The amorphous Eldritch pulsed, its tentacles flailing, leaving trails of glistening, viscous residue on the wet concrete. It was small, barely larger than a dog, but the sheer wrongness of it, the way it defied natural laws, sent a shiver down Elias's spine. He'd fought thousands of these in-game, but this was real. The primal fear threatened to paralyze him, but a deeper, more familiar instinct, honed by countless hours of virtual combat, surged. Survive. Adapt.
His right hand twitched. He felt a peculiar warmth spread across his palm, a familiar yet alien sensation. He knew, with an inexplicable certainty, what was about to happen. The Eldritch, sensing his presence, lunged, a high-pitched shriek tearing through the alley. Its form solidified slightly, revealing grotesque, unblinking eyes embedded in its gelatinous mass.
Elias didn't consciously move. His right arm shot out, propelled by an unseen force. On his palm, where skin had been, a vertical slit appeared, like a perfectly carved line in his flesh. It widened, revealing rows of small, needle-sharp teeth, glistening unnaturally in the dim light. A dark, maw-like opening gaped. This was it. The cheat. The invincible mouth that had been the subject of countless player theories and forum debates. It was more horrifying, more visceral, in reality.
The Eldritch slammed into his outstretched hand, not with the impact of flesh and bone, but like a wave crashing against an unyielding rock. The mouth on Elias's palm opened wider, a soundless vacuum. There was a sickening slurp, a collapsing sensation, and then, nothing. The Eldritch was gone. Absorbed. The mouth sealed itself, the skin on his palm knitting back to perfect normalcy, leaving no trace.
Elias gasped, stumbling back against the wall. A strange energy coursed through him, foreign yet potent. It wasn't the clean, refined power gained from processed crystals, but a raw, wild influx. He felt stronger, faster, and a fleeting, unsettling echo of the absorbed entity's chaotic presence whispered at the edge of his consciousness. This was just Level 1. What would higher levels feel like?