Dungeon Predator (WN)

He'd heard a lot of rumors about the Shadow World. It was the polar opposite of a flashy city; it was a white and black world that existed on the reverse side of the continent, one that gave the feel of a secluded alleyway.

'What a strange experience.' Kang Oh looked down at his hands and feet.

His hands were white, but they were outlined by black lines! The ground, the grass, the trees, the roads, the sky, and the clouds were all black and white. It was as though he were trapped within a black and white TV.

"Hey," Kang Oh called Scapi, who was walking in front of him.

"What?"

"Is fighting in the Shadow World the same as the outside? Is there anything I should watch out for?"

"If you have any skills that rely on color, then don't use them. They won't work. Conversely, you can take advantage of the world's lack of color. Poison, which has different colors and effects, all become black or white poison here." The Poison Scorpion, Scapi, grinned.

Her smile was a warning; a warning that her poison may be more dangerous here than on the outside. 'So don't even think about it!'

Kang Oh ignored her warning and stroked his chin. "Skills that use color..."

'Frostblood sounds like a viable option.'

On the outside, Frostblood looked distinct from regular ice due to its color. But in the Shadow World, there was a chance that it'd look less dangerous than it actually was.

"But you can still tell the difference. The shade is different. In general, the darker the shade, the more powerful the attack."

"I see." Kang Oh nodded his head and kept following Scapi.

He saw a black and white city in the distance. It was the only city within the Shadow World, the Crow's Nest.

* * *

The Crow's Nest was a nest of criminals. That's probably why bars and casinos were so common here.

They were filled with the appropriate crowd too; several of them were famous criminals.

'Crow's Nest is a good name for this place.'

Scapi and Kang Oh kept moving through the city.

Sometime later...

They stopped in front of a small castle, which was surrounded by walls. This was Red's main base.

"Welcome back, Miss!" A gatekeeper, wearing a German Shepherd mask, stood in front of the huge entrance. "Who is this?" The gatekeeper pointed at Kang Oh.

"One of the boss's guests," Scapi said curtly.

"Ah, is that so? Hey, open the gate!" the gatekeeper said, and the giant door opened.

"Let's go."

After that, they proceeded without delay. No one stopped Scapi or asked about Kang Oh's identity.

"Red's in here." Scapi pointed at the intricately decorated door.

Kang Oh readied himself for battle. He didn't pull out his weapons since they were easily accessible via Switch. He did, however, pull some buff potions off his belt and drank them.

"Let's go," Kang Oh said. Scapi nodded her head and forcefully pushed open the door.

Creak.

The door emitted an ominous sound.

Kang Oh saw a black and white skull throne from between the door. The Worst Criminal, Red, sat upon it.

"Boss, I brought Kang Oh," Scapi said.

"He came here on his own?" Red's voice could be heard behind his smile mask. It was a bizarrely neutral voice, one that could be either masculine or feminine.

"I did as you asked. You told me to bring him here no matter what, even if it meant betraying you." Scapi grinned.

"Yeah, I did say that," Red said, and the room was silent for a time.

Scapi lowered her body and kept her mouth shut, while Kang Oh stared at Red like a hawk. There was no way to know what expression he was wearing underneath his mask.

"Leave. I'll take care of the rest." Red voice's rang out once more.

"Yes, sir." Scapi walked backwards.

Once she left, Red, whose body was deeply entrenched in his seat, pushed his upper body forward as if he were trying to get a better look at Kang Oh.

"What could she have possibly offered you for you to come here of your own free will?" Red asked.

"Money, and your neck," Kang Oh said curtly.

"Haha, what a clever woman."

Although he'd indirectly told him that she'd sold him out, Red didn't appear concerned in the least. After all, his executives were always gunning for his seat, so there was nothing to be surprised about.

"I'd like to make you an offer."

"Which is?"

"Red Moon is lacking manpower lately. Aah, there are so many useless people out there. You look pretty useful... Want to work for me?" Red said teasingly. "You'll be number 2. No, I suppose you'll be a little higher than that, like a 1.5, since that's the woman's position," Red added.

"No thanks." Kang Oh flat out refused.

Kang Oh was like a true predator, while Red Moon and Red were like a pack of hyenas. The two were completely incompatible.

"Haha, I knew you'd say that. Then... Die!"

Red's attitude completely changed. Once 'Die' came out of his mouth, he became downright vicious like the harsh wind of winter.

Kuhaaahk!

Kuhaahk!

A great number of vicious shadow beasts rose from the ground. There were dozens and dozens of them.

Kang Oh drew his demon swords.

Demon Sword Ubist!

Demon Sword Sarahoff!

"I'm pretty busy, so let's finish this up quick."

Kang Oh and Red.

Neither side believed they'd lose. Who exactly would come out on top?

* * *

Mt. Tetra in the Daltrak Region.

The Dalktrak Region's largest iron mine once existed here. However, it has been quite some time since it was abandoned.

The abandoned mine's interior was as complex as a maze, and the Evil God Worshippers' base existed deep within this mine.

People would probably be surprised to hear that.

The Evil God Worshippers had constructed a vast underground base beneath the abandoned mine; the inverted triangular temple was a proof of this!

A bronze statue of Jaila lay within it, as well as nine altars, chapels, a tribunal, a torture room, a repentance chamber, a prison, etc. Plus, it contained a pool of black, sticky, tar-like substance!

If the Evil God Worshippers threw corpses into this pool, then horrific monsters would pop out of them. It was essentially a demon factory.

However...!

Their hideout was invaded by Burkan. He was all alone!

