Vayu's sat on the black liquid, floating effortlessly as if the corrosive pool itself recognized him as its master; the thick surface rippled gently beneath him instead of swallowing him whole. He stared blankly into the air, as a translucent blue screen hovered before his eyes, letters glowing— he had never seen such symbols before, yet somehow he understood every word written on it with perfect clarity.
A status window was floating in front of him
====================== DEVOURER SYSTEM ======================
Name: Vayu
Age: 22
Race: Human (Partial Shapeshifter)
Rank: F Rank (Player)
Class: Devourer
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STATUS
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Health : 500
Mana : 3
Strength : 30
Agility : 20
Intelligence : 13
Luck : 20 (-30) [Cursed]
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SKILLS
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[Devourer] (Lv. 1)
Effect : Whatever you eat, you can use 10% of its power.
[Enticer] (Lv. 1)
Effect : You can control someone weaker than you.
[Over drive] (Lv. 3)
Effect : You stats are boasted for some amount of time.
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The moment the villagers stepped out from the space created by Seraphine, each one of them instantly became a possible candidate for becoming an Awakened. Awakeners were divided into two paths—Hunters and Players. Hunters had fixed ranks from the very beginning, no matter how much they trained, they could never grow beyond their initial limit unless they stumbled upon a once-in-a-lifetime treasure or some by miraculous fortune they break their limiter. Players on the other hand, possessed limitless potential. They could grow endlessly, but at the start they were far weaker than Hunters. As both Hunters and Players could obtain new skills, yet most believed that becoming a Player instead of a hunter was a blessing. But it wasn't. It was a trap carefully set by the creator of the system. Those with endless potential, rare luck, unique constitutions, or fates destined for greatness, they were forced onto the road of endless suffering. Many never lived long enough to achieve their full potential. They were hunted by beasts while completing a quest… or hunted by Hunters driven by jealousy. Because deep down, everyone knew one truth, if a Player who survives long enough, it becomes something even the whole world could not face.
Vayu brushed his hand against the floating screen. It flickered, blurred for a moment, then restored itself. Irritated, he scratched at it again.
"Go away…" he muttered and the moment the words left his mouth, the screen vanished.
"Huff…" Vayu released a long, exhausted breath.
He remained sitting on the surface of the black liquid. One day passed. Then two. Then three. Soon an entire month slipped by. Whenever he felt hungry, some of the black liquid rose on its own and seeped inside his body. The hunger disappeared instantly, though Vayu was never the one asking for it—the liquid acted on its own, almost as if it refused to let him suffer.
But Vayu did not leave. He could not leave, he did not want to. He knew he was the reason his village had been destroyed. Only the First Elder knew the truth, but how could he face them all, the guilt was far too heavy. He had dragged everyone into a pit that they never deserved. Why did he have to challenge that beast? Why couldn't he just live quietly like the last squad leader…?. Tears streamed down his face again. He had cried for so many days that his eyes turned black, they looked liked the liquid he was sitting on.
One day, as Vayu sat in a daze, a voice echoed through the underground chamber.
"Come here… I will not hurt you" after that came a scream of a women and then came the sound of clothes being torn.
"No one is here to save you."
Vayu lifted his head. He was trapped in an underground sewer-like system where all the waste from the lab flowed. Some of it was devoured by the black liquid around him and the rest drifted deeper into the tunnels. The voice came from a narrow opening high above. He tried to jump up and see what was happening outside, but he couldn't reach it. Then the liquid beneath him rose, lifting him gently like a hand. Vayu reached the hole and finally saw the world outside. This was the part behind the lab, it was already dark in the night. A fox like man had cornered a cat-like girl. She was trembling in fear, her body frozen, her right sleeve was torn. Vayu grabbed the iron bars blocking the opening and pulled with all his strength—but the bars were made of a special alloy and all he could do was bend them slightly, nothing more.
Then the black liquid rose again and brushed softly against the metal. The bars melted instantly. Vayu stared in shock. He had known the liquid was strange… but he had never imagined it was this corrosive. When Vayu stepped out, it was pitch black outside, as no one visited this area. He had no clothes, his skin looked black as his tears had dried on his body. In the darkness, he was almost invisible.
