LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 7: Dark Summoner!
Cade and Fang stood before the enormous chamber door, its surface looking alive with glowing, twisted runes. Cade clenched his jaw. This felt wrong. Everything about this place screamed death.
"Here goes nothing," he muttered under his breath, stepping forward.
The door groaned, opening slowly with a bone-chilling creak. Cold air rushed out, clawing at his skin. Fang growled low as he also tensed up. Cade glanced at his companion. "We've got this. Right?" His voice wavered, betraying his doubt.
As soon as they crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut behind them with a deafening crash. Cade spun around, his heart beating. "Great. Classic death trap."
The room was pitch black. Cade strained his eyes, thankful for his Night Vision buff. He took three cautious steps forward, and suddenly, green flames erupted along the walls. Torches flared to life, casting an eerie glow that brightened the chamber.
At the center stood a towering figure cloaked in swirling shadows, its glowing red eyes piercing through the darkness. A gust of wind swept past, chilling Cade to his core.
[System Notification: Boss Encounter]
Name: Umbrix the Eternal Shadow
Type: Shadow Warden
HP: 15,000/15,000
Skills:
• [Shadow Summon]: Summons shadow minions to attack enemies.
• [Dark Veil]: Creates zones of impenetrable darkness to disorient enemies.
• [Void Armor]: Highly resistant to physical attacks.
Cade's stomach dropped as he read the stats. 15,000 HP. Physical resistance. His hands tightened around his dagger. "This is bad. So, so bad."
Umbrix raised a skeletal hand. Shadows began to swirl around the room, pulling free from the walls and floor, taking the shape of humanoid figures with claws like daggers. They moved unnaturally, flickering and distorting as if they didn't fully belong in the physical world.
[System Notification: Shadow Minions Summoned.]
Number: 15.
Cade cursed. "Fang, get ready!"
Fang snarled, his fiery Hellfire Aura flaring to life, the heat radiating like a shield.
The first wave of minions surged forward. Cade dodged the leading claw, countering with a quick slash of his dagger. The blade tore through, but the shadow barely flinched. He swore under his breath. Physical resistance wasn't just the boss's problem—it extended to these things too.
Fang leapt into the fray, his Infernal Howl echoing through the chamber. The minions hesitated, their attacks slowing as their forms flickered.
"Nice one, Fang! Keep it up!" Cade shouted, his dagger slicing into a weakened minion. It disintegrated into black mist, but another took its place immediately.
Claws raked across Cade's arm.
[System Notification: HP -10%.]
"Damn it!" He stumbled back, blocking another strike. "These things don't stop!"
Fang tore into another shadow, his Hellfire Aura scorching it to ashes. Cade ducked and rolled to avoid another attack, stabbing upward and barely holding his ground.
[System Notification: HP -5%.]
They fought desperately, cutting through wave after wave. Every second felt like an eternity. Cade's arms burned, his breathing labored. His HP kept dropping with every mistimed dodge.
[System Notification: HP -25%. HP -30%.]
Finally, the last shadow fell. Cade collapsed to one knee, panting. His HP bar hovered just above the halfway mark. Fang limped to his side, his fur burnt but his eyes still burning with determination.
"That was…" Cade swallowed hard. "Too close."
[System Notification: Shadow Minions Defeated.]
Before he could catch his breath, Umbrix raised its hand again. The room darkened once more, and new shadows began to rise.
"No. No, no, no." Cade's heart raced. "This isn't going to work. He's just going to keep summoning them."
Then it hit him. He'd seen this before, on a stream. His gut twisted. Umbrix wasn't just stalling—it was a strategy. Summon minions, weaken the players, and then finish them when their HP dropped too low to fight back.
He clenched his fists, staring at the shadowy boss as it watched him, unmoving. "If I don't take out the boss now, we're done for."
"We have to end this now." Cade looked at Fang, his voice low but firm. "Forget the minions. Go for Umbrix. Straight for him. On my signal."
Fang growled in agreement, his Hellfire Aura flaring again.
"Three… two… one… now!"
They charged. Cade sprinted forward, dagger in hand. Fang leapt high, aiming for the boss's torso. Umbrix moved for the first time, swatting Cade aside like a fly.
