Shadow Husband:I Have a Hidden SSS-Class System-Chapter 11: GRINDING MONTAGE

DAY 6 - 5:30 AM

Rama woke before Sekar’s alarm, his body clock now perfectly attuned to the rhythm of his double life. She slept peacefully beside him, one arm draped possessively across his chest as always.

He had three days before the Hunter’s Forge program. Three days where he needed to maintain the perfect husband routine while Sekar watched him more closely than ever.

But he also had a quest to complete.

[Quest: Clear 10 dungeons solo within 7 days]

[Progress: 1/10]

[Time Remaining: 6 days, 2 hours]

One dungeon cleared. Nine to go. And with Sekar’s new monitoring requirements, every raid would need to be accounted for.

Which meant he needed a new strategy.

Sekar’s alarm blared. She groaned and pulled him closer. "Don’t wanna get up."

"Guild meeting at nine," Rama reminded her.

"Meetings are overrated. Husband cuddles are underrated."

Despite the tension, Rama smiled. "You have to finalize the Sumatra raid teams today."

"Fine. But only because you’re right." She sat up reluctantly. "What are you doing today?"

"Equipment shopping. You said I needed better gear before the training program."

"Good. Take my guild card. Discount at most Hunter shops in the district." She grabbed her phone from the nightstand. "Actually, I’ll have Dina send you a list of approved suppliers. Some places try to rip off low-rank Hunters."

More monitoring. More constraints.

"Thanks," Rama said.

Sekar headed for the shower, and Rama immediately pulled up the Player Network.

[RAMA: Need to clear 9 dungeons in 6 days while wife monitors everything. Ideas?]

[SARI: Tell her you’re doing intensive solo training before the program. Frame it as preparation. She’ll see it as responsible.]

[BUDI: Stick to F and E-rank gates. Quick clears. Multiple per day if possible.]

[ADI: Want company? I need to grind too.]

[RAMA: Solo only for the quest. But thanks.]

[SARI: Remember to text her before and after each dungeon. Make it routine. The more predictable you are, the less suspicious she’ll be.]

It was solid advice. Establish a pattern. Make the dungeon raids so routine that Sekar stopped worrying about each individual one.

Rama opened his map app and marked every F and E-rank gate currently active in Jakarta. Twelve gates total. More than enough to complete his quest.

The game plan was simple: Clear two dungeons per day for the next three days. Text Sekar before and after each one. Keep them short, efficient, professional.

Make it boring enough that she stopped paying close attention.

9:47 AM - HUNTER’S DISTRICT

Rama stood outside the equipment shop Sekar had recommended. Professional. Expensive. The kind of place that catered to B-rank Hunters and above.

He’d already updated his official Hunter registration that morning—now showing Level 21 with improved stats. All legitimate. All verifiable.

Inside the shop, a C-rank Hunter named Tomas looked at Rama’s registration and raised an eyebrow. "Level 21? You were 12 last month."

"I’ve been grinding."

"Clearly." Tomas pulled up a catalog on his tablet. "Your wife called ahead. Said to outfit you properly. Budget is... wow. She’s serious about keeping you alive."

Thirty minutes later, Rama walked out wearing new armor—light but reinforced, designed for mobile Tanks. Better sword. Upgraded shield. Proper combat boots. Emergency beacon that would alert Sekar if his HP dropped below 10%.

The beacon was both a safety feature and a leash. If he ever fought something that pushed him that low, Sekar would know immediately and come running.

He’d have to be careful not to trigger it.

[RAMA: Equipment upgraded. Ready to start training runs.]

Sekar’s response was immediate.

[SEKAR: Good! Be safe. Remember to text before and after. Love you! ❤️❤️❤️]

Rama checked his gate map. The nearest F-rank was in East Jakarta. Goblin nest. Perfect for a quick clear.

He texted Sekar.

[RAMA: Entering F-rank gate, East Jakarta, Goblin nest. Should take 20 minutes.]

[SEKAR: Okay! Be careful! Call if anything goes wrong!]

Rama pocketed his phone, activated [Presence Concealment], and headed for the gate.

DUNGEON #2: GOBLIN NEST

The familiar sensation of world-inversion. Rama materialized in a cave system that stank of rot and smoke.

[YOU HAVE ENTERED: GOBLIN WARREN]

[RANK: F]

[ESTIMATED CLEAR TIME: 15-20 MINUTES]

[ENEMIES DETECTED: 53 GOBLINS, 1 HOBGOBLIN CHIEF]

Rama drew his new sword—balanced perfectly, the weight distribution far superior to his old weapon—and moved into the tunnels.

The first pack of goblins appeared within seconds. Small, green, vicious. Armed with crude weapons.

[GOBLIN SCOUT - LEVEL 4]

Rama didn’t even activate skills. His base stats were so far above F-rank content that he moved through them like a scythe through wheat.

Slash. Parry. Strike. Move.

Five goblins dead in ten seconds.

[GOBLINS DEFEATED: 5/53]

He pushed deeper, his new armor allowing for much more aggressive movement than before. The mobility was incredible—he could dodge, dash, pivot without the weight restrictions of his old gear.

More goblin packs. Then goblin warriors with better equipment. Then finally, the boss chamber.

[HOBGOBLIN CHIEF - LEVEL 7 - BOSS]

Larger than normal goblins. Wearing scavenged armor. Wielding a massive cleaver.

Rama activated [Phantom Strike] and ended the fight in three hits.

The Chief didn’t even get to attack.

