The line kept forming. People Hunter barely knew. Faces he’d seen around camp but never spoken to. Each one stepping forward. Each one swearing variations of the sa oath. Each one glowing golden as the system accepted their pledge.
It was surreal. Like watching a religious ceremony except he was the deity and he absolutely did not want the job.
A young man with a scarred face stepped forward. One of the wagon drivers. Hunter vaguely rembered him arguing with Qiu about wheel maintenance three days ago.
"I’m Jiang Wei," he said. "And this is my sister, Jiang Yun." He gestured to a girl beside him. Sa age, maybe late teens. Sa dark hair. Definitely twins based on the matching bone structure and the way they stood in perfect mirror posture.
"We’ve worked for Master Qiu for a year," Yun said. Her voice was quieter than her brother’s. More careful. "Driving wagons. Loading cargo. We’re good workers."
"Very good workers," Wei added with enthusiasm that seed excessive for discussing manual labor. "The best, really. Ask anyone."
"I’m not hiring," Hunter said automatically. "This isn’t a job interview."
"But you’re accepting oaths?" Wei pressed.
"Unfortunately, yes. Against my better judgnt."
"Perfect!" Wei grabbed his sister’s hand. "We swear! Together! Right now!"
"Wait, you should think about this first. The oath is permanent. Soul binding. You’re teenagers. You have your whole lives ahead of you. Don’t tie yourselves to my disaster of an existence."
"We’re twenty," Yun corrected. "And we’ve already decided. My brother is impulsive but I’m not. I’ve thought about this for three entire minutes. That’s enough."
"Three minutes is not enough ti to decide your entire future!"
"It is when the alternative is going back to driving wagons for five copper a month," Wei said. "Cultivation ans we can be more than laborers. We can be strong. Important. We can actually matter."
The words hit harder than Hunter expected. The casual acceptance of worthlessness. The relief at finding a way out. These kids had been nothing their whole lives and were grateful for the chance to be sothing, even if that sothing was a mber of his questionable soul cult.
"Fine," Hunter said. "But when this all goes horribly wrong, rember I tried to warn you."
The twins swore together. Hands clasped. Words spoken in perfect unison like they’d practiced. The glow hit them both simultaneously. Wei laughed. Yun gasped. Both started testing their new strength with the excitent of children given their first real toys.
An older man approached next. Had to be in his sixties. Thin. Weathered. The kind of face that ca from decades of hard living and harder decisions.
"Chen Lao," he introduced himself. "Forr rchant. Failed rchant, more accurately. Was traveling to Silver Pine City to live with my daughter and her idiot husband." He paused. "No offense to idiots. So of my best friends are idiots. My son in law just happens to be a particularly special kind."
Despite everything, Hunter smiled. "None taken. I’m pretty sure I qualify as an idiot myself."
"Oh, undoubtedly. But you’re a successful idiot. That’s the best kind." Chen looked around the camp. At the growing number of glowing new cultivators. "I’m sixty three years old. Past my pri. Past my usefulness, really. My daughter offered a place out of obligation, not desire. But this? Cultivation at my age? That’s not obligation. That’s opportunity."
"You understand the oath is permanent? That you’re binding yourself for life? However much life you have left?"
"I have maybe twenty years if I’m lucky. Thirty if I’m really lucky and also lying to myself. I’ll take twenty years as a cultivator over thirty years as a burden." Chen’s expression was serious. "Let be useful again. That’s all I’m asking."
Hunter nodded. "Swear then. Join the collection of misfits and disasters."
"I, Chen Lao, swear to join the Shadow Legion. To serve its purpose. To remain loyal until my death. Which hopefully is still twenty years away but I’m not taking bets on that."
The glow accepted him. Body Refining Level 1. Not much for soone his age. But Chen stood straighter afterward. Moved easier. Years of accumulated aches and pains fading under the influence of qi flowing through newly opened ridians.
"I feel twenty years younger," he said, wonder in his voice. "Actually feel it. Not just wishful thinking. My knees don’t hurt. My back doesn’t ache. This is incredible."
"That’s the Body Refining doing its job," Han explained, stepping in with the authority of soone who actually knew what he was talking about. "It strengthens your body. Gradually removes impurities. You’ll feel better each day as you advance. Though at your age, advancent will be slow."
"Slow is fine. I have ti now. That’s the gift. Ti to be sothing other than old."
More people ca forward. A woman in her thirties whose na Hunter didn’t catch. She swore quickly, efficiently, like signing a business contract. Another guard, missing three fingers on his left hand. He swore with military precision. Two more refugees whose faces blurred together in Hunter’s exhausted mind.
The count kept climbing. Eight. Nine. Ten. Twelve.
