After Betrayal, I Awoke as the Game's Final Boss

"Ah, of course… Why not?"

A short, mad laugh escaped me, but it was dry and devoid of any real mirth.

"I'm just a technically dead young man, the hero of a game turned waking nightmare, with a fledgling phantom empire, a sarcastically robotic system, and an inner domain inhabited by a chaotic being of noble rank. Perfectly normal. Just another day in my life."

Ah, how I hate this game!

I glanced at where Gralaks's cocoon glowed on the side of the island, then turned my gaze back to the dark sky, which had neither moon nor sun.

Since everything here was restricted, the only thing left was the "Training Domain," the one area I hadn't yet explored.

"I wonder, is there an administrator for this place?"

If so, they would surely be incredibly powerful. I'll have to find out for myself…

As soon as I stepped forward, I felt an invisible pressure envelop my body. I looked around and found that the Training Domain was much smaller than I had imagined, but no less terrifying. On the contrary, everything about it screamed danger.

But the real strangeness was in the design itself…

Twelve colossal towers rose into the dark horizon, surrounded by a black aura so cold it sent a shiver down my spine.

The tops of the towers bore strange symbols, like the heads of ancient beasts, as if they were engravings from an age forgotten by history.

One of the towers immediately caught my eye.

"First Training Tower."

Its symbol was the head of a burning dragon, its features twisted in an expression of eternal agony.

"Did this dragon burn itself? Or did someone burn it to death?"

I smiled sarcastically, but any trace of humor quickly vanished when…

Zzzzzzzzz…

BOOM!

"What in the hell is this?!"

The moment I set foot on the ground, the entire world shook, just as it had with that slime earlier… but this time… it was a million times worse!

A colossal upper torso appeared before me…

Its massive head was covered in dark black scales, sharp as demonic swords, while their edges were a bloody red, as if saturated with the blood of countless victims.

Only one of its arms was visible, but it was the size of an entire tower, and each finger looked like a deadly spear capable of tearing anything apart with a single strike.

A dark aura emanated from its body, nearly ripping my soul to shreds.

"What… is this creature?!"

I was no longer sure if it was human or beast. It wasn't just a powerful creature; it was like a catastrophe made flesh, a sin that should not exist.

Then… suddenly…

A terrifying energy erupted from its body, wreaking havoc across the Training Domain!

The ground cracked.

The air burned.

The sky tore as if it would collapse at any moment.

"There can't be a creature this powerful!"

Then this entity lifted its massive head and looked directly at me…

Its eyes were… empty.

There was no light, no anger, no mercy, no emotion… nothing but absolute nothingness.

"Damn… even the great beasts in stories don't look this terrifying."

And then…

[Ding!]

[Manifestation of the Training Domain's administrator has failed... ]

[The entire dimension cannot withstand his presence...]

[ Host's level is too weak...]

[ Administrator 'Antares' will be returned to hibernation…]

"Antares…? So this is the administrator of the Training Domain?"

But… before he disappeared, he looked at me with disdain, as if my very existence was a pathetic joke. Then, in a fragmented voice, like a blade sinking into bone, he spoke words that made my body tremble.

"W_e_a_k…"

Before I could process his words, he raised his massive finger towards me, and a small dark vortex shot out from it, piercing directly into my head! The moment it touched me, I felt something akin to death itself!

"Aaaaaaaahhh!!!"

But even screaming… I couldn't do it!

'Is he trying to kill me?!'

My face began to turn a deep red with pain and rage!

"Damn you! Do you think I'll kneel to you just because you have this aura?!"

"Axe of Death!"

I summoned my beloved axe and raised it with all my might to strike this bastard!

But… before it could hit him, I saw him smile…

And then… he began to disappear…

"What…?!"

"Good… You at least have some courage."

He left those words behind before vanishing completely, as if he had never been there.

[Ding!]

[The master of the Training Domain, Antares.]

[Each tower contains 9 levels, and each level is a dimension akin to a separate world.]

[The first tower is called the "Torment of Beasts," and each tower has its own master…]

[But Antares… is the king of them all!]

I took in a cold breath as I processed this information…

"This is insane… but the more important question is…"

"Why is someone this powerful in my own domain?"

If he's here, that means he's under my command… and if that's true…

Hahahahaha…

I burst into hysterical laughter until my eyes began to water… or rather, water started coming out of them. We don't shed tears, do we?!

But suddenly, I remembered something…

"That black vortex… what was it?"

[Ding!]

[The Host has received a special skill from the Archduke of Nothingness, Antares, out of pity.]

[Spell: Void Cocoon (Unranked)]

[Allows you to absorb elemental essence directly from the heavens and the earth.]

[You can also absorb energy from the creatures you kill.]

[Integrating with Legacy settings…]

[Blood Points will be converted into Blood Skill Points!]

[Current Conversion Rate: 1 Skill Point = 100 Red Blood Points]

[Skill Points: 28]

[The skill trees of the seven branches will be unlocked automatically when the Host reaches the required level!]

Suddenly, a massive amount of information flooded my mind, telling me how to use the skill.

"Even though he gave it to me out of pity… he's right."

[Detected that the first branch of the Blood Skill Tree has already been opened!]

"Amidst all this, I'm starting to feel like I'm not even an insect…"

[As a specific condition has been met, you may choose the second branch to unlock!]

[There are currently three options available!]

[Second Branch: Anan Sheto]

[Fourth Branch: Mortal Toral]

[Seventh Branch: Kiki Regan]

"This… is madness…"