also greatly buffed him, but none of it mattered. It was his eyes that traumatized it.

Those were the eyes of a grim reaper. As a primal fear took hold of the creature, he dived right into its maw! Then he started crushing core after core.

At some point, the abomination tried to swallow him. Shadow stopped it.

At some point, it tried escaping. Shadow stopped it again.

At some point, it begged for mercy. Jack killed it.

[Successfully Defeated Shadow Overlord!]

He didn’t revel in the kill. He came out of the behemoth’s corpse, the shadow around him rippling in elation, and instead walked straight toward the army in the distance.

The main army had still been skirmishing, but it suddenly stopped as all eyes landed on a certain human casually strolling their way.

Even now, his body was full of the grime from the behemoth. And as he gazed their way, what they felt wasn’t dread but fatality, one confirmed by the system.

[A Bloodthirsty Human is Targeting You!]

[A Bloodthirsty Human is Targeting You!]

[A Bloodthirsty Human is Targeting You!]

…

They didn’t stick around for more.

They turned tail and ran. The rest was like a dream, two main armies retreating into five portals as fast as their legs could carry them and not daring to return.

It happened way too fast, so fast that he wouldn’t have believed it real if not for the corpses and the new ability he had somehow unlocked.

‘Hundreds of wolves died, most of them to save me.’

‘What’s the point of it all? They came and killed.’

‘Now they’re gone just like that?’

The change from the heated battlefield to the quiet post-battle atmosphere was so stark that he almost doubted his sanity. But amidst his shock were lots of grateful friends.

“Human, you saved us! Without you, who knows how it would have gone? You made them flee with one look, how?! You all, did you see it?!”

As Shadow chimed in, the Ink Wolves howled in agreement.

But a second later, one raised a mischievous paw as it wagged its tongue. “Woo! Woo! Woo!” It wanted to know, if they ever told the story, how should they call him?

Jack, Jack Bright? Human? It didn’t do him justice. He deserved the coolest title!

For an instant, he remained motionless. He had never really thought about it. He was merely a student and hadn’t expected to become an otherworldly general out of nowhere.

Yet, he couldn’t help but give a derisive grin as he decided upon the most ironic name ever. They wanted a nickname? He had the perfect one for them. He chuckled.

“Let’s just say there’s a new Shadow Overlord in town…”

[Ding! New Title Obtained Shadow Overlord!]

[Title Only Active In the White Plane!]

[Increased Overall Recognition!]

‘How neat!’

But that wasn’t what made him smile the most. With this fight, he had understood things that would change their future: things about himself, the wolves, and even Shadow.

He couldn't stop the ginormous grin adorning his face at that moment.

He had the feeling he’d be going home VERY soon…

[Next Chapter!]