Chapter 96 – Shadowkhan Contract, Liliruca Arde!
Tap—tap—tap—
Hurried footsteps echoed through the dim underground corridors of the Dungeon.
A small figure ran desperately, her cloak fluttering behind her like a frightened bird's wings.
She wore a tattered gray hood that concealed most of her face. Her small frame darted between shadows with surprising agility.
But she wasn't an adventurer.
She was just a girl—a fragile, desperate girl struggling to survive in a world that showed no mercy.
"Almost there… just a little more and I'll reach the exit—"
Crash!
A shadow blocked her path, followed by a brutal kick slamming into her chest.
The impact sent her flying backward. With her frail body, she hit the ground hard and lay sprawled, gasping for air. Her bones screamed in pain; she couldn't even stand.
"Finally found you, Lili."
The low, venomous voice echoed down the corridor.
Her body trembled. Slowly, she lifted her head, her eyes wide with fear—and anger.
Liliruca Arde.
A Supporter of the Soma Familia—though calling her that was almost a joke.
Unlike the warriors she served, she had no power, no protection, and no freedom.
The Soma Familia was chaos itself.
Its members were ruthless, obsessed with profit and pleasure.
For someone weak like Liliruca, life there was nothing but torment.
She was treated like a slave—forced to carry loot, cheated of her share, beaten when she protested, and robbed of every valis she earned.
Yet despite it all… she survived.
For a weak person to live in a world that cruel, they had to embrace the darkness.
To endure.
To adapt.
To cheat.
To betray.
For the sake of survival, she would do anything.
She'd lied, stolen, manipulated, even pushed others into deathtraps if it meant she could live another day.
Just days ago, she had tricked a fellow adventurer—stealing his precious weapon and leading monsters to devour him.
She thought she'd gotten away clean.
But fate… wasn't that kind.
The man now stood before her, eyes burning with hatred.
"You've been hiding well, Lili," he hissed. "But you really thought you could escape me forever?"
His voice dripped with venom, his expression twisted in rage. The intent in his gaze wasn't just revenge—it was murder.
"How did you find me?" she asked bitterly. "I erased my tracks."
He smirked. "Money opens every door. Pay enough, and even the wind whispers secrets."
"I see," she muttered softly. "So I was sold out."
She wasn't surprised. She had no allies—only transactions. And in a city like Orario, loyalty was worth far less than gold.
"I haven't slept in days," the man growled. "Every night, I dream of cutting you apart. Slowly. Piece by piece."
"Tch…"
A bitter click of her tongue. There was no escape now.
Then—
Buzz…
From beneath her cloak, the faint image on her sleeve—the smudged half-face that had accidentally transferred from her sketch—began to glow faintly, exuding a black mist.
The distorted mark slowly shifted…
taking shape…
until it formed a demonic mask.
If Shin Akira were here, he would have recognized it instantly.
The Mark of Tarakudo—the symbol of the Shadow Realm.
"Am I… going to die here?" she whispered. "No… I can't… If demons truly exist in this world… then I'll give everything—my body, my soul—anything!"
Her eyes burned with despair as the man approached, sword raised high, every step bringing her closer to death.
"Die, Lili," he said coldly.
His blade cut through the air—
And then, in her heart, she screamed:
"Someone… anyone… save me! I'll give you everything I have!"
A contract has been offered.
Pledge eternal loyalty. Sign the pact of the Shadowkhan—and you shall be saved.
"I accept! Anything! Please—save me!"
Then the contract is sealed.
A pulse of darkness surged through her veins.
Liliruca gasped as black energy coiled around her arm like living smoke, branding the mark deeper into her flesh.
The moment the pact completed, something inside her shifted—her instincts awakened.
She could feel it.
The presence of shadows responding to her will.
The power to summon them—no training, no knowledge required.
It was… natural.
As easy as breathing.
Srrrt—
The shadows at her feet stirred.
From the ground, a figure emerged—tall, silent, wrapped in black, its eyes glowing with eerie crimson light.
A Shadowkhan Ninja.
"Wha—who are—"
Before the man could finish, the ninja moved.
A flick of its wrist.
A shuriken whistled through the air.
And a heartbeat later—it buried itself in his throat.
He collapsed instantly, eyes wide in disbelief.
Silence.
Liliruca's body trembled.
The shadow warrior… she had summoned it?
That voice—those words—weren't hallucinations?
She was… truly saved?
Her thoughts raced, confusion and terror swirling within her.
But one truth stood clear:
She now possessed a power that defied the gods themselves.
— — —
Meanwhile, deep within the dungeon, Shin Akira had just slain the Floor Boss of the 27th Level.
He suddenly turned his gaze upward.
Someone had formed a Shadowkhan Contract.
Someone… had made a pact with his realm.
But unlike his own, this one was weak and incomplete—a temporary contract, allowing only a single summon of one Shadowkhan Ninja.
"That was fast," he murmured. "Someone's already signed it? I haven't even spread the system yet… Who was it? And how…?"
His brow furrowed slightly.
He didn't know that somewhere above, a desperate girl had unknowingly imprinted his mark on her arm—and in her despair, called to the shadows.
Still, it didn't matter.
A contract was a contract.
The moment it was sealed, the soul was bound to him.
That was the nature of the Shadowkhan Contract—absolute and irreversible.
Unless someone possessed power surpassing the Shadow Realm itself, the bond could never be broken.
For Akira, it was a small, insignificant matter.
Right now, his focus was elsewhere.
Another Floor Boss down.
Another 5% gained.
His legacy progress had reached 85%.
Only 15% remained—three more Bosses.
His next targets were clear:
Floor 37 – Udaeus.
Floor 49 – Balor.
Floor 58–59 – The Deep-Floor Guardian.
Once those were defeated, his King of the Shadowkhan Template would reach 100%.
Then he could finally unlock the next inheritance.
Enkidu had granted him unparalleled strength in one-on-one combat.
King of the Shadowkhan gave him command of an invincible army.
So then…
What would come next?
Akira smiled faintly.
He could hardly wait to find out.
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