Shadow found himself standing in a vast, dark space, one that felt completely detached from reality. There was no ground beneath his feet that he could clearly see, yet he wasn’t falling. It was as if he simply existed there, suspended in a void.

In front of him, a large holographic screen flickered to life, glowing faintly in the darkness. Lines of information scrolled across it, shifting and organizing themselves into readable panels.

Shadow stared at it for a moment, his expression calm but focused.

"System," he said, his voice echoing slightly in the empty space. "If I’m going to start fighting seriously, then I can’t let everyone see who I really am. I need something to hide my identity. Can you create a separate profile for me?"

There was a brief pause before the system responded.

[Under normal circumstances, a user’s name and appearance cannot be altered, as they are automatically registered upon synchronization with the system.]

[However, the host possesses administrative authority over the system.]

[Request is possible.]

A faint smirk formed on Shadow’s face.

"Good," he muttered. "That makes things a lot easier. No one will connect this me."

He paused briefly, thinking it through before continuing.

"Alright. Set my name to... The Demon Shadow," he said, his tone carrying a hint of satisfaction. "It has a nice ring to it. As for my appearance, give me a dark mask. Something simple. I kind of miss my old and awful look anyway."

"Oh and also make sure to change my clothes to something black, I don’t people to recognize this uniform"

There was no delay this time.

[All commands executed successfully.]

The holographic screen shifted again, updating instantly. A new profile appeared in front of him, displaying the name "The Demon Shadow" along with a shadowed figure wearing a dark, featureless mask.

Shadow examined it for a second before nodding slightly.

"Perfect."

He then shifted his attention to another section of the screen, where rankings were displayed.

"Now let’s see... based on these rankings, mine should be somewhere—"

His voice stopped abruptly.

"...What the hell?"

Shadow looked genuinely caught off guard.

His eyes narrowed as he stared at the number in front of him.

Rank: 6,666,667

He blinked once, as if expecting it to change.

It didn’t.

"Are you serious right now?" he muttered under his breath.

The system responded calmly.

[Rankings are determined based on a participant’s performance in arena matches.]

[The host is newly registered within the arena system, therefore an initial low ranking is expected.]

[Additionally, a significant portion of participants possess combat experience far beyond the host’s current capabilities.]

[Gradual progression is advised.]

Shadow let out a quiet breath before shaking his head slightly.

"I figured I’d be low, but this... this is ridiculous," he said with a wry smile. "Over six million people ahead of me..."

Despite his words, there was no frustration in his tone.

If anything, there was excitement.

"This many awakeners are using the system all over the world... and most people probably still think this is some kind of secret tool," he said, almost amused by the thought.

He folded his arms slightly, thinking deeper.

"Now that I look at it realistically, trying to copy everything from everyone isn’t going to work," he continued. "Each spell needs time to master. If I keep jumping between different abilities without fully understanding them, it’s only going to slow me down."

The system responded again.

[The system advises the host to continue acquiring abilities from other awakeners.]

[Even if not mastered, certain abilities may prove useful in specific situations.]

[Adaptability increases survival probability.]

Shadow exhaled lightly before nodding.

"Yeah... I guess you’re right," he admitted. "Even if I don’t master everything, having options is better than having none."

A faint grin appeared on his face.

"Well then... I’ll just have to work harder than everyone else."

He turned his attention back to the screen.

"Alright," he said calmly. "Find me a random match. Let’s get started."

[Random match feature activated.]

[Opponent will be selected based on proximity to the host’s current rank.]

Before Shadow could say anything else, the space around him began to distort.

The darkness collapsed inward, and his surroundings shifted instantly.

The next moment, he was standing in the center of a massive arena.

The environment was completely different from before.

Heat filled the air, pressing against his skin as if he had stepped into a furnace. The ground beneath him was cracked and uneven, glowing faintly with veins of molten lava that pulsed like living magma. Small bursts of heat rose from the surface, distorting the air above it.

It was a hellish battlefield.

Yet beyond the arena itself, the atmosphere was completely different.

A massive crowd surrounded the arena from all sides, their voices loud and energetic. Cheers, shouts, and laughter echoed endlessly, creating a sharp contrast to the hostile environment inside the ring.

But the moment Shadow appeared—

Everything stopped.

The noise.

The movement.

Even the energy of the crowd seemed to freeze for a split second.

All eyes turned toward him.

"...How is that possible?" someone muttered.

"Wait... can you even do that?" another voice followed.

"I don’t remember appearance customization being an option when I registered," a third person added.

"No, it’s not possible," someone else said firmly. "The bracelet clearly stated that names and appearances are fixed."

"...Then how the hell does he look like that?"

"...Wait. Look at his name."

"The Demon... Shadow?"

"That can’t be a real name."

The silence shattered instantly.

The crowd erupted into chaos as people began shouting over one another, each trying to make sense of what they were seeing.

Some were confused.

Some were excited.

Others were simply curious.

Shadow stood there quietly, unfazed by the attention.

Then

From the opposite side of the arena, a small figure began walking toward him.

At first, Shadow didn’t think much of it.

But as the figure got closer, his eyes narrowed slightly.

It was a kid.

A boy, no older than ten years old.

The child walked with surprising confidence, stopping a few meters away from Shadow before looking up at him.

"How did you do that trick?" the kid asked, his tone casual, almost curious. "If you teach me, I won’t beat you too badly."

Shadow blinked once.

"...Wait," he said slowly. "You’re my opponent?"

The kid tilted his head slightly.

"What were you expecting?" he replied.

For a brief moment, Shadow didn’t say anything.

Then he sighed.

"...Right," he muttered. "I guess I’m the strange one here."

He glanced around the arena for a second before looking back at the boy.

"I awakened late... so compared to people like you, I’m basically starting from the bottom," he added quietly. "Makes sense."

Before the conversation could continue, a mechanical voice echoed throughout the arena.

[Match participants confirmed.]

[The Demon Shadow vs. ???]

[Battle will begin.]

A sharp tone rang out.

The signal to start.

The kid opened his mouth slightly, as if about to say something.

"So what do you think, do you—"

He never finished his sentence.

In the next instant, his body froze.

Then—

It shattered.

Fragments scattered like broken glass before dissolving into particles of light. A second later, the boy reappeared outside the arena, completely unharmed, but clearly eliminated.

The entire sequence had taken less than a second.

No one had time to react or to understand what had just happened.

Inside the arena, Shadow stood calmly, his arm slightly lowered.

A single ice shard had already disappeared.

He had fired it the moment the match began.

Straight through the boy’s forehead.

Silence filled the arena.

The crowd stared in disbelief, their minds struggling to process what they had just witnessed.

Then, the system’s voice broke through the stillness.

[Participant "The Demon Shadow" wins.]

The reaction was immediate. The arena exploded with noise. Cheers erupted like a volcanic eruption, louder than anything before.

"What the hell was that?!"

"It ended before it even started!"

"Did anyone even see that attack?!"

"That was insane!"

The excitement spread rapidly, turning confusion into pure hype.

Meanwhile, Shadow remained completely still.

’...Oops,’ he thought to himself.

’Maybe I should’ve let him show his spells first.’

He glanced briefly toward the crowd before looking back at the empty battlefield.

’Well... there are plenty more matches,’ he continued calmly.

’I’ll get other chances.’

A faint smile formed beneath his mask.

And just like that—

His climb had begun.