Shadow Husband:I Have a Hidden SSS-Class System-Chapter 9: CLOSE CALL

Rama woke to the sensation of being watched.

His eyes opened slowly, carefully, maintaining the natural rhythm of someone waking from deep sleep rather than snapping alert. The skill of deception had become instinctive over the past four days—every movement calculated, every expression controlled.

Sekar sat beside him on the bed, fully dressed in casual clothes, her legs crossed. She wasn’t looking at her phone or tablet. She was simply watching him with that unsettling S-Rank intensity that could probably count his heartbeats from across the room.

"Good morning," Rama said, his voice appropriately groggy. "What time is it?"

"Seven thirty-two." Sekar’s tone was neutral. Too neutral. "You were sleeping very deeply."

"Long night. Couldn’t fall asleep until late." The lie came easily now, practiced and smooth.

"Mm." Sekar’s eyes didn’t leave his face. "I woke up at three AM. You weren’t in bed."

Rama’s heart rate spiked instantly, but he controlled his expression, letting confusion show instead of panic. "What? I was here all night."

"No. You weren’t." She leaned forward slightly. "I reached for you. The bed was empty. I got up to look for you, and you were in the bathroom. The door was closed, and I heard the shower running."

His mind raced, reconstructing the timeline. He’d returned at 2:32 AM, slipped back into bed by 2:35. If Sekar had woken at three, she’d definitely have found him there. Unless—

The shower. He’d taken a quick shower at 2:50 to wash off the dungeon smell, thinking she was deeply asleep. She must have woken up during those five minutes.

"I couldn’t sleep, so I took a shower," Rama said, maintaining his confused expression. "Thought the hot water might help. Did I wake you?"

"No. I woke on my own." Sekar tilted her head slightly. "Why was your hair completely dry when you came back to bed?"

Damn it. He’d dried it with a towel and a touch of mana-enhanced heat to speed the process. An oversight. A stupid, careless oversight.

"I dried it. Didn’t want to get the pillow wet."

"With what? There were no wet towels in the bathroom."

Because he’d put the towel in his inventory to dispose of later. Another mistake.

Rama sat up slowly, meeting her eyes. "Sekar, what’s this about? Why are you interrogating me about taking a shower in my own home?"

"Because something is wrong." Her voice remained calm, but her aura was beginning to leak—that oppressive S-Rank presence that made breathing difficult. "You’ve been different this week. Distant. Secretive. You disappear for walks at strange hours. You come home with combat injuries you claim are from martial arts classes. You take showers at three in the morning and somehow dry your hair without towels."

She stood, pacing slowly. "And this morning, when I went to the bathroom after you’d returned to bed, I found this."

Sekar held up her phone, showing a photo. A single drop of something dark on the white bathroom tile, near the drain. It could have been water. Could have been shadow from the lighting.

But Rama knew exactly what it was.

Blood.

He’d been careful. So careful. But a single drop from the shallow cut on his hand—barely an injury, healed within seconds by his enhanced Vitality—had escaped his notice during cleanup.

One drop. That’s all it took.

"That’s not blood," Rama said, forcing confusion into his voice. "It’s probably just dirt or—"

"I tested it." Sekar’s voice was ice. "I’m an S-Rank Hunter, Rama. I know blood when I see it. And I know when my husband is lying to me."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Sekar’s aura was fully unleashed now, pressing down on him like a physical weight. This wasn’t his loving wife anymore. This was a Guild Master who’d hunted monsters that could destroy cities.

"Where were you last night?" she asked quietly. "And don’t lie to me again. I can smell dungeon residue on your clothes from yesterday. I can sense the mana fluctuations around you that shouldn’t exist for an E-Rank. I can see the way you move now—too fast, too precise, too confident for someone who’s supposedly just taking martial arts classes."

Rama’s mind worked frantically. Full denial wouldn’t work—she had too much evidence. Full truth would lead to disaster. He needed something in between. A partial truth that satisfied her curiosity without revealing the System.

He stood slowly, hands open and non-threatening. "You’re right. I have been lying to you."

Sekar’s expression didn’t change, but her aura intensified. "Keep talking."

"I have been training. More seriously than I told you." Rama took a breath, letting real emotion show—the frustration, the inadequacy he’d felt for years. "I’m tired of being weak, Sekar. Tired of being the E-Rank everyone mocks. Tired of being the burden you have to protect."

"You’re not—"

"I am. You know I am." He gestured at himself. "So I’ve been pushing myself. Hard. Too hard, maybe. I’ve been taking on small dungeons solo. F-Rank gates that nobody cares about. Trying to level up, trying to get stronger."

Sekar’s eyes widened slightly. "You’ve been entering dungeons alone? At your rank? Are you insane?"

"Probably." Rama allowed himself a bitter smile. "But I cleared them. Multiple F-Rank gates over the past week. I’m getting stronger. Level twenty-one now instead of twelve."

