Bright rays of sunlight pierced through the veil of green as a pair of humans walked across the jungle. The shorter male wore pitch-black leather armor, and a matching cloak shrouding him and his weapons. His steps were firm, and his gaze calm as he took in his surroundings. There was no hint of worry or fear on his face as they traversed the landscape at a casual pace. Even without his sight, he could detect every life form…

Crack.

Aenon turned around and sighed as his companion jumped back in alarm. Her bright red hair were tied in a neat braid, and she was dressed in decent leather armor. Its muddy color was designed to blend with the terrain to give her a stealth advantage. But her inexperienced movements rendered it moot; she was the one who stepped on the dried branch. Not to mention her panicked expression as she clutched her sword and shield with a death grip.

He gave her an annoyed look; her most recent misstep was no doubt heard for at least a kilometer in the deathly silence of the forest.

"Sorry," the woman squeaked in a low voice.

"You need to learn to calm yourself," he replied in a much louder voice that made the woman cringe. What was the point of stealth anyway.

"Shhhh. Aenon, I told you already. This is Umbral Spider territory." she whispered in an urgent tone.

"I know Jenny. There are three of them hidden in the area," Aenon replied in the same lackluster tone. But his latest remark made the poor girl turn around and start looking in a panic.

"What? Where?" she shrieked as she started swinging erratically, almost hurting Aenon by accident which would have triggered the System protection and given her a marker. He took a step back to avoid the flailing girl. "What are we even doing here?"

"To complete a mission of mine while also addressing some of your issues in the meantime," Aenon replied with a shrug.

"What are you talking about?" Jenny responded as her gaze wandered to find the invisible assailants.

"Look at me," he said calmly. When Jenny finally turned his way with fear clearly etched across her face he continued, "Do you see me panicking?"

"Because you are not level zero, like me. These spiders are no threat to you," she rebutted in a heated tone.

"I walked these woods as a level zero, before I even got my Classes. And I was alone," he replied. He didn't mention his stat or Skill advantage.

"Wha… How is that possible? And why?" She was in disbelief.

"Not important. What is important is the current situation. Why do you think we are here?"

Her face scrunched up in concentration as she started recalling the last two days. Aenon hadn't said a word about his plan, just leading the oblivious girl through the dark and gloomy forest. But he strongly believed this was essential for her growth, while also fulfilling his mission on the side.

Jenny must have misinterpreted something as her eyes widened in horror.

"No…," her voice cracked up while her face paled. "You are going to leave me here, aren't you?"

"That right there, is the first issue," he said rubbing his eyes in frustration. "Your lack of trust. I know what Erwin did to you, but I will never do that."

It took a while for her to stop shivering as she recalled some painful memories.

"Eeeeeeek," she yelped again when a stray leaf brushed past her neck.

"And that is the second problem, your fear," Aenon pointed.

"But you just said there are Umbral Spiders nearby. Creatures, that you know very well, ate me alive last time. How am I not supposed to fear them?"

Jenny had a frown as her eyes darted from side to side.

"I never said not to fear them. I said control it," Aenon said. "Tell me this, If I wasn't here and you had to face them alone, what would you do?"

"I… I…," she tried and failed to say anything.

"Exactly my point. You are so wound up that your mind is shutting down. Fear is a good thing, necessary even. For it keeps you on your toes. But if you don't learn to control it, it will paralyze you instead."

"I am too weak for this part of the forest. The odds are stacked against me. What am I supposed to do?" she asked in desperation.

Aenon was silent as he turned to the sky, reminiscing about his own past. The loss of his family, the abuse by his relatives, and the evil machinations of the powers in this new reality.

"Bad odds, huh?" he asked in a somber tone. "Is it worse than being wanted by an Empire? Or the blood feud with a planet full of soul-eating elves? Or the hungry attention of an existence so strong, that you can't comprehend their level?"

Even though he had not explained his past in detail, she knew the overarching theme of what his life was like. He of course didn't talk about his life prior to the System.

After some introspection, she asked "How do you do it? How do you control your fear?"

Aenon looked into her eyes, thinking how to approach this. To be honest, Jenny's behavior was normal for someone in the current situation. Aenon knew that he was the weird one. But he had to impress upon her the importance of what he said next. So instead of a lengthy explanation, he infused his Aura in his simple one-word reply.

