It’s been a week now. All this time, I haven’t eaten anything since monsters killed in the dungeon disintegrate back to magical energy leaving only their core. Instead, I’ve spent it learning everything I can in the Phantom techniques. I know I can’t win against the minotaur but luckily enough, there is a technique here in this book called shadow exchange which allows you to manoeuvre through the shadow. That way, I won’t need to fight the minotaur. My goal right now is to get the teleportation scroll which Kel dropped. Even though I’m hungry and I feel like dying, I don’t have any choice but to master this technique.

Shadow exchange was a bit complicated than I thought. The first time I tried it, I felt like the shadow was swallowing me whole. I didn’t have control over it and ended up blacking out. The second time I tried it was easier because I already knew the feeling of entering the darkness. But the problem was moving in the shadow.

Once you enter the shadow, there is no ground to walk on. So, it feels like you are on water rather than anything else. I ended up lost so many times and found myself in different parts of the dungeon. Luckily, I wasn’t far from this room. That was probably thanks to my average mana pool. It seems that the more mana you have, the further away you can move.

After a ton of trial and error, I finally managed to understand shadow exchange. Instead of travelling the whole trip in the shadow. I would travel at least a two-minute distance in the shadow then exit it. By doing this over and over, it prevented me from getting lost in the shadow and ending up in other parts I didn’t want to end up.

I used shadow exchange and left the room. After a minute of travelling in the shadow, I appeared in the hallway of the dungeon where I had escaped certain death.

It doesn’t seem there are monsters nearby.

After confirming that thought, I seeped into the shadow again and travelled for a few minutes until I arrived at the place where everyone was massacred.

Their bodies were no longer there.

Maybe the monsters ate them. But to think not even a single bone is left.

After catching a glimpse of the teleportation scroll from afar, I thought.

Okay, there is the teleportation scroll. I don’t see the minotaur.

I sneaked across the area and grabbed the teleportation scroll.

Come to think about it, these guys were loaded. Where the hell are their storage rings and bags?

I looked around only to find everything they possessed at a single point.

Oh, quite convenient. Don’t mind if I do.

I collected the storage rings and the other possessions they had. As I was happy over my luck, I suddenly felt a chill behind my back. A shadow loomed over me as it came crashing down.

*Boom*

A crater appeared where I was. I emerged from the shadow at the centre of the room.

To think this guy was still here. If it wasn’t for that feeling then I would be dead. Come to think about it, how did I sense him in the first place?

The minotaur seemed confused too by my evasion.

I see. Is it because of my shadow? When the minotaur appeared behind me, it was stepping over my shadow. Maybe studying the shadow techniques has made me one with the shadow somehow. I have to leave here.

I tore the teleportation scroll and I was instantly ingulfed by pure white as I teleported to the outside of the dungeon. The sun was quite bright and at the same time, it felt good.

“Let me just lie down for a second and busk in the sun.”

I took out some food out of one of the storage rings and indulged myself. The sun glittered beautifully underneath the leaves as I gobbled the food.

The barrier is probably down now. Since Kel was a noble, there is no doubt that there will be people investigating his death.

They’ll probably think that we all perished there since even their bodies won’t be found. I guess I should lie low for now. With the gold coins in these storage rings and other treasures, I should be able to live quite luxuriously.

I picked myself up the green pastures and left the area before people started coming.

***

News about the Dungeon opening up were heard throughout the kingdom. Investigation teams were sent to exam the dungeon and results came out. The dungeon was classified as an A-rank hell dungeon. It was confirmed that there were no survivors in the dungeon and available S-rank adventurer parties and A-rank parties were assembled to conquer the dungeon.

It's been two weeks now. I managed to buy myself a house in the residential district where nobles and rich commoners live. It wasn’t because I wanted a luxurious lifestyle. The reason was because I needed to lay low. The residential district was far away from the slums. So, everyone that knew me thought I was dead. Well, not everyone. I had visited the slums once and that was to deliver some money to the orphanage.

So, Maria knows I’m still alive. I managed to learn a lot about the Phantom techniques. There are five techniques in this book.

