The Forsaken Awakening

Blood Library – The Final Chamber

Jinhyuk stood before the final doors, his breathing steady but his mind sharp. The battle with the Lizardman General had drained a good chunk of his mana and stamina, but there was no turning back now.

He pushed the doors open, stepping into the boss chamber.

The room was massive—a grand library hall filled with towering bookshelves and floating scrolls. Strange crimson runes flickered across the walls, pulsing in sync with an invisible heartbeat.

At the far end of the room, seated on a stone throne surrounded by piles of decayed books, was the dungeon's master.

A tall Lizardman, draped in dark crimson robes, stared down at him. Its yellow reptilian eyes glowed with unnatural intelligence.

Unlike the others, it radiated mana.

[ Dungeon Boss Identified: Lizardman Sorcerer-King (B-Rank) ]

Jinhyuk's fingers tightened around his daggers.

"B-Rank. This is going to be rough."

The Sorcerer-King slowly rose, dust falling from its robes. With a lazy flick of its clawed fingers, a floating grimoire opened beside it, glowing with eerie red mana.

Then, without a word, it raised one hand.

The air rippled.

A massive fireball, easily twice Jinhyuk's size, formed in an instant—

And shot toward him at insane speed.

Jinhyuk reacted on instinct.

---

The Sorcerer-King's Wrath

BOOM!

Jinhyuk teleported mid-air with Shadow Blink, narrowly dodging the fireball. It exploded against the floor, melting the stone into lava.

"Tch. One hit from that and I'm dead."

Before he could counter, the Sorcerer-King lifted its hand again.

This time—

A dozen smaller fire lances formed around it.

Then—they all launched at once.

Jinhyuk cursed, activating Phantom Steps to dodge in rapid succession.

One lance grazed his shoulder, searing his flesh.

Another barely missed his side.

"It's not just strong. It's fast."

He needed to close the gap.

Fast.

---

Abyssal Domain – The Turning Point

Jinhyuk gritted his teeth and unleashed his strongest ability.

[ Skill Activated: Abyssal Domain ]

The room darkened, the bookshelves warping as shadows spread like living tendrils.

The Sorcerer-King paused, tilting its head.

It could sense the shift.

Jinhyuk vanished into the shadows, his presence flickering.

Then—he struck.

A shadow dagger pierced into the Sorcerer-King's side.

SLASH!

But—something was wrong.

Instead of flesh and bone, his blade passed through mist.

"An illusion?!"

Jinhyuk's instincts screamed—

The real Sorcerer-King reappeared behind him.

Its staff crackled with electricity.

Then—lightning struck.

ZAAAP!

Jinhyuk barely managed to raise a shadow barrier, but the force sent him flying.

His vision blurred. His body felt numb.

The Sorcerer-King slowly approached, its grimoire flipping pages.

It was preparing another spell.

Jinhyuk gritted his teeth.

"I need to end this. Now."

---

The Final Strike

Jinhyuk pushed every ounce of mana into one final attack.

He summoned his strongest shadow construct—

A massive serpent made of pure darkness coiled around the chamber, its glowing red eyes mirroring his own.

The Sorcerer-King finally showed emotion—a flicker of surprise.

Jinhyuk smirked.

"Attack."

The shadow serpent lunged, its fangs aimed at the Sorcerer-King's chest.

The boss tried to counter with a defensive barrier—

But it was too late.

CRUNCH!

The serpent's jaws clamped down, piercing through the Sorcerer-King's body.

It let out a final, distorted shriek—

Then its body shattered into red mist.

[ Dungeon Boss Defeated. ]

[ EXP Gained: 240 ]

Jinhyuk collapsed to one knee, panting. His mana reserves were nearly empty.

But he had won.

Or so he thought.

Then—everything changed.

---

Anomaly Detected – Unknown Entity Approaching

The blood-red walls pulsed violently.

The dungeon should have started collapsing—but it didn't.

