Dungeon Corpse Stacker: I Absorb Everything to Become Ominous Monarch
Chapter 30: SHADOWS OVER SECTOR 2

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: SHADOWS OVER SECTOR 2

The rhythmic, monotonous dripping of water against rusted iron pipes echoed through the cavernous subterranean tunnels of Sector 2. Deep below the bustling surface of the capital, where the glitz and glamour of high-ranking Hunters failed to reach, the air reeked of rotting monster flesh, damp earth, and the sharp, metallic stench of ionized ozone. To an ordinary human, the atmosphere would be suffocating—a claustrophobic nightmare of darkness and filth. But to Renan, as he stood amidst the carnage, it was the sweet, unmistakable scent of absolute triumph.

Before him lay the withered, hollowed-out corpses of thirty Rank-A Crimson Ogres scattered across the cracked concrete floor. Once hulking beasts standing three meters tall with hide as tough as reinforced steel, they were now nothing more than shriveled, mummified husks. Their once-bulging muscles had collapsed into dry skin draped over brittle bones, drained of every single drop of vital essence and mana.

Renan raised his right hand, hovering his palm over the pile of drained carcasses. A dark, translucent interface materializing in his field of vision flickered to life, glowing with an ethereal violet light that illuminated the pitch-black cavern.

[Absolute Extraction System Activated]

Extracting 30 Corpses of Crimson Ogres (Rank-A)...

Targeting Mana Cores, Muscle Density, and Vital Energy...

+360 Strength

+290 Agility

+410 Vitality

[Passive Skill Acquired: ’Bloodhound Intuition’ (Rank-A)]

[Bloodhound Intuition: Heightens spatial awareness within a 500-meter radius, tracking heat signatures and mana fluctuations through solid structures.]

Renan slowly closed his hand into a tight fist. A sudden, violent surge of burning, raw energy coursed through his blood vessels, radiating outward from his core. He could feel his muscle fibers tearing apart and instantly rebuilding themselves into something denser, stronger, and far beyond human limits. The air around his knuckles distorted slightly as the sheer pressure of his physical stats bled into the surrounding atmosphere. His senses sharpened to a razor’s edge—he could hear the faint scuttling of rats three tunnels over and feel the subtle vibrations of the city traffic kilometers above his head.

His status numbers had skyrocketed once more, pushing him past the mortal boundaries that bound ordinary Hunters. He was no longer just surviving the abyss; he was becoming its undisputed master.

"Unbelievable... Simply unbelievable..."

Subdued, heavy footsteps shattered the stillness of the underground vault. Boss Victor emerged from the dense shadows of the connecting corridor, his signature dimly lit cigar exhaling a thin, drifting trail of gray smoke. The veteran kingpin of the underground network, a man who had witnessed the goriest gang wars and the rise of ruthlessly corrupt S-Rank Hunters, stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at the thirty hollowed-out Crimson Ogres, his eyes flickering rapidly between profound awe and sheer, unadulterated terror.

"In less than forty-eight hours, you completely cleared out five of Guild Apex’s most guarded secret supply vaults in Sector 2, Renan," Victor said, his voice raspy as he took a slow drag from his cigar and tapped the ash onto the bloody floor. "The black market operations across Sector 2 and Sector 3 are completely paralyzed. Their contraband monster core distribution, their illegal potion synthesis labs, their money-laundering pipelines... severed. All of it, burned to the ground in two nights."

Renan turned around slowly. Beneath the deep shadow of his tattered black hood, his eyes glowed with a faint, dangerous golden luster. The aura radiating from his body was cold, heavy, and suffocating.

"This is merely the foundation, Victor," Renan replied, his tone devoid of any pride, sounding more like an executioner reviewing an inevitable checklist. "Richard and his inner circle built Guild Apex on the blood and bones of abandoned scavengers like me. I am simply reclaiming the interest on that debt. Tell me, how did the top brass react to the blackout?"

"Utter, chaotic panic," Victor chuckled coldly, though the faint tremor in his hand betrayed his composure as he pulled an encrypted data tablet from his inner coat pocket. "Executive Director Harold of the Southern Hunter Association called an emergency, off-the-record summit at three o’clock in the morning. Meanwhile, Guild Master Richard is reportedly rampaging at Apex Headquarters, smashing through his own executive suites. They finally realized that this isn’t an isolated accident or a rogue monster outbreak. A foreign entity is systematically gnawing away at their financial empire from the roots, and they are completely blind as to who or what it is."

