The deep hum of the forest seemed to vibrate beneath Riku’s feet as he walked, but something was different. The usual sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling were eerily absent. A thick, unnatural stillness hung in the air like a blanket, pressing in on him from all sides. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as his senses flared, warning him of something far worse than anything he had faced before.

It started with a whisper—low, like a distant murmur on the wind. But as it grew louder, Riku's pulse quickened. His body froze, his hand instinctively moving toward his sword. There was no mistaking it: something was near, something ancient and powerful, and it was watching him.

The temperature seemed to drop, as though the very air was growing heavier, suffused with a chilling aura of death. Magic—dark, oppressive magic—saturated the environment. It was unlike anything Riku had ever felt. Not the subtle pressure of magical beasts or the faint pulse of magical artifacts. This was pure, unrelenting malevolence.

Riku’s heart raced. His instincts screamed at him to flee, but his body remained rooted in place. His training told him to face danger, to fight and overcome. Yet, deep within him, he knew that this was different. This power... it wasn’t something he could fight. It wasn’t something he could hope to defeat. Not yet.

A shadow flickered at the edge of his vision, just beyond the trees. It moved with an unnatural fluidity, as if it wasn’t bound by the physical world. Riku turned his head, trying to pinpoint the source, but his gaze was met with only darkness—an emptiness that seemed to stretch beyond the limits of the forest.

Then, it appeared.

From the darkness, a figure emerged—tall, looming, its presence casting an unnatural shadow over everything around it. The air seemed to crackle with the power it exuded. Riku’s breath caught in his throat as he saw the creature, its form shifting and warping, like something that didn’t belong in the world. It was as if the very fabric of reality bent around its existence.

The creature's eyes gleamed, glowing with an otherworldly light. They locked onto Riku, piercing through him as though it could see every weakness, every doubt, every fear within his soul.

Name: Shadow Monarch

Level: ???

Strength: ???

Magic: ???

Defense: ???

Stamina: ???

Speed: ???

Riku’s mind raced. The creature’s stats were hidden, its true power a mystery. It didn’t matter, though. No number could capture the overwhelming pressure it exerted on him. It was a force of pure darkness, and Riku could feel every bit of it bearing down on him. His body screamed at him to run.

The Shadow Monarch stepped forward, its movement effortless and fluid, like a predator stalking its prey. Riku instinctively took a step back, his legs trembling. This creature’s power was far beyond his. The strength in its presence alone made his own magic feel insignificant. He felt the weight of its magic pressing down on him, suffocating him. It was as if the very air was being drained from his lungs.

The Shadow Monarch’s gaze never wavered, but Riku could feel the creature sizing him up—almost as if it were considering whether to bother with him at all. The longer Riku stood there, the more he realized something crucial. He wasn’t even a threat. The Shadow Monarch was so overwhelmingly powerful, so beyond his level, that he didn’t even register as a blip on its radar. He wasn’t worthy of its attention. He was just a speck of dust in the presence of a force that could crush him without a second thought.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Pathetic," the Shadow Monarch’s voice rumbled, a deep, ancient resonance that reverberated in Riku’s mind. The voice was cold, dismissive, as if speaking to an insignificant insect. "You are no more than a wisp of wind, a flicker in the darkness."

Riku stood frozen, every part of him screaming in terror and humiliation. The creature wasn’t even trying to engage him. It was as if his very existence didn’t matter. He was too weak, too insignificant to be considered a threat or even a challenge.

"Leave," the Shadow Monarch said, its tone colder still, almost bored. "I have no interest in you."

Riku’s mind reeled, the words sinking into him like a blade through flesh. It wasn’t that the creature was letting him go—it was that Riku didn’t even deserve to be fought. He wasn’t worthy of its time or attention. He had no place in this encounter.

But Riku’s instincts, his survival instincts, roared louder than the feeling of insignificance. His heart hammered in his chest. The sheer malevolent aura emanating from the Shadow Monarch was enough to paralyze him with fear, but he knew one thing: he had to run. If he didn’t get out of here, if he didn’t escape now, this monstrous being might simply wipe him out without a second thought.

He took a tentative step backward, and the moment he did, the Shadow Monarch’s form seemed to blur, melding back into the shadows from which it came, as if it had never even been there. The oppressive aura, the suffocating magic, faded into nothingness.

Riku didn’t hesitate. His legs finally caught up to his survival instincts, and he turned on his heel, sprinting through the forest with everything he had. He had no idea how far he ran, how long he’d been sprinting. His heart pounded in his chest, the adrenaline pushing him forward with the sole intent of escaping the creature’s domain. He didn’t dare look back, didn’t dare slow down. The feeling of insignificance clung to him like a shadow, but it was nothing compared to the cold terror that raced through him.

The further he went, the more the weight of the Shadow Monarch’s presence lifted. It wasn’t chasing him—it had no need to. Riku was nothing, and in the grand scheme of things, he was insignificant. The realization made his chest tighten with frustration and humiliation. He had barely escaped with his life, but the creature hadn’t even bothered to truly confront him. He wasn’t even a blip on its radar.

Eventually, Riku collapsed against a tree, his breath ragged and his legs trembling. He sat there for a long time, unable to shake the overwhelming sense of dread that clung to him like a shroud. The encounter had left him shaken, but more than that—it had left him with a harsh truth: he was far weaker than he had ever realized.

He closed his eyes, his breath catching in his throat. His mind spiraled back to the endless days of training—endless hours spent in the fields, pushing his body and mind to their limits. He had fought countless battles, honed his skills with every possible weapon, and learned every technique he could get his hands on. He had thought it was enough. He had thought that his training, his sacrifices, would be the key to his survival, to his growth.

But now? He felt small. Every ounce of effort, every drop of sweat, seemed insignificant in the face of the Shadow Monarch’s power. It was as if all of it had been for nothing.

"Was it all a waste?" Riku whispered to himself, his voice shaky with doubt. "All that training... all that pain... and for what?"

His eyes opened to the quiet, empty forest, the question echoing in his mind. Was this the limit of his power? Was this the reality he was facing—endless struggles against foes far stronger than him?

The weight of it all settled on him, and for the first time, Riku wondered if he could ever truly overcome something like the Shadow Monarch. Or was he doomed to always be too weak?

He clenched his fists, the frustration boiling within him, but it was tempered with something else—something sharper. A sense of determination. A desire to prove that he could grow, that he could reach a level where even monsters like the Shadow Monarch would fear him.

But first, he would need to rebuild himself from the ground up.