Solo Leveling : 10 Shadow Technique

Finn stood with his arms crossed, observing Antoneth, who was lying on the ground. Her hair was disheveled, and parts of her clothes were torn. He sighed, reaching into his shadow and pulling out a coat, which he gently placed on her. But Antoneth immediately threw it off.

"No, I want the cold air," she said, stubborn as ever.

Finn raised an eyebrow and then summoned a burst of cold wind, sending a chill across the area. Antoneth quickly grabbed the coat and put it on, shivering.

"Alright, get up. We'll borrow some clothes from..." Finn started, then paused mid-sentence.

He reached into his shadow again and pulled out a set of his own home clothes. "Wear these," he said, pointing to a changing room. Antoneth grabbed the clothes and made her way to the changing room.

When she returned, she was wearing an oversized T-shirt and pants. However, she wasn't wearing a bra, and Finn caught sight of her. He smirked and casually hooked his arm around her, dragging her along.

"Let's go. I'll show you the Garden, and I'll tell you your level as we walk," Finn said. Antoneth blushed at his words, but they continued on their way.

As they walked, their conversation flowed, and after a while, Finn spoke up.

"Your level seems to be high C-Rank or low D-Rank," he said, observing her carefully. He then pulled out his phone. "Uh, yeah, do you have any free time tomorrow?"

Antoneth nodded, and Finn marked something in his calendar.

"Yeah, come back tomorrow. I'll take you to a D-Rank Gate," he said, then paused as Antoneth glanced at her outfit. Finn sighed, noticing her discomfort,

//--\\

Finn and Antoneth were walking through a vast, white space. Surrounding them were Finn's Shikigami, many of them large and imposing. Antoneth was being dragged along, her eyes wide as she took in the sight of the giant Shikigami Finn commanded. They continued walking until they reached a mansion, floating in Finn's light-infused Garden.

Finn pulled a key from his pocket, and with a twist, he unlocked the door. As they entered, Antoneth noticed several small Shikigami scattered throughout the mansion. Finn returned the key to his pocket.

"Take a seat. I'll cook something," he said casually.

Antoneth sat down on the couch, where some of the Shikigami joined her. "So, this is where you live?" she asked, still looking around in awe.

Finn nodded, cracking an egg as he spoke. "Yeah, it's the safest place. My family is in America."

As he spoke, he boiled some water for ramen, battered the egg, and heated up a pan. After a moment, he added the egg to the pan and began frying it. Antoneth, meanwhile, was snuggled up with Mimic Slime on the couch, watching TV.

Finn eventually walked over and placed a plate of food in front of her on the table. "Eat up. We'll go on a shopping spree tomorrow," he said, then sat down with his own plate. His meal consisted of rice, rolled-up eggs, and ramen covering the rice.

They ate in comfortable silence, with Antoneth enjoying the food and Mimic Slime still contentedly cuddling with her. After some time, the Shikigami had all left the mansion and were out in the Garden. Finn and Antoneth were left alone, sitting together, their hands intertwined as they watched a movie.

As they sat there, Antoneth glanced over at Finn, her heart racing. She leaned in and kissed him close to his lips.

"I... love you too," Antoneth whispered, her voice soft.

Finn was momentarily shocked, his eyes widening at the unexpected confession. Antoneth smiled, then jumped up, playfully. Just then, the entire legion of Shikigami roared outside.

Finn turned back to Antoneth, but he was taken aback when he saw blood trickling from her ear. His face flushed with concern as he immediately used his regeneration powers to heal her.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice filled with guilt.

Antoneth smiled gently, placing her hand on his cheek. "It's okay. I know you'll always be by my side," she said, her voice full of affection.

Then, Antoneth kissed Finn on the lips, her earlier words now sinking in as they shared a tender moment.

//--\\

In a dream, Antoneth and Finn were kids. Finn was pulling back an arrow with all his might, his eyes locked on a target. With a deep breath, he released, and the arrow struck. A wide grin spread across his face as he turned excitedly.

"Hey, hey, Neth! Did ya see that? I did it!" Finn beamed.

Antoneth smiled at him, always cheering for his victories.

Finn quickly grabbed another arrow, drawing the bowstring again. Antoneth reached out to him, but no matter how close she was, it always felt like there was a distance—a back separating them.

As they grew older, Finn only became more talented. He kept moving forward, always improving, always dragging her up with him. They were connected, yet in her eyes, that same back was always ahead, always just out of reach.

And when Finn awakened as a Hunter, that gap widened.

She was left behind.

Lost.

Then, when her father died, the weight of responsibility crushed her. Her mother took on all the burdens, and Antoneth could only watch, helpless. The pressure mounted, suffocating her, until she found herself standing at the edge of the sea—contemplating letting the waves take her.

But in that moment of despair, she awakened.

She dropped out of school, just as Finn once did, and threw herself into the world of Hunters. Moving from group to group, taking jobs just to survive, she watched from afar as Finn's name rose higher and higher. He never stopped getting stronger.

But now—she wasn't going to be dragged anymore.

Now, she would walk beside him,