Joe's eyes snapped open, and he found himself on his knees, a throbbing headache pounding in his skull. He had regained control, but it was too late. His gaze darted around, taking in the horrifying scene—the lifeless bodies of the adventurers Syr had slaughtered.
His heart raced when his eyes landed on Franklin's unmoving form beside him. Relief washed over him momentarily as he sensed Franklin’s mana signature still present. But too many had already been killed.
"Why! Dammit! I told you not to kill them!" Joe's voice echoed in the eerie silence.
[I Did This For Us. If I Didn't Do It, We Would Be Stuck Here Forever.]
"You saw them! They didn’t want to fight. Maybe we could’ve reasoned with them, found another solution!"
[No, There Was No Other Solution. It Was Either Us Or Them. I Did Them A Favor In The End—Now They Won’t Be Stuck In This Place For Eternity.]
"Stop speaking like you did this for some righteous reason! You did it to gain power and strength because that’s all you care about, you heartless monster!"
[I Won’t Lie To You. Getting Those Rank Points Was Part Of The Reason. So What? This Is How Things Work Here. People Die So Others Can Grow Stronger. This Isn’t Earth, Joe. You Need To Throw Those Morals From Earth Aside. This Is Grisha. You Know, I Thought We Were Making Progress When You Brought Down Mikey And His Friends, But I Guess I Was Wrong.]
"That was different! Mikey and his friends were pure evil—they needed to die! But those guys… they were just trying to survive circumstances beyond their control."
[Exactly. That’s The Same Situation We Were In. We Did The Only Thing We Could Have Done. You Need To Start Adapting, Joe. You Can’t Let Your Emotions Dictate How You Think. You Always Need To Think About Your Survival First—If You Want To Live In A World Like This.]
"I’m not like you, okay? I can’t just turn off my emotions and kill anything that moves. I don’t want to be like that!" Tears streamed down Joe’s face, his voice cracking with anguish.
[You Need To Decide What’s More Important—Finding Your Family Or Sticking To Your Morality. If I’m Being Honest, You’ll Get Us Both Killed If You Keep This Up. I Won’t Let That Happen. Your Actions Affect Me Too, Joe, And I Won’t Let You Lead Us To Our Deaths.]
Joe fell silent, wiping the tears from his face. Slowly, he rose to his feet and turned to Franklin, who still lay motionless. "If I hadn’t woken up, you would’ve killed him too, wouldn’t you? After I explicitly told you not to. I can maybe understand killing the adventurers on some level, but Franklin? You weren’t forced to do it! The quest was already completed. And the adventurers… one of them could’ve survived."
[Again, I Did This For Us.]
"That’s not good enough!" Joe’s voice boomed, trembling with rage. "How can I trust you when, the moment we disagree, you take over and kill mindlessly?"
Gritting his teeth, Joe bent down, carefully lifting Franklin and placing him on his back. It was nothing short of a miracle that the old man was still alive.
"Look, Syr… When I first came to Grisha, you were the first one I connected with. You’ve helped me so much up until now. I want to trust you. But you have to promise me—you can’t take over like that again. We need to work together. I’ll try, okay? I’ll try to adapt, for both our sakes. Just… don’t do that again."
Syr fell silent, Joe’s words hanging heavily in the air.
Joe exhaled sharply, his determination hardening as he prepared to move forward. But before he could take a single step, the ground began to quake violently.
From the sand, dark clouds began to materialize, swirling ominously beneath the lifeless bodies of the adventurers Syr had slain. These dark clouds gave birth to skeletal arms and hands that clawed their way into the open air.
The bony appendages coiled tightly around the five lifeless adventurers, dragging their bodies—decapitated heads and all—into the depths of the black void. Slowly, and with an eerie finality, the corpses disappeared into the darkness, leaving no trace behind.
The swirling clouds dissipated, the sand settling back into place, eerily untouched, as if nothing had transpired.
[5 Human Natives Have Been Offered To The 'Skull King'.]
[The 'Skull King' Has Accepted The Offerings And Grants You Access To Their Domain.]
Moments later, the same foreboding cloud emerged beneath Joe's feet. It engulfed him in an instant, dragging him into the abyss. His frantic screams were swallowed by the void, fading into the suffocating darkness.
