Chapter 8: Hidden Level! I’ll Crush You with My Shadow Army!

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Hidden Level! I’ll Crush You with My Shadow Army!

[Warning! Warning!]

A sharp, urgent alarm rang in Nathaniel’s ears.

[Challenger detected clearing the first 15 waves within 100 seconds. Hidden level requirements met.]

[The Asura Hidden Level has been activated.]

A blood-red notification appeared before Nathaniel’s eyes. Its letters seemed to drip with fresh blood.

[Warning: The Asura Hidden Level possesses an extremely high difficulty rating and carries a significant risk of death.]

[Option 1: Abandon the challenge and proceed directly to settlement. You will receive the highest dungeon rating, SSS, and be teleported out.]

[Option 2: Accept the challenge. Successfully clearing it will double all dungeon rewards. Failure may result in death.]

Nathaniel’s gaze passed over the warning and stopped at one phrase.

Double rewards.

An SSS rating was already practically guaranteed.

For someone with a Class like God of Shadows, whose growth potential was terrifying and whose army could slaughter monsters far stronger than ordinary newcomers could handle, the word retreat held little appeal.

"Fortune favors the bold. Besides..."

Nathaniel glanced at the ten Shadow Soldiers standing beside him. Their dark armor reflected no light, and their crimson eyes remained fixed on him.

A confident smile appeared on his face.

"This hardly qualifies as a risk."

Without hesitation, he selected Confirm Entry.

Hum!

The moment he made his choice, the ground beneath his feet collapsed.

A massive blood-colored vortex opened beneath him, swallowing his figure in an instant.

...

A sensation of intense weightlessness washed over Nathaniel.

When he opened his eyes again, the surrounding scenery had completely changed.

He was no longer standing in the narrow space filled with gray mist.

Instead, an ancient battlefield stretched endlessly before him.

The earth was scorched black and littered with broken weapons and enormous beast bones. Gale-force winds swept across the desolate land, lifting gravel into the air and producing ghostly howls.

Before Nathaniel could examine his surroundings properly, the ground began to tremble.

Rumble! Rumble!

Heavy footsteps approached from every direction, sounding like thunder rolling across the earth.

At the distant horizon, countless pairs of eerie green eyes appeared.

Wolves.

Their bodies were pitch-black, their size comparable to young cattle, and dark demonic energy curled around their limbs.

[Abyss Demon Wolf | Level 10]

[Quantity: 500]

[EXP per kill: 100]

Nathaniel looked across the battlefield.

The dense pack surged toward him like a black tide.

A beast tide of this scale could overwhelm a well-equipped hundred-man team of professionals, devouring its members before they had a chance to escape.

Yet Nathaniel remained calm.

He didn’t even take his hands out of his pockets.

"Go."

He issued a simple command.

The ten Shadow Soldiers moved immediately.

They didn’t bother forming elaborate formations. Their bodies blurred into dark streaks, charging straight into the approaching wolves.

The first wave of monsters collided with the shadowy figures.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The battlefield erupted with the sounds of impacts.

The Abyss Demon Wolves attacked with sharp claws and savage jaws, but the Shadow Soldiers moved too quickly. Before the wolves could land a meaningful blow, the soldiers struck them down.

One punch sent a wolf crashing into the ground.

Another strike eliminated two wolves that had charged side by side.

The soldiers moved through the pack with ruthless efficiency, their black armor flashing between the monsters.

Not a single wolf managed to break through their defensive perimeter and approach Nathaniel.

The difference in power was overwhelming.

Nathaniel watched the battle unfold.

He had ten Shadow Soldiers.

His enemies numbered five hundred.

But the numbers meant very little when every soldier could overpower the monsters standing in its way.

Notifications began filling his vision.

[Abyss Demon Wolf defeated. EXP +100]

[Abyss Demon Wolf defeated. EXP +100]

[Abyss Demon Wolf defeated. EXP +100]

...

