The corridor ahead was dim, lit only by slow-burning blue fire torches mounted on the walls. The trial behind them—the Burden Key—had left them quiet, heavier. But the path forward pulsed with something different.
A strange warmth lingered in the air. It was ancient. Not magic exactly, but memory.
They reached a circular chamber. On the far wall stood a massive stone mural, cracked by age but still vibrant in places. Symbols ran along its edges. At the center, a creature was carved in golden stone.
It was a monkey.
Vhim blinked. "That's… a monkey?"
Arjun stepped closer. "Why is there a monkey on the mural of a noble family's legacy?"
And then the wall lit up.
Letters of light formed in the air. The story of the Willows family began to write itself.
> The Willows Family Origin – The Birth of Jarban
Long ago, deep within the dungeon's lower floors, there lived a monkey. Not just any monkey — but one born with a strange soul nature. Curious. Wild. Greedy. Lustful. His name was Jarban.
He was no king, no beast lord. Just an animal. But one day, Jarban found something that should not have existed.
A fruit.
Its glow was soft. Its smell — intoxicating. Its name lost to time.
Its element — Sex Human.
And Jarban… ate it.
That fruit didn't just change his body.
It turned him human.
Not truly. Not completely. But enough.
His fur vanished. His voice formed. His body stretched and grew.
Still, inside, he was a monkey. His soul nature had not changed.
But now, he looked beautiful.
Too beautiful.
One day, the First Princess of the Diana Kingdom visited the dungeon with her royal knights.
Jarban saw her. She saw him.
And she fell in love.
Not with his soul. Not with his story.
Just his face.
They were married. A scandal. A royal secret. But it happened.
And when she became pregnant, something within Jarban stirred.
His soul nature changed.
The wild monkey inside twisted. Shifted. Softened.
He became more human. More aware. More hungry — not just for food or fun, but for growth.
---
The Rise of Jarban Willows
He realized something.
Each time he slept with a strong woman — each time he created life with someone powerful —
his soul evolved.
Not his power. Not his skills.
His soul nature.
His being.
He was no longer just Jarban the monkey.
He became Jarban Willows.
He sought out queens, warriors, witches, priestesses.
Women of strength, spirit, legacy.
And when his children were born, something stranger happened.
If they died — through battle, accident, or even sacrifice —
their soul natures returned to him.
Not as ghosts.
As power.
Each child gave him something new.
A daughter who loved music gave him song.
A son who dreamed of justice gave him vision.
A daughter who killed armies gave him rage.
He kept evolving.
His body changed again.
His eyes could see souls.
His presence could silence kings.
He created a harem of 10 queens.
And over 200 concubines.
From them, he fathered over 10,000 children.
He called them:
> "The Thousand Branches of Willows."
---
The Willows Conquest
Each child was trained. Educated. Molded.
Some became generals.
Others became governors.
Many became assassins.
And a few became monsters.
Together, they spread through the continent.
Jarban did not conquer through war alone.
He conquered through family.
One kingdom at a time — they bent the knee.
Not because of fear.
But because they were already married to his bloodline.
By the time Jarban was 120 years old,
he was no longer an emperor by title.
He was the Father of a Continent.
---
The Willows Philosophy
In the center of the mural, a single line burned into view:
> "To love is to multiply the self. To lose is to absorb. To breed is to evolve."
Vhim scratched his head. "That's… the weirdest history I've ever heard."
Arjun didn't speak at first. He stared at the monkey's carving.
"So… he was just… a monkey?"
"Who liked women," Vhim added.
The tiger nodded, snorted, then flicked its tail in agreement.
"But… this isn't just a joke," Arjun said. "This is how their bloodline was formed. They don't pass power by magic… they pass it through soul inheritance."
Vhim looked confused. "So if a Willows child dies… their soul returns to the parent?"
Arjun nodded. "And maybe not just the parent. Maybe to the whole bloodline."
A second mural lit up — this one showing a family tree with glowing veins connecting the faces.
The names were long. Regal.
But at the root of all of them, one name pulsed.
Jarban Willows.
---
WHISPERS OF THE PRESENT
As the mural faded, a final message hovered in the air:
> "Those who carry the Willows blood must remember:
We were born from craving.
We grew through pleasure.
We conquer through inheritance.
The soul is our seed."
The torches dimmed.
The room returned to silence.
But none of them felt the same.
Vhim was still confused.
The tiger seemed annoyed.
But Arjun stood quietly, thinking.
He looked at the mural again.
"How did a monkey," he whispered, "become something… divine?"
The question was not answered.
But somewhere, deep within the dungeon — a heartbeat pulsed in time with his.
And something ancient, something watching, smiled.
.
..