Joe felt like he was sinking into an endless abyss, but then—abruptly—everything stopped. His eyes flew open, and he found himself in a dim, icy hallway. Before him stood a massive black door, adorned with a familiar seal. It was nearly identical to the one he had used to enter the First Zone.
Instinctively, Joe’s gaze shifted to his side. Relief flooded through him as he spotted Franklin lying nearby. The old man was motionless, but Joe could still see his Mana Signature—a clear sign he was alive.
To his left, he saw The Black Blade, its surface still slick with blood from Syr's actions. He hesitated, his hand hovering before finally gripping the weapon. Rising to his feet, he turned his attention to the towering door ahead. Its imposing presence seemed to beckon him forward. But before he could act, a faint sound came from behind.
Joe spun around. It was Franklin. The old man was stirring, weakly dragging himself to lean against the cold stone wall. He looked up at Joe and managed a strained smile.
"You should go on without me, kid. I'll wait here... until you're done," Franklin rasped, his voice heavy with pain. Even the small act of smiling seemed torturous.
"You expect me to leave you like this?" Joe asked, his tone sharp but laced with concern.
"I can’t go with you," Franklin said, coughing harshly. "My mana's almost completely gone. Even if I did enter, In my current condition I will only slow you down."
Joe clenched his fists, hating how much sense the old man’s words made. Franklin’s condition left him no choice.
"Fine," Joe relented, his voice low. "But you better stay alive, old man. I'll take down the Boss quickly, and we’ll move on to the next zone together. We're really close to seeing that princess of yours, so don't you dare die on me now."
Franklin gave a weak nod, his lips twitching into another painful smile.
Joe turned back to the door, placing his hand firmly on the seal.
"Good luck, kid," Franklin said hoarsely, his voice fading as Joe vanished from sight.
[Transportation Complete!]
Joe's form materialized almost instantly on the other side of the door. His eyes shot forward, scanning his surroundings with urgency.
[You Have Entered The Skull King's Domain]
[The Skull King's 'Domain Skill (King's Presence) Has Taken Effect]
Before he could move, Joe's body buckled under an overwhelming force, dropping to his knees as if gravity itself had turned against him. He clenched his teeth, his muscles trembling as he struggled to withstand the oppressive weight.
[Due To The 'Domain Skill (King's Presence) You Will Lose 20 Rank Points To Your Physical Attributes Every Minute.]
[-15 Rank Points To Your Physical Attributes]
[Current Physical Attributes: 42]
Joe's eyes darted frantically around the room, but darkness engulfed everything. He couldn't see a single thing—until a chilling scream echoed through the void. Suddenly, the room began to stir.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
From the walls, eerie green candles ignited one by one, their flickering flames casting ghostly light on the solid brick walls. Human skulls adorned the room like macabre works of art, hung in grotesque elegance. As the candles flared to life, they revealed more of the room. The sight sent a cold shiver coursing down Joe's spine. Countless skeletons surrounded him, their hollow sockets staring as if waiting for something.
Above him, a massive chandelier sputtered to life, its emerald glow bathing the chamber in a sickly radiance.
At the center of it all, just 15 meters away, a horrifying centerpiece came into view. A throne of bones, intricately constructed from the remains of the dead, loomed ominously. Seated upon it was a figure dressed in a flowing black gown. Its golden crown rested atop a bare, skeletal skull. From head to toe, its body was devoid of flesh—gleaming white bones were all that remained. Yet, this was no ordinary skeleton. It moved.
In its right hand, it clutched a severed human head. In its left, it held a glass. With brutal efficiency, the skeleton squeezed the head, forcing blood to drip steadily into the glass. The sickening sound of cracking bone accompanied the act, the head collapsing under its grip. Once the glass was full, the head was carelessly discarded, rolling away like a forgotten toy.
The skeleton raised the glass to its lipless mouth and attempted to drink. Blood spilled from its hollow jaw, pooling onto the floor, but the creature seemed indifferent. It drank every last drop before tossing the glass aside, where it shattered upon impact.
Finally, its hollow eyes fixed on Joe. Slowly, deliberately, the skeleton rose from its throne, its imposing presence filling the room.
[The Hidden Zone Boss The (Rank 30) 'Skull King' Has Appeared.]
[Hidden Zone Main Quest]
• Objective: Slay The Hidden Zone Boss, The 'Skull King.'
• Reward: 35,000 Rank Points
• Failure: Death
Mana surged violently from Joe’s body.