Each oath was a weight. Not physical. Spiritual. taphysical. Whatever it was, Hunter felt it accumulating in his chest. Pressure building. Responsibility he didn’t want but couldn’t refuse.
[LUNA] CURRENT COUNT: 12 MBERS (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧
[LUNA] YOU’RE DOING GREAT
[LUNA] VERY CULT LEADER OF YOU
[LUNA] I’M SO PROUD ♥
Then the line stopped. About fifteen people remained in the camp who hadn’t sworn. They stood together. Separate from the new Shadow Legion mbers. Their faces showing uncertainty, fear, or simple refusal.
An older woman spoke for them. Gray hair pulled back. Tired eyes. Holding a small child’s hand. "We’re grateful, Senior. You saved our lives. Fought for us. Bled for us. But this path isn’t for everyone."
"I understand," Hunter said, and ant it. "You want to leave. Rebuild sowhere else. Live normal lives."
"Yes. My grandson is three years old. I need to give him stability. Safety. A ho without violence." She looked at the glowing cultivators. "This is power. But power attracts danger. I’ve seen it happen. Cultivators draw conflict like blood draws sharks. I can’t risk him in that environnt."
"You’re not wrong. Cultivation does attract danger. Staying here probably ans more fights. More spirit beasts. More problems." Hunter gestured around the camp. "The squirrels are gone but sothing else will co eventually. That’s how this world works."
"Then we’ll leave in the morning. If that’s acceptable."
"Of course it’s acceptable. You don’t need my permission. You’re free to go wherever you want."
"Will you help us get to the nearest town? We have no guards. No protection. The roads are dangerous."
Hunter looked at Han. "Can we spare anyone?"
"I’ll take them," Han said imdiately. "Two day journey to Willow Creek. I can get them there safely and be back in four days."
"You’re part of the Shadow Legion now. You don’t have to play escort."
"Part of my oath was protecting people. These people need protection. Therefore I’m doing my job." Han’s tone left no room for argunt. "Besides, you need ti to figure out what you’re doing with your new cult before sothing else explodes. I’m giving you that ti."
"Fair point."
The woman bowed. Deep and formal. "Thank you, Senior. For everything. We’ll rember you. Speak well of you. If that matters."
"It matters," Hunter said quietly. "Be safe. Live well. That’s all I want."
The group of departing refugees moved away. Started gathering their belongings. Preparing for the morning journey. Hunter watched them go with mixed feelings. Relief that so people were choosing safety over his chaos. Guilt that he couldn’t protect everyone. Acceptance that this was how things had to be.
Not everyone wanted power. So people just wanted peace.
He could respect that even if he didn’t fully understand it anymore.
"So," Qiu said, appearing at Hunter’s elbow like a rchant-shaped ghost. "We’re down to twelve sworn mbers plus you makes thirteen. That’s a terrible number. Very unlucky. We should recruit more people imdiately."
"Thirteen is fine."
"Thirteen is death and misfortune in every culture I know."
"Thirteen is a pri number. That makes it special."
"That makes it lonely and divisible only by itself. Not the taphor you want for a faction."
Hunter stared at him. "Are you seriously arguing nurology right now?"
"I’m arguing practicality. Thirteen mbers isn’t enough to build anything substantial. We need more people. Better people. Specialists. Fighters. Crafters. We need to recruit."
"We literally just recruited. Like five minutes ago."
"That was accidental recruiting. I’m talking about intentional recruiting. Targeted. Strategic." Qiu’s rchant mind was clearly spinning plans. "We have sothing valuable. Cultivation for anyone who swears. That’s worth more than gold. We could attract talented people. Desperate people. People with skills we need."
"We could also attract the wrong kind of attention," Hunter countered. "Every major sect would kill us if they knew what we can do. The last thing we need is to advertise."
"Then we don’t advertise. We recruit carefully. Quietly. People who need us more than we need them. People with nowhere else to go."
"So more disasters and misfits."
"Exactly! Those are the best people! They’re loyal because they have nothing else. They’re motivated because this is their last chance. They’re perfect for building a faction from nothing."
Hunter wanted to argue. Couldn’t. Qiu’s terrible logic was actually making sense. Recruiting desperate people with no other options was exactly the kind of morally questionable decision that had defined Hunter’s entire existence in this world.
"We’ll discuss it later. After everyone settles. After I figure out how to actually lead these people I’ve accidentally bound to my soul."
"You’ll figure it out," Qiu said with confidence Hunter didn’t share. "You always do. Usually badly, but you figure it out."
"That’s becoming my catchphrase. ’He figured it out badly.’ Put it on my tombstone."
"Can’t put it on your tombstone if you don’t die. And you seem remarkably difficult to kill."
"Give it ti. I’m sure sothing will manage eventually."
A commotion near the cave entrance cut off Qiu’s response. Raised voices. One of them very familiar and very panicked.
