Blurb：
In a world overrun by deadly dungeons, only one hunter can defy fate. Follow Sung Jinwoo as he evolves from the weakest E-rank to the ultimate Shadow Monarch, commanding an army of shadows. With the System’s quests, monstrous gates, and the mysterious Architect, this action-packed novel blends fantasy and thriller elements. Perfect for fans of solo leveling, necromancer protagonists, and overpowered main characters seeking revenge and dominance. Dive into a story where every battle could be your last!
Content：
When her first love died, my wife jumped from the cruise ship to end her life on our honeymoon.
That was when I realized she had never let go of Tyler.
Reborn back to our teenage years, she didn’t hesitate to shake off my hand and walk straight toward her first love. I watched them leave together, then turned away.
From that moment on, our lives became two parallel lines that would never cross.
Ten years later, we meet again at a lavish gala in Rivendell.
She was now the rising star of high society, proudly clinging to Tyler’s arm as they made their entrance.
When she saw me crash the gala in search of someone, she couldn’t help but advise me. “Why are you still obsessed with me? Even if you’ve waited ten years, I’ll never love you.”
I ignored her and pulled my son out of the corner where he had been sneaking cake.
Her eyes instantly redden as she grabs my hand in a panic.
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? Didn’t you say you’d only ever love me in this life?”
Chapter 1
I never thought I’d see Regina again in this lifetime.
At a high-society gala in Rivendell, she stood in the center of the crowd with her arm linked with Tyler’s. Her smile was elegant and refined, nothing like the girl I once knew.
The people surrounding them all wore flattering smiles, their voices full of praise.
“Ms. Peterson, you’re incredible. Landing a state-level project at such a young age, your future is limitless!”
“And this must be your partner, right? What a perfect couple! You two are made for each other.”
Tyler glanced at Regina with tenderness in his eyes and said softly, “We’re planning to get married by the end of the year. If you’re free, we’d love for you all to join us at the wedding.”
Congratulations echoed all around. Then someone asked curiously, “I heard you’ve been together for ten years. Why wait until now to get married?”
That question caught my attention, too.
In her last life, Regina loved Tyler so much that she was willing to die for him. After she was reborn, she broke up with me right away.
I always thought they would have married soon after graduation. Yet here they were, still without a marriage certificate.
For a brief moment, Regina’s smile stiffened. Then she quickly covered it up with a graceful laugh.
“Career first, then family. I just want to give Tyler the best life possible.”
She gazed at him with such affection that it nearly overflowed.
Back when we were together in our previous life, I proposed to her several times. Only after her family pressured her into it did she say yes.
It turned out that love and indifference were worlds apart.
I was about to leave when I caught sight of a small figure from the corner of my eye. Instinctively, I followed.
“Crash!”
Champagne spilled across the floor. A waiter holding a tray glared at me in annoyance.
“Where did you come running from? Don’t you watch where you’re going?!”
His voice was loud enough to draw everyone’s attention.
Seeing my face, Regina was stunned.
“Daniel, what are you doing here?”
I lowered my head and apologized to the waiter. “I’m here looking for someone.”
Someone nearby asked curiously, “Ms. Peterson, you know him?”
Her hand tightened slightly around her glass, her expression darkening.
“Yes, he’s my ex.”
A whisper broke out from the crowd. “Wait, you two dated? But you and Tyler have been together for ten years. I thought you were each other’s first love.”
Tyler’s smile faltered slightly. Still holding Regina’s hand, he said lightly, “That was years ago. We took a break after a nasty fight. Who hasn’t made mistakes when they were young?”
Regina said nothing. Her gaze flicked past me and landed on the waiter.
“Put the damages on my tab. Let him go.”
Her tone was calm and distant. Aside from that brief moment of surprise, she didn’t spare me a single unnecessary glance.
It was clear she wanted to draw a line between us in front of Tyler.
The waiter quickly shoved me toward the exit.
“Ms. Peterson’s doing you a favor, but don’t count on it happening again.”
His eyes raked over my wrinkled sleepwear with disdain. “You don’t belong here. Get out.”
I shook off his hand and said nicely, “I’m just here to find someone. Once I do, I’ll leave on my own.”
The waiter rolled his eyes. “I’ve seen plenty like you who try to climb the social ladder. People like you don’t belong at this kind of event. Keep this up, and I’ll get security right now!”
“Wait.”
Regina’s voice came from behind him. Holding the hem of her gown, she sighed and looked helplessly at me.
