Seo Hyun knelt over the massive crimson body of the Crimson Maw Devourer, chest heaving, legs trembling. The dungeon itself groaned around him, dust and debris falling from cracked ceilings as the factory seemed to exhale, releasing centuries of tension all at once.
The system pinged in his mind.
A screen unfolded silently, floating before his vision.
[Quest Complete: E-Rank Dungeon – Ruined Factory]
[Objective Achieved: Boss Defeated]
[Survival Confirmed]
Bright letters flickered beneath it.
[Reward Unlocked]
A red light coalesced in front of him. Slowly, the shape solidified, hovering in the air. A pair of weapons, perfectly balanced, floated before him:
Twin Daggers – Crimson Fang
Light, fast, and razor-sharp
Embedded with minor mana conduits for rapid bursts
Designed for precise strikes rather than brute force
Seo Hyun blinked. He reached out and grasped them instinctively. The daggers felt like an extension of his arms, perfectly weighted, and slightly warm with energy that seemed to hum beneath his fingers.
"So this is… mine?" he murmured.
The God of Death spoke in his mind, lounging in invisible boredom as always.
"Yes. Don't get used to comfort. Weapons are earned. Control them, or they control you."
Seo Hyun flexed his fingers. He tested the blades with a few quick strikes, imagining the beast moving again. The daggers felt alive, responding to his thoughts and intentions.
Then another notification appeared.
[LEVEL UP – E-Rank Hunter Seo Hyun]
[Previous Level: 1 → New Level: 7]
[Core Stats Increased: HP +450 | Strength +25 | Agility +20 | Mana +10]
[Undead Control Capacity: +5]
A green glow surrounded him as the system confirmed the changes. For a moment, he felt his body lighter, stronger, more capable.
The God of Death hummed, a note of approval in his tone.
"Not bad. From the brink of death to… somewhat competent. But don't mistake this for safety. The next test will be less forgiving."
Seo Hyun let the daggers rest in his hands. The factory dungeon groaned one last time as the environment began to stabilize, the red glow fading from the walls. Dust and broken metal littered the floor, but the oppressive weight of the beast was gone.
"I've got a long way to go," Seo Hyun muttered, blood and sweat dripping down his face. "But this… this is the start."
The system pinged again, smaller this time. A quiet note, almost conversational:
[New Quest Advisory: High Difficulty Quests Will Appear Sequentially. Completion Increases Stats and Undead Capacity Exponentially. Only You Can See System Updates.]
Seo Hyun exhaled. A mixture of relief and determination flooded him. His body ached in every joint, but his mind was sharper than ever. The frustration of being weak for so long, the humiliation of being overlooked, and the taste of victory combined into something raw and powerful.
"I will never be left behind again," he whispered. His voice trembled, but the words carried steel.
The God of Death's voice echoed one last time, light and teasing:
"Good. Now, prepare. You'll need that attitude. And those daggers."
Seo Hyun looked down at the daggers in his hands. The red glow of the blades seemed to reflect the faint shimmer of the system around him. This was no longer a simple survival. This was a promise:
A weak hunter, forgotten and abandoned… was beginning to answer death itself.
And somewhere deep in the system, The Answered waited, ready for the moment they would be called into battle again.
Seo Hyun knelt over the fallen Crimson Maw Devourer, still catching his breath. Dust and rubble drifted through the ruined factory dungeon, the oppressive tension replaced by an eerie silence.
The system pinged softly.
[Undead Control – New Unit Eligible]
[Boss-Class E-Rank Magic Beast]
Seo Hyun's pulse quickened. He had survived. He had grown. And now… he could claim what had defeated him.
A red aura flickered along the creature's massive scales, faintly pulsing like a heartbeat. It wasn't the system—it was the last trace of life, the residual energy left when it had fallen. Seo Hyun reached out, hands trembling, feeling the heat radiating from its body.
"This… this is yours now," he whispered under his breath.
He tapped into the Necromancer System, speaking the word he had learned to summon life from death.