[HOBGOBLIN CHIEF DEFEATED]

[DUNGEON CLEARED]

[TIME: 11 MINUTES, 23 SECONDS]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL 21 → LEVEL 22]

Rama collected the loot—basic goblin cores, some scrap metal, minimal cash—and exited the gate.

He texted Sekar immediately.

[RAMA: Cleared. No injuries. Moving to next training location.]

[SEKAR: Great! Don’t overdo it. Remember you need energy for the program in 3 days!]

One down. Nine to go.

2:34 PM - DUNGEON #3: SPIDER CAVE

[YOU HAVE ENTERED: ARACHNID NEST]

[RANK: F]

[ENEMIES DETECTED: 67 SPIDERS, 1 BROOD MOTHER]

Rama moved through webs and darkness, his [Combat Sense] alerting him to ambushes before they happened. The spiders were faster than goblins but more fragile.

[Shadow Step] made the cave trivial—he could teleport past web traps and strike from unexpected angles.

[BROOD MOTHER DEFEATED]

[DUNGEON CLEARED]

[TIME: 14 MINUTES, 02 SECONDS]

No level up this time, but experience was accumulating.

Two down. Eight to go.

5:18 PM - DUNGEON #4: WOLF DEN

[YOU HAVE ENTERED: GRAY WOLF TERRITORY]

[RANK: E]

[ENEMIES DETECTED: 34 WOLVES, 1 ALPHA]

E-rank was slightly more challenging. The wolves were faster, hit harder, required actual attention.

But Rama’s training with Budi paid off. Proper footwork. Efficient strikes. No wasted movement.

[GRAY WOLF ALPHA DEFEATED]

[DUNGEON CLEARED]

[TIME: 18 MINUTES, 47 SECONDS]

Three down. Seven to go.

Rama returned home at seven PM, exhausted but satisfied. Three dungeons in one day. All cleared efficiently. All properly documented with texts to Sekar.

She was already home, reviewing documents at the dining table.

"How was training?" she asked, looking up.

"Productive. Cleared three gates. Got some good practice with the new equipment."

"Three?" Sekar’s eyes widened. "Rama, that’s a lot for one day."

"They were F and E-rank. Quick clears." He showed her his phone with the timestamped texts. "See? In and out. No problems."

Sekar studied the records, then nodded slowly. "Okay. But don’t burn yourself out before the program. You need to be in peak condition."

"I know. I’ll take it easier tomorrow."

"Good." She pulled him into a hug. "I’m proud of you. You’re taking this seriously. Just... be careful, okay?"

"Always."

They had dinner together—Sekar ordered takeout since neither felt like cooking—and spent the evening watching a drama. Normal couple activities. Perfect domestic routine.

All while Rama planned tomorrow’s dungeon route in his head.

[Quest Progress: 4/10]

[Time Remaining: 5 days, 7 hours]

Four dungeons cleared in two days. Six to go.

He could do this.

DAY 7 - DUNGEONS #5, #6, #7

The next day followed the same pattern. Text before entering. Clear efficiently. Text after exiting.

Morning: Orc camp (E-rank). 22 minutes.

Afternoon: Skeleton tomb (F-rank). 16 minutes.

Evening: Lizardman swamp (E-rank). 31 minutes.

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL 22 → LEVEL 23]

Sekar barely reacted to his texts anymore. The routine had become normal. Expected. Boring.

Exactly as planned.

[Quest Progress: 7/10]

Three to go.

DAY 8 - DUNGEONS #8, #9, #10

Final push. Three dungeons in one day to complete the quest before the training program.

Morning: Imp nest (E-rank). 19 minutes.

Afternoon: Troll cave (E-rank). 28 minutes.

Evening: Mushroom grove (F-rank). 14 minutes.

The last dungeon was almost laughably easy. Rama moved through it on autopilot, his mind already focused on the training program starting tomorrow.

[MUSHROOM TYRANT DEFEATED]

[DUNGEON CLEARED]

[QUEST COMPLETE: CLEAR 10 DUNGEONS SOLO]

[REWARD CALCULATING...]

[SKILL UNLOCKED: DUNGEON SENSE - RANK A]

[EFFECT: Detect nearby gates within 5km radius. Assess difficulty and remaining time before gate break.]

[BONUS REWARD: +5 ALL STATS]

[LEVEL UP!]

[LEVEL 23 → LEVEL 24]

Rama stood in the empty mushroom grove, watching the notifications scroll past. Ten dungeons in six days. All while maintaining his cover. All while keeping Sekar from getting suspicious.

He’d done it.

[PLAYER STATUS]

Name: Rama Kusuma

Level: 24

Titles: Solo Conqueror, Dedicated Student, Lone Hunter

STATS:

Strength: 67

Agility: 57

Vitality: 132

Intelligence: 57

Mana: 77

Twenty-six levels to reach fifty. Twenty-two days remaining.

And tomorrow, he’d enter the Hunter’s Forge—a Player facility where he could train openly for four days without hiding his power.

The game was accelerating.

But Rama was ready.

He texted Sekar one final time.

[RAMA: Last training dungeon complete. Heading home. See you soon.]

[SEKAR: Perfect timing! I got your new armor adjusted. Come home safe. Tomorrow’s a big day! ❤️]

Rama dismissed the System screens and headed for the exit portal.

Tomorrow, everything would change.

But tonight, he’d play the perfect husband one last time before disappearing into the mountains.

One more performance.

Then four days of truth.

[Hidden Quest Progress: 8/30]

[New Quest Available]

[Objective: Complete Hunter’s Forge training program]

[Reward: ???]

[Accept? YES/NO]

Rama selected YES without hesitation.