The dungeon trembled.
The Abyssal Horror lurched forward, its countless writhing limbs stretching unnaturally in every direction. A guttural, otherworldly screech echoed through the cavern, shaking the very foundations of reality.
Ethan's breath caught in his throat. This was no ordinary monster.
It wasn't just massive—it was wrong. Its shape refused to stay the same. Its limbs twisted, expanded, shrank, only to reform again in grotesque configurations. The glowing red and purple veins that pulsed along its surface throbbed like a living nightmare.
And it was hungry.
---
Oscar Watches
The dungeon thrived in this moment.
Oscar's influence pulsed through the cavern, feeding the chaos, the fear, the sheer hopelessness of the adventurers. The Abyssal Horror was no mindless beast—it was a creature of the dungeon itself, an extension of Oscar's will.
This was what he wanted.
A test. A game. A spectacle.
Would Ethan and Lara survive? Or would they break under the sheer terror of the abyss?
Oscar had spent so much mana summoning this monstrosity, but he knew it was worth it. The terror, the desperation—it would shape the future of his dungeon.
And it was far from over.
---
Inside the Dungeon…
Gregor moved first.
He was already lost to the abyss, but whatever fragment of intelligence remained inside him recognized the Horror as something greater.
Something to obey.
"Master," Gregor whispered, his black eyes flickering with abyssal light.
Ethan saw it. He felt it.
Gregor wasn't just an enemy now—he had fully become a part of the dungeon's will.
The betrayal hit harder than any blade ever could.
But he couldn't afford to dwell on it.
The Abyssal Horror charged.
---
The Battle Begins
The moment the creature moved, the cavern seemed to collapse inward. The sheer force of its presence warped the very air around it.
Ethan barely had time to react.
The horror's massive tendrils whipped toward him, each one the size of a tree trunk, covered in writhing mouths that opened and closed with jagged, unnatural teeth.
He rolled—barely avoiding one strike—only for another to come from the side.
Pain exploded in his ribs as the impact sent him flying across the cavern floor.
His sword clattered away.
"Ethan!" Lara screamed, scrambling toward him.
But she didn't get far.
Gregor appeared in front of her, his corrupted form blocking her path.
"No more running." His voice was a twisted echo of what it once was.
And then—he struck.
---
Oscar's Influence Expands
Oscar pulsed with excitement.
The horror was relentless, but Ethan was still resisting.
Gregor was beyond saving, but his role in this wasn't over yet.
The dungeon thrived in this chaos, and Oscar's mana reserves had started to regenerate.
He had choices.
Empower the Abyssal Horror (10 Mana) – Let it grow even more terrifying.
Grant Gregor a New Abyssal Form (10 Mana) – Make him an even deadlier foe.
Let Ethan and Lara Struggle (No Mana Cost) – See if they can survive without intervention.
Oscar pulsed in thought.
He knew the right answer.
And so, he made his choice.
---
Descent into Madness
Oscar pulsed.
The dungeon was alive with chaos, but it wasn't enough.
He could feel Ethan's will struggling against despair, his refusal to break despite the abyss surrounding him. That defiance—that resistance—was what made this interesting.
But resistance could only last for so long.
Oscar made his choice.
Grant Gregor a New Abyssal Form (10 Mana) – Make him an even deadlier foe.
Mana surged through the dungeon, and Gregor froze mid-attack.
For a moment, he convulsed, his corrupted body trembling as the abyss whispered a new purpose into his mind. Then, with a final, gut-wrenching scream, he changed.
---
Gregor's Evolution: Abyssal Knight
His flesh ripped open as something new emerged.
Thick, black armor grew over his skin, forming jagged plates that pulsed with abyssal energy. His arms elongated, muscles twisting unnaturally as his fingers morphed into claws.
His axe dissolved into pure darkness—then reformed into a massive greatsword, dripping with abyssal energy.
But it was his face that changed the most.
His mouth split open wider than it should, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. His eyes burned with crimson light, and his entire presence radiated death.
"I... AM REBORN." Gregor's voice boomed through the dungeon, no longer fully human.
He was something else now.
Something far worse.
---
Inside the Dungeon…
Ethan, still gasping for breath, stared in horror.
Gregor wasn't just lost to the abyss anymore—he had become a part of it.
"Impossible…" Ethan whispered, pushing himself to his feet. His ribs screamed in pain, but he didn't care.
Lara was frozen in terror.
The Abyssal Horror was terrifying, but Gregor—this thing Gregor had become—was worse.
And then Gregor moved.
Faster than before.
Before Ethan could react, Gregor was in front of him, his massive greatsword already swinging down.
Ethan raised his own sword just in time—but the impact shattered his blade.
The force sent him crashing into the cavern wall, pain exploding through his entire body.