"Answer."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, slowly, the red glow along the Devourer's scales intensified. It spread like fire, wrapping the massive body in a pulsating aura. The glowing letters above its head disappeared, replaced by a faint shimmer in the system interface:
[Unit Raised: Crimson Maw Devourer – Boss-Class]
[Current Status: Obedient]
[Control Level: 1 / Max for E-Rank Boss]
Seo Hyun staggered backward slightly as the creature's massive head lifted. Its glowing red slits scanned the room, not with hostility but with awareness. Its scales shone like molten ruby in the dim dungeon light.
The system highlighted a new stat bar: HP, Strength, Agility, Mana Resistance, and Obedience. Even at its lowest level, it was an immense presence, dwarfing every undead Seo Hyun had previously controlled.
The God of Death's voice flickered in his mind, amused as always:
"Well, well. You actually survived. And now you claim it? Bold. I like bold."
Seo Hyun wiped sweat from his brow, his hands gripping the hilts of his new daggers tightly.
"Don't even think about moving unless I tell you," he said firmly to the Devourer.
The red glow pulsed in response, as if acknowledging his authority. It shifted its massive tail slightly, settling in a coiled posture that radiated latent power. Seo Hyun could feel the weight of controlling such a creature, the strain in his mind even as he only used a fraction of the system's potential.
"Remember," the God of Death added, "Bosses are different. They will push you. Test you. Make mistakes and they will test your limits again."
Seo Hyun's jaw set. He didn't care.
He had been weak before. Abandoned, humiliated, ignored.
Not anymore.
The Crimson Maw Devourer glowed brighter as he adjusted its posture slightly with the system, anchoring it to his control. The red light reflected off the broken machinery around them, bathing the ruined factory in an otherworldly glow. For the first time, Seo Hyun understood the weight of a boss-class undead, the immense potential now at his fingertips.
"You are mine," he said quietly. "And I'll make sure you're more than a weapon. You'll be proof."
The Devourer gave a low rumble, a sound that could have been a roar—or a satisfied acknowledgment. Its massive eyes—or glowing slits—focused on him, waiting for instructions.
The system chimed once more:
[Boss Raised Successfully – Crimson Maw Devourer]
[New Total Undead Control Capacity: 15 / 15]
[Unit Obedience: Max for Current Level]
Seo Hyun exhaled, finally lowering his hands. The dungeon was quiet again, but the air hummed with potential. He had survived, grown, and claimed power that few E-Rank hunters could ever dream of.
And now… the Crimson Maw Devourer, red and alive in undeath, waited under his command.
The first of many.
Seo Hyun leaned against the cracked wall of the factory, breathing slowly. His hands were still trembling, not from fear anymore, but from the aftershock of surviving something he absolutely shouldn't have.
He called the system again.
The familiar translucent screen unfolded in front of his eyes.
NECROMANCER SYSTEM
His gaze went straight to the numbers. This time, he actually understood what they meant.
---
Name: Seo Hyun
Rank: E-Rank
Level: 7
HP: 2,480 / 2,480
MP: 200 /200
That alone made him pause.
Mana. Real mana. Not borrowed, not temporary. His body could finally hold it.
He scrolled down.
Strength: 132
Agility: 118
Endurance: 140
Perception: 96
Each stat felt earned. Every point paid for with blood, broken bones, and terror.
Then his eyes stopped.
Undead Control Capacity: 80 / 80
Seo Hyun swallowed.
Before this dungeon, it had been seventy. He remembered it clearly. The system didn't lie, and it didn't give charity either.
Ten more.
Not goblins. Not fodder.
Ten spaces for something stronger.
His fingers curled slowly into fists.
So that's how it grows…
Another section unfolded.
---
Equipment:
Twin Daggers – Crimson Fang
Increases attack speed
Slight bleed effect
Enhanced affinity with necromantic control
The blades resting at his waist felt different now. Lighter. Sharper. Like they recognized him.
Then the system shifted again.
---
Grave Bound Archive
The space opened inside his mind, cold and vast.
Rows upon rows of presence waited there.
