Under the golden rays of the morning sun, two ethereal beauties lay in peaceful slumber within the opulent confines of the royal palace of the Oriana Kingdom. One possessed flowing locks of radiant gold, while the other boasted silken strands of shimmering silver. The grand room, adorned with intricate tapestries and luxurious furnishings, seemed to amplify their serene beauty.

Outside the palace, the city of Oriana was already stirring with life. Even before the sun fully crested the horizon, the bustling streets had begun to fill with merchants displaying their vibrant wares and adventurers preparing for the day's quests, each individual contributing to the vibrant tapestry of city life.

"Number 666, Number 850, report to the dining hall in 40 minutes."

A melodious yet commanding female voice pierced the tranquility of the room from the hallway beyond. The tone was sweet, yet laced with authority, leaving no room for disobedience. The speaker sighed softly, her footsteps echoing as she walked away with an air of nonchalance, seemingly unbothered by the early hour.

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After a few hours, a young lady with silver hair walked out of the royal palace in the Oriana Kingdom, bandages covering several places where her skin should have been visible.

'It hasn't even been a week since my arrival, and here I am, all broken and bandaged as punishment for a grave mistake... sigh.'

She flexed her fingers, testing the mobility of her joints beneath the white bandages. Each movement brought a sharp twinge of pain, reminding her of the injuries hidden beneath the layers of cloth.

"Ugh... that hurts. Why did I even open my mouth back then?"

Regret etched itself across her features for the words she had spoken.

Several people in formal attire, accepted as the norm in workplaces, were passing by, busy making their livelihoods.

Memory:

A lady in jet black cloth with silver hair, none other than Alexia, held a jet black sword in her hands, accompanied by several other silhouettes.

One of the silhouettes in front of her eyed her sword, smirking as if waiting for something.

"Fuu... You're already sweating so much... little one!"

"How? When? Wh-!!"

*Cling! Cling!*

Before Alexia could properly react to the voice, suddenly the silhouette disappeared in front of her in the gust of wind while two slashes came at her, forcing her to parry them. Another cut sliced through her muscles like a knife through butter, leaving a trail of blood.

"If you can't even handle this, how are you going to serve Lord Shadow?"

The figure placed the blood-dripping sword on her shoulder, casting a condescending gaze down at her.

After hearing the question from number 432, Alexia flushed, clearly feeling responsible for the situation.

"Hun... About... that!"

"ftttp...What? Don't tell me that you got the rank-restricted book, 'Guidance To The Personal Service of Lord Shadow', by chance on a table or something."

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The figure remarked with a mix of disbelief and amusement, their tone sharp with incredulity.

As soon as Alexia heard the comment, her cheeks flushed deeply, a mixture of embarrassment and frustration coloring her expression. She quickly covered the wound on her lower abdomen with her left hand, feeling the steady throb beneath her touch. She adjusted the hilt of her jet black sword in her right hand, preparing herself for the onslaught.

"Anyways, this or that, as you have already read the book, which is rank restricted. So according to the disciplinary law, for a crime as serious as this, you are to be directly punished by the Council of Shadows..."

"...."

Listening to the words of number 432, Alexia's lips twisted into a grimace. She understood what was being implied due to actions of number 432 over the past two hours--sword arcs slicing through the air, blurring as they reflected light in dazzling, fleeting flashes.

"When a golden chance comes your way, you've gotta grab it. Opportunities like this don't just fall into your lap every day,"

she said with a casual shrug. Then, with a smirk and a twinkle in her eye, she added, "And now, I've got the perfect opportunity right in front of me. Seriously, how could I possibly let it slip by?"

"...."

Somewhat feeling the approaching tsunami, Alexia just stayed silent.

"Hehe, you know, it's kind of funny. Alexia Midgar, one of the Shadow Monarchs, who has powers directly from Lord Shadow himself, is in my squad. With you and a few others in the top 100 to 200, and the rest averaging around rank 250, our first-tier squad will be 'Shadow Phantoms' very soon. If you become one of the core shadows, one of the top 60, which I believe you can do with your potential, it would really boost our squad. We could end up with at least 1 'Shadow Sentinels' close to Lord Shadow. Just think about it – Imagine the power and influence we'd wield! Hehe... hehe... hehe."

As if returning from her own world, as if finding the key to the greatest mystery of her life, her lips twisted in a smirk while she continued,

"Since you are so promising for my squadron, I'll do you a favor and won't hand you over to the council. But I can't just forsake my loyalty to Lord Shadow. So..."

Alexia felt as if she was standing not in front of her squad commander, but rather a rabbit, who could only hop and hop while being chased by a dragon, ready to be roasted and chewed like a small lump of flesh.

"Usually, you would be sentenced to some nasty trainings or missions, if handed over to council, but since this is just a case of reading a rank-restricted book,....."

Hearing the commander's words and seeing her eyes glistening with an unsettling intensity, Alexia subconsciously took a step backward, her senses screaming at her to flee as quickly and as far as she could. Unfortunately for her, before her commander even finished her sentence, her commander vanished from her spot as if she had never been there.

".....how about I make you eligible enough...then you might be called to perform a personal service, which is rank-restricted...."

A cold sweat ran down Alexia's spine as she froze in place. Her cheeks flushed tomato red at the thought of what that might entail, her mind racing with disturbing images of being tormented by a male and bound by ropes, hardly having any clothes on and all the possible things that she could imagine.

"Perverted... t-that's just perverted! No way... no way I'll..."

Suddenly, her words were cut off by an intense and searing pain erupting from her stomach.

"A-Aah... W-what the?"

As she glanced down at her body, she saw a jet-black sword piercing through her back, its blade sliding to the left and slicing her abdomen in two.

Thanks to her powers, as the sword carved through her abdomen, dark black slime oozed from her suit, swiftly filling the gap created by the blade.

"Is that so?"

'As I suspected, she hasn't fully devoted her body and soul to Lord Shadow. Sigh. Well, if not out of respect, I will need to deal with her in my own way. Now I understand why Lady is hesitant... Anyway, it's time for you to pay. If you hadn't rejected Lord Shadow's love and affection, many of us would have been with him by now. Little street cat, you're squandering the chance Lord Shadow has given you...'

She knew....She knew very well what she had done wrong, and thus began her descent into hell.

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Keywords:

Shadow Monarchs: A high-ranking group within the shadow guild, bestowed with powers directly from Lord Shadow. They only posses far more potential than normal shadows but not power.

First-tier Squad: A designation for top-level teams within the shadow guild. This squad consists of high-ranking members,mainly including those in the top 100 to 200 ranks.

Shadow Phantoms: The name given to the squad with extraordinary capabilities and is a rank Higher in hierarchy to First-tier Squad and one of the tops.

Shadow Sentinels: A best elite category within them, representing the top 60-80 ranks. Members of this category are seen as close to Lord Shadow and partake in the battles alongside lord shadow beside 7 shadows.