Chapter 6: The Birth of the Forsaken Lord

Darkness and Hunger

Ryosuke lay motionless on the damp cavern floor, his body a broken husk, blood pooling beneath him in a slow, widening stain.

His vision flickered between light and darkness, the world around him slipping in and out of focus. His veins felt like they were filled with molten lead, every nerve screaming in protest.

But the worst pain wasn't in his body.

It was in his soul.

Something inside him was being devoured.

The creature hadn't just entered his body—it had begun merging with him, tearing away at his essence like a parasite burrowing into flesh.

It wasn't content with killing him.

It wanted to replace him.

His fingers twitched weakly, coated in his own blood. His muscles spasmed, his chest convulsing unnaturally as his life force drained into something else.

And yet—

🔹 [The Forsaken Shall Rise.]

The voice.

It was closer now.

A presence—not distant, not ethereal. It was here.

🔹 [SYSTEM OVERRIDE DETECTED.]

A sudden pulse rippled through his body.

And for the first time—the creature inside him screamed.

Expulsion – The Creature's Agony

A pressure far greater than anything Ryosuke had ever known erupted inside him, forcing out the intruder.

The parasite shrieked, its many clawed limbs bursting free from his body, writhing as if in torment.

Ryosuke arched his back, a guttural scream tearing from his throat, his mouth spilling blackened blood. His vision went white, his entire body spasming as he felt the corruption being wrenched from his soul.

The creature wasn't leaving willingly.

It was being ripped away.

It fought. It howled.

But it lost.

With a final, violent tremor, it was ejected from his flesh and flung onto the stone floor.

The impact sent cracks through the cavern ground.

And then, for the first time, the predator lay still.

The Aftermath – A New Body, A New Power

Ryosuke collapsed, his limbs twitching violently as his breath came in sharp, ragged gasps.

Something was different.

The pain was gone.

No—he could still feel the wounds, the blood seeping from the gashes across his chest, but his body was no longer on the verge of collapse.

Instead, a cold, powerful energy coiled in his veins, something foreign yet familiar.

Slowly, he forced himself to sit up.

His hands were still shaking, his skin slick with blood, but the exhaustion no longer felt crushing.

And when he looked up—

He saw it.

The Monster, Now the Prey

The creature twitched violently, its chitinous limbs struggling to push itself upright.

It looked… weaker.

The unnatural distortion in the air was gone.

And for the first time, Ryosuke saw its System data.

🔹 [Corrupted Aberration – Class Unknown]

🔹 Status: Weakening

🔹 Error: Connection Severed

It wasn't the predator anymore.

Ryosuke was.

He stepped forward, his boots crunching against loose stone.

The creature flinched.

It was afraid.

Of him.

A dark smile crept onto his lips. This was new.

The First Subjugation

Ryosuke's hand tightened into a fist.

Something inside him—an instinct, a calling—told him he didn't need a weapon.

🔹 [Skill Acquired: Dominate Undead (Lv. 1)]

The creature's many eyes widened in terror.

It tried to flee.

But it couldn't.

An invisible force locked its body in place, its limbs thrashing uselessly against the air.

The predator that had once stalked this dungeon was now caged.

🔹 [Target is resisting subjugation…]

🔹 [Applying force.]

The creature screeched violently, its body convulsing as if something was tearing into its mind.

It resisted.

But resistance was futile.

🔹 [Corrupted Aberration has been subjugated.]

🔹 [Assigning Designation…]

Ryosuke narrowed his eyes.

"No," he murmured, his voice hoarse. "I name my own."

He stared at the broken creature, something twisted and hollowed that had once tried to consume him.

It was an abomination. A thing that should not have existed.

But it did.

And now, it was his.

"Your name is… Nyx."

🔹 [Designation Accepted: Nyx.]

🔹 [Nyx will obey the Forsaken Lord.]

The moment the System confirmed it, the creature lowered itself before him, pressing its head into the dirt.

Not in submission.

But in recognition.

The First Command

Ryosuke stood in silence, staring at the thing that had almost killed him.

Now, it was his to command.

A wave of exhaustion threatened to overtake him, but he pushed it aside.

There were questions to answer.

Why had the System rejected this creature before?

Why had it been inside him?

And more importantly—

Why did it feel like this was only the beginning?

His fingers twitched.

Something about his own body had changed.

His senses were sharper. His vision felt clearer.

He turned to Nyx, who still knelt at his feet, awaiting orders.

A creature that was never meant to be controlled… now bound to him.

Ryosuke's smile returned, but it was different now.

Not cold. Not cruel.

Something else.

Something unstoppable.

He took a slow breath, looking toward the darkness beyond the cavern.

Something was waiting for him there.

He just didn't know what.