CHAPTER 11: THE FIRST NIGHT

Dorm 13 slept.

Not the sleep of slaves, who sleep with one eye open listening for guards. This was deep sleep. Real sleep. On real beds.

Jin did not sleep. Monarchs don't sleep when assassins are coming.

On the roof, his Griffin shadow shivered. Its feathers stood up.

`Master... wind smells like blood,` Griffin said through shadow link. `Not human blood. Shadow blood.`

Jin stood. Two moons were bright over Arcadia. Too bright. The forest beyond Dorm 13 was too quiet. No crickets.

"They're here," Jin whispered.

Three Shadow Killers. A-Rank. From Demon King Azazel himself. Jin could feel them now - they were not hiding in trees. They were hiding IN the shadows of Dorm 13 itself. Inside the dorm's own darkness.

Clever. Normal mages can't see them. But Jin IS shadow.

Downstairs, in the big hall, 100 ex-slaves slept on the ground floor. Little Mira slept with Knight shadow curled around her like a giant dog. Knight suddenly raised his head. Growled low. Mira woke up.

"Doggy?" she whispered.

Knight put a huge paw over her mouth. Shhh.

At the same moment, the shadow in the corner of the hall moved - but there was no person there. The darkness itself stretched and formed a man in black mask, blade made of black ice.

Assassin 1. Target: The children. Kill the Legion before it grows.

He raised his blade over a sleeping boy.

CLANG!

Igris blocked it. B+ Knight vs A-Rank Assassin.

Igris was thrown back three meters, crashing into wall. The assassin was stronger.

[Shadow Battle: Igris B+ vs Shadow Killer A - Igris losing!]

Jin jumped from the roof, straight through the broken window, landing in the hall. Black flames on his fists.

"Arise was meant for dead enemies," Jin said coldly, looking at the assassin. "But tonight I'll use it on you while you're still alive."

The assassin laughed, voice like smoke. "You are A- Rank, Monarch cub. I am A Rank Killer. You have no—"

Jin didn't let him finish.

"FUSION."

Jin fused Igris + Fang in one second.

The hall exploded with light.

[FUSION: Igris (B+) + Fang (B) = NEW SHADOW: Fenris Knight - Rank A!]

A new shadow stood - a giant wolf in black knight armor, with Igris's sword and Fang's speed and claws. A-Rank.

Fenris Knight roared and punched the assassin through two walls, out into the courtyard.

Assassin 2 and 3 appeared behind Jin instantly - one stabbing his back, one slashing his throat.

They hit nothing but shadow.

Jin had used Shadow Save - teleported to his own shadow on the ceiling.

"Varok!" Jin shouted.

The door burst open. Varok, B-Rank Captain, now branded and loyal, ran in with Leon, the A-Rank noble boy.

"Captain! Perimeter!" Varok shouted like old guard training.

But the other two assassins were already fighting.

Fenris Knight was fighting Assassin 1 outside - equal A vs A, but Fenris was angrier.

Inside, Jin faced two A-Rank killers alone. His mana was 90% but his true Monarch seal was still 90% locked. He was technically A-.

Two A-Ranks should kill an A-.

Should.

Jin smiled. In his first life, he died to three S-Ranks because he was alone. Second life, he was not alone.

"Mira! The five kids! CALL!"

Little Mira, crying but brave, stood up with four other kids who had Legion Marks. Five small violet crowns glowing on their foreheads.

"KNIGHT! MINER! ELDER! HELP BIG BROTHER JIN!"

Three C-Rank miner shadows and Knight and Elder suddenly got 10x stronger. Legion Commander skill was working passively - when humans call them with love, not command, shadows get stronger.

[Legion Buff: Shadows boosted by Human Faith - All Shadows +1 Sub-Rank!]

Elder, who was C, became B- for 30 seconds. He slammed his earth magic hands and the floor under Assassin 2 turned to mud trap.

Assassin 2 sank.

Jin appeared above him.

"Arise will not take you," Jin whispered in his ear. "You are not worthy to be my shadow. You will just die."

Jin snapped his neck. With pure Monarch strength.

One dead.

Assassin 3 saw this, panicked, tried to escape into shadow to report to Demon King.

Griffin, from the roof, dove through the ceiling like a missile. A-Rank Griffin grabbed Assassin 3 and flew him high, 200 meters above Dorm 13, then dropped him.

Jin was waiting below.

He caught the falling assassin by the throat in mid-air.

"Tell Azazel, The Monarch is not in Arcadia anymore. Arcadia is IN the Monarch. Dorm 13 is my Kingdom now. If he wants war, tell him to come himself. Don't send dogs."

He crushed the throat and let the body drop.

[3x A-Rank Assassins Killed]

[Level Up! Monarch Rank: A- -> A (Seal broken 85%)]

[New Skill Unlocked: Shadow Domain - 10 meters - All shadows inside are S-Rank for 10 seconds - Cooldown 24 hours]

[Quest Update: SHADOW LEGION - 5/10 - New Reward Progress]

Fenris Knight walked back inside, dragging Assassin 1's body. He unfused back into Igris and Fang, both panting, but alive.

100 ex-slaves were awake now, staring. They saw everything. They saw their Big Brother Jin kill A-Rank assassins who used to kill kings.

No one was scared. Everyone was... proud.

Little Mira ran and hugged Jin's leg, crying. "Big brother, Doggy saved me!"

Jin picked her up. "And you saved me, Mira. That's what Legion means."

Varok knelt. "Monarch... what do we do with bodies? Academy will ask."

Jin looked at the three dead killers. Then at the white tree in his mind - the vision from first life memory.

"Hang one body on Dorm 13 gate," Jin said. "With paper: Demon King's dogs are not welcome in Shadow Class. Let all nobles see."

Leon, the noble boy, paled. "Jin, that's declaring war on Demon King!"

Jin smiled, holding Mira.

"No, Leon. That's declaring that Dorm 13 is no longer Ghost Dorm."

He looked at his 100 family, at his 7 shadows now 8 slots with one empty.

"It is Shadow Kingdom now."

Outside, Vice-Master Elara on her tower saw the whole fight through crystal ball. She was not worried. She was smiling.

She wrote in old book: Day 1, Shadow Class - Killed 3 A-Rank Demon Assassins. Monarch's Legion begins.

TO BE CONTINUED...