End?

[Body Rotten with Darkness

You refused to die. You fought for a long time with all your strength. In the end, you convinced the darkness to let you live, and it took quite a liking to you, so it seeped into you. You are enriched with a dark system. Unlike normal skeletons of your level, you can think, see, and hear. You also have one hidden curse that will be a blessing for you.]

When Flain read this, he didn't know what to think. That darkness that was pulling him down into the void? Flain's view of it shifted 180 degrees. But that curse still stood out to him.

Flain then clicked on the title [Bloodthirsty].

[Bloodthirsty

You are Bloodthirsty. You enjoy killing others, and it feels fun and satisfying to you. When you have blood on your hands, you will be 5% stronger.]

This was a fairly minor bonus, but useful. In fact, it could even be exploited—Flain could simply coat his hands in blood, let it dry, and never wash it off, keeping that 5% boost permanently.

Next, Flain clicked on his last title, [Extremely Powerthirsty].

[Extremely Powerthirsty

You are Extremely Powerthirsty. You crave power to fulfill your goal. Seeing progress fills you with satisfaction. You desire power and will do anything to obtain it. When you level up, you receive a buff that makes you 50% stronger for 3 seconds.]

It was only 3 seconds, but even so, it was very good. A 50% power boost could be used to accomplish a lot. Then, Flain noticed that [Skeleton] was also marked, so he clicked on it.

[Skeleton

Skeletons are the first and most basic stage of skeletons. They can be created when someone dies in an area with dense necrotic mana, or they can be summoned by a necromancer. They do not need to eat, drink, or sleep. They cannot be infected by any disease, extreme heat or cold does not harm them, and they never get tired. Skeletons have no mind—they are blind, deaf, and senseless creatures that rely on instinct to navigate, which does not apply to you. Skeletons are very weak and slow.]

Evolution points required for evolution: 5

[Tip: Some monsters may drop evolution dusk or evolution shards. 10 evolution dusks make 1 evolution shard, and 10 evolution shards make 1 evolution point.]

Flain read through all of it. So, essentially, he didn't need basic human necessities, but he had retained some valuable human senses. While it said that skeletons were weak and slow, it also said they were mindless—which Flain was not. Overall, he was glad he had become a skeleton, but he was still frustrated that he had lost all his power. However, the fact that he was alive and a skeleton helped calm him down a bit.

"Hey, Skelly, you listening?" Itai said as the two sat there.

"Call me Flain," Flain replied coolly.

"Alright, fine, but Skelly sounds better to me. You're my first skeleton, and you turned out special like this. I've tried summoning skeletons many times, and this is the first time I succeeded," Itai said.

Then, Itai pulled out a damaged dagger from his pocket. "Sorry, but I don't have any other weapon," he said as he handed it to Flain.

Flain was used to fighting with four katanas, not a single miserable dagger. Then something strange happened. When Flain tried to think about his combat experience, he couldn't. It's hard to describe, but a blind spot appeared, and he was unable to recall anything about it. Flain could no longer even remember how to fight properly.

'How many more debuffs am I going to get? I'm weak, slow, and I don't even know how to fight. The only plus is that I don't have basic human needs,' Flain thought angrily.

"Alright, let's go, Flain," Itai said.

"Where?" Flain asked.

"To test your strength. If you're that special, you should be strong too," Itai said.

"Alright then," Flain replied. It might seem foolish for him to fight when he was this weak, but he had no other choice—Flain could only get stronger through battle. Besides, he enjoyed fighting.

"There's that bastard!" a voice suddenly shouted behind them.

Five armed men stood there. An archer fired an arrow, aiming straight for Itai's back.

"Ow, shit! It's them! Hehehe, perfect—Flain, crush them all! Flain, go get them!" Itai yelled.

Flain looked at them. They seemed quite strong. He wasn't sure if he could handle them in his current state. He had imagined starting with something weaker.

"Flain, attack already!" Itai shouted.

[Your master does not approve of what you are doing. If you do not stop, you will be punished.]

"Shit, I have no choice," Flain muttered.

Flain's eyes glowed with a deep purple light as he charged forward. His movements were slow and clumsy, but he tried his best. He raised his miserable dagger and struck at the nearest enemy.

Steel clashed against steel. The man easily parried Flain's attack and immediately swung his sword in return. Flain tried to dodge, but his weak body was far too slow. The blade cut cleanly through his left arm, which fell to the ground instantly.

[-5 HP]

Flain staggered back. He was weak. Pathetically weak. His combat skills were gone, his body was slow, and now he was even losing limbs. Flain turned to flee—he had no intention of dying again. He simply couldn't. No matter what this test was, it had to be better than death.

The archer fired another arrow. Flain had no chance of blocking it. The projectile pierced directly into his skull, and a crack spread instantly across his entire head until his skull shattered.

[-5 HP]

[You have died.]

-- --

Flain found himself once again in the black void. The same darkness that had once saved him now surrounded him again. The purple lights in his eyes flickered wildly.

"Shit!" he screamed maniacally.

Dark hands began to emerge from the void. Flain, of course, struggled, but it was pointless—the hands completely enveloped him.

'I can't die!' he thought one last time before his consciousness was completely consumed by the darkness.