Shadows of Desperation
The Awakener registration hospital corridor was still thick with the stench of disinfectant. The sharp tang stung Eugene's nose, twisting his face into a grimace. This place, which had always delivered nothing but despair, felt strangely alien today. Eugene carefully pushed open the familiar door to the hospital room.
The room was filled only with the steady rhythm of machinery. In the center lay Sua, her face pale as death. Watching his little sister draw shallow breaths through the oxygen mask twisted something deep in his chest. After their parents' deaths, her sudden coma had followed like a curse. He still couldn't fathom why this had happened to them. The memories haunted him relentlessly.
The house had been suffocatingly silent after the funeral. Sua, sitting blankly in the living room, had called out to him in a frail voice. "Oppa..." Before he could even respond properly, she'd collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. Was it the shock of losing their parents? He'd rushed her to the hospital on his back, but she hadn't opened her eyes since. The doctors ran every test imaginable and found nothing wrong—just an "unexplained coma," an irresponsible shrug of a diagnosis.
Eugene gently gripped Sua's pale hand. At that moment, the announcer's voice leaked from the TV mounted on the wall of the silent room.
'News travels fast.'
Of course—with all that chaos, it would be weirder if they didn't know. A cataclysmic gate cleared was no small feat. The odd part? Not a word about the sudden irregular gate that had popped up. Just the Black Abyss vanishing.
Out-of-spec monster, huh. Eugene stared blankly at the screen. The professor was describing none other than Aria, who called him Master.
The anchor's excited voice continued—until the door creaked open. A familiar nurse entered, clutching a folder. Her expression was grim.
"Mr. Eugene, guardian of patient Sua? Do you have a moment?"
Eugene's gut twisted. He knew what was coming.
"Sure. What is it?"
"I'm so sorry to say this, but... the overdue hospital bills are over three months now. If it's not paid by the end of the week, per admin policy, we'll have to vacate the room."
His heart plummeted. Eugene bowed his head hastily.
"I'm sorry. I'll scrape it together somehow by the end of the week. Just a few more days—please."
The nurse glanced pityingly between him and the bedridden Sua. She couldn't break hospital rules. With a short sigh, she left.
Click. The door shut. Eugene exhaled deeply.
"Haa..."
A few days from sleeping on the streets. He'd risked his life delving the irregular gate's outskirts for Abyss Flowers to pay these bills. He'd even quit every odd job to focus on it. But the poachers got shredded, and now he had less than ten bucks to his name.
He needed big money. Fast.
His gaze drifted to Sua's face under the oxygen mask. In this mad world, a dirt-poor loser like him had one way to make a fortune quick: become a pro Awakener.
Hunt monsters in gates, sell mana stones and byproducts. The only sure path to wealth no office drone could touch.
If only I'd grabbed that dragon mana stone Aria snagged. Too panicked to think straight amid the chaos. Or maybe it got pulverized in the blast. Either way, a powerless guy hauling something that pricey was like waving cash in a den of thieves. Post-cataclysm Korea wasn't safe anymore.
Normally impossible. Gates were graves for unawakened like him. But now...
Eugene clenched the black ring on his right hand. He had power now. A path to growth.
If the way forward was clear, there was no reason to hesitate. To wake Sua, he had to get stronger. Aria had sworn there was a way, as long as she clung to life.
Awakener Evaluation Center.
Before entering, Eugene paused, deep in thought. He had gained abilities. But proving them? Tricky. His status window stats were plain human. And summoning Aria for a demo? No way.
'Will this even get me registered?'
No. No standout skills to show. No proof of power.
Then it hit him. Last time, Aria said she couldn't manifest due to his low mana. So, conversely, if mana was enough, couldn't he summon other dungeon denizens outside?
A spark of hypothesis. He brought the ring to his lips.
"Aria. Can you hear me?"
"Yes, Master. You called for me?"
Eugene glanced around and whispered low.
"One question. If I can't summon you out here due to low mana, doesn't that mean low-mana-cost guys I can afford right now?"
"Precisely, Master. Summonable entities scale with your mana level."
The black gem in the ring shimmered.
"High guardians like myself can't exit, but some low-tier dungeon beasts are well within your current mana to command."
Jackpot. Tension melted away. Eugene's eyes gleamed.
"So I can pull 'em out and control them freely?"
Summoners existed—tamer class handling beasts. Fake it like one, and registration would sail through.
