The dry crash of shattered bones echoed throughout the Level 6 dungeon hall. The reanimated skeletons lunged with ferocity, driven by a foreign will, a dark consciousness that dominated them from the throne: the Dark King.
Mark aimed his wand. His hands trembled. Balls of water shot out one after another with magical precision, exploding among the ranks of the undead and shattering femurs, skulls, and ribs. But no matter how many he destroyed… each pulverized skeleton was replaced by another.
—This can't be… —he panted, sweat running down his neck—. They regenerate… again and again…!
From the throne of thorns, the Dark King remained unmoved. His black armor, carved in angular lines as if the abyss itself had forged it, barely shifted. Within the helmet, only absolute darkness. A silent mockery vibrated through the air. The corpses around him began to stir.
Josuke's eyes glowed with a faint, annoyed red light.
—Hmph… pathetic —he muttered, arms crossed.
The system window appeared out of nowhere before his eyes:
[Blood System Notification: If the host defeats the Dark King on Level 6 of this dungeon, necromancer abilities, rare rewards, and access to the hidden node of the Skill Tree will be granted.]
Josuke's lips curled into a crooked smile.
—Well… tempting. Maybe then, at last… I'll stop being a miserable level 9.
Mark, still fighting, launched another high-pressure water orb that decapitated a group of skeletons… but they began to reassemble seconds later. The young mage gritted his teeth, panting.
—I've been here for hours… and I can't even get close to that bastard… I'm running out of mana!
But just as he was about to shout his next spell, a massive rock, sharp as a metal stake torn from hell, flew through the air, slicing the silence and piercing the Dark King's chest with grotesque violence.
TCHAK!
The rock embedded itself into his armor, making the metal shriek. The creature leaned slightly, for the first time.
Mark turned, shocked.
—What…?
Josuke had taken off his large backpack, now lying on the stone floor. His gaze was fixed on the throne.
—Enough… —he said calmly—. Your show bored me.
Suddenly, his black sword appeared in his hand. The Dark Blade. The system responded immediately:
[Weapon Equipped: Dark Blade – Amplified Negative Energy]
From Josuke's back, a monstrous and abstract form began to emerge. It wasn't physical, but an echo of energy. Like a shadow trembling in sync with his restrained rage. Mark saw that image —a figure with claws and black-souled eyes— rising behind the swordsman.
—That thing… no… that's not human. That's literally a monster!
The Dark King stood. His scythe, made from dragon bones and black steel, spun in his hand. The entire room trembled. A thick black mist burst from the throne.
Josuke pointed his sword.
—I don't know how crazy you are, Mark… but I'm going to help you bust open that rusty pot. And when I do… I'll level up, level by level, until I crush that damned God of Souls and his stupid messenger.
Mark swallowed hard.
—What is he talking about… Mr. Josuke?
Josuke frowned.
—Don't call me mister. Call me Josuke Hachimizu.
And with a roar, Josuke dashed forward.
With a horizontal slash, his black sword released a wave of dark energy that tore through entire rows of skeletons. A black explosion ripped through the floor, causing cursed web-like cracks to spread.
System windows rained down a horde of Blood System experience notifications:
[+500 EXPERIENCE GAINED]
[+600 EXPERIENCE GAINED]
[+700 EXPERIENCE GAINED]
[+800 EXPERIENCE GAINED]
[+900 EXPERIENCE GAINED]
[+1000 EXPERIENCE GAINED]
[+1100 EXPERIENCE GAINED]
The skeletons fell like flies. Josuke's power wasn't that of a simple swordsman. It was the power of someone who had fed his body for years with infernal flesh, with unholy blood and unnatural powers.
Mark, still on the brink of collapse, watched him.
—His sword… it absorbs the dark magic from the skeletons? Impossible! Where did he get a weapon of such level? That has to be a level 900 artifact or higher!
Meanwhile, Josuke gritted his teeth.
Why… why am I still at level 9? What kind of useless system did you give me, damned Soul Bastard!?
The Dark King intercepted Josuke's next attack. His scythe and the Dark Blade clashed, causing a thunderous crash that made the ceiling vibrate.
KZZZZHMMMM!
Both were pushed back. Josuke landed beside Mark with a somersault. Sweat began to drip down his forehead.
—I think he's taking it personally now —Josuke said, exhaling.
—Yeah… —Mark looked at him seriously—. Your negative energy has spiked. That triggered him. You're like a magnet to him.
—Then… the best thing is to destroy him.
—How? —Mark asked—. We can't even scratch him! His armor is reinforced by top-tier necromancy. He doesn't bleed!