[System Notification: HP -15%.]
Cade slammed into the ground, coughing as pain shot through his ribs. He pushed himself up and lunged forward again, only for Umbrix to block with its claw. The counterattack sent Cade flying into a wall.
[System Notification: HP -20%. Critical!]
His vision blurred as he staggered to his feet. "Come on," he growled, charging again. He slashed at Umbrix's legs, but the Void Armor absorbed the blow. Umbrix's claws tore into him, sending him crumpling to the floor.
[System Notification: HP -20%. Warning: HP Critical, HP left: 5% .]
He tried to rise, only for Umbrix to knock him down again. Each attempt to fight back ended the same way—another blow, another crash, another cut into his HP.
"Why… can't I…" Cade gasped, barely holding onto his dagger. His HP bar blinked in red, a sliver away from empty.
Umbrix loomed over him, raising its hand for the final strike. "Is this it?" Cade thought as he almost lost all hope.
Just then Fang lunged, sinking his teeth into Umbrix's arm. The Hellfire Aura burnt against the shadowy form, making Umbrix recoil slightly. But the rescue was brief. Umbrix swung Fang aside like a ragdoll, slamming him into the ground. Fang let out a pained yelp, his form flickering as if he might fade.
"Fang!" Cade's scream tore through the chamber. He scrambled to his companion, his hands trembling as he cradled Fang's battered form. His aura flickered weakly, his breathing shallow.
"No… no, no, no! Fang, don't you dare leave me!" Cade's voice cracked as tears burned his eyes. "You're all I have!"
Umbrix laughed, a cruel, mocking sound. "How pitiful. Is this all the so-called hero can do? Cry over a dog?"
Cade clenched his fists, his entire body shaking, the weight of failure crushing him. His dagger slipped from his trembling hand, clattering uselessly to the ground. Blood dripped from his wounds, pooling beneath him as his breaths came in slow gasps.
"This is it…" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I gave everything… and it still wasn't enough." His eyes burned as frustration and despair twisted in his chest. "Why? Why do I keep fighting? No matter what I do, I'm just not strong enough, i've never… never been good enough.."
Fang's whimper reached his ears, weak and filled with pain. Cade's gaze shifted to his companion, battered and struggling to stand. Guilt stabbed through him like a blade.
"I couldn't even protect you," he whispered, his head bowing. For a fleeting moment, he thought about giving up—about letting the darkness claim him. "Maybe… maybe I should just let it end here."
But then, deep inside, a fire flickered—small, but unrelenting. His fingers curled into fists, his body trembling not from weakness, but from rage.
"No," he growled, his voice gaining strength. "I won't die here. I can't." He lifted his head, his eyes blazing with defiance. "If the system has something left—if I have something left—then give it to me."
Just then, the shadows around him began to ripple.
[System Notification: Latent Ability Awakening…]
"What?!"
Dark energy surged from Cade's body, pooling around his dagger. The blade stretched, transforming into a sleek, glowing weapon crackling with power.
[Dark Blade Manifestation Unlocked.]
Cade's grip tightened on the hilt. The pain in his body faded, replaced by a cold, focused fury. "You're done, Umbrix."
With a burst of speed, Cade launched himself at the boss. Umbrix swung, but Cade dodged effortlessly, the dark blade slicing clean through its Void Armor. Umbrix roared in pain, its defenses crumbling.
Fang rose weakly, his aura reigniting as he joined the attack.
Cade struck again with relentless force, overwhelming the boss.
"About time I ended this," Cade growled, leaping into the air. The dark blade gleamed as he brought it down, aiming straight for Umbrix's core.
The moment Cade's dark blade pierced through Umbrix's core, the boss let out a deafening roar, its shadowy form collapsing into a swirling void of darkness. The chamber fell silent, save for Cade's heavy breathing. Then, in a flash of light, a mountain of loot materialized where the boss had stood, shimmering in an otherworldly glow.
Cade didn't move for a moment, his gaze cold and steady as he stared at the spot where Umbrix had been. Slowly, a system notification rang out.
[System Announcement: Boss Defeated!]
