The Squalor Bastard Becomes The Gravemarch

God of Emptiness

The night felt endless to Won as he dragged his wounded body higher up the slope. The path stretched on with no end in sight. He was alone in this world, utterly so—but perhaps that was for the best.

Better than staying with those cannibals. He had kept his promise. He'd killed them—well, not all of them. That was good enough. He decided to take the credit anyway.

He found himself grateful for his perpetual solitude. If he'd grown up in a mansion, surrounded by wealth and family and friends, he doubted he'd have survived this place alone. In a twisted way, he was glad that the harsh lessons of the real world had served him well in this hell.

His body begged for rest, but he couldn't stop now. He needed to find shelter. There was no telling where a higher-ranked monster might be lurking, just beyond his line of sight.

From the corner of his vision, he suddenly spotted a faint light in the distance. Squinting, he tried to sharpen his gaze. It resembled a palace, perched on a distant hill. It didn't appear too far, but he knew better.

Judging distance between hills was a dangerous illusion. The deadliest kind.

He tried to sense any threats coming from that direction. Nothing.

"Maybe I'm too tired to sense properly," he thought.

Still, his instincts screamed at him to go there. He summoned Woco.

"Think the real boss is in there?"

"Unlike you, I can't track entities," Woco replied. "All I can offer is guidance."

Won wanted to curse but held it in. Woco had saved him from the shapeshifter earlier—he'd be dead without him.

"Can you at least tell me how far that palace is from here?" Won asked with a sigh.

"Sure. It's 11 kilometers."

Won exhaled in frustration—then an idea struck him.

"I morphed my clone into a vulture, didn't I?"

A grin spread across his face but quickly vanished as he remembered his condition.

"The pain lingers even when I morph. Can I endure that?"

"...Whatever. It'll drain me even more to walk there."

"Not a vulture… I need something faster…"

Then he remembered the fastest bird he'd ever seen.

"That'll do just fine."

He closed his eyes, calmed his breath, and focused.

In a moment, he morphed into a golden eagle.

It was his first time flying himself—the last time had been his clone. He wobbled in the air at first, but after a few seconds, he steadied himself and soared forward.

***

About eleven minutes later, he landed before the palace, returning to his human form. The structure loomed silently, cloaked in darkness. The light he'd seen earlier had been nothing more than an illusion.

No light. No life.

Just shadows, as if the building were submerged beneath a pitch-black sea. Thanks to his bearing, he could still see and sense everything around him.

He stepped through the open doorway. There was nothing at all. There wasn't anything that was supposed to be inside a palace.

Won had never been into one but he knew. Anyone with common sense could tell what the inside of a palace looks like.

Nothing at all. Only emptiness.

No furnishings, no ornaments—nothing one might expect in a palace.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

A bell rang out, making Won jump. It startled him so badly he swore aloud.

"Fuck!"

"This is straight out of a horror movie," he muttered, steadying himself.

Then a hollow voice echoed through the vast chamber.

"Welcome to the Hall of Emptiness, Won!"

What the—? His blood ran cold. It knows my name!

"I suppose you think I'm the one you've come looking for," the voice added.

"Where are you speaking from?" Won shouted.

"I'm right there—around you."

Won spun in place, scanning in every direction—even with the unseen eyes on his back.

"Why can't I see you?"

"God cannot be seen, boy."

"God?" Won scoffed. "Don't make me laugh. You're just a higher-ranked monster—the real boss of this veyne."

"You're not wrong. I am the boss of this veyne… now. But I must disappoint you—I already killed the monster you came to defeat just a little ago before you came."

Won narrowed his eyes, trying to sense deceit. His bearing didn't make him a lie detector, but he could usually feel when something was off.

He felt… nothing.

If he really is a god and not just another scammer, do I have to fight him? Won thought. Then he yelled:

"What kind of god are you?"

The voice laughed, reverberating through the chamber.

"I am the God of Emptiness. And I am hereby granting myself permission to take over your body."

What the actual hell? Won cursed inwardly.

"What do you mean, take over my body? Did I give you permission?" he asked, baffled.

"My time is nearly up. I need a vessel to contain what little remains of my essence."

"Hold on—slow down. You're seriously making my head spin," Won muttered, walking over to the stairs and sitting down.

"You're bleeding, boy. I may not have much strength left after the battle I just fought, but I can heal you," the voice echoed again.

Won didn't want anything more right now than to be healed. He sat there in silence as green light began to radiate from his wounds.

If that self-proclaimed God was really a God, he was right, his power was oozing out. He took a long time—too long. But eventually, the pain lessened. The deep wound was sealed, though it still ached slightly.

Crossing his arms, he said, "Now speak slowly—and in a way I can understand. What exactly are you trying to say?"

There was a brief pause before the voice began again:

"You are not alone in this universe. There are countless worlds like yours, inhabited by your kind. Long ago, the gods were extinguished in a war between themselves. Like humans, gods had enemies—and egos. Sides were chosen, alliances betrayed."

"I, too, chose a side. And I was betrayed by it. I was the strongest of all of them. They feared my power. So I made a decision—to end them all."

"So gods can be killed?" Won asked, intrigued.

"Indeed—but only by their own kind. After slaying them, I ruled alone for thousands of years, in outer space—within dimensions connected to your world. From there, the Veynes were born. Three decades ago, the Veynes began to rupture, unleashing hordes of monsters. I searched for the source, but found only void."

"I tried to make pacts with the protectors from other realms. They too were overwhelmed. The chaos spread. My strength waned. And so I began to search for a vessel—someone to carry what little remained of me."

"But everyone I found wanted power for glory or greed. I needed someone who simply wanted to survive."

Won raised his hand, cutting in.

"Let me guess—now comes the part where you say, 'You are the chosen one! You're worthy to bear my power!' Well, God of Emptiness, let me save you the trouble. I'm just a regular guy. I want good food and a peaceful life. I don't expect anything else. I'm not supposed to be in this high ranked veyne too but my fate had other plans. That's why I am here. I'm fine being a flintshade."

Silence followed. Then, finally, the voice spoke again:

"Unfortunately, I have no intention of saying any of that."

Won's ears turned red with embarrassment.

"I didn't choose you. I no longer have the strength to cross into your world. The only way I can observe humans is through the Veynes. That's how I've searched for a vessel all these years."

"If you didn't choose me, why take my body?" Won asked, raising a brow.

"Because my time has run out. There's no one else. I'm barely holding on."

"What happens to me if I let you in? What do I get out of this?"

"You will remain yourself. I won't have control over your mind. As I've said—I have very little power left. You'll gain only a fragment of it. But that fragment can grow, if you nurture it."

Won sat quietly, weighing it all.

Being a vessel for a god isn't a bad deal... but it won't magically fix my life either.

"I wish I had found someone better, or had more time," the voice said, interrupting his thoughts. "Even I know—you're only a low-ranked Ashen."

That's insulting, Won thought.

Clearing his throat, he asked, "You said you didn't choose me. Then who did? And why did you kill that higher-ranked monster?"

The voice gave a weak laugh before speaking again, this time with weight:

"Are you going to let me take over your body, or not?"

Won stood, pacing in thought. Woco's voice rang in his mind.

The veyne will collapse in five minutes.

Why is everyone rushing me? he thought, raking his hands through his hair.

He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and finally stood still.

"You've got five minutes, God of Emptiness. Will that be enough?"

The voice chuckled.

"More than enough, Ashen Won."