Chapter 3: The Goal of All Life is Death
Part Two – The Burden of Truth
The cavern shook.
The death aura pulsed outward from the skeleton like a wave of frozen blue fire, scorching the living essence of every creature nearby. The once-relentless horde of ghouls now staggered, writhing in agony as if invisible chains dragged their souls toward oblivion. Bones that had long since given up the will to live crumbled faster than expected, flesh rotting with unprecedented speed. Young rats of decay themselves, they were undone by an even greater truth—the inevitability of their own end.
But then, the flame within the skeleton flickered wildly, sending sparks of pain rippling through his frame.
The very power that had vanquished his foes now seethed inside him, gnawing at his fragile structure.
[Warning: Skill Overload Detected: Vitality Drain Increasing Rapidly.]
[Critical Health Status: 15% Remaining.]
[Immediate Skill Energy Regulation Required to Avoid System Collapse.]
His blades dropped loosely to the cavern floor as his joints threatened to seize. The blue flames in his empty sockets dimmed, shadows swelling as his bones began to splinter uncontrollably.
The overwhelming truth of mortality was a double-edged sword. To embody the end of all things came at a terrible cost.
The skeleton's mind—once a hollow void—rippled with the awe-stricken realization: this power demanded balance. Control. Or else it would consume him utterly.
The Collapse and Rise
Just as the ghouls seemed ready to overwhelm his weakened frame, chaos erupted anew.
From behind the tangled ruins of broken stone pillars, a malevolent howl filled the air. Low and unyielding, it was the roar of the Ghoul King, whose chains rattled as he broke free from one link. His monstrous body surged forward with terrifying intent.
The skeleton collapsed fully onto his knees, every bone screaming under the weight of the skill's backlash. But with guttural determination, he pushed onward.
His sockets involuntarily blazed once more, producing a wide arc of soul-fire that incinerated the ghoul closest at hand. Their distorted roars filled the cavern as the living dead sensed both their undoing and the fragility of the being that threatened them.
The Ghoul King charged.
Ten-foot claws swiped through—
The skeleton rolled backward clumsily, narrowly dodging a strike that could have shattered him entirely. His limbs weakened from the awakened skill, each motion felt sluggish and heavy, like dragging lead through thick water. But even in such desperation, he gritted his nonexistent teeth and swung his sword, igniting it with the cold fire of inevitability.
He slashed the king's wrist, carving through cracked bone—and a surge of energy flooded into him, bolstering his frame like fresh marrow.
Yet the cost was staggering.
Blue flames roared harder, shadows clawing deeper under his skin until nearly every bone screamed with fragile agony.
The True Weight of Death
Struggling upright, the skeleton realized the horrifying truth: the skill did not distinguish between others and himself. It drew from the very essence of life—his life included.
Every moment he channeled the primal truth of death, he risked dissolving into nothingness. The claws of oblivion blinked closer at every heartbeat.
His flare burned bright, but for how long?
The cavern walls seemed to close in. The echoes of the wail returned, now mixed with the frenzy of hundreds of attacking ghouls and the rage of the Ghoul King, who bellowed with a fury like a dying god.
The skeleton's body shattered—not physically but metaphysically.
A trembling cascade:
Fissures spread across his bones like cracks in ancient frescoes. Soul fire flickered, then surged. The system warned in urgency, but the skeleton did not tease the warnings. In his heart of bone, he knew this was more than a battle for survival—it was the crucible of becoming.
The blue flames exploded outward, consuming both friends and foes alike. Ghouls dissolved into nothingness before their claws could bite once again, the Wail faltered as the devastating presence asserted itself fully.
The Ghoul King roared in defiance but staggered as the weight of unlife slipping away swelled into the room.
A Shattered Victory
When the dust settled, the skeleton lay broken but undestroyed. His bones had splintered to near ruin, but his spirit endured—borne on the ineffable force of inevitability.
High above, the chains of the Ghoul King shattered, but the king itself had disappeared, retreating into darkness. The cavern was silent once more except for the flicker of blue light burning in the skeleton's eyes.
The system chimed quietly:
[Quest Complete: The Root of Eternal Silence.]
[Reward: Skill Acquired – The Goal of All Life is Death (Activated).]
[Title Earned: Harbinger of Decay.]
The skeleton struggled to stand, every sinew threatening to collapse. His limbs were cracked and fragile, but the infinitely cold power that surged within granted him a terrifying truth: death was no longer a distant end—it was an omnipresent force he now wielded, feared by all.
Yet, it was also a burden weighing heavier than any bone.
His first true brush with this power had almost consumed him.
But the path to becoming an Overlord was never meant to be easy.
He raised his sword weakly, flickering with the light of a thousand dying stars, and looked toward the endless shadows beyond the cavern's edge.
The Bone Overlord was born today—not from strength alone, but from embracing the inevitable truth that the goal of all life is death itself.
And this was only the beginning
***End of Volume 1***