What Orion consumed was never meant to be eaten in that state—not by someone on the edge of madness. But the system, blind and uncaring, simply fulfilled its protocol.
It the random starter item promised by the system to the people of Earth.
[System Stater Item Delivered]
[Item: Hunger Catalyst – Tier D]
[Function: Greatly amplifies hunger and increases digestion speed and efficiency.]
The item influenced by his records was something he would normally avoid like fire. But unfortunately for him, he was in no state to think rationally when the item was given to him.
It was his bad luck playing tricks on him, is all one could say.
Orion unaware of the reasons for his torture had gone completely mad at this moment, his mind broken.
He screamed with such force his throat ruptured from the sudden pressure, blood, cartilage and even fragments of his shattered vocal cords sprayed outward. But still, his throat kept making horrifying oozing sounds.
He was still screaming unconcerned with his current condition. Screaming seemed to be an outlet for him, a way to lessen his pain, so he wouldn't stop. Not even when his throat exploded
Normally such a wound would have killed him. Even Gluttony or Greed can't compensate for the oxygen his brain needs to function at his current level. But the pill he had eaten had increased his hunger to such inhuman levels that it had stimulated something inside of him, something deeper than even gluttony or greed. A part of his very being.
A Predator Inside.
[ Gluttony is suppressed: Error]
[ A new power is detected in the host's body.]
[ Scanning… Error. Scanning failed. Unable to comprehend the new power]
[ scope exceeds the system limits]
A Force awakened within him spreading throughout his body, It wasn't something foreign no it was familiar, it was a part of him.
It was the hunger that had accompanied him throughout his life since the day he was born. Now slowly showing its true form after being awakened by an extreme hunger and a higher form of energy – mana.
Surprisingly this hunger wasn't painful or demanding, it was docile and obedient no different than a pet.
Then Orion realized what it was, this wasn't just hunger… it was him, and he wouldn't hurt himself.
This new wave of power - of hunger took over his body devouring all pain Orion felt, like a predator preying on prey.
His consciousness fragmented, drifting above the wreckage of what was once his body. In this third-person awareness, he saw his body eating itself starting from the center digesting and relishing his taste.
His sense of time was strange in that state, he had no idea how much time had gone by nor was he able to move or even think properly, his thoughts moving extremely slowly. All he could do was watch his body eat itself. Slow. Patient. Horrifying.
Not even his soul was spared, being digested into oblivion.
He watched as he devoured himself completely.
All that remained was void.
No body. No breath. No thought.
A swirling spiral of desire in the dark – a fragment of will, still burning, still starving.
He was gone not even a cell, an atom of him remained in the world.
Yet here he was. In the dark.
And then, from the dark, they appeared.
Three entities. Floating before him like stars at the edge of the sky:
Gluttony: A twisted, shifting form of endless mouths and stomachs, dripping with need.
System Node: A humming silver cube, rigid and sterile, covered in flickering symbols and command lines.
Greed: A massive, coiling golden chain, endlessly winding into itself, radiating obsession.
As he stared, he felt something move beneath the void.
Weird and eerie strands of dark tendrils extended from the deep void. They rose like smoke, coiling and trapping the three.
They were fighting – no it was Feeding.
Orion was weirdly aware of everything happening before him, he knew the identities of the three entities. Not through explanation. Through instinct. They were pieces of HIM. His abilities.
And now he recognized the weird tentacles before him too.
He'd guessed that he was somewhere deep inside of him, if that was even possible as his body no longer existed, but he had proof. Gluttony and Greed, they were his abilities, a part of him so they had to be inside him and as such now that he can see them, he must be inside of himself too.
That's why at this moment he wasn't afraid, it's because he knew what those dark strands were subduing the other three, feasting on them. It was something familiar to him, something far more familiar than gluttony or greed. It was his hunger, his original hunger even before Gluttony, the one that appeared when he ate that pill and the one who fully ate him at the end.
Gluttony screamed, biting, trying to assert control. The System node pulsed, trying to purge the foreign entity. Greed lashed around, trying to control. But to no avail.
This new entity was just too powerful.
Because Orion's hunger had become too powerful.
And due to that hunger – The thing deep in slumber inside of him was fully stirred awake, using his hunger as fuel.
[Innate Ability Awakened]
[Devour: ??? Rank]
[Description: ???evolution?]