"Darion!" Burkan fiercely yelled.

"A heretic!"

"Let's capture and torture him!"

Suah!

Kya!

The Evil God Worshippers, garbed in black robes, as well as the demons, which looked as though they'd come right out of a horror movie, rushed at Burkan.

However, they couldn't halt the Invincible Gladiator's advance. Whenever he swung his gladius, a mighty aura would push through them like a tsunami, killing them instantly.

"Darion!" Burkan kept yelling while searching the Evil God Worshippers' hideout.

Burkan appeared like the wind, yet raged like a storm. Thus, the Evil God Worshippers confusedly tried to stop him, but to no avail.

However, Burkan was the restless one here. He was in the heart of enemy territory after all.

'I have to find him before the disciples show up.'

Sometime later...

Fortunately, Burkan sensed Darion's presence.

"Over there!" Burkan cleaved through a four-armed, bronze monster monkey, and then swung his blade at the tightly shut gate.

Transcendent Blade!

The diagonal line cut right through the door.

Burkan kicked open the door, went inside, and saw the tightly bound Darion. Two of the gladiators were with him, but one of them was already dead; his face had turned ashen.

"Euup!"

"Euup!"

Burkan quickly swung his gladius, cutting the chains that bound them.

"Master!" Darion said effervescently.

"We don't have time. Let's get out immediately."

"Yes!"

However...!

By the time Burkan, Darion, and the gladiator left the prison, they were greeted by countless Evil God Worshippers and demons.

But the bigger problem was...

"Haha, I'll tear you apart."

"You look tasty."

The Evil God's Disciples, Slaughter Lubatchi and Cannibal Garup, were standing in front of them too!

* * *

Red's shadow beasts varied in size and shape. Some of them looked like wolves or tigers, while others looked like crocodiles or large lizards. There were even some that had large wings.

However, there was one thing true about all of them; they were strong. Especially here, in the Shadow World; their power was far greater here than anywhere else.

Kuhaaahk!

Kyahahk!

The shadow beasts shrieked, and attacked Kang Oh with their sharp claws, beaks, and wings! They were quick, sharp, and were difficult to kill.

However...!

There was always an exception to the rule. Whenever Kang Oh swung Ubist, the shadow beasts crumpled like wet paper.

Abyss Blade!

This was Ubist's ability, which allowed it to cut through the immaterial! Then there was an unforeseen benefit of the Shadow World!

Ubist was the abyss, the darkness itself. In other words, it was a darkness far greater than mere shadows. Thus, Ubist didn't just cut through the shadows; it devoured them!

[Ubist has consumed the Shadow Beast.]

[Satiation has increased slightly.]

The shadow beasts trembled before Kang Oh like scared children.

Ultimately, it only took Kang Oh 3 minutes to kill scores of shadow beasts.

However, the shadow beasts just kept coming. A greater number of them at that!

This is why Red was purportedly invincible within the Shadow World. He could create and control as many shadow beasts as he wanted without worrying about MP/Stamina costs or cooldown time.

"Hmph!" Kang Oh just snorted.

He wouldn't bat an eye even if thousands, no, tens of thousands of shadow beasts appeared. As long as he was wielding Demon Sword Ubist, that is.

However...!

All of a sudden, his back felt cold; his Hyper Intuition was warning him. Kang Oh's body reacted faster than he'd expected it to.

He threw himself forward, and a black scythe cut through the space he'd been occupying.

It was Red's SS-rank weapon, Infinite Shadow, that Scapi had warned him about in her notes. Red was obviously the one swinging it.

Red, who'd been sitting on his throne, sunk into the shadows as soon as a new shadow beast appeared. Then, he suddenly appeared behind Kang Oh and launched what should've been an undetectable attack.

Camisado!

It was the upgraded version of the Assassin skill, 'Ambush'. As explained, it made the Assassin's attack completely undetectable. This skill was only usable by Red, the Assassin closest to becoming a Master and the ruler of the Shadow World.

Even Dukeram, who was higher ranked than Kang Oh, would likely have fallen for this attack! However, Kang Oh had completely avoided his Camisado, so he couldn't help but be shocked.

To put it simply, Kang Oh was his absolute worst opponent.

His Hyper Intuition made him the only enemy that could perfectly avoid his Camisado.

"Thanks for saving me the trouble."

Red had come within striking distance of his own accord. This was his chance! Kang Oh immediately swung Sarahoff.

Transcendent Blade!

His purple longsword cleaved through Red at transcendent speed.

Stab!

Huge shards of red light burst from Red's body. Sarahoff's 'Damage Amplification' effect had further increased his damage dealt.

However, Red wasn't your ordinary foe. He didn't just sit there and take it.

Swish!

He swung his scythe, the Infinite Shadow, at Kang Oh's neck. Kang Oh quickly shielded himself with Ubist.

At that moment...

Something fascinating happened. Upon contact, the shadow scythe split apart!

'My chance!' Kang Oh withdrew Sarahoff and swung upwards.

Swish!

His purple blade, which emitted blue energy, cut through Red's smile mask.

Crack!

Absolute Destruction's effect caused it to break in half.

Red's face was revealed! He immediately covered his face with his hand. His eyes sparkled from in between his fingers.

He always wore a mask, so no one knew what his real face looked like. There were rumors, but that was it.

Even the Four Heavenly Kings had never seen what Red's face looked like underneath his mask. However, Kang Oh had taken a peek at his face before he managed to cover himself up.

"What an unusual face," Kang Oh said.

Red realized that it was too late to hide his face, so he slowly lowered his hand. Then, Red's face was revealed!