1. Shadow exchange: allows one to move through the shadow.

2. Shadow demon: allows one to create a shadow demon which can be attached to a person’s shadow. (Used for spying and locating)

3. Shadow teleportation: teleportation through the shadow to any point you’ve been to.

4. Shadow walk: allows for stealthy movement in any environment.

5. Phantom aura: covering your body in a dark aura that can obscure people’s ability to recognize you.

So far, I have learned two of the techniques. Shadow exchange and shadow demon. The three remaining techniques need someone with a large pool of mana. So, I’m unable to use them. It would have been awesome to learn and comprehend Phantom aura, but I guess it’s not my luck to.

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There was also another reason why I decided to live here in the residential district. And that was because nobles and rich people live here. Using my shadow exchange, I could steal from them without any worry of getting caught.

I began my plan. Every night I would sneak around wearing a hooded attire and steal from the nobles. I stole jewellery, money, family heirlooms and many more. Just like that, I was known as the Phantom thief. A thief you would never know he was there. The only sign of him being there was having your treasures and belongings gone.

My name was soaring throughout the Esteria kingdom and bounties were put for my head. I was infamous through the kingdom and dubbed as a threat towards the nobles.

One day, I caught wind about an auction happening in the White auction house. The White auction house was the biggest auction house in all of Esteria and an item worth tens of thousands of gold coins was being auctioned there. The EYE OF MADEA. Of course, I didn’t know what it was. My thieving instincts got the better of me. It seemed a lot of people wanted this item.

It was a diamond shaped jewel that glowed bright red. It had beautiful, precious metal around it holding it in place. It was the size of my palm. Infiltrating the auction house wasn’t that hard. Even stealing it wasn’t hard thanks to my shadow exchange. Escaping was the hard part.

After stealing the item, I was faced with a predicament. A swordmaster was there.

I was badly injured in the torso but I managed to escape. With having nowhere to go, I decided to go to the orphanage. Maria was quite shocked when she came to the revelation that I was the Phantom thief but she helped me with my wounds nonetheless.

We kissed that night after figuring out how we felt for each other. After that day, my bounty increased exponentially. Because of that, I decided to stop my thieving career.

***

It’s been a year now since I stopped being the Phantom thief to spend my life with Maria.

Since she didn’t want to leave the children in the orphanage alone, we decided to stay there. All the treasure I had stolen was hidden in multiple storage rings and bags which I hid under the floor in my room. I had other places I hid some treasure for emergency.

I at least had twenty-five storage rings and bags due to them having so little space. I was now living a slow life with the woman I loved. After two months, Maria got pregnant. It was a joyous day for all of us in the orphanage. It meant we were getting a new member. It meant I was going to be a dad. I was genuinely happy.

However, my happiness was cut short when a man from the Langston Marquis house was sent to my door.

“Marquis David Langston wishes to see the Phantom thief. ” that was the only thing the man said to me.

I was shaken by the man’s words. They had somehow found out that I was the Phantom thief.

Did they just figure it out or did they always know?

I was accompanied to the Langston house where I would meet Marquis David. The mansion was humongous. Even the gate dazzled. In the front of the house, there was a huge fountain. There were precious jewels embedded to it making it light up. I was welcomed into the mansion where I was greeted by a long line of maids. I was then sent to the study to meet the marquis.

The study was big enough for ten people to sleep in. No, maybe even more. The study was divided into three sections. There was a place that resembled a library. It had a stack of books in it. The other section was like a lounge area with sofas and a small, beautifully carved table. The final section was like an office with only a desk and a chair. There were stacks of parchment and books on the table. I was shown to sit at the lounge area.

After a few minutes, he entered from a different door. I was expecting to see an old man but I was greeted by a kid who was barely in his twenties. A handsome young man who had beautiful blonde hair identical to Kel’s.

“Greetings Oliver. Or should I say Phantom thief?”

“What do you want from me?” I asked as I narrowed my eyes.

