The smell of blood filled the dungeon.
Warm liquid seeped through Kael Veyne's robe as he pushed a hand against his ribs. He breathed in rough, quick gasps.
Multiple bodies remained motionless in the chamber, their lifeless eyes reflecting the cold stone below which was barely illuminated by the flickering torchlight arranged around the walls.
He had killed a lot of his foes and battled skillfully. A fight that a third-ranked Evolution, Lvl 299 Primal Warlord, should be proud of. However, his attempts had fallen short.
Abruptly, steady footsteps reverberated across the hallway. Kael struggled to get himself up. His crimson liquid-slick daggers shuddered in his hands.
Every time he moved, his muscles cried out in pain but his will remained unwavering. He wouldn't be on his knees if he was going to die.
The silence was broken by a voice that was familiar. "Kael, it's over."
The weak light in the room caught Darius Valmont's silver armor as he stepped out of the shadows. With his blade at his side, the once-familiar knight stood tall.
Members of the Silent Blades, Kael's old Assassin Guild, stood silently behind him in dark hooded forms.
"Traitors!" he said, clenching his fists. The taste of iron in his lips was swallowed.
"Darius, you shouldn't have come by yourself." He spoke in a calm, gruff voice. "Are you worried that your hounds won't complete the task?"
Darius let out a sigh. "I didn't want this to happen."
"Hehehe...," Kael said, laughing haltingly. "You ought to have put in more effort."
A stunning woman with red hair came forward from the side. Evelyn Ashthorne held up her palm, crimson runes flashing at her fingertips, and the torches blazed.
She was the Silent Blades' only Scarlet Mancer and Primal Warlord. She was the one member of the guild he was never able to completely negate her magic.
"You ought to have anticipated this," she remarked quietly. Her tone was one of bone-chilling finality without any malice.
All around her, flaming chains of flame formed as the flames flared to life. They swung around Kael's arms and legs, burning through his flesh and bone before he could move.
Grinding his teeth, Kael was on the verge of letting out a heart-wrenching cry. His daggers clattered to the ground after slipping out of his grasp.
The scorching power froze his body in place as it convulsed. He started to struggle to breathe. Still encircling him with her spell, Evelyn lowered her hand. "This will do, but I would have liked a cleaner execution."
With his vitality rapidly ebbing away, Kael gasped. His thoughts were racing. 'Think. How do I get out of this?'
Darius took a few strides on the stone floor, his boots making no sound. "Some people want you gone permanently because you upset them. You ought to have remained where you belonged Kael—in the shadows."
Kael bared his teeth. "And you ought to have lied more skillfully." He took advantage of Darius' brief moment of hesitation.
He shifted, pushing his body forward. He cracked the chains as he leaped, ignoring the burning pain.
But as his fingers touched the hilt of his fallen dagger, a shadow flickered and steel pierced his chest. He paused.
Darius had buried his blade just below his ribcage. Dark red blood spurted from his mouth, his heartbeat paused, and warmth swept over his body.
Kael dropped like a log of wood as his vision became blurry. He was completely engulfed by darkness.
*****
Somewhere in an endless emptiness... It was quiet when Kael woke up drifting in an unending expanse of darkness. His surroundings were completely dark and oppressively stuffy.
Voices coiled around him like invisible tendrils, whispering in the emptiness. The words were too many, and they sounded ancient. They overlapped, entangling in tongues that were incomprehensible to him.
He also felt like something was observing him. A feeling that beyond the darkness lay a vast and ancient presence.
Then came the echo of a soulless voice. It was neither mortal nor human; it sounded like death itself. "DEVOUR."
His soul erupted in pain; this time he was unable to contain it. But even as he opened his mouth to scream, nothing came out. Now he was scared.
His bones fractured, his blood burnt, and his whole being broke and slowly regenerated. The darkness dug its claws into him, twisting what was left and reshaping what had been broken.
He was being rebuilt, one piece at a time. Though his body burned, he gradually became more aware.
His senses reached deep into the darkness, communicating with something that had been starving for countless ages. His veins were filled with power. Kael opened his eyes as a burst of red light pierced the night.
*****
Kael stumbled forward, gasping for air. A blast of cold air hit his lungs. His nose was flooded with the smell of something rotten and damp.
He mumbled, staring around in confusion, "I...I'm alive..." However, there was a problem. Below him, his hands scratched at the uneven and rugged dungeon stone floor.
When he made contact with the energy rushing beneath the surface, his skin tingled. His heart raced too hard and too quickly. His eyes grew sharper, easily penetrating the shadows. His senses became acute, picking up activity much beyond what his former self should have been able to see.
However, this sensation was short-lived. His mind became aware of something new. Then a mechanical and lifelessly cold voice sounded inside of him.
———
[DING!]
[SYSTEM INITIALIZED]
Host: Kael Veyne
Bloodline: Eldritch Devourer (Stage 1 – Unchained)
Rank: Initiate Devourer
Level: 1
———
Kael gasped for air. "What is this?" Regretfully, there was nobody present to respond to his query.
The system—no, the voice—went on.
———
Abilities Unlocked:
>>> Devour Essence (Active): Absorb 70% of the primal energy of slain foes over ten levels above. Increases by 2% with every 50 level-up.
>>> Assimilate Traits (Passive): 10% chance to steal abilities from devoured enemies. Increases by 10% with every 100 level-up.
>>> Eldritch Metamorphosis (Locked): Bloodline evolution at higher levels.
———
His hands trembled. This wasn't magic... This was something else entirely, something beyond his scope of understanding.
~Russle~
Suddenly, he heard faint movement. A deep growl echoed through the dungeon.
Kael's gaze flicked to the darkness in front of him. From the shadows, a massive figure emerged, its twisted body throbbing with decay.
"A Half-Step Evolved Lvl 7 dungeon beast." His eyes narrowed into slits.
His thoughts raced. He had no weapons, was weak, and was fresh from death itself. But the words of the system reverberated inside his head.
"Devour Essence."
The beast lunged, leaving Kael with no time to think. As a now Half-Step Evolved Lvl 1 human, he moved intuitively and, astonishingly, faster than he should have.
He ducked with ease and claws ripped through empty air. He followed his intuition. Twisting, he picked up a sharp piece of stone from the ground.
The beast turned, but Kael was already in motion. He drove the stone deep into its throat.
Dark blood poured everywhere as the beast shrieked and convulsed. Kael gripped the stone tightly as it thrashed, further twisting the makeshift weapon.
The beast fell to the ground in a pool of its own blood, letting out one last gurgling breath. Power rushed into Kael's body as its life was coming to an end.
His vision turned red.
———
[System Alert]
1️⃣ Base EXP Gained
>>> 110 EXP from the beast.
2️⃣ Devour Bloodline Ability (100% within a 10-Level range)
>>> +110 EXP
3️⃣ EXP Required for Level-Up (Lvl 1 to 2)
>>> 100 EXP needed.
4️⃣ Level-up requirements met.
>>> [Essence Absorbed: +2 Blood Points]
>>> [New Trait Acquired: Night Predator (Enhanced Stealth & Vision)]
>>> [Level Up Progress: 99% → Ready for Breakthrough]
———
Kael let out a breath, his body pulsing with vitality. There were no scars from his wounds because they slowly healed together. Strength filled his limbs.
"This… this is power." A slow, dangerous smile spread across his lips. "The Silent Blades thought they had killed me but they have no idea what they have created."