"Defiance."

He knew it had conveyed the message across better than any speech. For he not only infused his Aura, but his very being into that word. It was the essence of who he was. Against unwinnable odds, against supreme existences, and even death. He always stood with defiance. And Aenon knew that for Jenny to progress, she needed to learn that trait. Based on the subtle nudges he felt, his Soul Beacon Skill agreed with him.

Aenon felt something crack around her soul. Little pieces started flaking off from the walls to her inner soul space, but whatever it was, it wasn't completely gone yet. He didn't know what it signified, but he felt a soft chill emanating from her.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Before he could ponder on it further, she asked softly, "But what if I fail?"

Aenon didn't know what was happening with her, but he chose to ignore it for now.

"Then fail with pride," Aenon replied simply. "Pride in knowing you attempted that which others feared. That you forged ahead where others retreated. Stand in defiance, even in defeat."

Jenny looked deep in thought, so Aenon didn't interrupt her. But the changes in her soul confused him. All he knew was that this was important. He had observed this once before, when she crossed that bridge. But the effects this time were far more pronounced.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, Aenon saw her tense muscles relax.

"So, what were you planning?" she asked.

Even though Aenon wanted to keep his goal from her a bit longer, he decided it was time to reveal it. He could still sense fear within her, but she was starting to get a handle on it.

"We are hunting the Umbral Spiders," he stated. "Specifically, their leader variant. Bane and the others are scouting the area. I will be taking on the alpha, while you and the other wolves will hold back the rabble."

Aenon sensed her fear pulse, but she did a good job of keeping it in check. Whether it would last through the upcoming battle was anyone's guess.

Jenny hesitated, so Aenon continued.

"And the reason you are here is for you to get over your arachnophobia. I will be honest with you Jenny. The battles that I will be a part of; they are not some grand adventure people dream of. They will be bloody affairs, with barely any hope of survival. And if you are planning to follow me, you need to get used to that fact."

"I understand," she replied after some thought.

Aenon didn't say anything further as he started walking ahead, with Jenny following closely behind. But for once, she was actively observing him and trying to mimic his movements and patterns.

Aenon didn't want to approach the three hidden spiders yet, sensing that they were too weak. So, he pressed ahead. Jenny still made a ruckus by Aenon's standards, but it was much better than the last two days.

Eventually, an ownerless shadow crept along Aenon, before Bane emerged right next to him.

"Greetings, Alpha," he said with a bow. "We have located the matriarch. She is nesting in a cave to the north of the goblin dungeon. There are some smaller queen variants spread out along the way. But we can easily go around them. They are ambush predators that are weak in open conflict. I don't think they will give chase unless we get too close."

Aenon absorbed the information, planning his next move. He especially focused on Bane's last comment. He looked at Jenny briefly, an idea coalescing in his mind.

He finally decided to get a closer look at one of them. Within twenty minutes he tracked down a relatively weak one. It was the size of a bike and was perched on a branch, with a trap set up below.

If not for Aenon's Soul Sense, and his ability to detect traps, they would have walked right into the invisible webs. It appeared to be a trigger mechanism for a much more elaborate construct.

He cast Identify, and since he had obtained an information crystal from the village coffers, he got some additional information too.

<Umbral Spider | Level 10>

Umbral Spider – A variant of the spider species, these stealthy predators are experts at ambushes and traps. They incorporate dark mana into their webs, making them nigh impossible to detect using conventional senses. Once their victim is safely trapped, they rely on their strong paralytic venom to overpower much stronger prey.

Aenon was far superior to it in all aspects of the hunt. He could have taken it out effortlessly. But it was much too weak for what he had planned.

He pulled Jenny into the Shadow Realm to move past it. But the moment they stepped in, Aenon paused. For some reason, whatever ability the Umbral Spider was using made it easier to detect from within the Shadow Realm. Every web strand was clearly visible in the monochromatic world. Even the spider's body, which was almost invisible in the real world, stood out clearly.

Guess this means my Shadow Meld ability is linked to dark mana, Aenon thought.

But he had a feeling it was more than that, since he was yet to interact with the elusive mana type. Not to mention the ability to travel across a parallel dimension seemed rather OP for just one mana type. Same thing for his Kingdom of Darkness ability. Something to think about later.

