
by Specterxjavier
Kage used to be a killer. Not a hero. Not a victim. Not someone looking for redemption. In his previous life, he lived in the shadows, taking lives for money, pleasure, and the brief illusion of superiority. But after a mission inside a strange laboratory ends in flames, explosions, and a mysterious device, Kage awakens in a world he does not understand. A world of adventurers, magic, monsters, ancient ruins, and ridiculous party names. There is only one problem. He is no longer human. Trapped inside an ancient capsule beneath a forgotten dungeon, Kage is released by a chaotic party of beginner adventurers who were definitely not prepared to find a living mass of darkness. Now reborn as a specter, he can move through shadows, shape darkness into weapons, and steal the shadows of the living. To this fantasy world, he is a curse. To the adventurers who found him, he is a problem. To himself, he is still a killer. But as Kage learns the rules of his new existence, he begins to face something more terrifying than monsters, gods, or holy light: the value of a life he cannot easily take back. A dark fantasy isekai about shadows, second chances, terrible decisions, and a fantasy world that was absolutely not ready for a specter.
No streak history
One state-enhanced oracle order, filtered by each list. Observed Royal Road ranks remain separate ground truth.
Rank updated 23 Oct 2026, 14:18 UTC
Entry forecast updated 23 Oct 2026, 14:18 UTC
Ranking model: rs-public-oracle-state-v1
Forecast model: rs-model-entry-v1
Chart history contains only this ranking model's runs; legacy points are not spliced in.
Not enough recent follower history to estimate a shadow rank yet.
beats 85% of similar stories
not enough data yet
needs about a week of observations
Benchmarks: 8,060 active Royal Road stories, percentiles within the 2–4 chapters band, cohort of 2026-07-02. Conversion is measured as followers gained per 1,000 views lifetime.
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