The notifications arrived so quickly that their sounds nearly merged into a continuous hum.

A massive stream of experience poured into Nathaniel.

Golden light flashed around his body.

[Congratulations! Level increased to 6!]

[God of Shadows Growth Effect: All Primary Attributes +100]

[Shadow Soldiers synchronized with their master’s growth.]

Moments later, another notification appeared.

[Congratulations! Level increased to 7!]

[God of Shadows Growth Effect: All Primary Attributes +100]

[Shadow Soldiers synchronized with their master’s growth.]

Nathaniel felt his strength rise again.

In barely a minute, he had advanced through two levels.

His attributes had increased once more, and the Shadow Soldiers fighting across the battlefield had grown stronger alongside him.

The cycle was frighteningly effective.

The more monsters his army killed, the faster he leveled up.

The faster he leveled up, the stronger his army became.

And the stronger his army became, the more efficiently it could kill monsters.

Nathaniel almost felt sorry for anything unfortunate enough to stand in their way.

Almost.

Finally, the last Abyss Demon Wolf collapsed.

Its body dissolved into red particles, leaving the ancient battlefield silent.

The ground was covered in fading traces of demonic energy.

Nathaniel hadn’t even needed to move.

But before he could enjoy the brief silence, the earth suddenly split apart.

CRACK!

A gigantic fissure tore across the battlefield.

Magma surged from the depths, illuminating the blackened earth with a terrifying red glow.

Then a massive, charred hand emerged from the fissure and gripped its edge.

Something was climbing out.

A towering figure, nearly ten meters tall, dragged itself from the molten depths.

It wore heavy, dark-red armor. Flames flickered around the enormous sword in its hand, and every step crushed the earth beneath its feet.

A notification appeared before Nathaniel.

[Final Boss: Hell Demon General | Level 50]

[HP: 2,000,000 / 2,000,000]

[Physical Defense: 3,000]

[Skills: Hell Roar, Flame Slash, Demonic Armor Protection]

The moment the boss appeared, a suffocating pressure swept across the battlefield.

"ROOOAAAR!"

The Hell Demon General roared toward the sky.

Visible shockwaves spread through the air, carrying a terrifying mental assault. The remaining wolf corpses nearby exploded under the force of its roar.

An ordinary freshman caught in that attack might lose consciousness instantly. Someone with insufficient mental resistance could even suffer fatal injuries.

Nathaniel frowned slightly.

This opponent was clearly on a different level from the monsters he had fought before.

"Attack!"

He gave the command in a low voice.

The ten Shadow Soldiers surged forward without hesitation.

Their figures blurred as they surrounded the Hell Demon General, targeting the joints between its heavy armor plates.

Their fists struck in rapid succession.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The impacts echoed across the battlefield like thunder.

But the next moment, Nathaniel’s expression changed.

The attacks that had instantly eliminated ordinary monsters and elite creatures struck the boss’s dark-red armor and produced little more than sparks.

Tiny damage numbers appeared above its head.

-5!

-3!

-7!

-12! (Critical Hit)

Nathaniel narrowed his eyes.

The Shadow Soldiers were attacking rapidly, landing dozens of blows in the blink of an eye. Yet the Hell Demon General’s health bar barely moved.

Two million HP.

Three thousand points of physical defense.

The boss’s defensive advantage was simply too great.

Even though Nathaniel’s Shadow Soldiers had grown stronger with each level, their current attacks weren’t enough to overcome the Hell Demon General’s armor effectively.

It was like trying to break a fortress wall with bare fists.

The Hell Demon General barely seemed bothered by the assault.

It raised its flaming sword, preparing to retaliate.

Nathaniel watched the scene without panic.

Instead, the corners of his mouth slowly curled upward.

"Physical defense too high to break through?"

He looked at the enormous demon and spoke softly.

"Then I’ll just crush you with my shadow army."

Before the words had completely faded, Nathaniel slowly raised his right hand and pointed his index finger toward the towering demonic figure.