“Oh, straight to the point, huh? I like that. The thing is… I need you for a job.” He said as he sat down on the sofa.

“I’m no longer a thief anymore.”

“I know that Mr Oliver but you don’t have much of a choice. A year ago, when my brother went to challenge the dungeon and never came back. I sent an investigation team and an archaeologist to look into the matter. What they found was nothing. Since in a dungeon, monsters can eat the bodies of dead people or the dungeon itself can eat them, we were convinced that everyone had died, you included. But thank my father for hiring the best archaeologist money can buy, Spencer the bone specialist. He was able to uncover the fact that the items of my brother and his companions were nowhere to be found. You see, a dungeon keeps all the items of the dead adventurers and use them as rewards for people who either defeat a strong monster or conquer the dungeon. But when the dungeon was conquered, their items where nowhere to be found.”

I didn’t think about that.

“If you already knew about all that. Then why didn’t you make a move until now?”

“Well, after the investigation on the dungeon, my father died under mysterious circumstances. Since both my father and brother who was the heir were dead, I was made the Marquis of the Langston house. Because of that, I wasn’t able to make contact with you to interrogate you about the means you used to survive the dungeon. Thanks to my people keeping an eye on you, ‘we’ were able to learn about your ‘special abilities’. Moving through the shadows, wow.” He said as he chuckled before continuing.

“And to think you actually survived after clashing with a swordmaster like Mosses. Because of your abilities, ‘we’ knew that it would be hard to capture you. So, ‘we’ prepared many strategies ‘we’ could think of to have you on our ‘side’. But you decided to fall in love and have a baby.”

I see. Now I have no other choice but to work for them.

“Are you threatening me?

“Yes. Yes, I am. Now, Phantom thief. There is something I need you to steal for me.”

***

Back at the orphanage.

“What’s wrong Oliver? What did they want from you?”

“My love. I was asked to do something that will get me wanted by the entire kingdom.”

“What is it?”

“I can’t tell you. If I tell you, then you’ll be involved in my mess.”

I took out all the storage rings I had hidden under my bed. I gave one to Maria.

“Here. In this ring. There is enough money for you, the orphanage and our baby to live off for at least ten years.”

“What are you doing Oliver? You are talking like this is goodbye?” said Maria as fear creeped in her voice.

“This is goodbye, Maria. For your safety and everyone else’s, I have to leave.”

“Wait! Can’t we talk about this? I can go with you, you know. We can go somewhere we can live together.”

“You can’t. These children need you here. If you come with me, then you’ll always be on the run because of me. Forget about me Maria. Don’t even tell this child about who I really am.” I took out a notebook out of one the rings I wore. “Here, take this notebook. I have some simple maps drawn in here. If you ever need more money then go to these places. I also left something for our little one to learn here in this notebook. Goodbye my love. May you live and grow old with our family.”

I left. I could hear Maria crying and calling me back but I knew that if I turned around, I might not leave. This was for the best. Because what I was about to do was considered treason.

***

In the Royal castle.

The guards were patrolling. I managed to sneak inside the castle without any difficulty. David drew me a map of where I needed to go.

I need to hurry up before midnight.

It was not that hard manoeuvring in the castle. I managed to reach the vault room after a few minutes.

Why are there no guards here? Well, it doesn’t matter. I should be able to get inside with shadow exchange.

As I was about to enter the vault room, I remembered what David had told me.

Apparently, the vault room door was protected by a barrier so even with my shadow exchange I wouldn’t be able to bypass it. But luckily, he was prepared as he gave me this weird item.

It was a diamond of sort which emanated a faint light colour and David said I should inject some mana into it and throw it at the door. It should be able to disable the barrier.

I did as I was instructed and threw the item towards the door after infusing it with mana. The item flashed in a bright light and the barrier crumpled. I entered the vault room.

The vault room was filled with a lot of treasures. Gold covered the entire floor. There were also glass cases which had beautiful jewellery and items within them. Of course, I wasn’t there for them. What I was there for was at the centre of the room nicely placed at a pedestal as it shimmered its golden radiance. The Draconic Book.