The damp stone corridor welcomed my steps with a silence colder than death. The walls were overrun with dead roots, and the air hung heavy—like time itself had long since forgotten this place. In my arms, the small goblin stirred faintly. His breathing was still shallow, but steady.
He looked up at me—at the hollow sockets of my skull—with a gaze that trembled between fear and confusion. But he no longer tried to run. Maybe because I saved him.
Maybe because... he knew the world above had no place for someone like him.
"I don't know who you are," I muttered in a gravelly voice, laced with the chill of undeath, "but you're safe now."
I crouched beside a collapsed section of wall. This old tunnel used to be part of an escape route built by ancient mages. No one above remembered it existed.
I could hide here. But more than that... I felt something in this place was calling to me.
---
After gently placing the goblin in a cleaner corner, a familiar chime rang in my head—
the system's voice.
> [Minor Creature Saved: Karma +10]
[Soul Condition: Stable]
[Spiritual Link Detected — Would you like to bind this creature as a Familia?]
[〘Yes〙 | 〘No〙]
I hesitated.
In fantasy lore, a Familia was more than just a pet—it was a magical bond.
It meant sharing strength, emotions... even pain.
I looked at the little goblin again. His eyes were heavy. The wound in his chest had already sealed—only a faint scar remained.
He didn't know that I was about to make a decision that could alter both our destinies.
"…Yes."
> [First Familia Registered: Default Name 'Gob']
[Soul Link Successful. Familia will grow with experience and treatment.]
[Bonus Effect: Familia 'Gob' has received Minor Buff "Blessing of Rebirth"]
Gob's eyes opened again—and this time, they stared at me not with fear...
But with trust.
---
I leaned against the cold stone wall, staring at the cracked ceiling above.
This world…
It wasn't so different from the one I left behind.
Where the weak were cast aside, and the powerful felt entitled to crush everything beneath them.
"I won't let it happen again," I whispered. "Not here."
I closed my eyes, letting the stillness settle. But peace never lasts.
From deep within the corridor, I heard faint footsteps.
"They followed me here?" I muttered, rising slowly.
I summoned my staff—bone and shadow swirling into existence.
Arcane runes glowed along its shaft, humming softly.
Behind me, Gob stirred, trying to stand despite his wounds.
"Hide," I said. He nodded, crawling behind the rubble.
From the curve of the hallway, three figures emerged.
But they weren't human.
They were undead.
One wore a tattered cloak, its skull cracked and eye sockets hollow.
Another dragged a massive scythe, hunched and groaning.
The last... floated. A disembodied skull with blue flames flickering in its sockets.
But something was wrong.
There was no aura of control.
No master.
They were feral.
And they saw me as prey.
Too late to run.
They shrieked—a warped blend of moans and screeches—and charged.
---
[Combat Initiated]
I raised my staff and cast Soulbind Spike.
A dark lance of energy tore through the air, piercing the floating skull.
Its body exploded into sparks of blue flame and ethereal dust.
Two remained.
The scythe-wielder lunged at me. I sidestepped, but the blade clipped my arm, carving into the bone.
> [Damage Taken: -17 Durability]
[Debuff Applied: Soul Deterioration – Risk of Soul Decay]
"Tch," I hissed. "Soul-draining undead..."
I unleashed my second spell—Necroflare.
Black fire erupted from the ground, engulfing the scythe-wielder's legs.
He shrieked, bones charring, until he collapsed in a smoldering heap.
One left—the cloaked necromancer.
He raised his skeletal hands, conjuring runes of corrupted magic in midair.
A necromancer.
Trying to control me?
"Fool," I growled.
I snapped my fingers. Void aura surged around me, and his spell shattered—
then reversed.
The curse rebounded.
He imploded in a silent explosion of shadow and bone.
> [Three Feral Undead Eliminated]
[Karma -0 (no penalty for killing ferals)]
[New Skill Gained: Death Mirror]
[Level Up: 2 → 3]
[Stat Gain: +INT, +MAG, +WIL]
I exhaled—a reflex I no longer needed.
The dark energy around me faded.
From the rubble, Gob peeked out. His eyes sparkled.
Not because I was powerful.
But because I had protected him.
---
I continued down the corridor.
Hours passed before I found a vast chamber—an ancient ruin beneath the earth.
Broken pillars. Glyphs etched in forgotten tongues.
A faint blue glow pulsed from a magic circle carved into the floor.
And at its center… stood a throne.
Wrought of bone and shadowed crystal, layered with dust.
Silent. Waiting.
I stepped closer. The system's voice echoed—not in my mind this time,
but across the entire room.
> [Hidden Location Unlocked: Core Chamber of Netherhold]
[New Potential Ruler Detected: Azrael, High Lich Sovereign]
[Would you like to claim this area as your starting Domain?]
[〘Yes〙 | 〘No〙]
I glanced at Gob.
Then back to the throne.
If I said yes... I would no longer be a wanderer.
I would become a ruler.
"…Yes."
---
> [Domain 'Netherhold' Established]
[Initial Effect: Aura of Refuge – Discarded and Outcast Creatures will be drawn here]
[New Functions Unlocked: Construction, Territory Management, Soul Energy Conversion]
[Title Acquired: The Dark Monarch]
I sat upon the throne.
Alone.
But for the first time in this new world...
I didn't feel lonely.
---