Josuke grinned sideways, sharp as a blade.
—He can die, right?
—Yeah, obviously he can die, he's a monster —Mark responded, confused by Josuke Hachimizu's question.
—Then… if he can die, he can bleed. And anything that bleeds… deserves to be devoured.
In that instant, something changed.
A red, glowing, demonic mass began to cover Josuke's face. The Crimson Mask emerged. First his jaw, then rising as if fusing with his soul.
His eyes turned crimson, like burning coals.
The system reacted:
[Blood System: Crimson Oni Mask adhered to host]
[Weapon: Blood Blade acquired – equipped]
His black sword vanished in a burst of shadows, replaced by a long, irregular, living blade. The Blood Blade.
The silence that preceded the explosion was as dense as the darkness itself. The Dark King, still standing before his throne of thorns, raised his scythe coated in dark magic while his armor, rusted by centuries of corruption, glimmered under the dungeon's dim purple light. His cursed energy spread like a wave of death, chaining souls to his will.
However, before him, with the Crimson Oni Mask adhered to his jaw and eyes lit with ten years of accumulated rage in the Underworld, Josuke Hachimizu advanced without fear. The Blood Blade vibrated in his hand as if it understood this was the moment to unleash everything it had held inside.
The Blood System appeared in his vision.
[Host Status: Stable]
[Physical Condition: Limit surpassed — No penalty due to Superhuman Endurance]
[Combat Mode Active]
[Available Skills: 217 active, 84 passive]
Josuke didn't hesitate. He raised his sword, and in an instant, his body hardened, red scales crawling from his arms to his chest like living steel plates. He activated Scarlet Serpent Hardening.
The Dark King didn't wait; with surprising speed for his size, he launched a downward slash with his scythe. Josuke raised his sword, and the impact shook the entire room. The ground cracked like shattered glass, but Josuke didn't budge an inch.
Black sparks flew as the two blades collided. The system displayed the power clash.
[Energy Clash: Dark Magic AA+ vs Unknown Crimson Energy – Result: Unstable Balance]
Josuke let out a bitter laugh beneath the mask.
—Is that all you've got, "king"?
With a kick reinforced by his inhuman strength, he shoved the King backward and activated the next skill. With a roar, sticky silver threads began forming from his palms. Spider Queen Webs. He hurled them at the King, wrapping his torso and legs.
The King tried to move, but the magical threads were as tough as enchanted steel. Josuke seized the moment. He fired his next skill.
[Skill Activated: Fire Blast — Origin: Magma Slime]
From his mouth, between the fangs of the Crimson Mask, burst a stream of thick, searing fire—orange with scarlet tones. The flames slammed into the King, melting parts of the webs and even weakening some armor plates.
The enemy roared, releasing a dark magical wave that shattered crystals on the chamber walls. The flames didn't fully stop him, but they did make him stagger.
Mark watched from a safe distance, eyes wide and heart pounding. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Josuke wasn't simply strong.
He was a creature that had crawled back from the edge of death itself, an amalgamation of everything he had devoured and survived, a force beyond classification.
—Who are you really, Josuke? —murmured Mark in awe.
Josuke kept attacking. He leapt, activating Torn Muscle Jump —a passive technique that doubled his leg strength for two seconds— and dropped like a boulder onto the King, driving his sword into the joint between shoulder and neck armor.
A jet of black smoke burst forth. The creature roared with a tone that rattled Mark's bones. The webs exploded, the King broke free with a scream full of hatred, and a shield of dark souls weeping in lost tongues surrounded him.
[Enemy Skill Detected: Shield of Pain — Necromancy Level S]
[Effect: Reduces physical damage by 40%. Reflects 25% as spiritual energy]
But Josuke didn't stop. He summoned a new resource onto his arm: a layer of living electricity covered his left forearm.
Electricity Creation – Demon Eel. With a punch to the King's chest, he released a shock that shook even the air. The system vibrated.
[Damage Inflicted: 2,410 — Non-lethal]
[Shield of Pain Reduction: Active]
Josuke stepped back, panting, sweat dripping down his face, but his determination only grew. The crimson aura of the Oni Mask pulsed like a living flame, beating with his heart.
Josuke opened the skill tree mid-battle, something only he could do thanks to the direct interface of the Blood System. He searched for a combo.
—Alright… time to improvise —he muttered with a dangerous smile.
He used two skills simultaneously. He activated Sound Blast – Demon Wolves and Water Creation – Water Slime.
The first was a sonic shockwave that broke the King's magical focus for a moment; the second, a torrent of magical water that soaked the weakened joints of his armor.