“He came here for me. Let me speak with him.”
Tyler slipped his arm around her shoulders, making his claim loud and clear.
“Daniel,” he said, his voice dripping with disdain, “Regina and I are getting married soon. Anyone with a shred of dignity wouldn’t show up to bother their ex by now.”
Regina frowned, her tone turning sharp as she tried to persuade me.
“Why are you still obsessed with me? Even if you’ve waited ten years, I’ll never love you. Being with you was a mistake. Now that I finally have a chance to correct that mistake, I hope you can let the past go.”
Tyler looked me up and down with mockery in his eyes.
“I get why you came crawling back. Regina’s a well-known businesswoman now. People like you always want a piece of the pie.”
He made an assumption based on my wrinkled clothes and said condescendingly, “You went to a top school, didn’t you? How’d you end up like this? If I were you, I wouldn’t even dare to show my face.”
Regina frowned deeper, pulling out her phone with a touch of impatience.
“If you think breaking up was unfair to you, I can make it up to you now. How about fifty grand?”
She tapped on her phone, then suddenly froze.
“You deleted me from your contacts?”
Chapter 2
I couldn’t understand why she had reacted so strongly.
Wasn’t it normal to delete an ex’s contact after a breakup?
Besides, I have someone at home who’s notoriously jealous. If she found out I still had my ex-girlfriend’s info, she’d give me hell for it.
“Weren’t you the one who told me not to come looking for you ever again after we broke up?”
Regina’s expression froze at my words. She looked like she wanted to say something, but stayed silent in the end.
I added flatly, “And I don’t need your money either.”
Her face darkened further. After being turned down again and again, her tone went cold.
“Why are you still pretending? If you weren’t so pathetic right now, I wouldn’t even bother saying a word to you.”
Tyler comforted her gently. “Regina, you’re just too kind. A guy like this isn’t worth your time. Look at him, all pathetic and hopeless. A complete loser!”
His tone dripped with disdain, as if he’d forgotten that ten years ago, he was even worse.
In our last life, Regina’s family had opposed her relationship with Tyler for good reason. He was nothing more than a delinquent, constantly in trouble with the law.
The first time I met Regina in college, she had just bailed Tyler out of the county jail and was being pressured by her family to break up with him.
During her lowest days, I stayed by her side and helped her through it.
Since she loved photography, I used the money I’d originally set aside for starting a business to buy her professional equipment worth tens of thousands.
Through the heat of summer and the freezing winter, I carried that heavy gear as I trailed behind her, just to see her smile from the heart.
Who would’ve thought that Regina would be the one to confess to me first?
I knew about her past with Tyler, having seen her occasionally staring at old photos, lost in thought.
So when she confessed, I asked her seriously, “Have you really moved on from Tyler?”
Back then, she held me tightly and said firmly, “That’s all in the past. I finally see who truly cares about me. Daniel, I love you. Let’s be together.”
We dated for seven years. Even her best friend was surprised.
“She loved Tyler so much, I didn’t think you two would last.”
However, no one knew how many times Regina had refused my proposals in private.
“Daniel, I don’t believe in marriage. Can’t we just stay like this forever?”
It wasn’t until her parents pressured her endlessly that she finally agreed.
Then, during our honeymoon, news came that Tyler had been in a car accident.
Regina leaped into the sea from the cruise, leaving behind only a note.
Every word on that note was about Tyler, not a single line for me.
At the very end, written in blood, she wrote, “Tyler, all I ever wanted was to be your bride. I’m coming to you now.”
That was the moment my love for her turned completely to ashes.
So, when I was reborn and Regina wanted to break up, I didn’t stop her.
After all, I knew there was no changing it.
I thought deleting all her contact info and watching her reunite with Tyler would mean we’d never cross paths again.
Yet, here she was, in front of me tonight.
I was ready to leave, but Tyler refused to let it go. He insisted on humiliating me in front of everyone.
“To get close to Regina, you really went all out, didn’t you? Look at you, dressed like that. I bet you don’t even have a real job.
“Tell you what, I can introduce you to a position here at the hotel. Learn how to serve people, and you could make five figures a month.”
Someone nearby jumped in, eager to flatter him.
“This is a luxury hotel in Rivendell’s prime district! Working here would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you. Shouldn’t you be grateful?”
I found myself surrounded, unable to leave. With no other choice, I said calmly, “Thanks, but I already have a job.
“I’m a photographer.”
The moment I said the word, Regina’s eyes snapped toward me. Something complicated flickered in her gaze, her lips moving as if to speak.