The Answered – 50 Goblins
Status: Stored | Obedience: Absolute
And then—
At the very bottom.
A presence that pressed against his consciousness like a sleeping furnace.
Crimson Maw Devourer
Classification: E-Rank Dungeon Boss
Status: Stored | Bound
Condition: Dormant
Even sealed away, it radiated violence. Its red glow pulsed faintly in the archive, like a heartbeat waiting to resume.
Seo Hyun let out a slow breath.
I raised that.
Not borrowed strength. Not luck.
That monster was his.
A soft chime echoed.
---
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
Quest Completed.
Level increased.
Stats enhanced.
Undead Control Capacity expanded.
---
The God of Death's voice drifted into his mind, lazy and amused.
"So you're finally looking at the numbers properly."
Seo Hyun didn't respond right away. He just stared at the screen.
"I told you," the god continued, sounding bored, "growth isn't about mana alone. It's about how much death you can carry without breaking."
Seo Hyun finally spoke.
"…And if I break?"
A pause. Then a chuckle.
"Then you die properly this time."
The screen faded.
Seo Hyun straightened his back, pushing himself off the wall. His body still hurt, his clothes were soaked with dried blood, but he felt… solid.
He stored everything.
The Answered.
The Crimson Maw Devourer.
All of it sank into the Grave Bound Archive, hidden from the world, bound only to him.
He stepped out of the ruined factory.
The city lights flickered in the distance, unaware that something new had just walked back into the world.
Seo Hyun tightened his grip on the daggers and walked forward.
E-Rank.
Still E-Rank.
But not for long.
Seo Hyun didn't go far.
He stopped beneath a broken streetlight just outside the factory grounds, the faint buzz of electricity humming above him. The night air felt heavier now, as if the world itself was pressing in, curious but cautious.
That was when the God of Death spoke again.
This time, his voice wasn't lazy.
It echoed.
Not loudly, but deeply, as if it came from somewhere far below the ground.
"You survived."
Seo Hyun looked up at the sky. There was nothing there. No figure. No sign.
"I didn't have a choice," he said. "You threw me in."
A low chuckle followed.
"Yes. And you adapted."
Seo Hyun clenched his jaw. Images flashed through his mind. The moment his legs gave out. The crushing weight of the boss's body. The warmth of blood pouring down his side. The absolute certainty that he was about to die again.
"I almost did," he said quietly.
A pause.
Then the God of Death answered, tone strangely casual.
"Almost doesn't count."
The air around Seo Hyun shifted.
He felt it then. A presence looking down on him. Not with reverence. Not with cruelty.
With interest.
"You think power will erase the humiliation," the god continued. "The sneers. The way they looked through you because you were weak."
Seo Hyun didn't deny it.
His fists tightened at his sides.
"I remember every single one of them," he said. "Every time they told me to stay back. Every time they left me behind."
A sigh echoed in his mind.
"So heavy for someone who just learned how to stand."
Seo Hyun frowned. "You're mocking me."
"Of course I am," the god replied, sounding amused again. "You're alive. That makes you funny."
Seo Hyun exhaled slowly.
"…What do you want from me?"
That finally drew silence.
When the god spoke again, his voice was closer. Clearer.
"I want to see how much death a human can carry before he stops being human."
Seo Hyun's heart skipped.
The system flickered back into existence one last time.
---
SYSTEM NOTICE
The God of Death will issue personal quests.
Quest difficulty will scale with growth.
Failure may result in permanent loss.
---
Seo Hyun stared at the message.
"And if I succeed?" he asked.
The God of Death sounded genuinely amused now.
"Then you'll stop asking questions like that."
The presence receded.
Before it vanished completely, the god added, almost as an afterthought:
"Oh. And Seo Hyun?"
"Yes?"
"Next time… don't crawl."
The streetlight flickered.
The night swallowed the factory behind him.
Seo Hyun turned toward the city, daggers resting at his sides, his shadow stretching long across the pavement.
For the first time since his death, he smiled.
Not because he felt strong.
But because he finally knew he could become stronger.