The combination was perfect: the sound created internal vibrations, the water seeped in, and freezing from the dungeon's icy temperature, built pressure from within.
[Enemy Status: Armor — Structural Cracks 23%]
[Recommendation: Break Hit — Critical Zone: Lower Abdomen]
Mark shouted from a distance:
—Now, Josuke, the abdomen!
And Josuke responded. He jumped with the Blood Blade held high, wrapped in an aura so dense it looked solid—like living magma. With a shout, he unleashed a horizontal slash so fast it seemed to vanish and reappear behind the King.
A second later, the enemy's lower armor opened with a clean, deep, bloody cut. A black liquid, thicker than ink, poured out in streams.
[Critical Damage]
[+3,000 Experience Gained]
The King staggered. Yet he didn't fall. His scythe appeared at his side like a rising shadow. He swung at Josuke, who barely blocked it. Both swordsmen glared at each other, their energies colliding. Josuke spat blood but smiled.
—I can't begin to describe how much hatred I feel… and you… you'll give me what I need to keep living.
He activated the final skill.
[Crimson Oni Mask – Released State]
[Blood Blade — Crimson Level Activated]
[Crimson Energy: 97%]
[Stats Temporarily Boosted: +250% Strength / +200% Speed / Mystic Slash Active]
Josuke roared like a beast unleashed. His sword blazed red. The aura around him took the shape of a blood dragon writhing over his back. He launched into a flurry of slashes so fast that even Mark couldn't follow them.
One after another, the King's armor plates flew off in pieces. Arms, shoulders, chest, legs. Josuke spun, leaped, dodged, and slashed with surgical precision. Every cut left a crimson trail burning in the air like spiritual fire.
The scythe was shattered in a counterattack. The King tried to scream, but Josuke drove the Blood Blade into his throat. With an inverted leap, powered by the skill Inverted Reflex – Blind Beast, he cut through the head, the crown, and the dark energy surrounding him.
The silence that followed was as deep as eternity.
The King's body collapsed, crumbling. Josuke's mask vibrated and slowly faded, leaving his face drenched in sweat, blood, and black ash.
The system delivered the final notifications.
[+14,000 Experience Gained]
[Reward Acquired: Necromancy Skill – Soul Domination]
[Reward Acquired: Black Resurrection Gem]
[Reward Acquired: Core of Pure Darkness (Rank AA+)]
[Blood of the Dark King Absorbed: +9,000,000 Blood Points Accumulated]
[Special Condition: Trait Transfer — "Abyssal Authority" Title Unlocked]
[Skill Tree: Summoning Skill Acquired (Status: Locked)]
Mark walked slowly toward him, trembling. He saw Josuke standing among the Dark King's remains, his body bathed in red light, and couldn't help but fall to his knees unconsciously.
—I… I'm not a monster —he whispered to himself—. I'm something worse to them. I'm a mistake this world will never erase.
Josuke smiled. It was the first real smile in years.
—I'm not a hero. But today… I won.
And thus, the King fell, his throne shattered, his crown split in two, while the red resurrection gem Mark had been seeking dropped among the rubble. For the first time in centuries, the dungeon was without a master.
The silence reigning in the ruined dungeon chamber was broken only by Mark's slow footsteps as he approached the shattered pedestal where, among the rubble, the resurrection gem lay.
It was smaller than he had imagined, with a dark, contained glow, as if the soul of the Dark King still pulsed within. He lifted it with both hands, gazing at it with a mix of relief and nostalgia.
—Finally…
Meanwhile, Josuke was absorbed in his system screen, reviewing notification after notification flashing across his vision in red bursts and glowing letters. Rewards, dark skills, soul energy, essence fragments, forbidden techniques. The Blood System hadn't exaggerated. It had been a slaughter—but also a goldmine.
—At least the system was right —Josuke muttered with a twisted smile, closing his inventory now full of new powers.
He turned toward the shattered throne and noticed, among the broken stone and thorns, an ebony chest barely covered by ashes. Opening it, he found a golden bracelet, fine and crafted like a noble jewel, dominated by a design of a snake devouring its own tail. Its eyes were two scarlet gems that seemed to stare at Josuke as he picked it up.
—And what are you?
The Blood System responded immediately:
[Item Identified: Magic Relic – "Converting Serpent"]
[Function: Converts and retains all types of uncontrolled energy. Ideal for containing excess miasma, dark prana, or negative energy. Compatible with host.]
Josuke laughed bitterly.
—What a nice suggestion, you useless machine… —then he slipped on the bracelet—. Still, I'm keeping it.