The silence after the mural faded didn't last long. As the last torch flickered, the ground beneath them shifted. The circular floor began to sink, slow and smooth like a descending platform. None of them spoke. Even the tiger stayed unusually still, as if it sensed the importance of what came next.
The platform stopped with a thud.
A new chamber opened up before them — round, high-ceilinged, and lined with crimson stone. Strange sigils glowed along the walls, pulsating like veins. At the center of the room stood a tall black obelisk. It was covered in glowing red runes and had a small bowl embedded at its base.
A single message hovered in front of them, shining in red letters:
> [Welcome to the Blood Key Trial.]
[To inherit the Willows Family legacy, one must accept the seed of Jarban's blood.]
[Only one may succeed. Only one shall evolve.]
[Do you dare inject the blood of the first beast emperor?]
Beneath the message, a slit opened in the obelisk.
Out of it, a small vial slid into view — filled with thick, shimmering golden-red blood. It pulsed softly, as if alive. As if it was waiting.
Vhim paled. "Blood of Jarban? That monkey emperor guy? That's some serious stuff."
Arjun said nothing at first. He stepped closer, reading every line again.
"Only one may succeed…" he muttered. "And the others…?"
He didn't need to ask.
They'd die.
He glanced at Vhim, then at the tiger, which was watching the vial with narrow eyes.
His mind was racing.
He wasn't a Willows descendant. Neither was Vhim.
But the tiger… That beast had survived the burden trial without panic. It had stared down its inner torment — loneliness, rejection, hunger — and hadn't turned feral. Arjun didn't know why, but he sensed something deep in the tiger. Something noble. Something ancient.
Maybe…
Maybe it wasn't just a beast.
Arjun made his decision.
He walked over, took the vial, and crouched beside the tiger. The creature's golden eyes met his. For a moment, Arjun wondered if it understood what was about to happen.
"I'm trusting you with this," Arjun whispered.
He poured a drop of the glowing blood onto a small dagger, then pressed the blade lightly to the tiger's neck.
The tiger didn't move.
The blood touched its skin… and was absorbed instantly.
There was a long silence.
Then —
> [The blood of Jarban Willows has been injected.]
[Analyzing subject's soul nature…]
[Beast species: Mutant Saber Tiger.]
[Latent soul evolution detected.]
[Potential rank: KING.]
The chamber trembled.
The tiger roared—not in pain, but in power. Its muscles flexed. Its fur shimmered. Strange marks glowed along its back for a second before vanishing beneath the skin.
Arjun's system chimed.
> [A king-rank potential individual has been found.]
[Would you like to invite them into your family?]
Arjun blinked.
"Wait… I can do that?"
It made no sense.
He wasn't a Willows. This trial wasn't meant for him. Yet the system wasn't talking about inheritance. It was talking about his own system — his Family Leveling System, which allowed him to form bonds and alliances with those of great potential.
The tiger… had just qualified.
Arjun smiled.
"Sure, why not?"
> [Invitation accepted.]
[Mutant Saber Tiger has joined your family.]
[Current Family Level: E → D.]
[Special trait unlocked: King's Instinct (Lv.1)]
[Family Synergy: Beast Bond established.]
Vhim stumbled forward. "What just happened?! Did… did the tiger inherit it? Why isn't he turning into a human?"
"No," Arjun said calmly, eyes still on the tiger, "he's not human. Not yet. But his soul accepted the blood. His body's not changing… but something inside did."
Vhim scratched his head. "So… is he the heir now?"
The system answered for them.
> [Blood Key Trial completed.]
[New inheritor recognized: Mutant Saber Tiger.]
[Incomplete transformation. Subject retains beast form.]
[Inheritance granted: 3% of Jarban's Soul Nature.]
[Next stage: Evolution Trigger Pending.]
Suddenly, the chamber pulsed with warm light. A soft hum vibrated the floor beneath their feet.
The obelisk slowly began to sink into the ground, vanishing beneath the stone.
A new staircase appeared, spiraling downward.
The path ahead.
—
The tiger stepped forward and stopped beside Arjun. It didn't growl. It didn't hiss.
It lowered its head slightly.
Respect.
Bond.
Belonging.
For the first time, Arjun didn't feel like the weak loser from his past life. He didn't feel like someone grasping blindly for survival.
He had made a choice.
He had given someone else a future — and earned a powerful ally in return.
"Looks like we've got our first family member," Arjun said softly.
Vhim walked to the edge of the staircase and looked down. "This dungeon's crazy, Arjun. Like, seriously. First a monkey becomes an emperor, and now your tiger just drank his blood. What's next?"
Arjun chuckled. "Whatever it is… we'll face it together."
Vhim squinted. "Can I be in your family too?"
"…You already are," Arjun said.
They smiled at each other.
The tiger growled softly, as if laughing along.
And with that, the three of them descended the stairs — not as strangers thrown into chaos, but as something closer.
A family.