Chapter 236

[You have selected Nightblade Ranger]

[Please confirm:]

[Yes]

[No]

The words hovered before Kana’s eyes, bright and silent, as if suspended in invisible glass.

For a moment, the world felt distant. The heat. The voices. All of it faded to background noise. What remained was the choice.

Kana felt it again. That presence. Not a voice. Not a sound. Not even a thought. Just a delicate pull, like a current flow of water, guiding her in a direction she hadn’t consciously chosen but somehow already understood.

It unsettled her.

It could be anything else.

A dungeon effect.

A ghost.

A remnant of ancient magic.

Something old.

Even a god.

The unknown made her uneasy. But then her mind returned to memory. The most dangerous moments of her life had all probably happened at night.

If danger keeps finding me in the dark… then maybe this path is the right choice.

Her mind thought of the class [Captain Ranger] again. The safe choice and rational choice. This class would probably be the most effective in clearing dungeons.

The moment the thought formed, a cold sensation slid down her spine. Again. Like a hand brushing ice against her nerves.

Her breath caught. She closed her eyes. For the first time in a long time…

She prayed.

Not to a god. Not to any name she could define.

Just to whatever governed fate and text of god.

Her thoughts settled.

Her doubt quieted.

“Yes,” she whispered

The text of god answered.

[Congratulations!]

[Your class is now:]

[Nightblade Ranger]

[Skills incorporated with the new class…]

[Successful!]

A wave of sensation moved through her body.

Not pain.

Not pleasure.

Alignment.

Like her muscles, bones, and nerves were quietly rearranging themselves to fit a better shape.

[High Awareness] active at day.

[Night Awareness] active at night.

Kana focused her vision.

[Night Awareness]

As one of the guardians of the night, you are naturally in harmony with the darkness. [High Awareness] is now amplified during the night.

Her skin prickled. Her hearing sharpened. She could suddenly distinguish the crackle of firewood from the hiss of fat. The heartbeat of her companions was louder compared to before even without focusing. The distant drip of some type of liquid in the dungeon stone that was supposed to be outside of her [High Awareness] range. Is it night now in the dungeon? Kana had no idea.

[TrueShot] active at day.

[DarkShot] active at night.

She zoomed in.

[DarkShot]

As one of the guardians of the night, you are naturally in harmony with the darkness. Arrows will not be seen at night.

Kana grinned at the cheat-like skill.

[Dagger Pierce] active at day.

[Shadow Pierce] active at night.

She focused again.

[Shadow Pierce]

As one of the guardians of the night, you are naturally in harmony with the darkness. Your strike will be amplified by darkness. Damage dealt will be doubled and the enemy will be affected by darkness curse—inducing fatigue and weakened eyesight when the strike successfully lands at night.

Her heartbeat slowed.

[Dagger Assault] active at day.

[Shadow Assault] active at night.

[Shadow Assault]

Additional shadows will help as your weapon to strike your enemies. Damage dealt by the shadow will be halved.

[Lvl 30 stats increase added:]

[Primary Stats +20]

[Secondary Stats +10]

[Lifting Blade weapon restrictions….]

[Successful!]

[All weapons with blades can be fully equipped without penalty]

Her body reacted before her thoughts did.

Her muscles felt lighter. Her balance shifted. Her weight redistributed.

Breathing felt easier. Movement felt smoother. The world felt slower. Smaller.

Kana clenched her fists. Then relaxed them. Energy coiled in her limbs like restrained lightning.

She almost laughed. Almost grinned. Almost ran.

Her instincts screamed:

Move.

Hunt.

Test it.

Fight.

For a brief, dangerous moment, she genuinely believed she could walk back into the dungeon alone…

And kill the boss by herself.

She grinned as she looked at her text of god screen:

[Name: Kana]

[Level: 30]

[Title: Incomplete Transcender]

[Stats:]

Strength: 69

Agility: 107

Intelligence: 64

HP: 99/99

Mana: 98/98

[Skills:]

[TrueShot] / [DarkShot] 

[Dagger Pierce] / [Black Pierce]

[High Awareness] / [Night Awareness]

[Dagger Assault] / [Shadow Assault]

…

The decision came easily.

After Elle York quietly confirmed that her [Recovery Zone] had reached its daily limit, the last threads of hesitation unraveled. No one argued. No one hesitated. No one tried to force bravery where mental exhaustion had already taken root. One by one, hands lifted in agreement, the motion slow but unified, a silent acknowledgment that survival sometimes meant retreating with purpose rather than charging forward with pride.

They would rest.

They would resupply.

Then they would return.

The safe zone shifted from sanctuary to staging ground.

Tents collapsed in practiced motions, canvas folding into neat bundles. Ropes were untied and coiled with habitual precision. Carpets were packed tight, supplies sorted, rations counted, weapons checked. It was the quiet choreography of experienced adventurers, each movement flowing into the next without orders or confusion. Kier and Monde were surprised at the group, it was after all the benefits of their journey from the last northern expedition.

Kana moved among them, hands busy, posture light.

She hummed.

Soft and steady, a wordless melody that drifted through the camp like a thread of warmth. It wasn’t loud enough to draw attention, but it was enough to change the atmosphere. The tension that had clung to her earlier was gone, replaced by something calmer, something settled, like a storm that had finally spent itself.

Leo noticed.

Not the tune itself. But Kana. The way her shoulders were no longer tight and the way her eyes no longer looked distant.

He smiled faintly. “Looks like something good happened.”

Kana paused, a rug bundle in her hands, and looked at him. For a moment, the firelight reflected in her eyes. Then she smiled and nodded, offering no explanation, no story, no justification. Just a simple confirmation that something inside her had changed.

