??? AM – The Abyss Crown
There was no sky. No stars. No walls.
Only an endless expanse of blackness, shifting and writhing like something alive. A void so deep that it swallowed all sound, all light, all meaning. It wasn't just empty—it was hungry.
Kyung-min drifted within it, weightless yet sinking. Falling endlessly toward nothing.
Then—
Something stirred.
The void pulsed, rippling as if responding to his very presence. A shape emerged before him—a throne, colossal and cracked, chains wrapped around its base like serpents. Ancient runes flickered weakly across its surface, their light fading, flickering—dying.
And seated upon it…
Something watched him.
Not a person. Not a monster. Not even a presence.
Just a weight. A force. A will.
It had no face. No features. But Kyung-min could feel its gaze, heavier than anything he had ever known.
It spoke—not in words, but in existence itself.
"You are not the first to walk this path."
The voice echoed inside his very being, cold and final.
Kyung-min clenched his jaw. His fingers curled into fists.
"Who are you?"
No answer.
Only movement.
The throne's chains rattled. Shadows twisted around its form, unraveling like unraveling threads of a fabric not meant for mortal eyes.
Then—
"You have slaughtered."
"You have risen from the grave."
"But do you understand what it means to rule the dead?"
The abyss pressed down on him, crushing, suffocating.
A test.
A question.
The weight of it settled into his bones. His breath came out ragged. His heart pounded.
This wasn't a system notification.
This wasn't the voice of the world.
This was something else.
Something older than the system itself.
Kyung-min forced his voice steady. "What do you want from me?"
And then—
🔹 [Choose Your Path.]
The throne shuddered. The void shifted.
And before him, three choices appeared—each radiating a presence so overwhelming it threatened to consume him whole.
[???] – The One Who Stands Above Death
The dead do not serve him. They belong to him.
🔹 His summons do not rise. They simply never fall.
🔹 To speak his name is to be bound by it.
🔹 All things—living or dead—move as he commands.
A tyrant's power. A will so absolute that nothing could defy it. Not even death itself.
But with control came responsibility. Obligation.
If he chose this path—he would not simply be strong.
He would be the law of the dead.
[???] – The Phantom That Walks Again
Neither living nor dead, neither seen nor forgotten. He is an echo that lingers, a nightmare that does not fade.
🔹 He does not fight alone. His shadow fights for him.
🔹 The fallen do not vanish. They remain, trapped in endless service.
🔹 No blade cuts what does not truly exist.
A specter. A curse. A being that existed beyond the reach of mortality itself.
This wasn't about ruling.
This was about becoming a legend that would never fade.
A nightmare in the dark.
[???] – The Abyss That Watches (Growth)
Not a king. Not a ruler. Not even a man. Just a thing that waits in the dark, patient and inevitable.
🔹 What he claims does not return.
🔹 The longer he lingers, the deeper the abyss becomes.
🔹 Something beyond this world stirs in recognition.
Kyung-min shuddered.
This one… felt wrong.
It didn't scream of power. It didn't promise strength.
But something lurked beneath its surface.
It wasn't a path to rule. It was a path to become something that should not exist.
The abyss would not serve him.
He would become the abyss.
??? AM – A Choice That Cannot Be Undone
Kyung-min's breath came slow and unsteady.
His fingernails dug into his palms.
This was more than just an evolution.
This was what he would become.
Not just stronger.
Not just more powerful.
This would change him.
Forever.
His eyes flickered to the throne again.
The figure upon it remained silent.
Watching.
Waiting.
What kind of monster did he want to be?
??? AM – The Weight of Choice
The air was thick. Suffocating.
The throne before him loomed like a specter of the past—watching, waiting. Its chains shifted slightly, rattling in a slow, rhythmic pulse. The void itself was listening.
And in front of him, the three choices burned into his mind.
Each path was a different fate.
Each would shape not just his power, but his very existence.
Kyung-min felt his fingers twitch.
The weight of his past battles, the blood on his hands, the suffering he endured in Floor 0—all of it led to this moment.
And now?
He had to decide.
1st Path – The One Who Stands Above Death
The dead do not serve him. They belong to him.
The words struck something deep within him.
Ultimate authority over the dead.
If he chose this path, his summons wouldn't just fight for him. They would be bound to him, inescapable, inevitable.
No more temporary reanimations. No more worrying about corpses breaking apart after a few fights. No more losing his army.
A ruler's power. A tyrant's power.
But Kyung-min's lips pressed into a thin line.
"…That's not how I've survived."
Would it make him stronger? Yes. But it was a rigid strength—one that demanded absolute control.
And in Floor 0, control meant nothing.
Nothing went as planned. Nothing ever worked as expected.
He survived because he adapted.
Because he changed.
And this path?
It was too absolute.
A king's throne was heavy. And Kyung-min had no interest in wearing a crown.
He moved on.
2nd Path – The Phantom That Walks Again
Neither living nor dead, neither seen nor forgotten. He is an echo that lingers, a nightmare that does not fade.
Kyung-min's heart pounded slightly.
Stealth. Untouchability.
A path where he didn't fight directly. Instead, his shadow fought for him.
It was tempting.
In Floor 0, he was hunted, bleeding, forced to run more times than he could count.
With this…
Would he even need to run anymore?
His shadow would fight. His enemies wouldn't even be able to touch him.
But then—his gaze darkened.
"…That's not me either."
Kyung-min never wanted to be a ghost.
He was not a passive observer. Not someone who hid behind illusions or disappeared into the dark.
He fought. He bled. He adapted.
If he became a phantom, what would happen when something stronger appeared?
Something that didn't care for tricks or illusions?
No.
It wasn't enough.
He needed something more.
3rd Path – The Abyss That Watches (Growth)
Not a king. Not a ruler. Not even a man. Just a thing that waits in the dark, patient and inevitable.
Kyung-min's breath hitched.
The words felt… different.
The first two options promised him power.
This one promised nothing.
There was no throne. No army.
Just a void. A creeping inevitability.
But the more he thought about it…
The more it made sense.
??? AM – The Truth of Growth
How had he survived so far?
Not because he was stronger than his enemies.
Not because he was smarter.
Not because he had more authority.
He survived because he changed.
Because he adapted. Because he endured.
His body kept evolving. His class kept growing. His summons kept changing.
Every time he was thrown into the abyss—he climbed back out, different.
Stronger.
And that was why he was still alive.
Growth.
Not control.
Not trickery.
Just growth.
His lips curled slightly.
The system had always feared his evolution.
It tried to erase him.
It tried to reset him.
It tried to keep him from progressing.
And now—he had a chance to take that growth further.
"…This is it."
This was his path.
Not as a king.
Not as a phantom.
But as something far worse.
Something the world couldn't stop from growing.
??? AM – The Path Chosen
Kyung-min lifted his head.
His voice was steady.
His decision was final.
"I choose this one."
The moment the words left his lips—
The void shifted.
The chains rattled.
The abyss shuddered.
And then—
🔹 [You Have Chosen the Abyss That Watches.]
🔹 [Evolution Locked.]
🔹 [Finalizing Awakening…]
Kyung-min clenched his fists.
His body felt heavier. His mind felt stretched.
Something was watching him now.
Something far beyond the system.
And as the darkness swallowed him whole—
He understood.
He had not chosen power.
He had not chosen control.
He had chosen inevitability.
Something no one could stop.
Not the system.
Not the betrayers.
Not even the world itself.
This was not a throne to sit on.
It was a throne to consume.
And soon—
The abyss would spread.