Chapter 5

Suho looked at Beru with a bewildered expression.

“After such an emotional farewell, you couldn’t return?”

“In my defense, the journey to Earth was incredibly long and treacherous. Countless enemies obstructed me along the way, but I tore through them all. As such, I don't have enough strength to return...” Embarrassed, Beru continued his explanation, “If my master had been by my side, my strength would’ve instantly been replenished. I didn’t expect that recharging would be impossible here, due to his current distance.”

For a moment, Suho silently looked at the ant monster, who had remarkably shrunk compared to the enormous size he had when he made his grand entrance at the art gallery. It’s like looking at a stuffed doll. Suho proceeded to pick him up with one hand.

“Huh?!”

Now miniature, Beru clung to his hand, dangling. He was as light as a prize from a claw machine. Hanging from Suho’s hand, the ant continued to chatter away enthusiastically.

“I’m not sure if your memories have returned, but you, Your Highness, are the sole heir to the illustrious and all-powerful Monarch of Shadows.”

“The Monarch of Shadows? Who’s that?”

“Sung Jinwoo. I’m talking about your father.”

“My father?”

“Yes!”

Suho doubted his ears for a moment. “My father? Are you talking about the same father who disappeared?”

“He didn’t disappear, he went out into the universe.”

Suho was silent in confusion. That escalated quickly. The universe? Seeing that the young man didn’t know how to react, Beru quickly stretched out his arms with a solemn expression.

“Let me explain briefly.”

Whoosh!

“Currently, there is a great war happening in the universe.”

From Beru’s hand, which was composed of black energy, shadows swirled and created an illusion. The shadowy illusion transformed into countless soldiers the size of a fingernail, and hordes of monsters, even greater in number, rushed toward them. And at the center of it all, was a man emitting an exceptionally strong aura, albeit the size of a fingernail.

“Your magnificent father is currently the commander of this war.” As he explained, his hand pointed toward the enemies that Sung Jinwoo was blocking. “And these scoundrels are the lackeys of Itarim, who came looking to swallow our entire world.”

“Itarim?”

Beru continued to speak with a solemn expression, “Itarim is a group of gods from outer universes far from this planet. Itarim are such wicked and relentless beings.” His explanation was mostly about how he detested them, but the gist of it was that they were coming to invade Earth.

“So, does that mean the magic beasts that have been pouring out of the gates for the past two years were all because of Itarim?”

Suho felt a strange sensation as he began connecting the dots. Both of his parents were missing. They had been reported missing a long time ago, but the police hadn’t found any leads at all. It was as if they had evaporated from this world without a trace, which had led to him giving up and moving on. But now, he was told that his father was out in the universe somewhere.

It was hard to accept at first, but he realized that the existence of a talking stuffed doll, or rather, a talking ant, was an inherently surreal situation in itself. After all, he lived in a world where dungeons and monsters existed, so there was nothing particularly surprising about the sudden addition of outer universes.

Suho abruptly asked, “What about my mother? Did she follow my father to space?”

“Huh? No.” Beru looked puzzled.

“What? She didn’t?”

“No, she didn’t. Did Lady Haein go somewhere?”

Suho’s expression hardened at Beru’s reaction. “Since my mother also went missing on the same day my father disappeared, I naturally thought that they would be together...?”

“What?! You’re telling me that Lady Haein is missing? Since when? Where did she go?” The shrunken ant beast suddenly jumped up in shock, belatedly surprised.

“How would I know...?” Suho let out a deep sigh.

***

Beru had flown from outer space all the way back to Earth, away from the war against Itarim. The journey had not been an exaggeration and had indeed been treacherous. The enemies were formidable enough that they could afford to watch a leader from the opposing side slip away from the battlefield. After breaking through these forces and barely making it to Earth, it turned out that the whereabouts of Cha Haein, the wife of Sung Jinwoo, were unknown.

Beru was extremely shocked. “Ahh! I must find Lady Haein immediately!”

“Do you know where she is?”

“It’s obvious who’s responsible for this! Itarim! The followers of Itarim on Earth have undoubtedly set a wicked trap for her!”

Suho’s mother, Cha Haein, was under the protection of the Monarch of Shadows and had rarely faced any significant danger. Nevertheless, if something had occurred, it would undoubtedly involve a power equal to that of the Monarch of Shadows.

While Beru continued to fuss, Suho wasn’t particularly worried about his mother for some reason. Certainly, he was worried beyond belief when they went missing, but now, the shock from learning the truth about his father was so immense that his mother also seemed like a powerful being.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never once seen my mother in a state of distress before.”

Considering that she already knew about his father’s true identity from the beginning and still chose to marry him, Suho imagined that nothing would surprise her.

“No, it’s just that parenting can be really challenging...” Beru explained.

Whatever it was the ant was talking about, Suho wasn’t listening. As far as Suho remembered, his mother had always been a composed and unwavering person. It might have been a vague belief, but he couldn’t imagine his own mother being in danger because of someone. However, he was also relieved that he had discovered a clue about his parents’ disappearance, which had been a mystery.

“Beru, what do I need to do to find my mother?”

While hanging from Suho’s hand, Beru firmly shouted in response to Suho’s question, “That’s easy, you should become as strong as possible!”

“Become stronger?”

“Yes! Due to the war, your father won’t be able to come to Earth for a while. In the end, the only one who can save Lady Haein is you, the Young Monarch. But right now, you’re even weaker than an ant larva!”

“A-ant larva...?”

Suho was slightly hurt by Beru’s words. The ant dispelled all the shadow images he had created in the air, then soared away from the young man’s hand, flying up into the sky. He pointed directly under Suho’s foot and said, “So, let’s level up.”

