Gabriel clutched his temples, the pounding in his skull like a drum of war. The aftershocks of forcing his mind through the rat's senses still lingered, leaving his vision swimming. Sweat trickled down his temple, though the dungeon's air was cold and damp.
The small beast at his feet squeaked softly, its beady eyes still locked on him with the eerie obedience of subjugation. Gabriel's breathing came shallow, yet his lips tugged into a grim smile. He had tested it — the connection worked. The senses of his slave were his own, but the price… the price was heavy.
Gabriel cursed under his breath, pushing the notice aside. "One rat… and I'm already on the edge?"
As if mocking him, another shape stirred in the far corner of the dungeon. Eyes glimmered in the dark — another beast, hunched and snarling, its low growl echoing against the stone. Larger than the rat, its presence pressed on him like a weight.
Gabriel's instinct screamed at him to stop, to wait until his body had recovered. But he knew the truth. If he hesitated, if he wasted this chance, he might never have another.
His jaw set. "One more."
Blue light flared faintly in his pupils — the tell of his hidden skill. His gaze locked on the creature, and the world seemed to still.
"Subjugate."
System Notification:
Mana reserves critically low. Further use of Subjugate risks collapse.
But he preesed on.
The beast shrieked, thrashing violently as the invisible chain lashed its soul. Gabriel's vision tunneled, his mana burning away like oil to fire. His knees buckled, his breath ripped from his lungs — but he refused to let go.
The creature's will cracked. Its body collapsed to the stone, trembling before him in submission.
And Gabriel's world went black.
When he opened his eyes, it wasn't the dungeon he saw. Cold daylight pierced through half-lidded lashes, and muffled voices muttered around him. He was being carried — no, dragged. His body hung limp, every limb a dead weight.
"He's finished," one guard spat, his voice grim but almost relieved. "The brat's finally given in. Should've happened long ago."
"Waste of time," another grumbled. "Dragging it out for nothing. Look at him — barely breathing. He's done."
Gabriel wanted to speak, to deny them, but his lips wouldn't move. Darkness clawed at the edges of his sight.
Later, he heard it again — voices, this time sharper, filled with anger.
"Bury him? While his chest still rises? Have you all lost your minds?"
"That husk is no longer fit to live. Let him pass and be done with it."
"That husk," a colder voice snapped, "is still of our blood. Do not think we will allow his body to be discarded like a dog's!"
A clash erupted — his main bloodline's family fighting tooth and nail against the others. Gabriel lay in silence, half-aware, as physicians hovered above him. His body felt like it had been carved hollow, his core sucked dry. Every time his heart thudded, it felt like it might stop altogether.
But he lived. Barely.
Days blurred into nights. Tinctures were forced down his throat, his body wiped down with bitter herbs. He drifted on the edge of death, catching fragments of heated arguments — one side eager to see him gone, the other refusing to release their claim.
By the time Gabriel's eyes fully opened again, the war over his body had settled into a tense truce. His family had won him back.
And though his body was weak, his eyes — faintly glowing in the dim light — carried a new, sharpened edge.
He had tasted power. He had paid the price. And he knew now that he would rise again — no matter who wished him dead.
Gabriel sat propped against the cushions, his body still weak but his mind racing. The events in the dungeon clung to him like smoke — the trembling submission of the rat, the violent struggle of the second beast, and the crushing emptiness of his mana being drained dry.
He swallowed, forcing himself upright. "Did it… work?"
A single thought was all it took.
Host Panel
Cultivation: Novice Stage(Low Rank)
Health: 33/120
Stamina: 25/60
Strength: 9
Agility: 10
Physique: 9
Endurance: 11
Mana: 5/10
Affinity: Water/Ice (Awakened)
Skills: God's Eye, Subjugate, System InventoryTechniques: Eternal Frost Scripture
Subjugated:
Dungeon RatCultivation: First Order – Initial Stage
Health: 20/20
Strength: 2
Speed: 4
Affinity: Darkness
Skills: Poison Bite
Cave LizardCultivation: First Order – Mid Stage
Health: 45/45
Strength: 8
Speed: 6
Affinity: Earth
Skills: Scale Armor, Tail Whip
Gabriel's breath caught. The names, the numbers — proof that it hadn't been a fever dream. Both creatures now lingered under his control.
