Solo Leveling : 10 Shadow Technique

Finn looked down at himself, confused. He was wearing what looked like a butler's outfit, complete with a tray in one hand and a towel draped over his perfectly angled left arm.

"So, when exactly can I be alone?" he muttered, shooting an exasperated glance at Suki.

She sat comfortably, sipping some kind of beer, watching him with amusement. Then she laughed, waving a hand dismissively.

"Oh no, honey. You and I are going to have a good time," she said with a mischievous smirk.

Finn sighed and turned his gaze toward the water—the very thing he had been promised in exchange for this deal.

'I knew this was the devil's deal,' he thought.

Still, he allowed himself a small smile. At least the girl I'm scoring is straight.

Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Setting the tray and towel down, he pulled it out and answered.

"Hello? Who am I talking to?" Finn asked.

On the other end, a voice spoke. The call he had been waiting for.

"Yes, is this Finn Picador?"

"Yeah, this is. Why?"

"The gate you requested is now open. Fourteen others are on the list as well. Will you be able to come next Thursday?"

Finn's heart pounded in his chest. A grin spread across his face as excitement rushed through him.

"Ah, yes! Yes, I'll be there!" he confirmed.

The agent on the other end hung up, leaving Finn momentarily stunned before he let out a loud, triumphant, "Yes!" He clapped his hands together in celebration.

Suki arched a brow, setting her drink down. "Hey, what happened?"

Finn walked over, his grin unwavering. "Oh, I just had a dream come true."

Without warning, he leaned in and kissed her. It was long and deep, their lips locked for what felt like minutes before he pulled away. A thin strand of saliva connected them before finally breaking.

Pressing his forehead against hers, he lowered his voice.

"So, love… can I go now? I need to protect myself—for you," he whispered.

Suki studied him for a moment before smirking.

"Yes, you can, honey. Just come back safe."

Finn kissed her forehead before turning and sprinting down the stairs.

//--\\

Finn scanned the beach, noting that the tide was particularly low today. As he walked, he pressed his hand into the sand and felt a slight shift—it gave way easily, his fingers sinking in.

"Huh... low tide," Finn muttered. "I can use this, even if it wasn't part of my original plan."

With that realization, he turned back toward the spot where he had left his equipment. As he passed by the sunbathing area, a familiar voice called out to him.

"Hey, honey! Where are you going?" Suki asked.

Finn, who had just launched himself into the air, instinctively glanced in her direction. That split-second distraction nearly sent him crashing into a nearby wall, but he spun midair, landing effortlessly against it with the soles of his feet before pushing off and dropping down beside her.

"I'm going to tame an ox," Finn said casually. "It gets stronger the longer it runs in a straight line, so I want to use the katana you gave me."

Suki frowned, worry flickering across her face. "Just be careful, okay? If it gets too dangerous, run away."

Finn averted his gaze, and Suki narrowed her eyes. She reached out and pinched his cheek. "Promise me."

He winced but nodded, crossing his fingers behind his back when she wasn't looking.

Satisfied—at least for now—Suki let him go, and Finn continued toward his gear. Moments later, he was strapping on pieces of light armor manually, grumbling under his breath.

"Stupid system... I can't even—" He cut himself off with a frustrated sigh, rubbing his forehead.

Finally, he picked up the last item—a sheathed sword. Without a second thought, he let it drop into his shadow, where it vanished from sight.

Shaking his head, he exhaled deeply and started walking again.

"I don't know if all the funny-guy acting is making me forget what the archive actually came here to do..." he muttered to himself.

//--\\

Finn stood at the edge of the beach, the tide low and the sand beneath him deceptively soft. He rolled his shoulders, adjusting the light armor he had manually strapped on. "Alright, big guy, let's dance," he muttered to himself, cracking his neck.

With precise movements, he formed a sequence of hand signs, channeling his mana into the ground. Shadows writhed beneath him before bursting forth, and with a deep rumble, the Piercing Ox emerged.

It was massive, its muscles coiled like steel cables under thick, armored hide. A single, glowing mark burned on its forehead, signifying its ever-growing speed and strength when moving in a straight line. It pawed at the sand, snorting steam. Finn grinned. "Alright, Bullseye, let's see if you've got the horns to back up the hype."

The ox lunged forward, sand exploding in its wake. Finn barely managed to leap aside, feeling the force of its charge shake the very ground. "Yeah, that would've turned me into a pancake. Not a fan of being breakfast."

With a sequence of hand signs, Finn called forth Escape Rabbit. Hundreds of rabbits burst from his shadow, surrounding him in a chaotic swarm. He ducked into the mass, vanishing among them.

The ox, confused by the sheer number of moving targets, stomped forward and slammed its horns into a clump of rabbits that had bundled up in Finn's silhouette—only for Finn to appear from a different angle, sword drawn.

"Surprise!" Finn taunted, slashing at the ox's hind leg before diving back into the swirling sea of rabbits.

Gamma emerged next, his massive tongue shooting out like a whip. The toad's strike wrapped around the ox's leg, yanking it sideways. The beast staggered, its momentum betraying it as it collapsed onto the sand. Finn sprinted forward.

"Alright, big guy, time to wrap this up!" Finn's rabbits tunneled into the soft, unstable sand beneath the ox, loosening it further. The beast tried to stand—only to sink deeper.

Finn exhaled sharply, gripping his katana. Mana surged through his body, not just reinforcing the blade but amplifying its edge to cut through the ox's last defenses. The air crackled.

"Mana-Reinforced Strikes!" he roared, slashing forward.

The ox let out a final huff before dissolving into shadow, retreating back into Finn's control.

Finn wiped sweat from his brow, glancing at the ocean. "Alright, I survived today. But next week? That's a whole different kind of fight..."

He sighed, stretching. "Well, I was gonna take a nap, but now I kinda want to train. Because if the Gate's anything like today—I'm gonna need every advantage I can get."

---

so hello i thought i add the bold characters to the chapter,

and now for a take that i have Gojo can beat Johnny Joestar, because Johnny needs time to fire his nail bullets and Gojo within 0.2 seconds can end the fight even if you equate act 4 because you need a horse to run at the natural thing it runs in but 0.2 second of running cant do that, so yeah change my mind,