"MASTER! MASTER ARE YOU AWAKE?!"
Tao burst into view. Xuan right behind him. Lex trailing nervously in the rear. All three disciples covered in dirt and what looked like tree sap. Tao had leaves in his hair. Xuan’s clothes were torn. Lex was sohow clean despite clearly being part of whatever disaster had just occurred.
"What happened?" Hunter asked, already dreading the answer.
"We were training!" Tao said breathlessly. "Like you taught us! Practicing sword forms! And then Xuan accidentally punched a tree and it fell over and then it hit another tree and that fell over and now there’s like eight trees down and we didn’t an to but also it was kind of cool but also we’re very sorry and please don’t be mad!"
Hunter processed this. Failed to process this. His disciples had created a domino effect of tree destruction while he’d been unconscious. This was sohow both completely predictable and utterly absurd.
"How do you accidentally knock down eight trees?"
"Very carefully," Xuan said. "Also montum. Mostly montum."
"And poor planning," Lex added helpfully. "We should have practiced sowhere without trees. But there are trees everywhere. It’s a forest. Trees are the main feature. We were kind of dood from the start."
"Why is Lex clean?" Hunter asked, because that seed important sohow.
"I stood back. Observed. Learned from their mistakes without participating in their mistakes. It’s my primary survival strategy."
"Smart."
"Thank you, Master."
The three disciples noticed the glowing people for the first ti. Tao’s eyes went wide. "Why is everyone glowing? Did we miss sothing? We were only gone for like an hour!"
"Three hours," Xuan corrected.
"Felt like an hour."
"You’ve been unconscious for three days," Hunter said. "A lot happened. Summary version: I can turn people into cultivators now through soul binding oaths. Everyone who’s glowing swore loyalty to . They’re part of sothing called the Shadow Legion. We’re a faction now. I hate it. Any questions?"
All three disciples stared at him. Mouths open. Eyes blank. Processing.
"So," Tao said slowly. "You made a cult."
"It’s not a cult."
"It has oaths and glowing and a dramatic na. That’s definitely a cult."
"Shadow Legion does sound very cult like," Xuan agreed. "Very ’we et in basents and chant’ vibes."
"We don’t et in basents," Hunter said weakly. "We live in a cave. That’s completely different."
"Is it though?"
"Caves are natural. Basents are artificial. There’s a aningful distinction."
"Not really," Lex said. "Both are underground spaces where questionable organizations gather. The geological origin seems irrelevant to the cult classification."
Hunter looked at his three disciples. At the people he’d enslaved through Luna’s terrible system. At the first mbers of his accidental faction who’d had no choice in joining.
"Speaking of the Shadow Legion," he said carefully. "You three need to know sothing. You’re not part of it. Not officially. You were forced to join . Enslaved, really. The oath system only works with sincere loyalty. You never swore. You were just trapped."
The three disciples exchanged glances. So kind of silent communication happening that Hunter couldn’t interpret.
"Master," Tao said. "Are you trying to free us?"
"I’m saying you have a choice now. The Shadow Legion is for people who choose to be here. You didn’t choose. So if you want to leave, you can. I’ll release you from the slave contract. You can go live normal lives sowhere else. No more banditry. No more fighting spirit beasts. No more accidentally destroying forests."
More silent glances. Then Xuan started laughing. Not mockery. Genuine amusent. "Master, we already chose. We chose days ago. When you didn’t kill us after the village. When you fed us. When you trained us. When you fought that alpha while bleeding everywhere."
"That was all just being a terrible bandit."
"That was you being a decent person who got stuck with three idiots." Tao’s expression was serious now. "We know we’re slaves. We know the contract is forced. But sowhere between the slavery and now, we stopped caring. We want to be here. With you. Because you’re terrible at being a bandit but good at being soone worth following."
"We’d like to properly swear," Lex added quietly. "If that’s allowed. Turn the forced contract into a real oath. Make it official. Join the Shadow Legion as mbers, not slaves."
Hunter’s throat closed. He’d expected them to want freedom. To run away the mont he offered. Instead they were asking to stay. Choosing him. Despite everything.
"Are you sure? The oath is permanent. Soul binding. You’d be stuck with forever. That’s a long ti to regret a decision."
"We’re already stuck with you forever," Tao pointed out. "Might as well make it official. Plus we want the glowing. Everyone else got to glow. We want to glow too. It’s only fair."
"Glowing is not the main benefit of the oath."
"But it’s the coolest benefit. And we want it."
Hunter looked at them. At three people who’d beco his responsibility through violence and terrible decisions. Who’d sohow turned into his students. His disciples. His friends, maybe, though that word felt too significant to say out loud.
