John Snow never wanted to be a Hunter.
In a world where dungeons emerged like scars on the landscape and Hunters fought monsters for fame and fortune, John worked far from the chaos, in the quiet stillness of Black Hollow Cemetery. He was a gravedigger nothing more, nothing less. While others lived grand lives of glory, John spent his days burying their failures.
His village, Black Hollow, lay on the outskirts of the Murim Empire. Too far for the Empire's protection and too small to attract powerful Hunters, it was a forgotten corner of the world, left to fend for itself when dungeons appeared. The locals lived in fear of the dungeons and the monsters they spawned, but John's proximity to death had numbed him to it all.
"Another grave for another fool," John muttered, sinking his shovel into the damp earth. A fresh dungeon had appeared in the hills nearby, and the cleanup crew had just delivered the bodies of the hunters who hadn't made it back.
He wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced at the last coffin, still closed. He didn't need to open it to know what was inside. The stench of burnt flesh and sulfur hung heavy in the air.
"This one's for you, hero," he said dryly, patting the lid of the coffin. "Bet you thought you'd be famous."
John finished digging as the sun set, casting long, eerie shadows across the cemetery. As he prepared to lower the coffin into the grave, something unusual caught his eye.
The ground trembled slightly.
At first, he thought it was his imagination, but then the tremor grew stronger. The coffin rattled, the chains binding it clinking softly. John stumbled back, his heart pounding.
"What the hell?"
Before he could react, a cold, otherworldly voice echoed in his mind.
"Do you fear death, John Snow?"
He froze. The voice wasn't human rather it was deep, resonant, and filled with an ancient, chilling power. He looked around wildly but saw nothing.
"Who's there?" he demanded, gripping his shovel like a weapon.
"You stand on the edge of two worlds: the living and the dead. You bury them, but you've never asked why they must remain beneath the earth. I am here to offer you a choice."
The tremors stopped, and a sickly green light began to seep from the grave he had just dug. It coiled upward, twisting into the shape of a figure cloaked in tattered shadows.
"I don't know what you're talking about," John said, his voice shaking.
The figure ignored his words, raising a bony hand.
"Do you wish to rise beyond this meaningless existence? To wield the power of life and death itself?"
Before John could answer, a notification appeared before his eyes, glowing faintly in the air.
[Abyssal Contract Detected]
Do you wish to inherit the power of the Abyss?
Accept
Decline
"What...?" John whispered, staring at the floating text. His trembling fingers reached out, brushing against it. The notification rippled like water but remained steady.
"What is this?" he demanded, turning back to the figure.
"This is your chance to ascend, gravedigger," the voice said. "But power comes at a cost. Accept, and you will step into a world far darker and more dangerous than you've ever known. Decline, and remain a forgotten man, destined to dig graves until the day you fall into one yourself."
John's mind raced. This was madness. He had no connection to magic or dungeons. He wasn't a Hunter he was nothing. Yet, something about the figure's words stirred a spark deep within him.
A memory flashed in his mind: his younger sister, Sarah, screaming as a pack of dungeon wolves tore through their home. He had hidden like a coward, helpless to protect her. The thought made his stomach twist.
"What happens if I accept?" he asked cautiously.
"You will inherit the mantle of the Abyss. The power to command the dead and claim the abilities of the fallen will be yours. But beware stagnation means death. You must grow stronger, or the Abyss will consume you."
John stared at the notification. For years, he had been a nobody, trapped in the monotony of survival. But this... this was a chance to change everything.
He clenched his fists and pressed Accept.
[Abyssal Contract Accepted]
You are now bound to the Abyss.
The green light exploded outward, wrapping around him like chains. Pain shot through his body, burning and freezing all at once. John fell to his knees, gasping as dark tendrils of power seeped into his skin. His mind swirled with visions of death, decay, and ancient rituals.
[Welcome to the Abyssal System]
Status updated.
Name: John Snow
Class: Necromancer
Unique Trait: Abyssal Mimicry (Copy the abilities of those you defeat.)
Attributes:
Strength: 5
Dexterity: 8
Constitution: 6
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 10
Charisma: 7
Skills Unlocked:
Raise Dead (Level 1): Animate a corpse to fight for you.