Suri crossed her arms, watching from a short distance away, “I’ve known her since we were kids,” she said, her voice low and thoughtful, carrying more memory than accusation. “But sometimes I feel like I don’t really know her at all.”

Her gaze lingered on Kana, “Like right now.”

Rin and Yuri exchanged a glance, a silent agreement passing between them. Rin gave a small nod and spoke with a half-smile, “I think Kana is one of the most difficult people to read.”

Elle chuckled softly, the sound light but genuine, and shook her head. Her eyes stayed on Kana a moment longer before she spoke.

“Kana,” she asked casually, as if asking about the weather, “after we defeat the boss of this dungeon… what are you planning to do next?”

Kana didn’t stop humming. Didn’t pause her hands. Didn’t look up immediately, “I’m planning to have a rematch with the guildmaster,” she said simply.

The humming continued, but inside her mind, memory flared. The guildmaster’s strike. A strike that could have killed her if she was a second too late. A blow forged from experience and discipline, carrying the weight of countless battles and perfected technique. She hadn’t just lost.

She had been dismantled because she had always had her guard up. When she couldn’t even have the strength to strike back, she hated that feeling more than pain, more than fear, more than failure. More than anything else.

Elle exhaled slowly and shook her head,“I officially agree,” she said. “Kana is a very difficult person to read.”

Kana blinked, finally looking up. Her eyes widened slightly, then she laughed. “Sorry,” she said, gesturing between them, “you mean me… or our group?”

Elle nodded once.

“Yes.”

Kana smiled, then her expression shifted, growing more focused.

“It depends,” she said.

The group’s attention turned fully to her, “If we handle this boss dungeon well,” she continued, “we move east. Same-level dungeons. Keep pushing forward. Build momentum. Maybe try even higher if we find this type of dungeon boss too easy.”

Her eyes sharpened slightly, the strategist surfacing beneath the humor, “But if we’re not ready…”

She shrugged lightly. “Then we grind. Mid-level. Mid-low. Build strength. Build coordination. Build control.”

More importantly, you guys must level up more. Kana thought.

Packs were lifted. Straps tightened. The safe zone slowly faded behind them, becoming just another memory in stone and light.

And somewhere ahead, deep within the dungeon’s heart, the boss waited.

The woman’s laughter was now gone. They would go back to finish their business.

…..

Terd did not move.

He clung to the upper branches of the tree like a shadow stitched into bark, muscles locked, breath shallow, eyes fixed on the dark mouth of the dungeon below. Hours had passed. His legs ached. His fingers were numb. His back was stiff from holding the same position too long.

Night had deepened around him.

The cold had crept in slowly, the way predators do, silent and patient. What had once been a crisp chill had turned sharp, biting through cloth and skin alike. He remembered what the empire soldiers used to complain about in the northern kingdom. The cold was too much for them.

Below him, cloaked figures waited.

Silent. 

They had been there for hours as well. They had even finished setting an enchanted trap, runes faintly glowing beneath thin layers of dirt and stone. Terd had watched the ritual quietly, heart pounding as runes formed and sank into the ground like buried veins of purple light.

A rare and hard to find skill-disabling trap. He didn’t know the exact mechanics. But he knew the purpose. Because the two adventurers were involved, that made them take extra precautions.

And yet, that wasn’t what made his hands shake.

Not the imperial cloak figures.

Not the trap.

What terrified him was the dungeon itself.

Because anything could happen inside it. Anything.

If something went wrong… If something unexpected happened…

If the group died inside—

He gulped.

The imperial cloak figures would probably hunt and kill him. Without hesitation from wasting their time. After all, he had no proof anyone had even entered the dungeon.

No records. No witness. Just his word.

And if the adventurers were dead… Their bodies would already be gone. Eaten by monsters or absorbed by the dungeon.

Terd blinked. His eyes burned from the cold and the waiting. He refocused on the dungeon entrance.  It flickered.

Just for a second.

A distortion in the air.

His breath caught.

Was that my imagination?

The dungeon entrance flickered again.

Then—

It flickered a third time.

Two massive figures emerged from the dungeon.

Big men. Broad shoulders. Heavy frames.

Each carrying a large container strapped across their backs.

Their condition was terrible. Dust coated their armor. Dry blood stained their clothes.

Cracks split their gear. One of them moved stiffly, one arm clearly injured.

They staggered a few steps forward and stopped.

Just inches from the dungeon’s boundary.

Terd’s heart began to race. They don’t know. They still don’t know about the trap.

The two big men stood there.

Waiting. 

Then more figures emerged. One by one. Silhouettes stepping out of darkness. The rest of their party.

Alive. A bit dirty and exhausted. But alive.

Terd’s lips slowly curled into a grin. Relief flooded him like warm water in frozen veins.

They’re alive. More cloaks moved two dozen of them.

Based on his experience, these weren’t common people from the empire. They were trained.

Elite. As dangerous as copper-ranked adventurers and maybe more.

Then a voice cut through the night. “Now!”

Impressive. Not the imperial cloak figures but the young people who just exited the dungeon.

Shields rose. Weapons drawn. A perfect formation locked in a heartbeat.

Perfect discipline. Perfect instinct. Perfect response.

Who are they?

For a brief moment, Terd thought—

They might win. 

Purple light surged beneath their feet.

Runes flared.

The enchanted trap bloomed like a living thing.

A wave of suppression rolled outward.

Just a strange air. The air itself seemed to tighten.

And in that instant, Terd understood.

This wasn’t an ambush. It was an execution. No way those young people would win. Not against them.

Post note:

Kana will warm up with her new class. Poor Terd. Kana probably detected them as soon as she stepped out. (not a spoiler. Definitely!) 😂

Hope you enjoy the chap! 🙂