/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////author's note : Hello it's my first time writing I hope you enjoy my story and if you have any suggestions please leave some reviews so I could improve the story
Inner thoughts: `…`
Notice: <<…>>
Speech: "…"
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The cold air hung heavy with despair as Sung Jin-Woo and his comrades slipped through the hidden door behind the defeated low-rank boss. nothing could have prepared them for what awaited inside.
The passage opened into a vast, stone-wrought hall, its towering ceiling lost in darkness. In the center of the hall stood a colossal statue—the Lord of this desolate sanctuary—its face carved with a twisted semblance of mercy and cruelty. Gigantic, archaic runes shimmered on the walls as if alive, their silent authority proclaiming the rules of engagement. In the echoing silence, a single decree resonated:
1. Worship the Lord.
2. Praise the Lord.
3. Prove your faith to the Lord.
Every hunter's heart pounded faster as the weight of these rules sank in. The once familiar thrill of discovery was replaced by a bone deep terror of the unknown. Jin-Woo glanced at his comrades, their faces filled with confusion a and eyes flickering around the room. He could feel the tension in the air, thick and suffocating, as if the dungeon itself was watching them.
Before they could make sense of the cryptic commands, the stillness shattered. The giant Stone statue began to stir, his eyes glowing with a hellish light.
"GET DOWN!"Jin-Woo screamed alarming everyone
With deafening clamor, the statues sprang to life, hurling from it's eyes a massive beam of light that erased the hunters in the ground leaving scorching marks. Screams and the clatter of bodies filled the hall.
Jin-Woo's knowledge did little against the savagery of this absolute power. The hunters, overwhelmed by the sudden and ruthless onslaught, scrambled for safety. Amid the chaos, one truth burned clear: only by submitting completely to the temple's unforgiving edicts could anyone hope to survive.
In the middle of the bloodshed, when all hope seemed as distant as the echoes in the abyss, Jin-Woo made a fateful decision. Realizing that every second counted, he ordered a temporary cease of futile resistance. Heart pounding, he forced himself to kneel before the colossal deity, the weight of his choice pressing down like the stone itself. A grim silence fell the relentless attack of stone halted momentarily.
As he knelt, a whirlwind of thoughts spiraled through his mind. *Is this truly the end?* The faces of his comrades flashed before him, their hopes and dreams intertwined with his own. He could almost hear their voices urging him to fight, to resist. But in that moment of despair, surrender to this dungeon rules felt like the only path to survival.
The hunters, sensing a narrow window of reprieve, scrambled for escape. But reprieve in the temple was a cruel illusion. A horrifying smile plastered across the face of this god,The massive statue began its slow, inexorable advance toward Jin-Woo. The cold, hard reality sank in as every attempt at survival by following the rules against this overwhelming strength was apparently useless.
his body convulsed under the impending blow. Even as his leg was crushed under the statue's rampart of unyielding stone, the thought of surrender was unthinkable. "I do not want to die…"Jin-Woo
'how could this happen happenhere, how is this possible ,we are trapped it's over for us.
We are going to die'
sung Jin woo know as the weakest hunter couldn't help it after looking at the horrifying smile of the state of god again
Infront of such terrifying strength the hunters got killed one after another powerless to do anything
"I don't want to die"
'we had no choice but to wait for our death '
"Song san take joohee san with you and run"
"I said I was going to sta——"song chl-yul tried to protest but got cut off
"Who's going to carry joohee san then, there isn't enough time left hurry"
"No Jin woo san.in that case it should be me"even joohee tried to persuade sung
"I promised to take take you out to eat, here take this buy your self dinner " Jin-Woo quickly denid her request
As song chl-yul knocked her out and prepared for going,he turned to him to show his gratitude
Left alone, Jin-Woo stood facing a dozen or so of statues he gripped the sword hilt tighter
"I will take at least one of you with me"
What followed this words was by the definition brutal
The air in the chamber seemed to collapse upon itself as Jin-Woo's blood cooled along the cracked stone floor. Seconds—or perhaps an eternity—had passed since the monstrous deity's crushing blow. In that final, suspended instant, when every hope appeared extinguished, a brilliant, otherworldly light shattered the darkness.
In the split second before oblivion, a brilliant azure light burst through his vision. The words, both a curse and a blessing, echoed in his mind:
"You have been chosen as a Player. Will you accept?"
Time itself seemed to suspend as Jin-Woo's will ignited a spark in that dark crucible.
With his last vestige of strength, he accepted. The world dissolved into an unbearable void, sealing him between life and death.
'is this how I die I couldn't even take care of my mother and sister,l am sorry father I failed all of you.'
< "The unique skill shadow monarch" has been obtained>>
'huh, am I hallucinating'
< 'in my next life I wish to someone strong l am tired of people pushing me over treating my life as insignificant comperd to them,
I will make to destroy and dominate who stands in my path l will become stronger!'
< < < Light magic affinity and light/holy magic resistance>>
'fell My body losing it 's heat ,I am getting cold is what dying feels like '
< With that darkness took over
Jin-Woo awoke amidst the cold, unyielding stone relic and scattered flames debris. The survivor stood silent once more, the dreadful memories intact, as if nothing had changed. But everything was different inside him. The agony of the sacrifice had unlocked something dark and potent—a nascent power that pulsed like a heartbeat under the surface of his reborn soul.
Haunted by the violent echoes of the past, Jin-Woo's eyes burned with a newfound intensity. The pain of his shattered body had faded, replaced by a strange,power. Every memory of the brutal trial—the relentless statues, the unbreakable rules, the crushing despair—fueled the ember of a power that promised both vengeance and dominion over darkness.
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A/N:I hope you had a great time reading this chapter if you want to know anything or have some ideas leave a review so I can improve
now to explaining I chose a daemon because of two reasons one being that monarchs are a spiritual life forms and ashborn being about darkness and shadow would be perfect to make him daemon.
Second reason is that during his journey Jin-Woo keeps losing his humanity so I am having this sung attempt to reclaim his humanity if this gets enough support I will try to upload quickly
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