Victory Achieved.
Level Up! Current Level: 5
Hunter Rank: Upgraded to D-Rank
Rewards:
• Skill Unlocked: [Dark Blade Manifestation]
(Allows user to summon a weapon of pure dark energy capable of bypassing most defenses.)
• Swordsmanship: Upgraded to B-Rank (Increases mastery and efficiency with blade-based weapons.)
• Summoning Expansion: User can now summon up to 2 Demon Dogs.
• +2000 HP Boost (Max HP: 2100)
• Attributes Increased:
• Strength: +3
• Agility: +2
• Speed: +1
• Attribute Points Earned: +100
• Currency Earned: +1000 Hunter Coins.
Cade opened his system tab, his cold eyes scanning through the flood of notifications. He read through each reward carefully, his expression blank. "Not bad," he muttered under his breath, his voice low and detached.
The system chimed again.
[Skill Notification: Dark Blade Manifestation can now be used freely. Its power scales with the user's Hunter Rank.]
Cade closed the tab with a flick of his hand, his lips curling into a faint, almost cruel smile. "I'll deal with the rest later," he muttered coldly.
He turned his attention to Fang, who stood by his side, bruised and battered but standing tall. Cade crouched down, resting a hand on Fang's head. "You did good, buddy," he said, his voice softening for the first time. "Thank you."
Fang licked his hand weakly, and Cade patted him one last time before standing. "Rest now," Cade said, activating the Demonhold. A swirling portal appeared, pulling Fang back into its depths for recovery.
Turning his gaze back to the loot pile, Cade activated his Reanimation Skill. The space where Umbrix had fallen darkened again as tendrils of red and black energy coiled together, forming the shadowy outline of the once-mighty boss.
Umbrix rose, his form now stripped of its malevolence, kneeling before Cade with a subdued aura.
"Master," Umbrix rasped, his voice now hollow and submissive.
Cade's eyes narrowed. "Go to the Demonhold realm. I'll summon you when I need you."
With a wave of his hand, the system obeyed, sending Umbrix into the Demonhold. The chamber was quiet once more.
As Cade turned to leave, something caught his eye—a faint glimmer on the ground where Umbrix had died. He crouched down, picking up the shiny object. It was a strange relic, dark and angular, with intricate carvings that pulsed faintly with power.
[System Notification: Relic Fragment Acquired.]
Relic of Whispering runes (Fragment 1): A powerful artifact with locked abilities.
Locked Abilities:
•[Shadow Vault] (Locked):
•[Spectral Veil] (Locked):
•[Eclipse Summon] (Locked): Summons a devastating mist entity to fight alongside the user. Requires substantial agility to sustain.
•[Endless Eclipse] (Locked): A forbidden ability that can shroud an entire battlefield in darkness, severely weakening all enemies while enhancing the user's powers.
"Why is it locked?" Cade growled, his voice sharp as he stared at the notification.
[System Response: User's current strength and rank are inadequate. Further progression is required to unlock the relic's abilities.]
Cade clenched the relic fragment in his hand, his grip so tight it seemed the object might shatter. "Weak… still too weak," he muttered, the words cutting like glass in his throat.
He stared at the glowing fragment one last time before storing it in his inventory. The frustration burned in his chest, but he forced himself to focus. "I'll get stronger," he vowed coldly, his voice echoing softly in the empty chamber. "Stronger than anyone. And I'll uncover the truth behind this… all of it."
Just then, a glowing portal appeared at the far end of the chamber. The air around it shimmered, and the hum of energy filled the room. Cade turned toward it, his gaze steady and unflinching.
"That must be the exit," he said flatly, stepping toward it without hesitation.
The blinding light of the portal swallowed him whole. When he emerged on the other side, Cade's footsteps faltered, his eyes narrowing at what lay ahead.
A village sprawled before him, alive with movement. People bustled through the streets, their voices mixing with the creak of wooden carts and the clatter of goods being loaded and unloaded. Lanterns flickered warmly, casting a soft glow over stone-paved roads and simple wooden houses.
Cade froze, his cold expression slipping into one of quiet disbelief. "People?" he muttered, taking in the shocking sight.