Soul Drain (Level 1): Absorb energy from a defeated foe.
When the pain finally subsided, John opened his eyes to a transformed world. Shadows moved unnaturally, and faint trails of energy lingered in the air. He looked down at his hands, which now pulsed with a faint, eerie glow.
"Is this... real?" he whispered.
The figure was gone, but the coffin rattled again. The lid burst open, and the corpse inside clawed its way out, its empty eyes glowing with the same green light that surrounded John.
[Minion Summoned: Skeletal Soldier]
John stumbled back, his heart racing. He instinctively raised a hand, and the skeleton froze, awaiting his command.
"This is... mine?" he murmured, disbelief etched across his face.
Before he could process what had happened, another notification appeared.
[QUEST: The Bandit Dungeon]
Objective: Clear the dungeon threatening Black Hollow.
Reward: 300 XP, Skill Upgrade.
John's blood ran cold. The bandits weren't just hiding in the nearby dungeon—they had claimed it as their own. The village guards had failed to stop them, and the Hunters had written it off as too dangerous for a low-tier party.
But John wasn't just a gravedigger anymore.
"I guess I don't have a choice," he muttered, staring at his skeletal soldier. "Let's see what this power can really do."
The Bandit Dungeon
The dungeon loomed like a scar on the edge of the forest. Its entrance was jagged and unnatural, as if the earth itself had been torn apart. John stood at the threshold, his skeletal minion at his side.
A notification appeared as he stepped inside.
[You have entered a Level 1 Dungeon: Bandit's Lair]
Threat Level: Low.
The air inside was damp and suffocating, the walls slick with moss and grime. John could hear faint voices echoing through the tunnels.
"Bandits," he muttered. "Let's see what you've got."
He moved cautiously, keeping to the shadows. His skeletal soldier followed silently, its bony feet clacking against the stone floor.
The first group of enemies appeared around a corner—a trio of bandits huddled around a small fire, laughing and sharing a bottle of stolen wine.
John hesitated, his heart pounding. He had never killed anyone before. But the memory of Sarah's screams pushed him forward. These men had terrorized his village, stolen from the helpless, and killed without mercy.
He raised a hand.
"Attack."
The skeleton lunged forward, its clawed fingers tearing into the nearest bandit's throat. The man gurgled a scream as blood sprayed across the fire. The other two bandits scrambled for their weapons, but John was faster.
[Skill Activated: Soul Drain]
A black tendril shot from John's hand, striking the second bandit. The man screamed as his life force was ripped from his body, leaving him a withered husk.
The final bandit turned to flee, but John's skeleton caught him, driving a bony fist into his skull. The bandit collapsed, lifeless.
[Enemies Defeated: 3]
EXP Gained: 150
Skill Upgrade: Raise Dead (Level 2).
The bodies twitched, and then, to John's astonishment, they rose, their eyes glowing with the same green light as his first minion.
[Minions Summoned: Bandit Thralls (x3)]
John grinned. "I could get used to this."
The Awakening
By the time he reached the dungeon's core, John's small army had grown. He commanded a dozen undead, each one stronger than the last. The dungeon trembled as he approached the final chamber, where the bandit leader awaited.
But John wasn't afraid. For the first time in his life, he felt alive.
As he stepped into the chamber, the bandit leader a towering brute wielding a massive axe turned to face him.
As the bandit leader turned to face John, his voice boomed, laced with menace.
"You've got guts, kid. But this isn't some game. You think you can waltz in here with your little bag of tricks and take me down?" He hoisted his massive axe, its blade glinting in the faint torchlight.
John took a deep breath, his nerves barely holding together. The sight of the towering man, easily twice his size and rippling with muscle, would have been enough to send anyone running. But not now. Not after everything.
He raised his hand, and his undead thralls stepped forward, forming a line between him and the bandit leader.
"I don't need to beat you alone," John said, his voice steady despite the fear clawing at his chest. "I've got all the help I need."
The bandit leader laughed, the sound echoing through the cavern. "You're playing with corpses? Pathetic. I'll crush them, and then I'll crush you."