Ding!

[A quest has arrived.]

At that moment, a message window appeared before Suho.

[Quest: The Shadow’s Trial

Sung Suho, you are the son of the great Monarch of Shadows.

However, at the moment, all innate talents have been completely sealed.

To bear that great power, you must prove your worthiness.

Enter the Shadow Dungeon to prove your worth.]

“The Shadow Dungeon?” The quest window unfolded before Suho’s eyes. Upon seeing it, he immediately recalled the “Shadow Dungeon Key” that Beru had given him in his dream.

[The Shadow Dungeon is the “Sanctuary of Rest” granted to the Young Monarch. It is the land of the deceased, a place no one can enter without the owner’s permission. Please open your inventory.]

As Suho focused on those words, a translucent window appeared before him.

[Inventory:

Key to the Shadow Dungeon (Unchecked)]

There is an inventory too? That’s why this really feels like a game. He was amazed by the system. The dreams during Suho’s childhood were part of a tutorial, but this time, all the added functions made everything feel like a real game. Suho reached out his hand and took out the key. Upon doing so, an information window appeared above the key.

[Item: Key to the Shadow Dungeon

Acquisition Difficulty: ??

Type: Key

This is the key needed to access the Shadow Dungeon.

It can be used on Sung Suho’s shadow.]

It can be used on my shadow? Following the explanation, Suho’s gaze shifted down to his own feet. He knelt and held the key gently over to his shadow. Whoosh! To his surprise, the key went into the shadow.

Beru’s eyes flashed. “Go ahead! Enter and take all the power that originally belonged to you as the Young Monarch.”

“Wait.” Suho withdrew the key and hastily changed his clothes. He took off the loose patient gown and slippers, then found and put on his own clothes. Then, he tightly tied his shoelaces. As he looked down at the shadow once more, his eyes gleamed with determination. “Good. Let’s go.”

“Ahh! Let’s go! I will be by your side to assist you! But as you know, I’m all out of power.”

Suho didn’t expect too much from Beru. He once again pushed the key into the shadow.

Click.

[Would you like to enter the Shadow Dungeon?] (Y/N)

He hesitated before answering. “I will enter.”

As he confirmed his decision, Suho’s shadow spread out in all directions and began to devour everything in its path, including the walls, ceilings, and even the entire hospital building.

[You have entered the Shadow Dungeon.]

Before he knew it, Suho had arrived in a monochromatic world cloaked in shadows. Where is this? Completely still, devoid of any signs of life, a lush, monochromatic forest awaited Suho. No, to be precise, it was a ruined city that had been transformed into a forest. The exterior of the towering buildings was entirely covered in moss and ivy. Suddenly, memories of the books he had read as a child came to Suho.

I think the title was... A World Where Humanity Vanished…? The book was a non-fiction about the “Self-Purification of Earth.” In summary, the book described how cities left unattended for a long time without human intervention would eventually become overgrown with grass and trees, causing all the buildings to collapse and turn into a forest just like the place he found himself in. It feels as if we’re in a field contaminated by magic.

Amid the silence, Beru, who had followed Suho inside, soared up and saluted. “Welcome to the Shadow Dungeon!”

“This is the Shadow Dungeon?” While looking around, Suho felt like he had stepped into an old horror movie. “But why does this place feel so familiar?”

It was impossible to visibly preserve memories from infancy. However, the emotions and atmosphere felt during that time tended to linger deep within one’s heart, even as they grew into adulthood. To anyone else, this black-and-white world might have felt extremely ominous, but to Suho, it felt as warm and comforting as a mother’s embrace.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of something flying through the air. I sense danger... Suho’s sensory stats sent a warning. Whoom! At that moment, an ax flew from behind.

“Yikes! The trial has begun! Dodge it!”

Hearing Beru’s urgent shout, he immediately twisted his body. As he did, he also launched a spinning kick.

Whack! A monster was hit hard by Suho’s kick and tumbled roughly onto the ground. Above its head, there was a floating name tag just like Beru’s.

[Goblin Scout]

“Grrrr!” It was a green-skinned, grotesque monster, standing about 1 meter tall.

A scout? As soon as he confirmed the creature’s name, Suho became alert. If it’s a scout, there might be others nearby! Suho had already fought numerous battles in his adolescent dreams. At that moment, the survival instincts ingrained in his body took over. I have to kill it before it calls for its comrades!

Whack! Before the creature could get up, Suho swiftly launched himself at it.

“Be careful! Bare-handed attacks are risky! Goblins are weak beasts, but right now, Your Highness is even weaker!”

“I know that!” Whack! Ignoring Beru’s words, Suho struck the hand that was holding the ax, causing it to drop the weapon.

“That’s the way to do it! Well done! Excellent!” Beru soared up and applauded vigorously.

Ugh, so noisy.

Swish!

[Item: Obtained “Imp’s Stone Ax.”]

As soon as Suho clenched the ax handle, he swung it immediately. Bam!

[Goblin Scout has been defeated.]

In a swift motion, the goblin's throat was severed. But there was no time to catch his breath. A chilling sound, akin to the wind, came from behind. Indeed, it did have a friend! An arrow came flying through the air and Suho instinctively reached out his hand.

Ruler’s Authority! Suho’s outstretched invisible hand intercepted the incoming arrow.

“What?! This power... Could it be?” Seeing the arrow abruptly stop in mid-air, Beru was so delighted that he almost lost his composure. “Indeed, you are our Young Monarch! Finally, you’ve awakened the power you had as a baby!”

Beru remembered Suho’s childhood when he was a baby who walked on air.