POV OF TATTOOED MAN

As the tattooed man stood immobilized, a barrage of notifications appeared in his vision, their stark words adding to the dread closing in on him.

A sharp, cold sensation ran through him as the notifications flooded his vision:

[ YOU HAVE BEEN INFLICTED BY A NEGATIVE EFFECT SKILL ]

[ YOU HAVE NO RESISTANCE ]

[ FEAR HAS BEEN INFLICTED UPON YOU ]

[ ATTRIBUTES DECREASE BY 60% ]

Damn it! Ryan's mind screamed. What the hell am I supposed to do? His confidence was rapidly crumbling as the feeling of helplessness seized him. Every instinct he had told him to run, but his legs were rooted, paralyzed by the invisible weight of the fear pressing down on him.

He glanced around at his men, who had already dropped to the ground, some shaking uncontrollably, others barely conscious. He clenched his fists, feeling a surge of helplessness. I can't let it end like this, he thought, teeth grinding. I'll have to use that.

But before he could make a move, the figure in the plain mask—Nyx, their leader, if the kid's talk was true—spoke in a voice that sliced through the oppressive silence.

"Do it."

The tattooed man swallowed, eyes wide with terror. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered, trying to sound composed, but the sweat trickling down his neck betrayed him.

"Your Dark Bargain," Nyx said, his tone unbothered, as if he already had every one of the Tattooed figures secrets laid out in front of him.

The tattooed man's eyes went wide. "How do you... how do you know about my talent?" he whispered, a fresh wave of horror filling him as he took in Nyx's unflinching stare.

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A strange light danced across Nyx's mask as Lucas laughed softly behind him, saying, "The weak are unknowing, and the strong are fed." His voice had a certain taunt, but he was a little less affected by the weight of the air than Ryan's men, for even if not directly targeted, beads of sweat formed under his mask.

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[ VITAL SIGHT ] [ C- ] IS BEING USED

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PLAYER : RYAN

LEVEL : 4

STATUS : FEARED / SHOCKED / SLIGHTLY INJURED / NERVOUS

TALENT : DARK BARGAIN - Sacrifice the contracted's life force to improve attributes greatly

SKILLS : NONE

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Nyx's unyielding gaze seemed to pierce through him. He wasn't just looking at him; he was looking through him, peeling away his defenses layer by layer.

A sickening feeling twisted in Ryan's stomach as he realized the depth of Nyx's power. What is he? he wondered, feeling a mounting sense of doom. How much does he already know about me?

The oppressive atmosphere wasn't directly affecting Lucas, but he could feel its weight pushing against him like a dark tide. 'Boss is as intense as ever', he thought, his pulse quickening despite himself

Desperately, Ryan straightened, raising his hands slightly in a gesture of appeal. "Look, maybe we can come to some kind of… arrangement," he began, barely managing to keep his voice steady.

But before he could finish, his men—who had been trembling nearby—began to convulse, some even unconscious. Blood spurted from their mouths as they collapsed, some slipping into unconsciousness. The power crushing down on them was relentless, sapping their life force like a predator draining the last ounce of energy from its prey.

Nyx barely glanced at them. "I'm not running a daycare." he said icily, his voice piercing through the men's dying gasps.

"Wow," Lucas murmured, a feigned look of shock evident through his mask as he watched the display. "You're something else." He chuckled towards Ryan

Ryan's options were closing fast. The cold sweat on his forehead had become a full-body tremor, and he could feel his heart pounding erratically in his chest. There's only one choice left.

Gritting his teeth, Ryan knelt, bowing his head low before Nyx. "I submit to… the new boss," he muttered, his voice loudly shouted shakily.

"It's Lord," Viktor corrected sharply, his frustration evident.

Ryan glanced up, his face pale as he hurriedly nodded, "Yes..yes... I submit to the Lord." The words fell from his lips hurriedly correcting himself, drenched in fear while swallowing hard as he raised his eyes to Nyx, frantically hoping he'd made the right choice.