Lara screamed his name, but Ethan could barely process it. Everything hurt.
And Gregor wasn't done.
---
Oscar's Satisfaction
Oscar pulsed with delight.
This was perfect.
Gregor had become a true nightmare, and Ethan was on the verge of collapse.
Would he finally break?
Would he give in to despair?
Or would he rise?
Oscar wanted to know.
---
Ethan's Last Stand
Pain throbbed through Ethan's body.
His sword was gone. His armor was shattered. Lara was defenseless.
And Gregor… Gregor was no longer human.
Ethan's vision swam. The whispers of the abyss grew louder. The dungeon's darkness pressed against his mind.
But he wasn't broken.
Not yet.
His trembling fingers reached for the ground, gripping the dirt beneath him. Slowly, he forced himself to stand.
Gregor tilted his head, watching.
"Still fighting?" His voice was a dark growl.
Ethan wiped the blood from his mouth. His entire body screamed in agony, but he pushed forward.
"I don't care what you've become," Ethan spat. "I won't let you win."
The abyss tightened its grip on his mind, but he pushed back.
And in that moment, something inside him changed.
---
A New Power Awakens
The air shifted.
For the first time since stepping into the dungeon, Ethan felt something other than despair.
A strange warmth spread through his chest, pushing back against the abyss.
Something ancient. Powerful.
Lara felt it too.
"Ethan… what is that?" she whispered.
Ethan didn't know.
But as Gregor charged toward him, sword raised for the final blow—
He moved.
---
Awakening of the Abyssborn
The dungeon shuddered.
Oscar felt it.
Something wasn't right.
For the first time since he had gained control over this world, something slipped beyond his understanding.
Ethan should have been broken. Defeated. Devoured by the abyss.
But instead… he stood.
And the power surrounding him was not Oscar's.
---
A Light in the Darkness
Ethan didn't know what was happening.
His body was shattered, his strength nearly gone—but he moved faster than he ever had before.
Gregor's abyssal greatsword swung downward, the force behind it enough to crush boulders.
Yet Ethan dodged.
Not with panic. Not with desperation.
But with calm precision.
He stepped past Gregor's attack without hesitation, his fingers closing around a fallen weapon on the ground—a blackened dagger, pulsing with an unfamiliar energy.
Gregor snarled, twisting to strike again—but Ethan was already moving.
The dagger sliced through the air.
And to Gregor's shock—it cut through his abyssal armor.
The corrupted warrior staggered backward, his blackened blood hissing as it dripped to the ground.
"Impossible," Gregor growled. "You should be dead!"
Ethan exhaled. The warmth in his chest spread further.
And in that moment, he understood.
This power wasn't light.
It wasn't holy magic.
It was the abyss itself.
But he wasn't being consumed by it—he was controlling it.
He wasn't just fighting the dungeon anymore.
He was becoming something else entirely.
---
Oscar's Dilemma
Oscar watched in silence.
This was… unexpected.
The abyss was his domain. His weapon.
Yet Ethan was wielding it freely.
That shouldn't be possible.
Oscar's core pulsed rapidly, calculations running through his mind. Was this a flaw in the dungeon's corruption process? A mutation?
Or was Ethan… something else?
This wasn't just a simple adventurer anymore.
This was an Abyssborn.
Something new. Something dangerous.
For the first time since his reincarnation, Oscar felt uncertainty.
---
The Turning Point
Lara could barely process what she was seeing.
Ethan wasn't just surviving.
He was fighting back.
And he was winning.
Gregor snarled, charging again—but this time, Ethan was faster.
The corrupted warrior swung his greatsword in a wide arc, aiming to cut Ethan in half—
But Ethan ducked beneath it with inhuman speed.
Then, in a single, fluid motion, he stabbed the abyssal dagger directly into Gregor's chest.
A shockwave of black energy burst outward.
Gregor screamed.
The abyssal armor around him shattered, the darkness recoiling from Ethan's touch.
Lara's eyes widened.
The abyss wasn't rejecting Ethan.
It was submitting.
Gregor collapsed to his knees, his monstrous form flickering between human and abyssal corruption.
His gaze lifted to Ethan—not with hatred.
But with fear.
"What… are you?" Gregor rasped.
Ethan didn't answer.
Because even he didn't know.
---
Oscar's Choice
Oscar had seen enough.
Ethan wasn't just a threat anymore.
He was a wild variable.
And variables had to be eliminated.
Mana surged through the dungeon. The walls trembled as Oscar prepared to activate the Abyssal Horror's final form.
This game had gone on long enough.
Ethan might have awakened, but he would not survive.
Not against the true might of the abyss.
Not against Oscar's will.
The dungeon core pulsed with deadly intent.
And the cavern began to collapse.