"Level twenty-one," Sekar repeated slowly. "In one week."

"Yes."

"That’s... that’s not normal. Most hunters take months to gain even five levels."

"I know. I’ve been grinding constantly." He met her eyes. "That’s where I was last night. There was an F-Rank slime dungeon in Kebayoran. I cleared it solo. Got back around two-thirty, took a shower to wash off the dungeon smell, and came back to bed. I didn’t want to wake you or worry you."

Sekar stared at him for a long moment, her S-Rank perception abilities working overtime to detect any trace of deception. Rama kept his heartbeat steady, his expression open and honest. The partial truth made the lie more convincing—every word he’d said was technically accurate, just incomplete.

Finally, Sekar’s aura retracted slightly. "Show me your status."

Rama pulled out his phone and accessed his official Hunter registration. The government database showed his updated information—level twenty-one, slightly improved stats, updated equipment list. All legitimate, all verifiable through the official testing centers he’d visited yesterday specifically to update his registration and maintain his cover.

[OFFICIAL HUNTER STATUS - JAKARTA BRANCH]

Name: Rama Kusuma

Rank: E

Level: 21

HP: 1,100

Class: Tank

STATS:

Strength: 25

Agility: 20

Vitality: 65

The numbers were impressive for one week’s growth, but not impossible. Fast, yes. Suspicious, certainly. But within the realm of what a dedicated Hunter grinding low-level dungeons could theoretically achieve.

Sekar studied the screen carefully. "You gained nine levels in one week."

"Yes."

"By solo clearing F-Rank dungeons."

"Multiple dungeons. Every night."

"While I slept."

"I didn’t want you to stop me."

Sekar’s expression was unreadable. She handed back his phone and was silent for what felt like an eternity. When she finally spoke, her voice was carefully controlled. "You could have died."

"I was careful."

"F-Rank dungeons can still kill E-Ranks if you’re careless. One mistake, one misstep, and you’d be dead before I even knew you were in danger." Her hands clenched into fists. "Do you have any idea what that would do to me? Finding out my husband died alone in some worthless dungeon because he was too proud to ask for help?"

The raw emotion in her voice—fear mixed with anger mixed with something that might have been grief—struck him harder than any physical blow could.

"I’m sorry," Rama said quietly. "I should have told you."

"Yes. You should have." Sekar took a deep breath, visibly calming herself. "But you’re also right. You deserve to get stronger. You deserve to feel capable and confident." She closed the distance between them, taking his hands. "I’m proud of you for taking initiative. I’m terrified of you dying stupidly. And I’m furious that you felt you had to hide this from me."

"I thought you’d try to stop me."

"I would have." Her smile was sad. "But I can’t cage you just because I’m afraid of losing you. That’s not love. That’s prison."

Rama felt the guilt crash over him like a wave. Here she was, being understanding and supportive, while he continued to hide the truth. The System. The Player Network. The fact that he was already far stronger than his official stats suggested.

"From now on," Sekar continued, "if you’re going into dungeons, you tell me first. Not to ask permission—I don’t own you. But so I know where you are. So if something goes wrong, I can find you." Her grip on his hands tightened. "Promise me."

Rama looked into her eyes—those beautiful, deadly eyes that could probably see through most lies but wanted so desperately to believe him—and made another promise he knew he’d break.

"I promise." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Sekar kissed him softly. "Good. Now come on. I’m making breakfast, and then you’re going to tell me about every dungeon you’ve cleared. Every detail. What you fought, what skills you’re developing, what level-up rewards you got. Everything."

They moved to the kitchen, Sekar chattering about how they’d need to update his equipment, maybe get him some proper armor, definitely upgrade his weapon. She was excited now, her earlier suspicion apparently satisfied by his explanation.

Rama went through the motions—describing dungeon layouts, talking about slime attack patterns, showing her the loot he’d collected. All true. All verifiable. All carefully curated to hide the larger truth underneath.

[Hidden Quest Progress: 5/30]

The notification appeared briefly in the corner of his vision, then faded. Simple. Cold. Just a number.

Rama dismissed it and focused on his wife, watching her animated face as she planned his "proper" training regimen.

The lie had worked. Barely. One more mistake and everything would unravel.

He had to be more careful. Much more careful.

Twenty-five days remaining until he needed to reach level fifty.

Twenty-nine levels to go.

And now Sekar would be watching him more closely than ever.

The game had just gotten infinitely more dangerous.

But Rama had never been good at playing it safe anyway.

[NEW QUEST UPDATED]

[OBJECTIVE: Clear 10 dungeons solo within 7 days]

[PROGRESS: 1/10]

[TIME REMAINING: 6 DAYS, 8 HOURS]

The System displayed the information without commentary. No warnings. No advice. Just facts.

Rama would have to find a way to continue his training without raising more suspicion.

But first, he had to survive breakfast without his wife discovering any more inconsistencies in his story.

One battle at a time.