King of the Dead in Dark Palace

Afflicted from birth by a strange and unknown illness, a boy of noble blood expects to pass away without ever being cured. One day, however, he awakens without experiencing his accustomed agony; he also can no longer feel his heart beating.

Introduced to the fearsome Holos Carmen, the anonymous boy is addressed as "Fleshman" and renamed as "End." He soon realizes that he has been resurrected thanks to necromancy, and now he must obey every instruction given to him by Lord Holos. Forced to fight against wild animals in the forest, he grows stronger with each kill he makes, and he is subject to scrutiny by Holos, who eagerly awaits the day when End will amass enough power to transform into a "ghoul."

Despite his present circumstances, End considers this undead life to be an improvement over his human one. Nonetheless, unable to tolerate the loss of his free will, he plots to escape from Holos' control—to this end, he has been hiding the fact that he had already become a ghoul some time ago!