The Realm of Shadows—a place whispered about in old records and local legends—was said to exist beneath the very foundations of Atlas City, buried deep within its ancient ruins.

It had first been discovered years ago by a group of scavengers commissioned by the late Mayor Duncan. Their mission was simple: explore the ruins and bring back anything of historical or material value. But when days passed and none of them returned, Duncan realized something was wrong.

As it turned out, he had been right to worry. Something had gone terribly wrong.

Now, years later, Axton stood before the very same entrance that had swallowed those unfortunate explorers. The place was silent—eerily so. Cold air drifted out from the cave's mouth like the breath of a sleeping beast.

He had spent several days preparing for this expedition—training, grinding monsters in nearby areas, and leveling up his core stats and skills. Some of his abilities had even reached their maximum level. Axton knew better than to enter an unknown dungeon unprepared, especially one with such a grim reputation.

"I'm not taking any chances," he muttered, pulling up his status screen briefly before dismissing it.

With his preparation complete, Axton finally stepped into the Realm of Shadows.

The entrance looked no different from a natural cave, but the moment he crossed the threshold, he felt an immediate shift in the air—a thick, oppressive presence pressing down on him.

Inside, the darkness wasn't absolute. Pale light shone from numerous crystals embedded in the walls. Their glow painted the tunnel in hues of ghostly blue and green, making the cave feel alive. A worn stone staircase led downward, spiraling into the earth.

As Axton descended, the temperature dropped. His breath came out in faint white wisps. The air was still, yet heavy with something unseen—an ancient dread lingering from centuries past.

Halfway down, he began to notice things that made his skin crawl. Bones—hundreds of them—were scattered along the walls and floor. Some were half-buried in dirt, while others hung eerily from the jagged walls, impaled or stuck within the crystal growths.

And as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw them.

Skeletons.

Dozens of them sat slumped against the walls, still wearing scraps of rusted armor and faded insignias. Their bones were intact—only missing flesh.

Axton crouched and examined one closely. The armor bore the crest of old Atlas City.

"Soldiers…" he whispered. "These must've been soldiers from before the fall."

But before he could stand up straight, the silence broke.

The hollow sockets of the skeletons glowed suddenly—an eerie, sickly green light flickering within. Their bones rattled as they rose, one by one, to their feet. The sound of clattering bones filled the entire cavern.

In front of Axton, several blue holographic boxes appeared.

[Undead Skeleton]

[Grade: 2]

[Level: 28]

[Attack: 1000]

[Defense: 483]

[Agility: 446]

[HP: 590 / 590]

[Skills: Undead Aggression, Bone Dagger]

Axton's eyes skimmed through the stats. His lips curled into a faint smirk.

"Level 28? That's all?"

He didn't even bother drawing his weapon.

The skeletons, however, moved with surprising speed. Their empty eyes fixed on him as they charged, the sound of their bony feet echoing across the cavern.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

Bone daggers gleamed faintly in the crystal light as they slashed at him from all directions. Blades struck his armor and skin, leaving shallow white marks—but no blood spilled.

Axton stood unmoving, watching the flurry of attacks with an amused expression. He didn't dodge, didn't block, didn't even flinch.

When the flurry ended, his health bar hadn't dropped even a single point.

"Ha," he chuckled, crossing his arms. "As I thought. Pathetic."

He had been testing a theory—that his current base defense and equipment stats were strong enough to tank weaker monsters without using any defensive skills or magic. Clearly, he'd been right.

He tilted his head, studying the group of skeletons still mindlessly hacking away at him. "Well, I guess that's enough testing for now."

He raised a hand.

A glowing sigil appeared in the air before him, radiating golden light.

"Come forth—Great Bear."

The ground beneath him trembled as a massive, shadowy figure materialized. The Great Bear emerged with a deafening roar, shaking the entire cavern. Its fur shimmered with faint streaks of mana, its eyes blazing like twin suns.

The skeletons momentarily froze. Even without emotions, some primal instinct inside them seemed to recognize the danger.

But whatever necromantic force controlled them gave no room for hesitation. Their limbs jerked forward once again, forcing them to charge despite the obvious futility.

"Pity," Axton muttered.

The Great Bear moved with terrifying speed for its size. It swung one colossal paw, the strike so powerful that it created a gust of wind. Bones shattered instantly—dozens of skeletons disintegrated into dust upon impact.

The beast roared again, its sound echoing through the tunnels as it rampaged through the horde. Each swipe of its claws tore through another cluster of undead, sending fragments flying in every direction.

System notifications began to flood Axton's vision.

[You have defeated Undead Skeleton ×47]

[EXP +9,400]

[Item Drop: Bone Core ×1]

[Gold +210]

The ground was soon littered with broken bones and flickering remnants of necrotic energy.

The Great Bear turned back to Axton and rumbled softly, awaiting further orders.

"That'll do," Axton said with a satisfied nod. He dismissed the summon, watching as it dissolved into motes of golden light.

He then crouched to inspect the drops scattered across the floor. There were shards, potions, a few pieces of silver, and—

"Hmm?" Axton's eyes caught something unusual among the loot.

A small, glowing sphere pulsed faintly in his palm, radiating a dim white light. A system window appeared the moment he picked it up.

[Bone Core]

[Grade: 2]

[Cores Collected: 1 / 10,000]

[Collect 10,000 Bone Cores to form a Skeleton Commander]

"A Skeleton Commander?" Axton muttered, raising a brow. "That's… interesting."

He turned the core over in his palm. It looked like a crystallized fragment of soul energy—dense, yet faintly humming with dark magic.

If ten thousand of these really could create a summonable undead commander, it could become a valuable asset for his forces. A being of that level might rival even the Great Bear in power.

Still, ten thousand was a ridiculous number.

He smiled faintly. "Guess I'll start with one."

Pocketing the Bone Core, Axton glanced deeper into the tunnel. The eerie crystals continued to light the way, and faint growls could be heard echoing from the unseen depths.

It was clear that the skeletons had only been the beginning. The deeper he ventured, the stronger and more dangerous the enemies would become.

And yet, instead of fear, Axton felt anticipation rising in his chest. His eyes glowed faintly as he summoned a small orb of flame to light his path.

"Let's see what other secrets you're hiding down here," he murmured, stepping forward.

The Realm of Shadows awaited.

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