The moment Hari's palm touched the cold fossilized bone, the world convulsed.
It wasn't just pain. It was memory—memories not his own, screaming into his skull. Bloodlines collided. The dungeon itself groaned, reacting like a wounded creature.
> [Devour Trait: Noctfang Dominion – In Progress...]
Risk: 89%
Mutation Level: Unstable
Corruption Threshold: 62%
Mental Collapse: Possible
> Do you wish to continue?
Hari didn't even blink.
"Yes."
---
The bone cracked beneath his touch. A tendril of shadow surged from the remains, snaking up his arm and burying itself in his flesh. He grit his teeth, but didn't scream. Not when his veins turned black. Not when his skin cracked like stone.
> Hold on...
His vision warped.
The cavern shattered.
Suddenly, he stood in a world of night—an astral memory, frozen in time.
Above him, a colossal vampire dragon soared across a black sky. Its wings eclipsed entire mountains. Its roar shattered stars. Its eyes burned with ancient hunger.
This was the Noctfang King—Azaroth, Lord of the Red Eclipse.
And Hari had just woken a fragment of its will.
---
> "Who dares touch my bones?"
A voice boomed through the skies like a tidal wave of hatred. The beast's eyes locked onto Hari's spectral form.
> "Another thief? Another insect craving power?"
Hari stepped forward, shadows crawling up his back like wings.
He didn't look away.
> "Not a thief," he growled.
"Your era ended. I'm just here to bury it."
Azaroth roared.
The sky broke.
---
Suddenly, the two clashed.
Not with weapons—but with wills.
Hari's mind trembled. His heart slowed. The dragon's aura tried to crush him, pierce his spirit, erase his identity.
> [Corruption Threshold: 78%...]
[Mind Integrity: Critical]
> "Submit, child," the dragon hissed. "Let me consume you, and you shall live forever in death."
Hari's memories flashed—
The aunt who died to protect him.
The monster he killed as a child.
The blood. The growth. The pain.
> This is my path. My evolution.
> "I am not yours to consume," he whispered.
"You… are mine."
---
He surged forward.
In the astral realm, Hari plunged his hand into the dragon's chest. He gripped its heart—not flesh, but essence—and began to pull.
> [Devourer's Authority: Activated.]
[Predator Evolution: Engaged.]
[Absorbing: Noctfang Bloodline – Fragmented Core]
The dragon screamed.
It writhed, clawed, roared—
—and then shattered into a thousand shards of darkness.
---
Back in the dungeon, Hari collapsed to his knees.
His body shook violently.
But his eyes… glowed with new depth.
Not just red.
Not just violet.
But abyssal black with flecks of bleeding silver.
A new screen appeared:
> [Bloodline Updated: "Predator of the Eclipse"]
Trait Gained: Noctfang Dominion (Partial)
→ Night Empowerment: +40% combat power in total darkness
→ Blood Fear: Lower monsters instinctively fear your presence
→ Eclipse Form: (Locked until Mutation Level 5)
Hari stood slowly.
He was no longer human.
---
In the distance, the dungeon doors began to open.
> [You have cleared a Forbidden Dungeon.]
[All surrounding ecosystems will react.]
[You are no longer undetected.]
---
And far above, in the capital of the nearest kingdom…
An obsidian mirror cracked.
A woman in crimson armor looked up.
> "A predator has awakened..." she whispered.
"At last."
---
To be continued in Chapter 12: Marked by Blood
---