Shadow slave: Sovereign of the Unknown

The blood pooling beneath the Gorefiend Ape's corpse was already evaporating, absorbed into the twisted reality of the Nightmare Realm. The scent of iron lingered, but Ash had no time to revel in his kill.

A howl had echoed across the sky.

A warning. A summons. A sign that something else was coming.

Ash sheathed his sword and moved.

---

The Shifting World

The terrain around him had begun to change. The cracked, barren wasteland twisted into something different—a ruined village of splintered houses, decayed wooden fences, and lifeless streets.

It wasn't there before.

Ash narrowed his eyes. "So the Nightmare isn't static."

Nightmares weren't just arenas for combat. They had rules, themes, and hidden mechanics that governed their trials. If the landscape was shifting, then it meant something.

Either the Nightmare was guiding the challengers…

Or it was corralling them.

A low rumble passed through the air. The unnatural sky flickered, and suddenly—

Something moved in the distance.

Ash dropped low, pressing himself against the ruined wall of a collapsed house. His gaze snapped toward the movement.

A group of Awakened.

There were three of them, cautiously making their way through the ruined village. Each of them was tense, weapons drawn, scanning their surroundings with trained vigilance.

Ash remained silent.

He wasn't the only one struggling through this Nightmare. Others were fighting to survive.

But… that didn't mean they were allies.

---

Potential Threats

Ash watched them carefully. He could tell at a glance that they weren't newcomers—their movements were too precise, too controlled. Their expressions, while grim, lacked the sheer terror of someone stepping into the Nightmare Realm for the first time.

That meant two things:

1. They had experience.

2. They were dangerous.

One of them—a tall man with a two-handed spear—paused and glanced in Ash's direction.

Ash didn't move.

His body was too still, his breathing perfectly controlled. Years of combat instincts told him that even the slightest twitch would give him away.

The spearman narrowed his eyes, scanning the ruins, before shaking his head and turning back to his group. "Let's keep moving. It's not safe here."

They continued onward.

Ash exhaled softly, emerging from the shadows only when they were gone.

He could have fought them. But a three-on-one fight was risky, even with his growing strength. Besides…

They knew something he didn't.

Their movements weren't random. They had direction.

That meant there was an objective in this Nightmare.

And Ash needed to find it before the others did.

---

Unraveling the Nightmare

Ash moved quickly but cautiously.

He stepped through the ruined village, his senses sharpened. His footsteps were silent, his eyes scanning for clues.

If this was a trial, what was the goal?

Survival? Kill a certain number of creatures? Find an artifact?

There were too many unknowns.

Then—

A symbol caught his eye.

It was carved into the wooden walls of a collapsed house—a jagged, archaic mark glowing faintly with crimson light.

Ash frowned. He had seen that symbol before.

Not in Shadow Slave, but in historical battlefields from his old world.

It was a warning.

And then, as if in response to his realization—

A deep, guttural growl sounded behind him.

---

A True Hunter Appears

Ash turned sharply.

A new enemy stood at the edge of the ruins.

It was taller than the Gorefiend Ape. Its body was hunched, covered in thick, matted fur, but unlike the beast he had fought before, this one moved differently.

It was calculating. Intelligent. A predator.

Its elongated limbs ended in razor-sharp claws, and its eyes—two gleaming silver orbs—locked onto Ash with an unsettling hunger.

Ash's instincts screamed at him.

This was not a mindless beast.

This was a hunter.

And he had just entered its territory.

---

The First Clash

The creature moved—too fast.

Ash barely had time to react. He twisted to the side as a clawed strike tore through the air, missing him by inches but leaving deep gashes in the stone wall behind him.

A Dormant wouldn't have survived that.

Ash countered immediately. Phantom Rend.

His blade flashed, enhanced by energy. A perfect, high-speed draw-cut aimed directly at the creature's exposed ribcage.

Shhhhk!

The attack connected—but barely.

A shallow wound opened on the creature's side, but it twisted away at the last moment, minimizing the damage.

Ash clicked his tongue. "Smart bastard."

The creature grinned.

It was studying him.

Ash recognized the way it moved—the way it adjusted after each exchange.

It was learning.

Just like him.

