The cavern air turned freezing.
As the Shadow Spiders surged forward, Han Seol-ah's light-infused arrows lit up the tunnel like miniature suns. But the light didn't reach Kang-woo. He stood in a pocket of absolute darkness that seemed to swallow the holy radiance.
"Get out of there!" Seol-ah yelled, reaching for another arrow. "The spiders will liquefy your insides!"
Kang-woo didn't listen. He felt the 'Broken Soldier' vibrating in his shadow, its loyalty flickering as it sensed the massive influx of potential prey.
"Consume," Kang-woo commanded.
The shadow didn't just release the soldier; it expanded. A black, oily mist bled across the floor, coating the stone and the skittering legs of the spiders.
[Skill: 'Domain of the Dead' (Temporary) activated.][Condition: Harvesting 100 souls initiated.]
The first spider leaped. Its fangs were inches from Kang-woo's throat.
Crunch.
The Broken Soldier appeared from the mist, its four arms moving like a whirlwind. It caught the spider mid-air and ripped it in half. Green ichor sprayed everywhere.
[Souls Harvested: 1/100]
Kang-woo stepped forward, his eyes locked on the swarm. He didn't use a sword. He used his hands. Every time he touched a spider, the 'Harvest' skill triggered instantly.
[Souls Harvested: 4/100][Souls Harvested: 12/100]
The rate was increasing. The spiders, normally fearless predators, began to hiss in confusion. The dark mist was paralyzing them. It wasn't just cold; it was the weight of a thousand graves pressing down on their carapaces.
Han Seol-ah watched from the distance, her bow lowering. Her eyes were wide with terror. "This isn't... this isn't normal Necromancy."
In the history books, Necromancers were puppeteers who hid behind their summons. But Kang-woo was in the center of the carnage, his hands stained green and black, walking through the swarm like a god of rot.
[Souls Harvested: 47/100][Warning: Physical body is reaching its limit.][Life Force flickering...]
Kang-woo's lungs burned. His heart felt like it was being squeezed by a cold hand. Every soul he harvested added to his power, but the sheer volume of death energy was threatening to shatter his mana circuits.
"More," he gasped, his vision blurring. "I need more."
He lunged deeper into the nest, the Broken Soldier clearing a path of broken legs and shattered shells.
Suddenly, the ceiling groaned. A spider twice the size of the others—the Broodmother—dropped down. Its eight eyes focused on Kang-woo, and it let out a high-pitched shriek that shattered the nearby stone.
It lunged with a speed that exceeded Kang-woo's perception.
"Watch out!" Seol-ah's voice rang out.
Thwack!
A holy arrow struck the Broodmother's leg, slowing it down for a fraction of a second.
Kang-woo didn't thank her. He used that second. He slid under the Broodmother's bloated abdomen and slammed both palms against its soft underbelly.
"Everything," Kang-woo roared. "Give me everything!"
[Skill: 'Forced Harvest' activated!][A massive amount of energy is being extracted.]
The Broodmother shriveled in real-time. It looked like a balloon losing air. The energy didn't just flow into Kang-woo; it exploded outward.
[Souls Harvested: 102/100][Requirement Met.][Permanent Skill Unlocked: 'Grave Sovereign's Territory'.][Level Up!][Level Up!][Current Level: 7]
The remaining spiders froze. Their hive-mind connection to the Broodmother was severed, replaced by something much more terrifying.
Kang-woo stood up, covered in the Broodmother's remains. The white streak in his hair grew wider, now a prominent bolt of silver against his dark locks. He turned to look at Han Seol-ah.
The dark mist didn't vanish. It stayed, circling his feet like a loyal pet.
"You're a monster," Seol-ah whispered, her bow trembling. "I have to report this. The Bureau will send a suppression team. You won't survive the night."
Kang-woo wiped the ichor from his face. He felt a new sensation—the 'Viper's Sense' he had stolen from Park. It hummed in the back of his mind, telling him exactly where Seol-ah's next arrow would go.
"You're right," Kang-woo said, his voice sounding hollow, as if two people were speaking at once. "You should report it."
He walked toward her, stepping over the corpses.
"But if you do," Kang-woo continued, his shadow stretching out toward her until it touched her boots, "who will stop the real gate that's about to open behind you?"
Seol-ah stiffened. She turned around slowly.
The air at the dungeon entrance was cracking. Not a monster gate, but a rift of pure, jagged void. Something was clawing its way out from the 'Other Side'—something that had followed the scent of the Relic.
A long, skeletal finger, draped in the same rotted crimson cloth as the Lich King's, poked through the rift.
"He found me already," Kang-woo muttered.