With a roar, the leader charged, swinging his axe in a wide arc. John's skeletal soldiers met him head-on, their bony hands clawing and grabbing at his legs and arms. The leader's axe came down hard, shattering one of the skeletons in a single blow, but the others pressed on, clawing and swarming him like relentless predators.
[Skill Activated: Raise Dead (Level 2)]
The shattered remains of the fallen skeleton began to stir, reforming and knitting themselves back together. John's eyes widened in amazement. They can rebuild themselves?
His confidence surged. He raised both hands and focused on the remaining corpses strewn around the chamber—fallen bandits from his earlier skirmishes.
The air grew heavy as green light pulsed from his hands, and the corpses twitched and shuddered. Slowly, they rose, their glowing eyes fixated on the bandit leader.
[Minions Summoned: Bandit Thralls (x5)]
The bandit leader hesitated, his bravado cracking as the undead army closed in. "What... what kind of freak are you?" he growled, swinging his axe in a desperate attempt to keep the thralls at bay.
John smirked. "Just a gravedigger."
The thralls overwhelmed the leader, clawing and tearing at his flesh. His axe swung wildly, but for every undead he destroyed, another took its place. Blood splattered across the chamber as the leader roared in defiance, but it was a losing battle.
Finally, with a guttural scream, the bandit leader fell to his knees. The thralls dragged him to the ground, pinning him in place. John stepped forward, his heart pounding.
[Skill Activated: Soul Drain]
A dark tendril shot from John's hand, piercing the bandit leader's chest. The man's scream echoed through the chamber as the tendril drained his life force, leaving him pale and lifeless.
[Dungeon Boss Defeated: Bandit Leader]
EXP Gained: 500
Skill Upgrade: Soul Drain (Level 2)
New Ability Acquired: Berserker's Fury.
John staggered as a wave of energy surged through him. His breathing was ragged, but he felt stronger—faster. His system notification blinked, showing his newest ability.
[Berserker's Fury]
Enter a state of heightened strength and speed for a short duration. Costs 25% of your HP.
He stared at the notification, a mixture of awe and disbelief washing over him. He had done it. He had cleared his first dungeon.
The remaining undead stood silently, awaiting his command. He dismissed them with a wave of his hand, and they collapsed into piles of bones and ash.
John looked down at the lifeless body of the bandit leader and felt a strange mix of satisfaction and unease. He had taken a life—a human life. But this was the world he had chosen now.
[Dungeon Cleared]
Reward: 300 XP, Skill Upgrade.
The dungeon began to tremble as the core in the center of the chamber shattered, releasing a wave of shimmering light. The dungeon was collapsing.
"Time to go," John muttered, turning and sprinting toward the exit.
Back in Black Hollow
When John emerged from the dungeon, the cool night air hit him like a blessing. He collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. His clothes were torn, and his body ached from the strain of using his abilities, but he was alive.
The villagers had gathered nearby, waiting anxiously. When they saw him emerge, their eyes widened in shock.
"He did it!" someone shouted.
"The dungeon's gone!"
A wave of murmurs and cheers swept through the crowd. John looked up, his face pale but determined.
"Don't thank me yet," he said, his voice hoarse. "The bandits are dead, but this village needs to be ready. There are worse things out there than them."
The villagers didn't seem to hear him, too busy celebrating their newfound safety. John turned and began the long walk back to the cemetery, his mind racing.
Back at the cemetery, John sat on the edge of an old tombstone, staring at his hands. The power of the Abyss still lingered within him, a constant, cold presence that whispered promises of strength.
He opened his system interface, studying the notifications that had piled up.
[Level Up]
Current Level: 2
[Skill Unlocked: Gravekeeper's Domain]
Create a temporary field where all undead under your control are strengthened.
He couldn't help but smile. Just a few hours ago, he had been a nobody a gravedigger living in obscurity. Now, he was something more. Something dangerous.
The voice of the Abyss echoed faintly in his mind.
"This is only the beginning. Rise, John Snow. Rise, and claim what is yours."
John clenched his fists, his eyes burning with determination. He had stepped into a world far larger and darker than he had ever imagined. Dungeons, Hunters, monsters it was all real. And he was no longer on the outside looking in.
He didn't know where this path would take him, but one thing was certain: he would never go back to being just a gravedigger or so he thought
The gravebound had risen.