[Error**]
[You have devoured gluttony]
[System Core Breach Detected]
[ERROR]
{You aRe TryIng tO …ERroR… DevOur tHE Syst..Em NodE…Error Error…]
[Overriding Protocol Initiated]
(WaRNing: SySTem UNabLe to CONTaIN ENtiTy – ImmEDiaTe Purge ReqiERed - - -}
{PuR…G f…Ail..d]
Too late.
The system seemingly soulless in nature was still doing its job, but alas even it was helpless against this new entity, not even being able to determine its full information, only the name. Devour.
But Orion knew that already, and he knew much more than the system. Given that Devour had long been a part of him, just one he wasn't aware of.
It was like getting your lost memories back. He didn't know about the rank, as they were given by the system in comparison to the data it had, but he knew what it did. Devour had one function and one function only.
Perfect Evolution.
It assimilates the stuff it devours and evolves in the most perfect way possible.
And that's what it was doing now.
Gluttony was eaten without much struggle being the first to go, soon followed by the system.
The System was stripped bare – its threads, its bindings, its permissions – all exposed, absorbed like raw code. It tried to escape when it realized it couldn't fight but it was too late.
Last went Greed, the strongest of them all, but seemingly powerless. It howled thrashing in retaliation, but to no use – it was already being eaten.
Orion devoured them all.
…
After the huge meal it had, Devourer went silent. The tendrils receded forming a huge purple cocoon in the void, leaving Orion to wait.
Orion knew what was happening, Evolution. Devour was evolving, which was no surprise considering the nutritious meal it had just had.
He waited for what seemed like a lifetime before something happened. With a crack, the cocoon exploded, the power so vast it blew Orion out of the black void like world.
Reality folded in.
And then he opened his eyes. Not with a gasp, but with a pulse.
Orion was back.
But he wasn't reborn—he was remade.
From nothing, his body reconstructed itself —perfectly, terrifyingly. New arms. New legs. New flesh. His body was taller, leaner, better. His muscles were lean, precise, impossibly strong. His bones vibrated with energy.
His eyes opened, now a burning violet-black, swirling with power—but no madness. No desperation.
He was no longer starving.
Gone was the hunger that had hunted him for all his life along with the fat on his body.
Now only control remained—perfect, unshakable control.
He stood, completely healed, completely reborn.
DING.
A system notification sounded. Different this time. More submissiveness.
And how could it not be.
The food chain had just shifted.
After all
A Predator was born.
[CONGRATULATIONS EVOLUTION COMPLETE: NEW ABILITY ACQUIRED]
[PREDATION]
[Rank: unknown]
[Current Capabilities:
*Absolute Predation: devour anything.
* Adaptive Mutation: Absorb traits, skills, abilities, resistances and more from consumed targets.
* Fusion: Assimilate and fuse lesser abilities, skills and powers into a higher singularity.
* Perfect evolution: evolve in the most perfect way possible.
* Chains of greed: Golden Chains grow from the host's skin. Slithering through physical matter and abstract thought alike. Wherever it coils, it corrupts. Wherever it touches, it claims. [ Every act of accumulation strengthens the ability, increasing control range/ the number of chains depends on host]
* Predation Core: Stores essence/energy and enables recursive evolution.
* Predation domain: All things within range are marked as prey, even other domains.
* System Authority: You now have your own system.
* The Apex: unleash the predator inside.
Title gained:
> [Apex Predator (unique) ]
["You are the Apex Predator; you stand at the top of the food chain there is none above you."]
[Effect
[Intimidation effects drastically amplified.
Intimidation effect on you are nullified.
You have the instincts and capabilities
Of an Apex predator.
No suppression limit.]
{Orion Blake -
Race: Human
Level: 0
Title: Apex Predator, First Sin: Flesh of My Kin
Class: None
HP: 300
MP: 200
Strength: 25 / Agility: 25 / Endurance: 30 / Stamina: 30 / Mana: 20 / Spirit: 50/
Ability: Predation (unknown) — (True unique)
Skills: Appraisal (No Rank)(System extracted skill) }
He flexed his fingers. The void behind his eyes trembled.
And somewhere, deep in the bowels of the earth, the world shivered.
And how could it not, after all,
THE APEX HAD JUST AWAKENED.