It was Jenny's first time inside the parallel dimension, and her eyes widened in awe. The world had been drained of all color; only shades of black, grey, and white remained. These hues mimicked the way light fell in the real world: deep shadows translated into pure black, allowing them to move freely without expending mana. Lighter shadows appeared grey, and brightly lit areas turned white, both of which drained his mana heavily—especially with Jenny in tow. For that reason, he only ventured through the realm when enemies were nearby. After two more hours and evading a dozen spiders, they finally came face-to-face with one of staggering size.

Aenon cast Identify and smiled when he read the description. This would be perfect for his scheme.

But when he turned to his companion, he noticed the weird look on Jenny's face. She was shivering with her eyes wide open. He was about to ask her to get it together. But the look in her eyes surprised him.

She was shivering with anger, not fear.

Aenon observed her emotions closely, deducing what this was about.

"I am assuming you know this one?" he asked directly.

Jenny neither responded, nor looked away from the beast. A torrent of emotions coursed through her soul. Aenon got a nudge from his Soul Beacon Skill, but he didn't know what it meant. Nevertheless, he decided to follow his instinct.

"You said you wanted to follow me?" Aenon asked in an authoritative voice. "Then prove it. Show me your resolve."

That finally snapped her out of her stupor as she looked at him questioningly. She looked between him and the spider in turn, as the realization of what Aenon was demanding dawned on her.

"Against that?" she asked in a horrified tone.

Aenon stayed silent—no more words were necessary. Jenny was undeniably outmatched. But Bane's remark about ambush predators had sparked an idea, and his Soul Beacon Skill was validating the plan forming in his mind.

Jenny looked at him with a conflicted expression. Even Bane didn't speak up, sitting behind Aenon with an impassive look, but Aenon knew the Abyssal Wolf had concerns.

"But that…," she hesitated. "I can't even see its level."

"It's an Umbral Spider Queen," Aenon said flatly. "A stronger variant of the Umbral Spiders."

Aenon decided to share the details of his Identify.

<Umbral Spider Queen | Level 21>

Umbral Spider Queen – A leader version of the Umbral Spider with the ability to command its brood. Once ordered, none of their offspring can resist the command of their parent. They multiply at an exceedingly fast pace and are only limited by the number of prey since a queen needs a host to lay her eggs on.

Jenny choked when she read the description, reliving her traumatic death. Looking at her state, Aenon spoke in a softer tone.

"No one is forcing you to do this. But you cannot improve till you overcome this hurdle. And there is a very good reason why I chose this enemy as your first kill target. And unfortunately, you need to do this by yourself for my plan to work."

There were tears forming in the woman's eyes as she looked between Aenon and her opponent. But gradually he sensed her resolve getting firmer. She was drenched in sweat and shivering all over. Aenon didn't interrupt or try to help her up. When she finally recovered, she stood with shaky legs.

But her expression was far calmer, and her eyes showed a stronger determination. She turned away from Aenon and regarded the oblivious predator.

Aenon sensed mana gathering in her eyes, perhaps a Class ability he reckoned.

"Can you do something for me?" she asked, not looking away from her target.

"What?" Aenon asked.

"I know now that you have my back. But you are right. I need to do this alone. So, no matter what happens, do not interfere," she requested. She hesitated before adding, "And If I don't make it, apologize to my brother on my behalf. Tell him I am sorry. For everything."

She walked away before Aenon could respond, leaving the Shadow Realm and appearing in the real world.

"Is this wise, Alpha?" Bane asked from beside him. "She will be easy prey for the ambush predator."

Aenon felt a soft nudge from his Skill again, the push a bit stronger this time around.

"We shall find out soon enough," he replied as he settled down to observe.

"She is too weak and unskilled," Bane pressed on. "She will not survive."

"Sometimes, you must risk it all to earn your place in the world. Or die trying. She is doing just that: Trying to earn her place in this cruel world. All I can do is give her opportunities. The rest is up to her," Aenon said solemnly. But sensing what Bane couldn't, he added with a smile. "Besides, she may yet surprise us."

Unbeknownst to them, another silent spectator was observing the scene with a soft smile. A woman with lush blonde hair, and hauntingly hollow eye sockets.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.