Solo Leveling : 10 Shadow Technique

Chapter 14: The Nightmare Grove, And A Lantern



Hollow Beetle – A hard-shelled beetle with onyx-colored plating. Can drill through surfaces and is nearly indestructible.

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As Finn stood on the rumbling shadow, the Great Serpent slithered forward, rising high before launching itself at one of the Nightmare Stags. However, mid-air, the massive snake's body suddenly limped, its momentum cut short. Instead of sinking its fangs into its target, the serpent crashed to the ground with a dull thud.

Its eyes rolled back for a moment—then snapped open. With a deep hiss, the serpent lunged again, this time successfully sinking its fangs into the stag's shadowy furred neck. The creature let out a distorted, echoing cry, its twisted antlers pulsing with red energy.

"Try to grab one! I want that Enmu-like ability!" Finn called out.

Obeying instantly, the Great Serpent coiled its massive body, swinging its thick tail in a wide arc. It snatched another Nightmare Stag from the mist, wrapping around it before dragging it into the abyss of Finn's shadow.

The moment the creature vanished, Finn felt it. A new connection. A new power.

A strange sensation tingled in his fingertips. He lifted his hand—red particles flickered at the edges of his fingers, the same eerie glow that once radiated from the Nightmare Stags' antlers.

"Huh. Cool effect." Finn smirked, flexing his fingers.

Suddenly—the jungle twisted.

The trees stretched unnaturally tall, bending like grotesque, elongated figures. The ground beneath him rippled as if reality itself was warping. Illusions.

But within the distortions, Finn noticed something—a faint glow.

He narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, reaching toward one of the flickering lights. The moment he touched it, he let his shadow consume it.

Everything snapped back into place.

The warped trees shrank back to normal, the shifting ground solidified, and the oppressive fog thinned. A new connection formed in Finn's mind, and in his palm, a ghostly, floating lantern appeared.

Its dim blue flame flickered weakly at first—then flared up, illuminating the path ahead.

Finn tilted his head. "Huh. Neat."

He flicked his wrist, and the Lantern Wisp hovered beside him, casting an ethereal glow over the darkened jungle. The illusions no longer affected him.

He smirked. "Can't fool me now."

With renewed confidence, Finn continued forward, his Great Serpent slithering behind him. The jungle remained eerily quiet, save for the occasional crackle of shifting branches.

But then—he heard them.

Soft thuds. Light, barely audible movements.

Finn glanced to the side and saw shadows weaving through the trees. The Whispering Cats. They bounded effortlessly between the branches, their eerie, slit-pupil eyes fixated on him. Their silent grins never wavered, and the whispering in his mind grew louder.

Finn clicked his tongue. "Tch. Dumb monsters. I have Lantern Wisp—I won't be swayed."

As he walked, he noticed one of the cats leap between branches. But—its paw landed on a patch of shadow.

The moment it made contact, the Whispering Cat fell into the shadow.

Finn blinked. and looked away while whistling.

He felt it—a new presence within his Shadow Garden. A Whispering Cat.

A slow grin crept across Finn's face as he rubbed his chin.

"Ohhh, this is gonna be fun."

And with that, he pressed forward, deeper into the Nightmare Grove.

//--\\

Finn walked in a straight line, a grin stretched across his face as he followed Lantern Wisp, its dim blue flame flickering in the eerie darkness. Man, I really want to test my new abilities. I haven't used Venom in a while… he thought, absentmindedly tapping his chin.

Then, with a sudden realization, he clapped his fist into his palm. "You know what? I'll only use Lantern Wisp in this dungeon. No other Shikigami—just Toxin and Acid to handle everything." His grin widened.

After all the monsters he had devoured, Finn could tell his Venom-based abilities had leveled up significantly. But before he could test them, a noise rustled through the woods. His eyes narrowed, his instincts sharpening.

Alright… I only have an E-rank Shikigami active, but I still have Venom. Should be fine.

At one o'clock, a pair of glowing eyes peered at him from behind the twisted trees. Without hesitation, Finn flicked his wrist, launching a splash of red acid.

"This probably won't hurt you too much," he muttered as the Acid shot forward, corroding the grotesque trees and revealing the monster lurking behind them.

A skeletal phoenix with decayed feathers emerged, its empty sockets burning with cursed embers. Finn's grin faltered for just a second before his Shadow Garden wheel spun in his eyes.

Jackpot.

"Let's see if my perfect lethal dose can take you down."

On his left palm, green Toxin bubbled to life. He waved his hand, sending the toxic mist toward the cursed phoenix. The creature flapped its rotting wings and shot into the air, evading the attack.

Finn smirked. "Oh? That won't save you."

As the Toxin twisted midair, it reshaped itself into a deadly eagle, chasing after its prey with razor-sharp precision.

"I'll call you Blight Phoenix," Finn mused before exhaling.

He took a moment to admire his work, processing his own abilities. I've officially split my Venom into two parts—Acid and Toxin.

Acid enhances the corrosive properties of Venom, dissolving anything in milliseconds. Toxin adapts itself into the perfect lethal dose, adjusting based on the target's biology.

"It's basically Cleave and Dismantle… yeah, I totally based it off that," Finn muttered to himself.

Right before his eyes, the Blight Phoenix plummeted to the ground, twitching.

Finn frowned. "Ugh, I hate perfect doses. I should've just—"

Before he could finish his rant, the phoenix disintegrated into dust, its body burning away. But instead of staying dead, its ashes ignited once more, turning into red flames that flickered and crackled violently.

And then… it burned itself alive. Again.

The red flames turned blue, its cursed rebirth cycle repeating in a never-ending loop of self-immolation.

Finn's eye twitched. "So, you're basically a furry Dabi?"

The phoenix screeched.

"Not a compliment," he deadpanned before purple Venom surged from his hands, wrapping around the struggling creature. He had already prepped a shadow spot, ready to seal it away.

The phoenix fought back, its cursed blue flames burning through the Venom, lashing out wildly at Finn. But before it could escape, the powerful Shikigami lurking in his shadows dragged it down.

Silence.

Then, Finn crossed his arms. "Alright, now I've got a fire-based ability. So… what's next?"

For a moment, he just stood there, contemplating.

Then he smirked. "Nah, I'll just keep grinding and make myself strong enough to rival gods."

A pause.

"Honestly? I think I could even take on Mahoraga."


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