"Good," Renan said flatly, his golden eyes narrowing. "Let them choke on their own confusion. Fear is a far more effective poison than any blade."

"There’s a catch, though," Victor’s tone turned deathly serious as he swiped through the glowing green text on his tablet. "Harold isn’t the type to sit back and bleed out quietly. Operating under the assumption that this is a coordinated military strike by a rival S-Rank Guild or an international syndicate, he has officially signed an emergency lockdown directive. He dispatched three Association Operational Directors to Sector 2 tonight. And they didn’t come alone. They brought a specialized Strike Force composed of high-tier Rank-A veteran Hunters and artificial S-Rank enforcers."

A faint, cold smirk curved on Renan’s lips.

To any ordinary Hunter or underworld faction, an ambush led by three Association Directors accompanied by an entire tactical strike battalion meant an absolute, inescapable death sentence. The Association possessed national-level authority, military-grade mana artillery, and ruthless execution squads designed to hunt down rogue Hunters.

To Renan, however, it sounded like something else entirely. It sounded like an incoming delivery of premium stat points and high-grade raw material for his growing army, delivering themselves straight to his doorstep.

"How many personnel did they deploy into the lower sectors?" Renan asked, his tone disturbingly casual.

"Two hundred elite Hunters," Victor replied, looking up from the screen. "Every single one of them is equipped with anti-mana armor and S-Rank heavy weaponry. They intend to execute a total, indiscriminate purge of Sector 2 to flush you out. Anyone found in the lower tunnels tonight—civilian, merchant, or criminal—will be executed on sight to preserve secrecy."

"Two hundred..." Renan turned away, his gaze penetrating the deep, dark expanse of the subterranean tunnel stretching out into the abyss ahead. "That means two hundred new additions to my Shadow Army. Two hundred souls to swell my ranks before we march on Apex Headquarters."

He slowly raised his right hand, snapping his fingers.

Thrum.

The ambient temperature inside the cavern plummeted instantly. Black-purple miasma burst from the shadows crawling along the concrete walls and the blood-stained floor. The darkness tore open like fabric, and fifty Shadow Knights manifested in perfect, terrifying formation. Dressed in abyssal steel armor that absorbed the light around them, their spectral eyes burned with cold, purple flames. At the very front of the legion, a towering Shadow General holding a jagged executioner’s greatsword dropped to one knee, bowing reverently toward its Creator.

[Shadow Army Status]

[Current Active Units: 50 Shadow Knights]

[Shadow Capacity: 50 / UNLIMITED]

[Unit Morale: Fanatical / Ready for Absolute Convergence]

"Victor," Renan called out, his voice echoing with the layered resonance of a monarch.

"Yeah?" Victor swallowed hard, taking a step back as the suffocating pressure of fifty shadow entities pressed against his chest.

"Secure every last financial asset inside the Gilded Vault and move the underground refugees toward Sector 4," Renan commanded, his footfalls clicking rhythmically against the stone as he began walking toward the surface exit, his fifty shadow soldiers advancing behind him in terrifying, silent synchronization. "Tonight, we aren’t just seizing control of the black market... tonight, we tear down the Association’s authority beneath the dirt."

Meanwhile, above ground in Sector 2, the quiet night was shattered by the screeching of heavy tires. Ten armored tactical vehicles, painted in matte black and bearing the golden scales crest of the National Hunter Association, slammed to a halt, completely locking down the main boulevard and blocking every exit from the district.

The reinforced hydraulic doors hissed open, and dozens of heavily armed Hunters in tactical exoskeleton suits spilled out, rapidly establishing a militarized kill-zone perimeter. Searchlights cut through the fog, bathing the entrance of the subterranean tunnels in harsh, blinding white light.

From the central command vehicle, three middle-aged men in tailored black suits, each wearing the solid gold Association pin on their lapels, stepped out into the cold night air.

Director Harold, the leader of the operational unit, twirled his heavy tungsten command baton in his hand. He glared down at the dark, gaping entrance of the underground stairwell with murderous, unyielding intent.

"Whoever or whatever is hiding down there," Harold whispered through gritted teeth, his mana flaring around his body in violent, blue sparks, "make sure not a single one of them draws another breath. Sweep every corridor. Exterminate every living thing. Flatten Sector 2!"