Eternal Nightmare
How long had he been wandering?
Dodging the grotesquely writhing alleyways, walls bulging with eyeballs, and streetlamps shrieking in agony, Jinwoo had repeated the cycle of hiding and fleeing until he arrived before a massive, dilapidated Gothic building that stood in extreme contrast to the blood-soaked city's landscape.
There was no sign reading 'Library', but he instinctively knew it was a temple of knowledge.
In this world of chaos, it alone seemed to preserve order and logic, radiating an absolute sense of intimidation. He intuited that the 'anomaly' he had been seeking—the mismatched element—was inside.
As if entranced, he pushed open the enormous, dust-caked oak door and stepped within.
Unlike the pandemonium outside, the library's interior was eerily silent.
Endless shelves stretched to the ceiling, the dusty tomes exuding the scent of millennia past.
He wandered aimlessly between the stacks.
Then his footsteps halted before one shelf in particular.
Amid countless volumes, a single book exerted a powerful pull on him.
It was bound in a repulsive leather that felt like human skin, far thicker and more worn than the others.
The cover appeared blank at first glance, but upon closer inspection, that was an illusion. Like oil spreading across water, bizarre crimson and amethyst patterns bloomed and faded endlessly across the pitch-black leather surface.
They resembled ancient runes or intricate tribal motifs.
Suddenly, Jinwoo caught a fleeting image amid the elegant yet obscenely undulating flow—a 'womb tattoo' from the adult content he'd been indulging in lately.
"Damn, guess I've been watching too much of that stuff."
He mocked himself, dismissing the ridiculous notion.
But the irresistible draw, coupled with the sensation of the book pulsing faintly like a living heart, was enough to numb his reason.
Unable to resist, he reached out with trembling hands and pulled the book free.
The instant it touched his palms, a voice resounded directly in his mind. It wasn't human speech, yet its meaning was perfectly clear.
[...Finally, you have found me. Pitiful soul seething with rage...]
"Wh-who are you?!"
[I have no name. My essence is 'conquest and domination.'
The book—the Magic Grimoire—spoke to him as if injecting sound straight into his brain.
[This world that ensnares you, known as the 'Eternal Nightmare,' is nothing more than a plaything crafted by my kin. They regard you humans as ants, savoring your despair and terror for amusement. My own creator was no different.]
The Grimoire's voice carried no emotion, but Jinwoo detected faint contempt and condemnation lurking between the lines.
[For the insolence my kin have shown toward your kind—though not by my hand—as one sharing the same origin, I offer my apology. I deem their methods utterly inefficient and vulgar. True domination is achieved not through fear, but via pleasure and submission.]
An apology? From this transcendent entity to a mere human like himself? Jinwoo reeled in confusion.
[I can grant you power.]
The Grimoire cut to the chase.
[Power to banish the agony crushing your flesh and force the world that despised you to grovel at your feet. The authority known as magic. You shall escape this wretched nightmare, return to your reality, and conquer and dominate all.]
Jinwoo's heart thundered. This was what he had craved his entire life.
[But no power comes without cost.]
The Grimoire continued coldly.
[In exchange for my power, you must bear two burdens. First, your mind and manner of speech shall be permeated by my essence, transforming you into an entirely different being. The weak, craven you of the past shall perish, leaving only the dominator. Second, you must periodically sate my essence—that is, the urge for 'conquest and domination.' Be it a woman's body, an organization, or even a nation. Cease not in subjugating something beneath your heel, lest my power consume you in backlash and drive you mad.]
It was a devil's bargain.
Yet Jinwoo had no reason to hesitate.
For one with nothing to lose, already dwelling in hell, the price held no meaning.
"Very well."
He answered without pause.
"I accept."
[A wise choice.]
[One more thing. This is no obligation imposed upon you—merely my desire, and counsel that benefits us both.]
A faint emotion colored the Grimoire's voice now—closer to contempt and loathing than anger.
[I abhor base amusements like this 'Eternal Nightmare.' If possible, I hope you wield my power to destroy its origin as thoroughly as you can. I shall not compel you if you refuse. But heed this: this nightmare is but the beginning. My kin shall continue toying with your world endlessly—other nightmares, grotesque cults, descents of twisted gods... Their games know no end. Each time, you shall gain opportunities to shatter their toys and puppets, absorb their power, and fortify your dominion. Turn their playthings into stepping stones for your conquest.]
The Grimoire paused, then issued its warning in a graver tone.
[One further warning. As a new variable, you shall draw the gaze of those who revel in such games. They sometimes intervene directly in your world as 'avatars.' Their intentions are unpredictable—perhaps overtly hostile destroyers, or entities offering aid out of curiosity. But remember: the favor of outer gods is merely another collar in disguise. Ever beware lest you become their pawn.]