However, she turned her head away and said coldly, “Photography? How much money can that make? A hobby doesn’t put food on the table. Look, since we all know each other, I can help arrange a proper job for you.”
I froze. In that instant, I realized she had completely misunderstood me.
Chapter 3
I didn’t love photography because I still had feelings for Regina.
The truth was that all my feelings for her had already died when I saw her suicide note in my last life.
It was only after I was reborn that I realized all my savings had already been spent on photography equipment.
I couldn’t resell it online. So, I picked it up myself.
In the end, I fell in love with it.
This time around, I wasn’t doing it to please anyone. I was doing it for myself.
I gave Regina another polite but distant refusal. “My hobby earns me more than enough. Thanks for your concern.”
Her expression tightened, anger flashing in her eyes.
“I’m offering you an opportunity. Don’t come crying to me later when you regret it!”
I stayed silent.
I didn’t bother to tell her that my photos were regularly published in national magazines and even top international journals. The royalties alone weren’t any less than her income.
However, if I said that, she’d probably just think I was bragging, especially since I was standing there in wrinkled pajamas.
It was all my son’s fault. He insisted I play in the sandbox with him, and when I turned around, he had run downstairs.
I didn’t have time to change before I rushed after him.
Just as I was thinking of leaving, the same waiter noticed something.
He pointed at my clothes.
“Balenciaga? Where’d you pick that up? Don’t tell me you’re a janitor here who stole it from a guest’s room?”
I frowned.
“Why can’t it be mine?”
Tyler let out a mocking laugh.
“Yours? Can you even afford it? What kind of rich person would run around looking like a slob?”
He pinched his nose theatrically. “Dirty, too. Probably didn’t even wash it before throwing it on.”
Regina’s brows knitted so tightly it looked like she might crush a fly between them.
“Daniel, look at yourself. Do you still want to argue?”
I ignored them and looked straight at the waiter.
“If you really think I stole something, then call the police.”
I knew he was only trying to curry favor with Tyler by stepping on me.
Sure enough, his arrogance deflated immediately. He muttered under his breath, “If it weren’t for some very important guests at the hotel tonight, I’d have already called the cops.”
Tyler’s eyes lit up, and he quickly cut in, “Important guests? You mean the Browns’ daughter, right? I heard she’s here with her family, staying at this hotel.”
Regina nodded, her eyes flashing with excitement.
“If our company’s project could get the Browns’ support, that would be incredible.”
The mention of the Browns was like pouring water on hot oil, stirring up conversation.
“Isn’t that why we all came tonight—hoping to meet Ms. Brown? Her family owns this entire building.”
“I heard she married young, in her early twenties, and already has kids. I wonder which family she married into.”
As people gossiped, the hotel manager suddenly rushed in, sweating and anxious, followed by a group of staff.
“Everyone, have you seen a seven-year-old boy? About this tall.” His eyes scanned the crowd with urgency as he wiped off his sweat.
The guests caught on quickly. With such a fuss, there was only one possibility.
“Could it be the Browns’ young master? I heard he just turned seven this year.”
The ballroom buzzed with excitement as people scrambled to help search.
After all, whoever found the boy might get the chance to connect with the Browns.
Even Regina and Tyler eagerly joined the search, leaving me alone.
I scanned the chaos, then walked calmly toward the dessert table.
Sure enough, my son was there, his face smeared with whipped cream.
I stretched out my hand.
“Come here.”
He jumped in fright, hugging the table leg tightly. “I don’t want to.”
I was about to pull him over when Tyler appeared out of nowhere, stepping between us with righteous indignation.
“Daniel, what are you doing?!
“Even if you want to cozy up to the Browns, you don’t take it out on a child!”
Regina hurried over, her eyes filled with disappointment.
“Daniel, I didn’t think you’d stoop this low, using a child just for money and connections.”
The waiter jumped at the chance to accuse me again, grabbing the manager.
“That’s the guy! He crashed the gala and even stole a guest’s clothes!”
The manager’s face darkened immediately. He waved the security forward.
“Arrest this thief and send him straight to the police! If he frightens the young master, none of you will keep your jobs!”
A triumphant glint flashed in Tyler’s eyes. He crouched down, smiling warmly at the Browns’ heir.
“Come here, little one. Uncle Tyler will protect you.”
My son ignored him, though.
Instead, under everyone’s stunned gaze, he carefully reached out and grabbed my hand.
“Daddy, I know I was wrong.”
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