The morning fog had not yet lifted.
Outside Blackstone Village, the forest was damp and silent. Moist air clung to the trees, and the ground was dark with dew.
Lin Ye stood beside the corpse of the Shadow Wolf.
His palms were already soaked with sweat.
Demon Hunters.
He had heard that name since he was a child.
In this world, their purpose was simple and absolute.
They hunted monsters.
And they erased forbidden magic.
Anyone who used forbidden power had only one fate.
Death.
The leading Demon Hunter slowly walked toward the body of the Shadow Wolf.
He crouched beside it.
Without saying a word, he placed his fingers gently on the wound in the wolf's chest.
Lin Ye felt his breath catch in his throat.
That wound…
It had been pierced by shadow.
Not by a blade.
Not by an arrow.
Something darker.
Something unnatural.
The man lifted his head and looked around the clearing.
"The wound was not caused by a weapon," he said quietly.
His voice was calm, but heavy.
The village hunters exchanged uneasy glances.
Zhao Hu frowned and couldn't help asking, "Then what caused it?"
The Demon Hunter stood up slowly.
His black cloak shifted slightly in the breeze, and the silver badge on his chest glimmered faintly under the pale morning light.
The symbol of the sword piercing a monster skull flashed for a brief moment.
"It looks like… some form of energy," the man said.
Lin Ye's heart slammed against his chest.
Energy.
Forbidden power.
For a split second, he thought the man had already discovered everything.
Suddenly, the Demon Hunter turned his gaze toward him.
His eyes were sharp—like a blade cutting through silence.
"You were alone here last night?" the man asked.
Lin Ye's throat felt dry.
"Yes," he managed to say.
"Why?"
Before Lin Ye could answer, Zhao Hu let out a mocking laugh from the side.
"He said he wanted to become a hunter," Zhao Hu said with a sneer. "So we told him to come into the forest and practice his courage."
Several of the hunters chuckled quietly.
But the Demon Hunter didn't laugh.
He remained silent for a moment, studying Lin Ye's thin frame.
"When you saw the Shadow Wolf," the man continued, "was it already dead?"
Lin Ye forced himself to remain calm.
"I… woke up and it was already like that."
The Demon Hunter stared at him.
For a long time.
His eyes searched Lin Ye's face carefully, as if looking for the smallest crack in his story.
Lin Ye felt as though time had slowed.
The forest grew unbearably quiet.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
After several seconds, the Demon Hunter finally looked away.
"Take me to the place where you stayed last night."
Lin Ye's chest tightened.
The underground ruin.
The stone altar.
And the forbidden book.
If they discovered it…
Everything would be over.
But he had no right to refuse.
Soon the group arrived at the collapsed pit hidden among the trees.
This was the place where Lin Ye had fallen the night before.
The Demon Hunter lit a torch and jumped down into the darkness.
The other men followed one after another.
Flames flickered as they descended.
Soon, the underground chamber was illuminated once more.
The ruined shrine slowly emerged from the shadows.
Ancient stone walls.
Broken pillars.
And the strange runes carved into the stone.
The Demon Hunter walked toward the stone platform in the center.
Lin Ye felt his breathing almost stop.
The platform was empty.
There was no book.
Only shattered sealing patterns carved into the stone.
The man crouched down and examined the surface carefully.
His brows slowly began to tighten.
"There was something here before," he said quietly.
Zhao Hu looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
The Demon Hunter shook his head slightly.
"A seal."
His fingers traced the cracked symbols carved into the stone.
"And the seal has been broken."
Cold sweat ran down Lin Ye's back.
The Demon Hunter continued inspecting the chamber.
His torchlight moved slowly across the ground and walls.
Then suddenly—
He stopped.
The flame illuminated several thin cracks in the stone floor.
They were narrow.
Deep.
As if something sharp had pierced the ground with tremendous force.
Lin Ye's heart sank.
Those marks…
They had been left behind by the shadow attack.
The Demon Hunter stared at the cracks in silence.
Several seconds passed.
Then he stood up again.
"There was a battle here last night," he said.
Zhao Hu shifted uneasily.
"Could it have been a monster?" he asked.
The Demon Hunter didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned his gaze toward Lin Ye again.
"Are you certain," he asked slowly, "that you saw nothing?"
Lin Ye nodded.
"I fell down here and passed out."
The Demon Hunter watched him carefully.
Once again, the air became silent.
No one spoke.
The tension in the chamber felt almost suffocating.
After what felt like a very long time, the man finally turned away.
"We'll return to the village first," he said.
The hunters visibly relaxed.
Zhao Hu exhaled quietly.
Lin Ye also released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.
But just as they were leaving the ruins—
The Demon Hunter suddenly stopped walking.
He turned around.
His eyes lowered toward the ground.
Lin Ye followed his gaze.
On the stone floor—
His shadow.
It was trembling slightly.
Not much.
Just a faint ripple, like a reflection moving on the surface of water.
The Demon Hunter narrowed his eyes.
But only for a moment.
Soon, the shadow returned to normal.
Still.
Silent.
As if nothing had happened.
The man stared for another second.
Then he said nothing.
The group climbed out of the ruins and returned toward the village.
The fog was beginning to fade, and the morning sun slowly spread across the forest.
But deep inside, Lin Ye knew something had already changed.
This wasn't over.
The Demon Hunter had started to suspect him.
And the power inside his body—
That dark, silent force—
Was slowly waking up.