Kieran walked through the grand doors of the Ironclad Guild, his body still aching from the wounds he had suffered. Darius Alden had summoned him, and refusing wasn’t an option. If he acted suspiciously, things could turn against him quickly.

  As he stepped inside, he felt the piercing gazes of the guild members. Whispers filled the air—everyone knew he was the sole survivor of the disastrous dungeon expedition.

  "Kieran Voss," a deep voice called.

  He turned to see Darius standing at the center of the hall, arms crossed. The guild leader’s presence was overwhelming, his sharp eyes locked onto Kieran like a predator watching its prey.

  "Come with me."

  Kieran followed Darius into a private interrogation room. The door shut behind them with a heavy thud. A long table separated them, but the tension in the room made the space feel suffocating.

  "I’ll get straight to the point," Darius said, his voice firm. "How did you survive?"

  Kieran maintained a calm expression. "I told you before… The monsters were stronger than we expected. Everything went wrong in an instant. I don’t know how, but I must’ve been lucky. I blacked out, and when I woke up, I was in the hospital."

  Darius leaned forward, his piercing gaze intensifying. "Do you really expect me to believe that? Your entire team was wiped out, yet you—an F-rank hunter—walked away alive?"

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Kieran clenched his fists under the table. "Luck… maybe fate. I don’t know."

  Darius slammed his hand on the table, the sound echoing through the room. "You’re hiding something. And I don’t like being lied to."

  Something inside Kieran snapped. The frustration, the exhaustion, and the lingering presence of the Shadow God—it all surged forward.

  A chilling darkness erupted from his body. The room was swallowed by an oppressive shadow, tendrils of black mist writhing in the air. The temperature dropped instantly, and an overwhelming pressure pressed down on everything in the room.

  Kieran stood up abruptly, his voice shaking with fury. "I CAME HERE JUST TO EXPLAIN WHAT HAPPENED, BUT I’M NOT GOING TO BE FORCED INTO REVEALING THINGS I DON’T WANT TO!"

  Darius’s breath hitched. His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. The sheer weight of the darkness made it impossible for him to move.

  The guild members outside heard the commotion and rushed to the door. As they opened it, they were met with an eerie sight—Darius kneeling, Kieran standing tall amidst swirling shadows.

  Their eyes widened in shock.

  Kieran didn’t wait. He activated [Shadow Step], his body flickering before vanishing into the darkness. In an instant, he was gone, leaving nothing but a cold, haunting silence behind.

  Panting, Kieran reappeared in a secluded alleyway far from the guild. He leaned against the wall, trying to steady his breathing. That… wasn’t intentional. The power had acted on its own, fueled by his emotions.

  "I need to learn how to control this…" he muttered.

  He had to grow stronger. He had to understand his abilities. And the only way to do that was through battle.

  Recalling the Shadow God’s words, Kieran made a decision. He would join a temporary group, enter another dungeon, and test his strength.

  He gripped the twin daggers at his waist, his resolve solidifying.

  It was time to see what he was truly capable of.