For the first time in this Nightmare, Ash felt something close to excitement.

---

Predator vs. Predator

The fight intensified.

The creature came at him again, its movements a blur. Ash dodged, countered, parried, his blade dancing through the air in brutal efficiency.

Every time he struck, the creature adapted. Every time it lunged, Ash countered.

But then—

The creature's stance shifted.

It lowered its body, its muscles coiling in a way that was all too familiar.

Ash's eyes narrowed.

It had copied his own movement patterns.

"Tch… so that's how it is?"

The creature wasn't just learning.

It was evolving.

A direct confrontation would get him nowhere. He needed an edge.

And he had just the thing.

---

Ash's Trump Card

His fingers tightened around his sword.

He activated Abyss Fang.

The creature lunged, but this time—

Ash let it.

He stepped into the attack, his blade already moving.

The moment the creature's claws slashed through the air—

His sword had already finished its arc.

A delayed cut appeared across the creature's torso.

A heartbeat later, the damage took effect.

Blood sprayed from the creature's chest as it let out a sharp, pained snarl. Its movements staggered, its balance momentarily disrupted.

Ash took full advantage.

He followed up immediately with Predator's Conquest.

---

Predator's Conquest: Activated.

[Copying Martial Technique...]

Phantom Predator Step – A rapid, unpredictable footwork technique designed for ambush attacks. (Partially copied. Will refine over time.)

---

Ash's grin widened.

"Now we're even."

The creature, injured but still standing, locked eyes with him.

For the first time, it hesitated.

It realized.

It was no longer the only hunter here. The tension between Ash and the beast deepened. The two predators locked eyes, their bodies coiled and ready to strike.

Blood dripped from the creature's fresh wound, searing against the cracked ground. But despite its injury, its silver eyes burned with intelligence.

Ash knew what was coming.

A desperate final attack.

Wounded beasts were the most dangerous. They no longer cared for their own survival—only for taking down their opponent.

The creature moved first.

It lunged with a sudden burst of speed, claws aimed at Ash's throat. But this time, Ash didn't evade. He didn't even flinch.

He had already seen this attack before.

Phantom Predator Step.

Ash activated the technique, shifting his position at the last possible moment. His body blurred, moving with inhuman precision.

The creature's strike hit nothing but air.

And in that instant, Ash's sword was already moving.

Abyss Fang.

A delayed slash cut through the air, its effects lagging behind reality. The beast staggered, confused—until a clean line opened across its throat.

A moment of silence.

Then—

Blood erupted.

The creature's head tilted back as its body collapsed in a twitching heap. Its silver eyes dimmed as its last breath left its body.

Victory.

---

Absorption Begins

Ash took a steady breath as the battle ended.

His heartbeat was calm. Controlled.

But he felt something stir within him.

Sovereign of the Abyss: Activated.

[Absorbing defeated foe's stats…]

Strength +2

Agility +3

Constitution +2

A familiar sensation coursed through his body—a rush of raw power seeping into his limbs. The stat gain wasn't dramatic, but it was noticeable. His muscles felt denser, his movements slightly sharper.

More importantly—

Predator's Conquest activated again.

Phantom Predator Step (Copied: 65%)

It wasn't perfected yet. He would need to use it more in battle to refine it. But it was already usable.

Ash exhaled.

His body was getting stronger. His techniques were evolving.

And yet, he still felt that nagging sense of urgency.

Something was wrong.

He turned back toward the village.

The symbols he had noticed earlier—the glowing crimson warnings—were now flaring even brighter.

And in the distance, he saw something that made his stomach tighten.

The sky was changing.

---

The Next Phase

The unnatural crimson sky shuddered, and an ominous hum filled the air. The ruined village began to tremble as if something enormous was awakening beneath it.

Ash clenched his jaw.

"So this was just the beginning."

The Nightmare was shifting again.

A figure suddenly appeared from the shadows—a familiar one.

It was the spearman from earlier.

But this time, he was alone.

And his body was covered in blood.

His breathing was ragged, and his grip on his weapon was unsteady. His eyes locked onto Ash, but they weren't filled with hostility.

They were filled with urgency.

"If you want to live…" the man rasped. "You need to move. Now."