But then his lips thinned. "What are they doing now… without me?"
The thought made his stomach twist. The rat and hound were in the dungeon still, weren't they? He imagined chaos, them rampaging freely, giving him away.
"System," he muttered. "Answer me. How do my subjugated beasts act without my control?"
System NotificationSubjugated beings behave according to natural instinct unless directed. They will not reveal subjugation unless commanded.
Relief washed through him. "So they act normal… unless I intervene."
Gabriel rubbed his temple, his face still pale. The aftertaste of emptiness lingered in his core — the hollow ache of having his mana drained completely.
"Tch. I nearly died because of it," he muttered, grimacing. "If my mana runs dry so easily, how am I supposed to survive? What use is quality if I can't even last?"
The system's chime echoed in his mind.
System NotificationThe host is mistaken. Mana did not deplete faster than normal. In truth, consumption was far lower.
Gabriel's brow furrowed. "Lower? It felt like I'd burned myself empty in moments. Don't lie to me."
System NotificationAt the host's current level, a normal practitioner would expend approximately 15 mana points to sustain Subjugate for one attempt. The host expended only 5.
He froze, the words sinking in. "Fifteen?" His lips parted, disbelief lacing his tone. "That's… three times what I spent."
The system remained silent, but its answer weighed heavy in his chest.
"If I'm using a third of the cost," Gabriel whispered, "then how do others even manage? At this stage, fifteen points would exhaust them in a single use."
System NotificationThat is why the majority cannot wield subjugation-type techniques. Only those with high-quality mana and refined constitutions can support them.
Gabriel leaned back slowly, still digesting it. His hand trembled against the bedding, not from weakness but from shock.
"And what about someone further along? Say… a cultivator in the middle of the novice stage?"
The system responded instantly.
System NotificationEstimated cost: 2 mana points.
Gabriel blinked. Then blinked again. His heart skipped a beat. "Two? Only two points… for them? While I pay five at the lowest rank?"
The difference staggered him. He had expected a smaller gap, but not one so immense.
His chest rose and fell with uneven breaths. "So, that's the truth. I am gifted — but I'm still chained by my realm. Compared to higher stages, I'm nothing but a child gasping for air."
He clenched his fists, his gaze burning with a quiet fire.
"But if I climb… if I push through faster than anyone else — then with this purity, this quality — I won't just survive."
His voice dropped, a whisper in the still room.
"I'll dominate."
Cultivators advance in both physical rank and spiritual depth. Mental strength dictates how many commands can be maintained, how far subjugated beings may be controlled, and how long the host can sustain observation. Excessive strain may lead to headaches, dizziness, unconsciousness, or permanent damage.
He exhaled sharply, remembering the sharp ringing in his skull, the pressure that felt like his mind might collapse. "So it wasn't my mana… it was my spirit being burned."
The system continued, its voice steady.
System NotificationThe host's affinity has granted a superior mana quality, but mental strength remains undeveloped. Without balance, overuse will cripple progress.
Gabriel's jaw tightened. "So, while others are worrying about not having enough mana, I have to worry about splitting my head open just to use what's mine."
And this last beast was stronger but still consumed 5 points of mana?
System NotificationTake it as a one time bonus from the system— future actions should be calculated or they might end in failure for the host
A bitter chuckle escaped him. Yet beneath it, his eyes shone with a hard resolve.
"Fine. Then I'll cultivate spiritual energy or what ever it is called too. Mana, body, mind — if it all must rise together, then so be it."
His thoughts drifted briefly to the rat lurking somewhere in the dungeon's darkness. A simple beast, yet now bound to him. If even that connection could strain him, what about stronger beings in the future?
The weight pressed on his chest, but rather than break him, it lit a fire.
"Let it come. If this is the path of power," Gabriel whispered, "then I'll endure it all."