Ahead of him, a fox-man had a girl cornered. Neither of them noticed the silent figure emerging from the shadows. The fox-man reeked of alcohol, though Vayu had no idea what being drunk meant as no one in his village knew about alcohol. Vayu walked toward him slowly. He could hear the girl's trembling breaths… and the man's slurred laughter. Vayu reached out and quietly pulled the sword from the fox-man's sheath. The cold metal glinted faintly in the moonlight as he pressed it to the man's throat.
"Don't move," Vayu whispered.
But the fox-man's hand snapped up with lightning speed.
CRACK.
He had crushed the blade with his hand. The metal shattered like thin glass, pieces scattering across the ground. Vayu's eyes widened—he had never seen strength like this. He instinctively stepped back.
The fox-man turned around, lips curling back to reveal sharp teeth " I didn't know there was a rat hiding there" Vayu quickly jumped inside the shadows
"Come out, you little rat" he snarled "Or when I find you, I'll skin you alive" the fox like man scanned left and right, searching the darkness for the presence he felt. Most shapeshifters never used weapons. Weapons were useless, unless, they were enchanted, even enchantments had grades, but normal weapons were useless against their bodies. This fox-man carried a simple sword only for sparring, in real fights, no one relied on blades. They preferred claws, fangs and brute strength. Weapons mostly broke after sometime.
Vayu realized just how dangerous this creature was. He stood behind a tree, completely motionless, while the fox-man sniffed the air, trying to locate him. The man's senses were sharper than any human—but still, he couldn't detect Vayu at all. The black coating on Vayu's body hid his scent, after sometime the fox man give up putting his attention back on the cat girl.
Vayu watched him calmly, this man was just like Soma—the monster who had captured his entire village. But far more weaker then Soma. Although Soma was in weakened state and was drugged by Vayu, he had almost killed him. Vayu felt he could kill him.
Below, in the underground chamber, the black liquid slowly rose toward the hole. It had a mind of its own. It sensed Vayu's presence outside and paused. Vayu wasn't in any danger yet, so it simply watched.
The fox-man, finding nothing, snorted and turned his attention back to the cat girl. She was frozen in terror, her back pressed to the wall, her ears flat, her body shaking violently. She tried to scream, but her throat produced nothing.
Vayu scanned quickly for a weapon, something blunt because sharp weapons were useless. His eyes fell on a massive boulder—but it was too big for him, even with Overdrive he was not confident if he could lift it. Next to it was a smaller stone, the size of his head. He quickly started taking deep breaths and his body went into Overdrive. A power rushed through his veins. He lifted the stone—and to his shock, it felt light, as if it weighed nothing. Without a second thought, he throwed it at the fox-man. The stone hit the fox man with explosive speed, causing a heavy impact.
CRACK!
It smashed into the fox-man's skull, shattering on impact. The fox-man's body flew back violently, slamming against a nearby tree. Vayu stared at his own hand, stunned by the power. As his strength stat was 30 making him as strong as three men but when he used overdrive, he strength reached 90, so he was able to throw the stone easily.
He stepped forward slowly and cautiously, the fox-man laid on the ground, his head bleeding heavily. On his neck hung a strange necklace glowing with a mysterious light. As Vayu saw it, he felt an overwhelming pull toward it—like his hand was being guided to snatch it. His fingers reached forward—
But the fox-man's hand shot up lightning-fast and grabbed his hand, Vayu snapped out of his daze, he knew he fell for trap.
"Got you, rat."
The blood on his face vanished in an instant, the wound sealing as if it never existed. His eyes glowed viciously. He slashed across Vayu's chest and blood burst out. Then he struck Vayu's torso with a brutal palm strike and Vayu's body flew backward, crashing into the huge boulder behind him.
BAM!
Pain exploded through his ribs "Hahaha! First I'll kill this little rat" the fox-man laughed, licking his lips as he turned toward the terrified girl. "Then I'll enjoy you"
He ran towards Vayu, at this moment Vayu was nothing more than a perfect punching bag. His highest stat was Health. A fitness level of 10 meant a normal, healthy human. Vayu's health was 300. He could endure hits equal to thirty grown men.
Vayu was ready to fight, but what happened next was not a fight, but a one sided beating. The fox man slammed his fists down, then came kicks, claws he pounded Vayu relentlessly. Vayu felt every hit, this was the first time he had felt pain like this in his life. But somehow—somehow—he stayed conscious.
His breath trembled. His vision shook, but his eyes never closed.
He wasn't dying.
Not yet.