[You Have Activated The Skill: (Outsider’s Enhancement)]
[-2000 Rank Points To Your Mana Pool.]
[Current Mana Pool:19,020]
[+350 Rank Points To Your Physical Attributes. (Total:392)
[+400 Rank Points To Your Mana Pool. (Total:495]
Joe steadied himself despite the oppressive effects of the Domain. The lingering pressure still weighed on him, but his sheer physical strength pushed through its grip.
The Skull King reached for the armrest where a bottle of green liquid rested. It casually lifted the bottle and drank as it descended a grotesque staircase formed from the mangled bodies of adventurers. Syr's victims were also part of the pile.
Green liquid dripped from the Skull King's hollow jaws, splashing onto the corpses below, as its body failed to contain the substance.
By the time the Skull King reached the ground, the bottle was nearly empty. It let out a deep burp, exhaling a sinister green smoke, and casually hurled the bottle toward Joe.
Joe didn’t take chances. With a sharp swing of his blade, he unleashed a black crescent slash that tore through the bottle mid-air. The shattered container released a sudden explosion, flooding the area with a cloud of green smoke.
Joe tightened his grip on his black blade, his eyes piercing through the obscuring fumes. Within the haze, a sharp, elongated object emerged—a spear made of bones. [Bone Spear]
Acting on instinct, Joe swung his weapon again, releasing another dark arc of mana. [Crescent Moon Slash]
The bone spear twisted unnaturally mid-flight, evading the attack and streaking toward him. Joe quickly shifted his stance, aiming the tip of his blade directly at the incoming projectile. Black mana coalesced at the tip, forming a dense orb of energy.
[Black Orb]
He fired the attack, the orb only got close to the bone but didn't make contact before it exploded. The explosion devoured the bone before it had a chance to change its trajectory again. A dark cloud began to build up as a result—mixing with the already present green smoke.
The momentary reprieve didn’t last. A sudden gust of wind tore through the cloud of smoke blowing it away. The Skull King appeared in front of Joe in an instant.
With a clenched fist, the Skull King delivered a devastating punch to Joe’s stomach.
Joe flew backward, crashing against the massive door of the Domain, the force of the impact reverberating through his entire body.
"That’s fast," Joe thought, gritting his teeth as blood trickled down his lip.
He didn’t have time to dwell on the Skull King's Speed, though.
The Skull King slammed its palm against the ground, causing countless bone spikes to erupt violently from the floor. [Bone Eruption]
Reacting instantly, Joe leaped into the air, his form graceful as his cloak billowed in the wind.
But this was exactly what the Skull King had anticipated.
As Joe ascended, four orbs of green light materialized around the Skull King, their shapes morphing into eerie, glowing skulls. They emitted haunting, almost lifelike wails before the Skull King hurled them at Joe.
Joe landed deftly on the ceiling, using it as a springboard to launch himself forward.
“Let’s go x2, Syr.”
[-4000 Rank Points To Your Mana Attribute]
[+650 Rank Points To Your Physical Attributes:(Total:692)
[+800 Rank Points To Your Mana Pool: (Total:895]
[Current Mana Pool: 15,020]
His blade slashed through one of the orbs, triggering a massive explosion that caused a chain reaction, igniting the rest.
The blast engulfed Joe, but thanks to the Black Sheep and [Outsider’s Enhancement], the flame's effects were drastically diminished. Using the momentum from his leap, Joe cut through the smoke, appearing above the Skull King. He swung his blade with the intent to cleave the Skull King in half.
The Skull King, however, was prepared. Raising its massive arm, it intercepted the strike. The clash sent a powerful shockwave through the chamber, creating a massive crater beneath them. The bone spikes and skeletons scattered throughout the domain were obliterated by the force. Despite the colossal impact, the Skull King’s bones remained unscathed, not a single crack marring their surface.
With sheer brute strength, the Skull King flung Joe aside with a single sweeping motion, sending him flying and skidding across the ground. Only Joe’s agility spared him from a more severe injury.
Now a fair distance away, Joe steadied himself, his skin burning from the lingering heat of the flames. His face and hands stung sharply, but he gritted his teeth and pushed through the pain, refusing to yield.
"That thing can manipulate green fire? Are skeletons allowed to do that?"
[No, It’s Manipulating Souls. It’s Using Them To Generate An Energy Similar To Fire, But it’s Not. Think Of It As An Advanced Form Of Your Soul Control Skill.]
