Chapter 37: Shadow Wraith In this world, monsters were classified by their danger levels. Their ranks ranged from 5 to 1, with Rank 5 being the lowest — though "low" was relative. A single Rank 5 monster could be extremely dangerous to an untrained civilian. A horde of Rank 5 goblins, moving with feral coordination, could even overwhelm and slaughter veteran fighters. Rank 4 monsters required more than mere skill to handle; they needed precise tactics, specialized weapons, or in some cases, outright magic. And Rank 1? Those were calamities in flesh — beasts and horrors that required armies, heroes, or both to even wound. They were monsters that were suspected to be as powerful as gods and there were quite a few of them in this world. The Shadow Wraith standing before Azel was Rank 4. That alone was bad enough. Worse, it was a ghost-type. Shadow Wraiths were insidious monsters: specter-like entities with thin, humanoid forms that seemed to melt into the air. Long, ethereal tentacles sprouted from their backs like monstrous limbs, writhing and lashing with mindless hunger. To look directly into their sunken eyes was to risk slipping into an illusion so real it could kill you. And when they shed their false, humanoid guise, they became something far worse: twisted monstrosities with distended jaws full of jagged, knife-like teeth, eager to swallow prey whole. Azel’s grip on his sword tightened as he relieved the gravity pressure on Lorraine and Gerome. "Stay down!" His voice cut sharp through the rising tension, and he didn’t wait for a reply. His aura erupted, radiant and oppressive, shaking the ground beneath their feet as he launched himself forward and out of the carriage. The Shadow Wraith vanished from sight in an instant. And then — The world exploded in motion. From every side, ghostly tentacles lashed toward him, their speed unnatural, their forms intangible yet deadly. At the same time, from the warped corners of the colorless town, smaller wraiths slithered forth — mindless apparitions drawn to their master’s call. Azel’s aura sense flared, detecting them all. Regular wraiths were Rank 5 monsters, barely threatening individually. But in numbers? They could suffocate you. He flipped backward, narrowly dodging a lunge of spectral claws that would have gutted a lesser fighter. The smaller wraiths swarmed, clawing the ground as they converged. "Did the system not register them as worthy opponents?" Azel muttered under his breath. He landed lightly, sword already raised, and smirked. Fine. If the System didn’t count them, he’d clear them anyway. Green light burst along his blade, shining brilliantly even against the black-and-white world. "Third Style — Dragon Claw!" He slashed diagonally twice. Two sweeping arcs of condensed aura ripped outward, cutting through the mob of wraiths like paper. The glowing energy swept across them in a violent cascade, and in the next moment, their spectral forms were shredded apart, their bodies dissipating into wisps of fading smoke. They couldn’t even manage to scream... What followed was utter silence. But Azel didn’t pause to admire his work. A shadow moved. Instinct screamed — he pivoted sharply, raising his blade just in time to catch a massive fist of coalesced darkness crashing down on him. The impact rang out like metal striking metal, his boots grinding deep furrows in the ground as he was forced back. The Shadow Wraith loomed above, its humanoid form unraveling grotesquely before his eyes. Its face split open like rotting cloth, its skull enlarging and tearing downward until its head stretched into a monstrous, vertical maw. Jagged teeth sprouted in wild rows — knives upon knives within its gaping throat — and its tongue slithered forth like a serpent, dripping with foul, steaming saliva that sizzled as it hit the monochrome ground. Lorraine gagged audibly from behind. Even Gerome muttered something like a prayer. Azel sighed. "I really do have main character bad luck," he muttered flatly. Why else would such a monster appear in such a town? Where he had just arrived? At the time he wanted to rest? The Wraith hissed, its voice a distorted shriek as its tongue lashed toward him like a whip. Azel sidestepped, sword flashing, and with a single flick, he severed it cleanly. The tongue writhed as it fell, splattering acidic saliva onto the ground — where it hissed and burned through the cobblestone like boiling acid on ice. As expected, Azel thought grimly. The game had been accurate about that much. He exhaled slowly, aura flaring brighter, green deepening into a sharp, luminous blue. This needed to end fast. The longer this thing lingered, the more dangerous it would become. He stepped forward. "First Style..." His form blurred, speed spiking so sharply that to any onlooker, it seemed as though he had simply vanished. The world slowed, each frame stretching into eternity as Azel’s perspective sharpened. He could see every droplet of acid hanging in the air, every twitch of the Wraith’s monstrous claws as it sluggishly tried to react. He moved. Dozens of slashes in less than a breath, each lined with sharp, shimmering aura. His blade sang through the spectral flesh, ripping it apart piece by piece. He slashed it at least a hundred times in that split second. He slid to a stop behind it a moment later, placing the sword in it’s sheath as he watched the body of the monster twitch. "Star Strike." It came apart instantly. The monster split into countless slices, its body fragmenting in an explosion of blue ichor and fading darkness. Pieces rained down lifelessly, dissolving into mist before they hit the ground. The oppressive weight over the town lifted almost immediately, like a suffocating blanket being pulled away. Color bled slowly back into the world, grass greening, sky paling back into faint blue. Azel exhaled deeply, rolling his shoulders as he eyed the dissipating remains. Why was misfortune following him around? At this point... he wouldn’t even be surprised if a Rank 3 monster popped up the following day. The System chimed. [Quest: Slay Monsters (I)] [Objective: Slay [1/1] Shadow Wraiths] [Quest has been completed... Generating Reward...] [You have received 500 Fate Points] [You have received 50 Reputation Points] [You have received Rank 4 Magic Crystal] [You have received 10 Fate Tickets] [You have received Ghost Ore] [Hidden Quest: Slaughter Master (I)] [Objective: Slay (65 / 50) Ghost Type Monsters] [Hidden Quest has been completed... Generating Reward...] [You have received a Summon]