"Of course, Master. Everything in the dungeon is yours—my body, mind, and soul included."
Aria's voice brimmed with fervor through the ring.
"If you wish, I'll shatter my constraints even if it destroys me. The pinnacle beasts from the upper floors, fit for your greatness, right n—"
"No... please stop..."
Eugene waved frantically at thin air, horrified. Shatter constraints again? Like yesterday's dragon bisected and mountain vaporized—in downtown? Wrecking her body in the process? Unacceptable.
"I wanna avoid standing out. So..."
No tangling with the Black Abyss fallout. His goal was singular: revive Sua. Flashy moves invited scrutiny. He'd seen the news—promising talent assassinated quietly. Big guilds blocking the path.
"Ahh... I failed to grasp your profound intent, Master. Very well—I'll prepare the vermin."
Regret tinged Aria's tone.
"I'll send the lowest-mana Shadow Servants under my command."
His strength drained instantly. His shadow rippled grotesquely beneath him—like a black organism coiling and pulsing.
"I've hidden them in your shadow, Master. Use them as you will."
A chill seeped into his veins—not bulking muscles or hardening bones, but an alien power syncing perfectly with his own. The Shadow Servants' mana fused seamlessly.
'Perfect. This'll do.'
Beasts came in endless varieties. Posing as a summoner wouldn't raise eyebrows. Show power, get registered—that was it.
Eugene flexed his fist. Relief washed over him. With a deep breath, he strode confidently through the glass doors of the Awakener Evaluation Center.
...
Eugene approached the reception desk and slid his ID across.
"Here for Awakener rank evaluation."
The clerk's fingers froze over the terminal. The screen blared "Unawakened" in red. She looked up with a scoff.
"Eugene? Back again? How many times now? We told you—same result every time."
Memories flashed: that overseas unawakened late-bloomer news. Grasping at straws, he'd tried here. Mocked as unawakened every time.
But not anymore. Eugene ignored the disdain, nudging his shadow with his toe.
A black hand erupted from his shadow, snatching the clerk's thick steel nameplate off the desk.
Crunch! It crumpled like paper amid a screeching wail.
Not done. Sensing his mood, the hand lunged for her throat.
"H-Hiiik?!"
The clerk toppled backward in her chair, screaming. Nearby Awakeners flinched for weapons—then froze. The lobby iced over with killing intent from the shadow.
'Hey! Cut it out!'
Eugene barked inwardly. The hand drooped dejectedly and slunk back into the shadow.
'Are all Aria's minions like this?'
He sighed. Plan was subtle summoner reveal, smooth pass. Total derail from the start.
The shadow stilled. Cold silence blanketed the lobby. Eugene shoved the mangled nameplate aside with another sigh.
'These are the "vermin"?'
Aria had sworn they were the lowliest. But that killing aura? Dragon-level menace from the irregular gate. One slip, and the clerk was dead.
Clearly, his and Aria's definitions of "lowly" differed wildly. Head throbbing at the cleanup ahead, but spilled milk.
Labyrinth Citadel's deepest sanctum.
Aria's private office was the opposite of the fortress's grim exterior. Walls plastered floor-to-ceiling with Eugene's photos. Even a life-sized doll mimicking his build on the bed.
"Ahh, Master... How consistently tender you are."
Aria clutched a cushion printed with his face to her chest. Recalling his voice through the ring, her pale cheeks flushed crimson. How long she'd begged and waited for this day.
Knock knock.
Attendant maid Bella entered with a tea tray. She tried ignoring the decor but sighed at the photo wall.
"Haa... Lady Aria. Shouldn't we inform the other guardians?"
"Other guardians?"
"Yes. If they learn Master has returned, they'll all awaken at once. Especially if Yuria hears—total chaos."
Aria hugged the doll tighter. Imagining the brute swordsman and arrogant queen stirring? Headache already. They'd swarm Master in seconds.
"No. Not yet."
"But for Master's safety, bolstering our forces..."
"I alone suffice to protect Master now."
Aria cut her off firmly. Excuse, really. She just craved undisturbed time with her reunited Master. Long-awaited homecoming. Prime chance to make him rely solely on her.
"Don't tell the others until I say. Not yet."
Obsidian mana swirled the room. Bella bowed reluctantly.
"Understood. As you wish, Lady Aria."
Bella exited quietly. Aria buried her face in the doll.
"Master... Ah, my beloved Master."
She hummed cheerfully, hearts sparkling in her eyes.