Chapter 26 – Elite Monster: Silverback!
The morning sun had barely risen when Shin Akira was already out and about, much earlier than usual. He returned not long after with fresh bread and cold milk in hand—today's breakfast.
He waited until Goddess Hephaestus woke up, and the two of them sat down to share a quiet, peaceful meal.
As for Goddess Hestia… she was still fast asleep. She'd stayed up all night binge-reading her favorite light novels—one of her usual bad habits. Honestly, expecting her to wake up before noon was nothing short of impossible.
"I'm heading out now, Hephaestus-sama."
"Be careful."
"I will."
That brief exchange between them—so natural and casual—somehow sounded like a married couple saying goodbye before the husband heads to work and the wife stays home.
Thankfully, no one else was around to witness that.
Once he left the upper floor of Babel Tower, Shin Akira didn't go straight to the Dungeon. Instead, he made a quick stop at the market to grab some basic supplies: dried jerky, hard bread, and fresh water.
Today, he had no intention of returning to the surface for lunch. Climbing back and forth between Dungeon layers was a waste of time and energy—especially when you had a goal to reach.
Just like the day before, he breezed through the first seven floors without stopping. Step after confident step, he descended directly to the eighth floor.
A low rumble echoed through the rocky caverns.
From the cracks in the stone floor, twisted creatures began to emerge. Glowing red eyes burned with madness and bloodlust.
But Shin Akira remained calm.
Shadows pooled beneath his feet, spreading outward. From those shadows, weapon after weapon began to rise. At the same time, figures clad in black—his loyal Shadowkhan warriors—stepped forth, each gripping a different weapon.
An orderly formation. Silent. But radiating overwhelming pressure.
Yesterday, Akira had noticed something. Equipping his Shadowkhan with weapons forged in Orario seemed to amplify their combat abilities. And with his goddess being none other than the Goddess of the Forge herself, acquiring gear wasn't exactly difficult.
The monsters charged.
The Shadowkhan met them head-on. Swords clashed. Spears pierced. When one warrior fell, he dissolved into mist—only to rise again from the spot where his weapon had dropped.
It was a flawless, endless cycle.
Shin Akira didn't move. He simply observed.
Unlike video games, stamina in this world was very real. Wasting energy on weak monsters was inefficient. He chose to conserve his strength for the deeper floors—the ones that truly mattered.
Thanks to that strategy, floors eight, nine, and ten felt like a stroll in the park. His Shadowkhan handled everything.
Eventually, he reached the twelfth floor—a floor perpetually shrouded in thick mist.
From the fog, blood-red eyes gleamed. Large silhouettes began to emerge. Ogres—towering beasts wielding crude weapons the size of tree trunks.
There were goblins too. Weak but annoyingly persistent. They loved throwing rocks from a distance, disrupting fights with cheap tactics.
Without needing orders, the Shadowkhan charged at the goblins first. Their objective: clear out the distractions.
Akira's golden eyes scanned the ogres still blocking the path. A small smile played on his lips.
"…Time to hunt."
With a calm breath, he unsheathed the long blade on his back—and dashed forward.
The ogres howled the moment they spotted him. To them, humans weren't enemies. They were prey.
But Akira shot forward like a bolt of lightning—and with a single swing, he sliced through one ogre's neck. Its head spun through the air before thudding to the ground.
He landed lightly, stepping on another ogre's skull.
The monster roared in fury, spurring the rest into a violent frenzy.
Akira grinned.
They were strong. Durable. But their movements were slow—especially when angry. They fought like mindless beasts, all strength and no finesse.
He, on the other hand, was trained.
He moved with purpose and grace, weaving through the chaos like a dancer on the battlefield.
Within ten minutes, every ogre lay dead.
Meanwhile, his Shadowkhan had already finished off the goblins and the other small fry.
"Gather all the magic stones."
At his command, the Shadowkhan swiftly began collecting the glowing gems from the monster corpses.
Akira sat down for a moment to rest. This was only the beginning. He wanted to see just how far he could push today—how deep he could go.
It didn't take long for the task to be completed. The few extra monsters that popped up were swiftly eliminated.
Once everything was in order, Akira proceeded toward the narrow path that led to the thirteenth floor.
The moment he stepped in, he felt the difference.
A deep, bestial roar tore through the air.
Among a group of monsters, one figure towered above the rest.
Covered in gleaming silver fur, the beast looked like a massive gorilla. But larger. Stronger. And far more terrifying.
Surrounding it were other monsters, seemingly drawn to its presence.
"…Silverback?" Akira muttered. "Looks like I hit the jackpot. An elite monster."
In the Dungeon, monsters generally fell into four categories:
1. Standard Monsters – Common, widespread, relatively predictable.
2. Elite Monsters – Far stronger and more dangerous. Like the Silverback before him—or the Infant Dragon from yesterday.
3. Variant Monsters – Black-colored mutations with rare evolution traits, far exceeding the strength of their base forms.
4. Floor Bosses – Dungeon overlords that guarded specific layers. Usually required entire teams to defeat.
The Silverback sniffed the air.
It only took a second for it to detect Shin Akira's presence. Their eyes locked.
RAAAAHHH!!
With a thunderous roar, the monsters around it surged forward like a tidal wave.
"…Tch. Pretty good nose you got there. But if I'm already caught…"
His gaze sharpened.
"Shadowkhan—engage!"
At his command, his army of shadows launched themselves into battle.
A clash of chaos and fury erupted.
The battlefield transformed into a whirlwind of blades, fists, and magic stones. Shadowkhan fell—only to rise again. Again and again.
A relentless force of nature.
They didn't fear death.
They were already dead.
And they fought for the one who cast the longest shadow of them all.
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