The moment it touched his left wrist, the item activated. The gold melted against his skin like living liquid, forming a red, serpentine tattoo that wrapped around his wrist like a tribal mark. Josuke observed it, raising an eyebrow.
—Great. Now I look like some hopeless thug… —he scoffed, though deep inside, he was satisfied.
At that moment, Mark slowly approached, still shaken by what had happened.
—With everything that happened down there… I owe you thanks. Without you, I never would have gotten this gem. Thank you, really.
Josuke glanced at him, noting the respectful tone in his voice. It had changed. He no longer treated him like a monster or a stranger.
—No need to thank me. It was a fair deal.
Mark nodded, but his curious gaze lingered on Josuke's face.
—What level are you? I mean… to have that much power, you must be at least rank A or higher. Also… that horrible miasma you had is gone —he added with an awkward smile—. No offense.
Josuke raised an eyebrow and shrugged.
—No worries. But… why do you ask my level? Can't you see it?
Mark shook his head.
—Only transported ones can see other people's levels and stats. Those of us from this world can't. Our mana doesn't allow it, unless we use special artifacts, but even those have limits.
Josuke fell silent. That explained everything. That's why Mark had never reacted to his level… it was something only those summoned from another world could perceive.
—Interesting… —he said aloud, but in his mind, he thought—. Good thing he can't see I'm still level 9. That'd be humiliating…
They walked for a long time through the tunnels on their way back. The crystals became scarcer, the humidity returned, and the echoes of fallen creatures seemed to have vanished completely. As they neared the surface, Josuke broke the silence.
—Hey, Mark. I didn't ask earlier, but… why did you want that gem so badly? You risked your life, entered a dungeon way above your level… was it really worth it?
Mark was silent for a few seconds. Then he smiled, nostalgic.
—It's a gift. For someone who needs it much more than I do. Don't worry about it. It just has… a very special meaning to me.
Josuke nodded and chuckled.
—Ambitious. I like it.
When they finally emerged from the dungeon and crossed the snowy fields, the towers of the adventurers' guild rose once more before them. Josuke stopped for a moment.
It was the same building where he had been treated like a monster. And now he returned with a full bag, pockets loaded with resources, and a red mark as his only companion.
As he entered, he noticed something strange. No one flinched. No one pointed. No one screamed. The adventurers barely glanced at him. They treated him… like any other human. Josuke touched his wrist and smiled.
—Having a red snake tattoo is worth it after all.
Loaded with loot, he approached the counter and dumped the spoils. The receptionist, seeing the amount of minerals, gems, and rare items, widened her eyes.
—Th-these minerals… they're from the Seventh Underworld! How did you get these?!
—Digging. With my hands —Josuke replied calmly.
The woman, nervous, brought out a crystal orb and a rank book. She looked at him with a mix of respect and confusion.
—You must be very high-ranked. Please place your hand on the orb.
Josuke obeyed. A blue light filled the room. All the adventurers turned. The orb glowed… and then the reading appeared.
[Crystal Orb: Level 9 | Rank: F-]
The silence that followed was brutal. You could hear a coin hit the floor. And then… chaos.
—Level 9?! —shouted an adventurer.
—HAHAHA! Even my 12-year-old brother is higher than that! —another laughed.
—He's just a lucky weakling! —snorted the receptionist— Who gave you all this stuff, huh? —she mocked.
Josuke swallowed hard, embarrassed. He picked up his freshly printed adventurer's card with an awkward smile.
—Thanks… for everything —he said, leaving the guild with heavy steps, the laughter behind him piercing like arrows to the back.
But he said nothing more.
Meanwhile, in another part of the world, in a castle bathed in mist, Mark stood before a bed adorned with white curtains. On it, a girl with bluish hair and elongated ears breathed weakly. Her skin was pale.
Her eyes, dim. Her body seemed to lose strength with each passing day. Mark gently stroked her head, whispering softly. Then, stepping out, he was met by an elderly healer at the door.
—Sir Mark… we appreciate your efforts, but the curse affecting Lady Liliana… continues to progress. We've found no spell that can break it.
Mark didn't answer immediately. He simply raised his hand, still holding the resurrection gem, glowing darkly.
—Don't worry. I've got the first ingredient.
The healer's eyes widened.
—The gem… of the Dark King?
—Yes. I still need three more. And I'll find them, even if I have to cross every cursed corner of this continent. I don't care what I have to do. I will save my stepsister… no matter what.
And with that vow, Mark disappeared down the stone corridors, while the sky above the world seemed to darken… as if it knew the game had only just begun.