Shadow Author

When Miss Smith came out of the cave I was surprised to see a large duffel bag strung over her shoulders.

"What's that?"

Miss Smith looked at me funny.

"My sister?"

It took me a second to realize what she meant and when I did my mouth almost dropped open in shock.

'She's taking the remains? Isn't there a saying to not disturb the dead? Well, it's not like I can talk.'

Recalling what happened in the elevator where I willingly stepped on the bodies of the dead there wasn't anything I could say to Miss Smith without being a hypocrite.

"Let's go."

Miss Smith seemed in the mood to leave as quickly as possible and I was in the same boat as nearly half the day had passed and I had yet to start the dungeon.

"Okay."

The trip down was anticlimactic where most of the monsters were still hiding.

That was the best-case scenario as I wasn't in the mood to fight anymore and I didn't think Miss Smith was either.

When we made it back down to her car an hour later she threw the bag and the sniper in the truck while I hopped into the passenger seat.

When Miss Smith got in the driver's seat and turned on the car she peeled out of the parking spot and began speeding down the road.

I wasn't sure if I should start up a conversation with her due to her just finding out that her sister was dead but I needed some reassurance.

Coughing lightly to get her attention I asked:

"So concerning our deal?"

Miss Smith kept her eyes locked on the road ahead but still responded.

"You held up your end of the bargain, for that I am grateful."

I smiled upon hearing that.

"Then does that mean you will continue to train me and teach me everything you know?"

She fell silent for a second before answering.

"You don't have to worry about that, I will keep the promise I made to you. I plan on turning you into a force to be reckoned with."

Hearing this I was incredibly happy because everything turned out better than I expected it to.

"That's great-"

"However I will have to take some time off for a while to deal with… her. That means you will be on your own for some time but don't fret because I swear here and now before the next school year starts up I will make a student who can stand proudly in the top ten."

Hearing Miss Smith make such a grand proclamation I couldn't help but get a little excited for the future.

That fact that she would be gone was a bit disappointing as I would have to make do with myself while training but I understood.

With everything that is known about the Nihil Witch, I am sure there are a lot of thoughts going through Miss Smith's head.

Clearing them up should be a priority of hers otherwise it might affect how she does at the academy.

"I understand, until that time comes I hope that you can come to learn more about your sister."

Miss Smith side-eyed me and asked:

"You seem to know a lot about her."

I only smiled before reclining the seat and closing my eyes.

"It does seem that way doesn't it."

Miss Smith didn't push any further and I didn't reveal anything more. It was up to her to decide how to remember her sister.

Whether that would be like everyone else, a jealous sister, or if she could come to love her I didn't know but it wasn't my place to find out.

Using the society of Immortals as a cover I was free to reveal some of my knowledge to her without her asking anything more.

That was something I liked about Miss Smith.

Diving into my dreams I decided to get some sleep on the drive back to the city because for some reason I had a feeling that I wouldn't be getting any more any time soon.

.

When we entered the city Miss Smith dropped me off along one of the streets before speeding off.

She had her own things to take care of and I had my own.

I didn't know when I would see her next but I was sure that when that happened she would be a much different person.

Watching the fiery red car disappear in the distance I sighed to myself.

'It's time.'

A moment later an all-black SUV pulled up and the door opened revealing an angry voice.

"Hop in kid we are already behind schedule."

Following the command, I took a step forward and climbed into the vehicle.

As soon as I shut the door behind me and before I could take a seat the SUV started driving away.

Accelerating at a high speed all of a sudden caused me to stumble back and fall into an empty car seat.

Hearing laughter I turned my head to come face to face with four individuals dressed in black.

'The shadows.'

Moving through the city as we headed toward the dungeon I got acquainted with the rankers that would be monitoring me.

I could immediately tell that they were a ragtag group of mercenaries.

Each member had a distinct personality, each with unique quirks and characteristics.

Of the four shadows, three were men, and only one was a woman.

The first man — the one who is driving — is a middle-aged, rough-looking, bearded individual who exudes masculinity and acts burly.

Looking at his figure I was reminded of the dwarfs that I recently met. However, there was a clear distinction between the two as the man was far taller than any dwarf.

From what I could tell he is a brute and will do whatever it takes to get the job done.

The second man is much younger, most likely in his late twenties and appears to be full of gloom.

He's a monochromatic character that reminds me of goth people.

During the trip, he didn't talk much but when he does speak, his words are few and full of bitterness.

The third man is the complete opposite of the second as he is a carefree individual who always has a cigarette in his mouth.

He doesn't seem to care about anyone or anything and is always looking for the next thrill.

He was the most talkative of the bunch trying to share stories of all the adventures he went on.

From them, I could tell that he was a bit of a wildcard. Who discards his own well-being to take an enemy down.

Finally, there's the woman, who is super hyper and egotistical.

She was the most welcoming and the one who tried to probe me for information the most.

She wanted to be a part of everything and know everything that was happening.

I didn't get much from her as she seemed interested in me.

Thankfully the third man filled most of the time sharing his countless adventures so that I didn't have to respond to her.

When we finally made it to the dungeon I was glad that I got a little although important feel for the group.

I didn't know what to expect the moment I got in the SUV but I sure didn't expect them to be kind and joyful — except the second.

Exiting the vehicle we all stepped out of the vehicle and made an appearance in front of the dungeon.

"Are you ready kid? This is your first dungeon right?"

Asking was none other than the girl who seemed to have good intentions but was still searching for answers from me.

Giving her what she wanted I responded in kind.

"Yes, this will be the first time I defeat a dungeon."

"O' ho, we got a confident one!"

From behind me, I heard the laughter of the driver.

Being face to face with the dungeon I didn't bother to turn back as I was examining every bit of it.

"Well, I have you guys to rely on if things go bad. That's your purpose for being he right?"

I made sure not to put any deep emotion into my question but I still subtly hinted that they shouldn't get in my way.

Surpassing the one to respond to me was the gloomy man who was now talking for the second time ever since I met him.

"Indeed, but that also depends on us being able to handle whatever goes wrong. We could all end up dead wouldn't that be depressing."

The way the man said it so emotionlessly made the four of us look at him like he was crazy.

Piping up the joyful man said:

"Well, that's not a good way to end our conversation before entering a dungeon. So I'll say this good luck, everyone, and kid, you got this!"

Although his statement wasn't all that reassuring I smiled at him nonetheless.

"Let's go."

Walking forward the five of us entered the dungeon but it was unclear how many would come out alive at the end.

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