Instead, a new presence filled the room.

A dark portal opened at the far end, and from it, a figure emerged.

Jinhyuk's breath hitched.

The being looked human… but wasn't.

It was tall, clad in flowing black robes, its face concealed by a golden mask etched with unreadable runes.

Its eyes burned with a crimson light—ancient, unreadable.

And when it spoke, its voice echoed in his mind.

"You are unworthy of the power you wield."

Jinhyuk's body tensed.

"Who… are you?"

The entity tilted its head slightly.

"I am a servant of The Forgotten One."

Jinhyuk's heart pounded.

"The Forgotten…?"

The entity slowly raised a single finger.

"Prove your worth."

A wave of force exploded outward—

And the real battle began.

---

Blood Library – The Anomaly Begins

Jinhyuk's instincts screamed at him.

The being standing before him wasn't normal.

It looked human, yet something about it was fundamentally wrong. The way it moved, the way its presence warped the air, made his skin crawl.

The golden mask covering its face was expressionless, yet its crimson eyes burned into him.

"You are unworthy of the power you wield," the entity said again. Its voice didn't echo in the room—it echoed inside Jinhyuk's mind.

Jinhyuk tightened his grip on his daggers.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The masked entity tilted its head slightly.

"I am a Servant of The Forgotten One."

Jinhyuk's blood ran cold.

The Forgotten One.

The mysterious being who gave him his powers.

"Why are you here?" Jinhyuk asked, his body tensing.

The Servant raised a single hand.

"Prove your worth."

A shockwave of mana exploded from the entity—

And the real battle began.

---

A Fight Jinhyuk Couldn't Win

Before Jinhyuk could react, the Servant vanished.

Not teleported—just gone.

His instincts screamed, and he dodged on pure reflex.

SHHHING!

A golden blade sliced through the air, barely missing his throat.

"What—?"

The Servant reappeared behind him, moving with inhuman speed.

Jinhyuk twisted, forming a shadow spear and thrusting it forward.

CLANG!

The Servant blocked it with a single finger.

Jinhyuk's eyes widened.

"Impossible—"

Then—pain.

A force hit his stomach, sending him flying.

CRASH!

Jinhyuk smashed into a bookshelf, books and debris raining down on him.

He coughed blood, his ribs screaming in pain.

"I… I can't even react to him."

The Servant walked toward him slowly.

"Your skills are crude. Your power is borrowed. You are not yet worthy."

Jinhyuk gritted his teeth.

"Like hell I'll go down without a fight!"

He forced his mana outward, activating Abyssal Domain.

The shadows surged, covering the battlefield.

The Servant paused, glancing around.

For a moment, Jinhyuk thought it had worked—

Then—

A single wave of the Servant's hand.

And his entire Abyssal Domain shattered.

Jinhyuk froze.

"He just… broke my strongest skill?"

The Servant appeared in front of him, grabbing him by the throat with impossible speed.

Jinhyuk struggled, gasping for air.

"Your illusions are weak. Your shadows are incomplete," the Servant stated.

Then—it threw him.

BOOM!

Jinhyuk hit the ground hard, his body screaming in pain.

His vision blurred.

His mana was almost gone.

He tried to stand—but his body wouldn't move.

The Servant stood over him.

"Unworthy."

Jinhyuk's chest heaved.

He had never lost this badly before.

Was this the gap between him and true power?

---

The Servant's Warning

The Servant slowly lowered its hand.

For a moment, Jinhyuk thought it was going to finish him off.

Instead, it simply said:

"You are weak now. But The Forgotten One is watching."

It turned, walking away.

"Become stronger. I will return."

Jinhyuk tried to move, tried to speak—

But before he could—

The dungeon began to collapse.

CRACK.

The stone walls shook violently, red mana fading from the air.

A portal formed beside him.

Jinhyuk's vision flickered.

The last thing he saw was the Servant stepping into the darkness—

Then everything went black.