[More crucially, it is presumed that multiple entities like myself—Magic Grimoires—already exist in your world. Their number is incalculable. This implies but one thing: humans wielding power in ways like or unlike your own may already walk among you. You are no longer unique. Never lower your guard. Unexpected rivals may arise upon your path of conquest.]
It was a warning—and a hint at vast opportunity.
The outer gods and their agents would serve as his hunting grounds for growth.
"Understood."
Jinwoo replied resolutely.
"As you wish, and for my own conquest and domination, I shall gladly shatter their toys and puppets. And any who hinder me—be they outer god avatars or rival mages—shall kneel at my feet."
[That answer I awaited. The contract is sealed.]
The moment he consented, the Grimoire's pages flipped open of their own accord, erupting in a blinding light.
Ancient script and magic circles slithered like living serpents through his eyes, ears, and skin, burrowing into his body.
A torrent of information threatened to burst his brain, even as he felt his herniated disc crack and realign with a grinding pop.
Pain vanished, replaced by the sensation of overwhelming power.
How much time passed? Jinwoo slowly opened his eyes.
The world looked different now.
Every essence and structure shimmered as faint lines.
He was no longer the terrified youth.
No longer helpless prey.
"This... is power."
His voice emerged low and dignified, utterly unlike his former shaky rasp.
He startled at the sound of it.
What the hell—this old man's cadence...
His thoughts remained those of Lee Jinwoo, but the words from his tongue carried the weight of a millennia-old entity, infused with the Grimoire's essence.
Yet it felt far from unpleasant. This manner of speech suited his new self perfectly. Perhaps even that sentiment had been permeated.
He gazed down at the Magic Grimoire in his grasp.
It was no mere book now—part of him, his supreme partner in conquest.
"Now, the time has come to end this tiresome farce."
As he moved to open the Grimoire and return to reality—
Kwaaaaang!
The massive oak door exploded outward in a shower of splinters.
In its place loomed the very monster he had desperately fled—the grotesque, beehive-like face studded with dozens of eyes.
It wasn't alone.
Behind it crawled several amorphous black shadow-beasts, emitting greedy groans as they slithered into the library.
Ecstatic at having cornered their prey, their bodies writhed in repulsive delight.
But fear had fled Jinwoo's face.
A cold smile curved his lips instead.
"Foolish wretches. Intoxicated by the thrill of pursuing fleeing meat, you failed to notice the prey had become the predator."
In response to his words, the Grimoire's pages rustled open violently of their own accord.
Crimson and amethyst patterns blazed across the black leather with fiercer, swifter intensity.
The lead eye-monster charged.
Jinwoo did not dodge. He merely issued the simplest command that surfaced in his mind, directed at the Grimoire.
Bind.
Ink unfurled from the open pages like spreading darkness, birthing dozens of obsidian tentacles that lashed through the air.
The tentacles coiled around the eye-monster's limbs and torso like living serpents, hoisting it aloft.
"Kieeeek!"
The beast shrieked and thrashed in agony, but the dark tendrils only burrowed deeper into its flesh, constricting tighter.
"Count it an honor to serve as the first subject for my power."
Jinwoo extended his palm toward the monster.
Destroy.
At his command, the library air grew leaden. An invisible colossal pressure centered on the bound creature and began contracting.
Crack... crunch!
The sickening sound of its grotesquely twisted bones pulverizing in reverse echoed through the hall.
The monster couldn't even scream. Its massive form crumpled inward, unable to withstand, compressing to the size of a marble before bursting with a pop into a puff of black dust.
At the overwhelming sight, the trailing shadow-beasts faltered in terror.
"Now for the rest of you."
Jinwoo swept his hand. A dark wave erupted from the Grimoire, fanning outward to engulf the remnants.
The creatures touched by it melted silently like hot butter, dissolving into reeking black puddles.
When all was done, nothing stirred in the library save Jinwoo.
Yet the aftershocks of his power rattled the very space.
From the floor beneath his feet, the towering shelves and ceiling began crumbling like sand, cascading downward.
He sensed the realm could no longer sustain him—or, having found its master, the Grimoire had rendered it obsolete.
Amid the disintegrating ruins, he calmly opened the Grimoire. As inscribed within, he intoned the spell for a dimensional gate to reality. At his will, a stable black vortex formed at the collapse's heart.
Without a moment's hesitation, he strode into the portal.
The abandoned orphan Lee Jinwoo had died within the Eternal Nightmare.
And today, a new existence was born: Mage Jinwoo, wielder of the Grimoire of Conquest and Domination, victor of his first battle.
His eyes gleamed coldly toward the real world—soon to be the domain of his conquest.