The Abyssal Dungeon's thirteenth layer had never been silent, but now it felt alive—no, aware. Shadows moved with unnatural rhythm, and the cold air crackled with raw, chaotic mana. Deep within its core, Kael stood at the heart of this awakening storm, body trembling not from weakness—but from power.
He was no longer the pitiful Level 2 warrior tossed aside like trash. He was reborn.
The Shard of Sovereignty pulsed in his chest, a fragment of an ancient force long buried beneath the world's lies. Its dark energy seeped into his bones, reforging him from the inside out. His muscles coiled like springs, skin reinforced with mana-twined flesh. His eyes—once dull with failure—now burned like twin obsidian flames.
> [You have assimilated 12% of the Shard of Sovereignty.]
[Class Mutation Complete: You are now the Godbound Pariah (Tier: Unknown)]
[Dungeon Sovereignty Recognized – Layer 13 is now under your command.]
[Unique Skill Unlocked: "Abyssal Will" – You may reshape and command the dungeon itself.]
Kael's breath hitched. "So this… is power."
But it was more than that. It was freedom.
He looked down at his open palm. The black sigil branded into his skin glowed faintly—three circles orbiting a broken throne. His class, his curse, and his crown.
He clenched his fist.
"I won't be their puppet anymore."
---
The Surface – Four Days Earlier
At the Adventurer's Guild in Velmora, guild leader Gareth slammed his fist on the table.
"He was a liability. Leaving Kael behind was the only choice."
The room was tense. Veterans nodded. Newer members looked uneasy. Lira, one of the youngest mages in the guild, lowered her eyes.
"You didn't have to trap him with the monsters," she whispered.
Gareth's glare silenced her. "Weakness gets people killed. He wasn't cut out for this world."
Lira didn't reply. But something in her chest twisted with guilt. The memory of Kael's eyes—wide, desperate, betrayed—flashed in her mind.
Suddenly, a guild runner burst in, face pale.
"There's been a report—Abyssal Dungeon… it's shifting."
"Shifting?" Gareth growled.
"Yes, sir. The thirteenth layer—it's active. No one's been able to enter. Something is changing it."
Gareth went still.
"No one has ever returned from Layer 13," he muttered.
But someone had.
---
Back in the Dungeon
Kael stood at the edge of a massive chasm—the Heart of Layer 13. Below, rivers of violet mana flowed like molten lava. The walls pulsed as if alive. Every beat of the dungeon resonated with his heartbeat now.
> [You may mold this layer.]
[Command: Shape Terrain | Spawn Entity | Seal Path | Create Sub-Core]
His thoughts flicked toward the betrayal. Their faces burned in his memory—Gareth, smirking. Lira, silently watching. The others, turning their backs.
He didn't want revenge.
He wanted dominion.
With a wave of his hand, the ground around him rumbled. Stone twisted and rose into jagged spires. A black throne erupted from the center, forged of corrupted obsidian and chained soulsteel.
He sat down.
> [Layer 13 Throne Activated: "Crown of the Forsaken"]
[Skill Unlocked: "Command Beast: Abyssal Chain"]
As if answering a silent call, three monstrous creatures crawled from the abyss. Their forms were twisted—part-wolf, part-shadow, eyes burning with allegiance.
Kael smiled faintly.
"Let's test your loyalty."
---
Three Days Later – Surface Report
Lira stood before the Guild's High Council in the capital city of Draxenholt.
"A force is rising from Layer 13," she said, trying to remain calm. "Magic readings are fluctuating. Something ancient has awakened."
The archmage scoffed. "You speak as if the dungeon itself has gained a mind."
She hesitated. "What if it has? What if… Kael survived?"
Murmurs broke out.
"Impossible."
"Foolish."
Gareth stepped forward, scowling. "I was there. He's dead."
But Lira wasn't so sure.
Because the magic signatures she had read—wild, dark, sovereign—didn't match any monster.
They matched something worse.
A cursed human.
---
Dungeon – Kael's Trials Begin
Kael stood beneath the obsidian throne, watching a portal tear itself open. A message blinked in his mind.
> [The World Has Taken Notice.]
[First Invaders Approaching. Prepare Defense.]
Three adventurers—unaware of what awaited—stepped through. Their eyes darted nervously. The dungeon felt... different. Smarter. Hostile.
Kael watched from above, silent, cloaked in shadow.
"Let them play."
As the intruders advanced, the dungeon shifted under his will. Walls closed. Spikes shot from the floor. Acid mist rolled in.
One fell screaming. Another tried to run.
The last one locked eyes with Kael.
"You… you're human?"
Kael stepped from the shadows, his voice cold.
"I was."
Chains burst from the ground, wrapping the man's limbs, dragging him into the abyss.
> [Invaders Defeated.]
[Experience Absorbed: Dungeon Core Level Up 1→2]
[Skill Acquired: "Essence Drain"]
He could feel it—his power growing.
But deep within, a whisper echoed.
"You are becoming what they feared…"
Kael didn't care.
They should fear him.
---
Two Days Later – Surface Tension Rises
Guilds across the continent began reporting anomalies. Entire dungeon floors vanishing. Magic behaving erratically. Messages from scouts ending in screams.
Someone drew a name on the war table in Draxenholt.
"The Pariah King."
It spread like wildfire.
Whispers of a being who ruled Layer 13 with dark power. Who killed adventurers without blinking. Who bent monsters to his will.
Lira stared at the parchment.
Kael's eyes haunted her dreams.
---
Dungeon – Throne of Chains
Kael sat motionless, surrounded by beasts. A new being approached—part shadow, part intellect. A Dungeon Spirit, conjured from the layer itself.
"Lord Sovereign," it said, bowing.
"Speak."
"The outer dungeon resists your control. You must expand."
Kael rose.
He knew what came next.
> [Mission Unlocked: "Conquer Layer 12"]
[Reward: Full Control of Abyssal Dungeon Upper Layers]
He smiled.
"I was thrown to the bottom. Now I'll climb."
---