The sun had already set by the time Shadow returned to the tavern. The place was quieter than usual, with only a few scattered customers in the main hall. The faint smell of cooked food lingered in the air, mixing with the warmth of the hearth.
Shadow made his way straight to the kitchen.
Inside, Marta and Gregor were seated at the table, having their dinner. Sitting with them was the same young man with white hair—the one Shadow had seen earlier in the arena.
The three of them stopped eating the moment Shadow entered.
Their eyes dropped to what he was carrying.
Two dead beasts.
Without a word, Shadow walked in and casually dropped them onto the kitchen floor.
"Oh, you already ate? I thought we could have these for dinner tonight," he said as if it were nothing.
The sound of utensils clattering echoed in the room.
"If this isn't enough, I can go back." Shadow resounded.
All three of them stared in disbelief.
"I don't mean to be rude," Shadow added calmly, "but you should close your mouths while eating."
Marta blinked, still trying to process what she was seeing.
"Where… did you get these?" she finally asked.
"I hunted them," Shadow replied with a shrug.
Gregor let out a quiet breath, clearly stunned. "You've got to be kidding me…"
"...We're going to need a bigger pan."
The boy seeing this, he thought to himself 'does he always bring gifts like these?'
Shadow ignored the reaction and shifted his attention to the young man sitting at the table.
"Oh, is this your son?" he asked casually. "Nice to meet you. I'm Shadow."
Marta nodded. "This is the boy I told you about. Be nice to him."
"Whatever," the boy muttered, clearly uninterested.
"I'm Leon," he added shortly before returning to his food.
Shadow studied him for a moment, then smirked.
"I saw you in the arena today," he said. "Didn't know you were their son. I was surprised you managed to win after the beating you took from that bulky guy."
Leon froze.
'Shit.'
He slowly turned his head toward his parents.
"You were fighting in the arena again?" Marta's voice rose instantly. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from that place? Do you want to give me a heart attack?"
"I—It just happened!" Leon stammered. "I didn't mean to—"
"Don't lie to me!. Next time you fight, I'll be your opponent."
"Whatever, Mom. Thanks for the food. I'm tired, I need to sleep," Leon said quickly, standing up and heading for the door.
As he passed Shadow, he shot him a sharp glare.
'You just made an enemy for life.' Leon said to himself.
Shadow simply watched him leave, a faint smirk on his face.
'Totally worth it.'
'Now I'm satisfied.'
[[Host displays alarming levels of immaturity.]
[Recommendation: Grow up.]
The system's voice echoed in his mind.
Shadow ignored it completely.
"At least he won… I guess…" Gregor added but quickly regreted after seeing Marta's monstrous pair of eyes glaring at him.
Marta sighed deeply before gesturing for Shadow to sit.
"Come, eat with us."
Shadow took a seat at the table.
Gregor leaned forward slightly. "You really killed those beasts?"
"Yeah," Shadow replied. "I went for a walk in the forest. Thought I should repay you for letting me stay here."
Marta exchanged a glance with her husband.
"Are you an awakener?" she asked.
"I am."
"That's amazing," she said, her tone brightening. "You seem strong. You and Leon should spend some time together. He always finds trouble on his own."
Shadow gave a small nod. "I wouldn't mind."
Dinner continued in a calmer atmosphere after that.
Once he finished eating, Shadow headed upstairs and returned to his room without another word.
---
The next morning, Shadow woke up early.
He made his way downstairs and found the entire family gathered around the table for breakfast.
Leon was already seated.
Shadow took the seat next to him.
"Sorry about yesterday," Shadow said quietly. "Didn't expect your mother to react like that."
Leon paused for a moment, then shrugged. "It's fine."
The conversation ended there.
Everyone continued eating, but Gregor seemed distracted.
He barely touched his food.
Marta noticed immediately.
"What's wrong?" she asked softly. "You haven't eaten anything."
Gregor let out a slow breath.
"It's the tavern," he admitted. "We haven't been getting many customers lately."
The room grew quiet.
"The roads outside the city aren't safe anymore," he continued. "Demonic dungeon outbreaks have been happening more frequently. Fewer people are traveling."
Marta frowned.
"I tried to take a loan yesterday," Gregor added, "but they rejected my request."
Leon clenched his jaw slightly.
"So… things aren't looking good right now."
"Maybe I should start selling water as a luxury."
Marta reached out and placed her hand over his.
"Don't worry. The guilds will handle it. They always do. Things will get better. We survived worse. I think."
"Right… we have survived worse… right?"
"Tell me we've survived worse." Marta panicked as she tried to consoles her husband.
Leon spoke up.
"I'll try to bring in some money."
Gregor immediately shook his head.
"No. You're not doing anything dangerous. Stay here and help us."
Leon hesitated.
"Relax, I won't die" he said before continuing his sentence with a thought.
'Probably.'
"I meant… I'll find a normal job in the city," he said quickly, forcing a small smile.
Marta narrowed her eyes slightly but didn't say anything.
After breakfast, everyone went their separate ways.
Leon left the tavern first.
But as he stepped outside, he noticed someone behind him.
Shadow.
"If you're stalking me, you're doing a bad job. Did my mother send you?" Leon asked without turning around.
Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think I'd spy on you just to report back to her?"
Leon didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Shadow stared at him for a second.
"…That's insulting."
"I told you yesterday it was a mistake," Shadow continued. "Let's just forget about it. Whatever happens in the arena stays in the arena."
Leon didn't look convinced, but he didn't argue.
"Then what do you want?"
"You've probably heard my situation from your parents," Shadow said. "I've been away from the world for a while. I don't know much about what's been happening."
He paused briefly.
"Your father mentioned dungeons. Demonic monsters. What exactly are those?"
Leon sighed.
"Seven years ago, dungeons started appearing out of nowhere," he explained. "Random locations. No warning."
"They're filled with demonic monsters. Different shapes, different forms—but all the same in one thing."
"They kill anything that breathes."
Shadow listened silently.
"When a dungeon appears," Leon continued, "monsters start coming out if it's not cleared quickly. That's why guilds became so important."
"They're basically organizations of awakeners—hunters. Their job is to clear dungeons."
"But even they can't keep up."
Leon's expression darkened slightly.
"There are too many monsters. And they're getting stronger."
"Dungeon breaks happen all the time now. Especially on the outer roads near smaller cities like ours."
Shadow nodded slowly.
"Seven years…" he murmured. "Interesting."
Then he asked, "What about demons themselves? Any major movements?"
Leon shook his head.
"Not really. Every now and then, we hear about powerful awakeners—or even entire groups—getting wiped out by demons."
He looked ahead.
"But we never hear about the opposite."
A brief silence followed.
"At this point," Leon said quietly, "it feels like we're just waiting."
Shadow didn't respond immediately.
His thoughts drifted elsewhere.
'The Stormgard family…'
'How are they doing?'
'Mother… Father… Mia…'
For the first time in a while, something faint stirred beneath his calm expression.
Concern.
But it vanished just as quickly.
His eyes returned to normal.
Cold. Calculating.
Observing.
Always observing.