[Reincarnation Process Initiated…]
[Source: Demon King's Curse – "Cycle of Agony"]
[Subject: Noir Valenhardt – Verified]
[Classification: Monster – Skeleton Lv.1]
[Location: Dungeon of Darkness – 9th Floor]
[Status: Revived]
"Argh…"
A faint groan escaped from the dull white skull lying in the middle of a damp, shadowy chamber. Noir opened his eyes—or rather, his consciousness awoke again. But what he saw was only bones. His hands? Bones. His legs? Bones as well.
He sat up slowly, scanning his surroundings. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of bones scattered everywhere. His mind was still trying to process what had happened; the last thing he remembered was being killed. He lifted his arm and stared at the skeletal hand.
"I… really became a skeleton."
He glanced around. There was no sound—only suffocating silence. The stagnant air reeked of dried, ancient blood. Countless bones littered the floor. He couldn't tell exactly where he was, but one thing was certain—this place was terrifying.
The bones clearly belonged to warriors. Their weapons, armor, and broken shields lay among them. One skeleton still clutched a sword glowing with faint blue light.
"This must be a dungeon… though I don't know exactly which one."
[Welcome to the new cycle: "Cycle of Agony"]
[For slaying the Demon King, the highest curse has been planted within your soul.]
[To make you feel the agony of the Demon King, you will be reborn as a monster… starting from the very bottom.]
[Primary Objective: Survive and Evolve.]
Noir's eyes—now nothing more than blue flames burning within hollow sockets—trembled slightly. Now he understood why this had happened. But instead of despair, a crooked smile formed.
"A curse…? So this is your form of revenge, huh?" he muttered as he stood. "Demon King… so you left behind something like this." Noir chuckled darkly.
[You have obtained an Evolution System: "Dominion of the Fallen"]
[Functions: Observe – Absorb – Evolve]
[Note: Evolution will only occur once you reach certain levels.]
Noir stared again at his bony hand. Slowly, he adjusted to the balance of his new body, testing small movements.
He walked toward the glowing sword. As his hand grasped the hilt, a detailed status window appeared before his eyes.
[Luminblade of the Dragon (Legendary Item)]
[Description: A sword forged from the fang of an ancient dragon that vanished thousands of years ago. It can unleash powerful light attacks.]
The moment Noir swung the blade, a searing pain exploded through his body. His bones rattled violently, and he was thrown backward. Falling to the ground, he glanced at his status. His HP had dropped.
[Name: Noir Valenhardt]
[Race: Undead]
[Class: Normal Skeleton]
[Level: 1]
[HP: 90/120]
[MP: 30/35]
[STR (Strength): 14]
[AGI (Agility): 9]
[VIT (Vitality): 10]
[DEX (Dexterity): 7]
[LUK (Luck): 1]
[Starting Skills]
[Rusty Slash] – A sluggish sword attack. Deals minor damage.
[Bone Rattle] – Produces rattling bone sounds. Useless in combat, but can lure weaker enemies.
[Passive]
[Undead Body] – No need for food or sleep. Immune to poison and disease.
[Low Presence] – Hard to detect by higher-level monsters.
Noir rose again and tried picking up the sword once more. When he swung it again, the same pain tore through him, throwing him back and lowering his HP further. He tilted his skull slightly, baffled.
Trying another sword yielded no such reaction—he could swing those normally. Looking back at the glowing blade and rereading its description, Noir finally understood.
"Ah. I forgot—light and darkness are opposites."
As an undead, he belonged to the darkness element. Light-based weapons dealt amplified damage against him.
At least the blade hadn't killed him outright—it had merely drained several dozen HP.
"I almost died stupidly," Noir muttered.
But he wouldn't allow such a weapon to be wasted. He retrieved the blade again and stored it inside an Item Box—a small dimensional storage space. This function, it seemed, was unique to monsters like him.
Scanning the chamber, Noir spotted an enormous door, towering above him. Strange symbols spiraled across its surface, with a spinning black orb embedded at its center. Noir recognized it. He had seen doors like this before—not exactly the same, but similar enough.
"As I thought… a dungeon entrance." He glanced back at the scattered skeletons. "These must have been adventurers who tried to conquer this place."
Yet one detail unsettled him. Among the dead lay a man who had wielded a legendary sword. That meant high-ranked adventurers had entered this dungeon—yet even they had perished here. A bad premonition coiled in Noir's mind.
And then—
A faint movement stirred behind him. Noir turned, and his flame-eyes widened.
"This explains everything."
Before him stood a massive wolf, its drool splattering across the stone floor. Larger than a full-grown horse, its fur was pitch black, absorbing light around it. Jagged spikes lined its back, and from its eyes burned crimson flames like molten coals.
The beast's growl reverberated through the chamber, making Noir's entire frame tremble. He knew instantly what it was—a monster of terrifying rank, something utterly impossible for a mere skeleton to face.
"Damn… is this where I die again?" Noir whispered.
The wolf advanced, step by step.
[Monster Identified]
[Hound of the Abyss Lv. 35]
[Element: Darkness, Corruption]
The system window confirmed it. Though not an S-rank as Noir first feared, a Level 35 monster was still far beyond him. Against a mere Level 1 skeleton, the outcome was obvious.
The wolf raised its head and howled, the shockwave forcing Noir back a step.
He steadied himself, taking a stance with a plain sword in hand. He knew he couldn't win, but at least he had to try to survive.
"Will I… actually win?"
Tring!
A crisp sound rang. A system notification appeared before Noir.
[Passive Skill Activated: "Memory of the Hero"]
[You have retained combat techniques and instincts from your previous life.]
[Base Stats Increased: +10% Agility, +10% Reflex, +30% Critical Damage.]
A faint grin spread across his skull. "Good. At least I've got this much."
The Abyssal Hound lunged forward, claws extended. Noir gripped his sword tight, his stance firm. For the first time since his death, his soul burned with true determination.
"Come on!"