"Fine," he said. "But I’m adding a condition. After you swear, the slave contract is void. You’re free mbers of the Shadow Legion. Equal to everyone else. No more master and slave. Just teacher and students. Deal?"
"Deal!" all three said together.
They swore. One after another. Tao with enthusiasm. Xuan with nervous energy. Lex with quiet determination. The glow hit each of them in turn. Their cultivation, already at Body Refining Level 2 from training, surged. Level 3. The oath pushing them forward, strengthening what was already there.
When the glow faded, sothing felt different. The weight in Hunter’s chest from the slave contract lifted. Replaced by sothing lighter. Still a connection but not forced. Chosen. Mutual.
[LUNA] SLAVE CONTRACTS DISSOLVED (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧
[LUNA] REPLACED WITH SHADOW LEGION OATHS
[LUNA] VERY HEARTWARMING
[LUNA] VERY CHARACTER DEVELOPNT
[LUNA] I’M NOT CRYING YOU’RE CRYING ♥
"Current count?" Hunter asked internally.
[LUNA] 15 MBERS TOTAL
[LUNA] YOU, 12 REFUGEES, 3 FORR SLAVES
[LUNA] STILL 0.15% OF GOAL
[LUNA] BUT PROGRESS IS PROGRESS
[LUNA] ALSO YOU’RE OFFICIALLY NOT A SLAVER ANYMORE
[LUNA] CONGRATULATIONS ON BASIC HUMAN DECENCY (◕‿◕✿)
"The bar is so low."
[LUNA] AND YET YOU KEEP TRIPPING OVER IT ♥
Hunter turned to face his new faction. Fifteen people looking at him expectantly. Waiting for leadership. Direction. Sothing that vaguely resembled a plan.
He had none of those things. But he had survived this long by improvising badly and hoping for the best.
"Alright," he said, projecting confidence he absolutely didn’t feel. "Welco to the Shadow Legion. We’re a faction now. Officially. We have oaths and glowing and a terrible na and absolutely no idea what we’re doing. But we’re doing it together. So let’s figure it out."
"What’s our purpose?" Chen Lao asked. Practical question from a practical man.
"Surviving?" Hunter offered. "Not dying? Those seem like good starting goals."
"Very inspiring, Master," Tao said. "Really rallying the troops with that vision."
"Fine. Better answer: we protect each other. We train. We get stronger. We build sothing that isn’t just survival but actual prosperity. We beco the kind of faction that doesn’t need to rob villages because we have actual resources and organization and maybe at so point we can even do so good in this terrible world that keeps trying to kill us."
The silence that followed was contemplative. People considering. Processing. Deciding if that vision was worth their permanent soul binding oath.
Qiu broke it. "So we’re bandits with morals?"
"I was going for sothing more noble but sure, that works."
"I like it. Bandits with morals. It’s got branding potential. Very marketable."
"We are not marketing ourselves as bandits with morals!"
"Why not? It’s honest. It’s relatable. It says ’yes we might rob you but we’ll feel bad about it.’"
Hunter looked at Han for support. Han just shrugged. "It’s not the worst pitch I’ve heard."
"That’s not reassuring!"
"It’s realistic." Han crossed his arms. "We are bandits. Technically. You robbed a village. That makes it official. But we’re trying to be better than typical bandits. That’s worth sothing. Not much, but sothing."
"Bandits with morals it is then," Hunter said with resignation. "Add it to the terrible pile of decisions that define my life."
[LUNA] ◈ FACTION PURPOSE DEFINED ◈
[LUNA] SHADOW LEGION: BANDITS WITH MORALS
[LUNA] PROTECTION, TRAINING, PROSPERITY
[LUNA] DEFINITELY NOT A CULT
[LUNA] TOTALLY LEGITIMATE ORGANIZATION
[LUNA] NOTHING SUSPICIOUS HERE (◕‿◕✿)
"Luna just updated our official description."
"What did she put?" Qiu asked, naturally curious about branding.
"Bandits with morals. Protection, training, prosperity. Definitely not a cult. Totally legitimate."
"Perfect. I’ll get that on pamphlets."
"WE’RE NOT MAKING PAMPHLETS!"
"Every good faction has pamphlets. How else do people know what we’re about?"
"By not making pamphlets and staying secret so the major sects don’t kill us!"
"Right. Secret pamphlets then."
Hunter gave up. Let his head fall back. Stared at the sky. "This is my life. Secret pamphlets for my bandit cult with morals. This is actually happening."
i tugged his sleeve. "It’s okay. I think it’s good. We’re like a family now. A weird family. With glowing. But family."
And despite everything, despite the panic and the chaos and the certainty that this would end in disaster, Hunter smiled.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "I guess we are."
The Shadow Legion. Population fifteen. Purpose questionable. Future uncertain. But together.
That had to count for sothing.
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