“Damn it!”
The Skull King launched both its fists, detaching them from its arms and propelling them like rockets.
Joe reacted swiftly, weaving past the fists with seamless precision. But as he pressed forward, ready to slay the handless Skull King, he noticed the fists closing in again from behind, targeting his blind spot. They made no sound, making them perfect assassination tools—but Joe had no blind spots.
He saw them.
Performing an acrobatic backflip, Joe soared over the Skull King’s hands. While airborne, he swung his blade, a crescent arc of black mana was launched targeting the Skull King's neck.
Green energy surged around the Skull King’s arm just before another explosion erupted on contact.
Joe landed a few meters away.
He spotted the Skull King on the move, its form darting to his right in a curving run. The creature used the smoke as cover, but Joe saw through everything.
Unable to rely on stealth, the Skull King opted for speed. It closed the distance swiftly, wielding a bone sword that erupted in green flames. The Skull King swung in a horizontal arc, which produced green crescent flames whose aim was to split Joe into two.
Joe barely raised his black blade in time to block. The sheer force of the attack sent him sliding backward, his boots scraping against the ground as he struggled to hold his ground.
“Let’s go, Syr! x3!”
[-6000 Rank Points From Your Mana Pool]
[+950 To Your Mana Pool. (Total:992)
[1,200 Rank Points To Your Mana Attributes. (Total:1 295)]
[Current Mana Pool: 9,020]
Mana surged through Joe’s blade, allowing him to nullify the Skull King’s attack with a powerful counter-swing.
But the Skull King wasn’t finished. It appeared above Joe's form hurling a spear coated in green flames.
Joe jumped back just in time, but when the spear struck the ground, it unleashed a massive shockwave that sent him flying backward. He crashed spine-first into the wall, more blood dripping from his lips as pain surged through his body.
“Damn it, that thing’s strong. Really, really strong.”
The Skull King landed with eerie grace, forming another sword in its hands. Once again, the blade radiated its signature green energy. Pointing the weapon at Joe, the flames condensed into a glowing orb.
Joe felt mocked, as though the Skull King was saying, If you can do it, I can do it better.
The orb shot toward Joe. He scrambled, leaping to the side just in time to avoid annihilation.
His legs felt heavy, his lungs burned, and sweat poured down his face. Joe’s grip tightened on his blade despite the stinging pain in his arms.
"I have to finish this in one solid attack."
[You Have Unsealed 4 Seals From The Black Blade]
As soon as he unsealed the 4th seal, Joe collapsed to his knees. "What the hell? It's so heavy."
[-1000 From Your Mana Pool]
[Current Mana Pool:8,020]
[The Black Blade's Maximum Mana Capacity Has Increased To 2500]
"Damn it, that’s a drastic consumption of my Mana Pool."
[When You Go Beyond 3 Seals, It’s Bound To Happen. You’re A Step Closer To Awakening The Mana Tool.]
"Awakening?"
[Keep Your Eyes On The Battle. It's Coming.]
The Skull King closed the distance with frightening speed. This time, its entire body was engulfed in "flames"—a green, energy that radiated around it.
With a roar, it thrust its sword into Joe's stomach, but Joe leaped sideways, narrowly avoiding the strike as the blade passed harmlessly through the air.
"Let’s finish this."
[You Have Activated The Black Blade’s Skill: (Charge)]
[The Black Blade Is Gathering Mana]
The Skull King, unfazed, turned toward Joe, preparing for another charge. But Joe stood firm, his eyes narrowed in focus.
The Skull King threw itself at him, its speed frighteningly quick.
[Charge Complete!]
[The Black Blade's Mana Output Has Doubled (Total: 5000 Rank Points)]
[You Have Activated The 'Branch Skill': (Black Vortex)]
With a swift motion, Joe swung his blade. As it cut through the air, a massive wave of dark mana erupted from the blade, surging toward the Skull King. The energy enveloped the creature, pulling it into a swirling vortex of pure black mana. Countless slashes tore through its bones from every angle, shredding its form into oblivion.
Joe was ripping the rewards of [Outsider’s Enhancement] reaching its second stage .
Exhaustion overwhelmed Joe, and he dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. A smile crept onto his face. The battle was over. And with that, Joe knew he had finally opened a path to the next zone.