Jeju Island Arc – The Arrival of the Shadow Monarch

The battlefield was a graveyard of shattered hopes and dying embers. The S-Rank hunters, once the pinnacle of human strength, now stood battered and bloodied, their bodies trembling under the relentless assault of the ant king and its horde. The stench of death clung to the air, thick and suffocating, as despair crept into the hearts of the survivors.

Then—darkness descended.

A chilling pressure swallowed the island whole, an overwhelming force that silenced even the howling winds. Shadows slithered across the blood-soaked ground, stretching unnaturally, as if the earth itself bowed in submission. From the void, you emerged.

Eyes like abyssal voids locked onto the battlefield, radiating an authority that turned prey into statues. The weight of your presence crushed the remaining monsters, their instincts screaming—run. But there was no escape. Not from you.

you took a step forward. The ground quaked. your shadow pulsed, spreading like a living entity, devouring the dying light of day. And then—they rose.

Legions of shadow soldiers clawed their way into existence, warriors reborn in servitude to the one true king. The very enemies that had ravaged this island now stood beneath you, their lifeless eyes awaiting your command.

you exhaled slowly, gaze settling on the Ant King, who, for the first time, knew fear.