"Ha… hahaha… it worked. It actually worked."
Karma laughed under his breath, a shaky grin tugging at his lips. His chest heaved as though he had just pulled off the greatest trick of his life. At his feet, the beast's corpse was still warm, its vitality fading into nothingness—except he had stolen a part of it for himself.
Mira's voice chimed in, playful yet surprised. "Wow, Master, even I didn't expect your body to absorb raw energy like that. Maybe it's because you grew up in a world without spiritual energy. Your body's acting like a blank slate—adapting to everything you throw at it. Hm! Not bad at all."
Karma wiped sweat from his brow, his grin refusing to fade. "Maybe you're right, Mira. Or maybe I'm just lucky. Either way… I need to know if this wasn't a one-time fluke."
And so he pressed deeper into the forest.
It became his training ground. Its beasts became his unwilling test subjects.
He started with mortal creatures—barely more than animals. They fell one after another beneath his blade, their lingering energy trickling into him, hardening his muscles, strengthening his bones, tempering his blood.
Then came his first real challenge—a wolf with scales along its back, a true Body Tempering beast. Its aura pressed on him like the weight of a storm. His heart pounded, but he didn't back down.
Silent Flowing Steps carried him past its snapping jaws. Iron Serpent Fists cracked against its ribs. Finally, Azure Moon Cleave carved across its throat. The wolf collapsed, blood steaming against the cold air. Karma stood panting, trembling—but alive.
His confidence bloomed.
Soon he was fighting beasts at the second layer, then the third. One, a scaled predator with glowing eyes, nearly broke him. Its hide turned aside his blade, its claws raked his chest, and every strike of his felt too small, too late. Panic clawed at his mind—until a memory sparked.
On Earth, he had read about cultivators wielding elements—fire, water, lightning—imbuing every strike with a law of nature.
Why can't I do the same with Devour?
Devour wasn't just a trick for corpses. It was a law. A truth. To take… and make it his own.
At first his attempts were clumsy. His blade swung empty, his focus slipped, and the beast's claws tore shallow lines across his arm. But he persisted. Each failed attempt taught him something new. Step by step, strike by strike, he sharpened the idea into reality.
Then it happened. His blade scored the beast's shoulder, not deep enough to kill—but enough to draw blood. And in that moment, he felt it: the faint tug, the pull of energy rushing into him. His body shivered as lost stamina returned in a trickle.
A grin tore across his bloodied face. "It works."
Each cut afterward became a siphon. Each strike refilled what he lost. Bit by bit, the beast weakened while he only grew hungrier. Finally, with one last, ruthless slash, the predator collapsed. Karma stood victorious, his chest heaving, his lips stretched in exhilaration.
"You're insane," Mira muttered. "But… impressive."
That was all he needed.
Hours passed. He fought more, stronger—fourth-layer beasts, then fifth. Each kill fueled his body, each battle sharpened his instincts. Fear dulled into rhythm. The forest that had once suffocated him now felt like it was built for him alone.
Mira sighed in his head. "Master, you're getting reckless. Let's stop here."
But he didn't stop. Or maybe he couldn't. The rush of power filling his veins was intoxicating. With every beast that fell, the thrill dug deeper. The line between survival and hunger blurred.
That was when fate decided to test him.
The forest grew darker. The trees twisted overhead, blotting out the sky. Cries of beasts echoed harsher, stranger. And then he saw it.
A massive boar lumbered into the clearing. Its tusks were like mammoth spears, its hide as thick as iron, its eyes burning with fury. Its aura slammed down on him, suffocating, heavy.
Karma's breath caught. "A ninth-layer Body Tempering beast…" he muttered. He couldn't sense more. He didn't yet understand the gulf between realms. Unbeknownst to him, the boar had already stepped halfway into the Blood Tempering Realm.
But his grin returned, wide and foolish. He raised his sword. "Perfect. Let's see how far I've come."
The boar didn't wait. It charged, earth splitting under its hooves. Silent Flowing Steps barely saved him—the wind of its passing almost knocked him flat. He countered, but his blade skittered off its hide with nothing but sparks.
The beast bellowed and swung its tusks. Karma twisted, Iron Serpent Fists coiling into its flank, but his strike bounced off like a pebble on steel. The counter-blow slammed into him, hurling him through a tree. Blood sprayed his lips.
Reality hit harder than the tusks. I'm not strong enough.
He staggered to his feet, gasping, battered, his limbs trembling. Blow after blow crashed down, leaving cuts and bruises until blood dripped into his eyes. Each strike reminded him just how wide the gulf was.
"Mira… why isn't Devour working?" he rasped, spitting blood.
Her voice was sharp, desperate. "Master, stop this! This beast is leagues beyond you. Run!"
For once, he listened. Pride gave way to survival. He stumbled back, weaving between trees, praying distance would save him.
But fate had sharper teeth.
The air changed. The forest hushed. Shadows thickened, pressing like a hand over the world.
Then—silence slithered.
A massive serpent uncoiled from the undergrowth, scales rippling with camouflage. Its strike was lightning. Coils the size of tree trunks snapped around the boar, crushing it in a single breath. Bones cracked, flesh burst, blood sprayed. The mighty beast that had nearly ended Karma was nothing but broken meat.
Karma froze, horror rooting him to the ground.
Then the coils turned.
Before he could run, they snapped around him. His ribs groaned, his lungs seized. His sword slipped from his hand. He thrashed, fists hammering desperately, but his blows bounced off scales like raindrops on stone.
Panic surged. He clawed at Devour, reaching, begging—but nothing came. The serpent's energy was vast, alien, slipping through his grasp like smoke.
So this is it. His sister's face rose in his mind, bright and distant. I swore I'd find you. I swore I'd live. But here… I can't even fight back.
The coils tightened. Vision darkened. Mira's voice was distant, breaking.
And in the last trembling spark of his mind, one vow blazed brighter than the serpent's crushing strength.
If I live through this… I'll grow stronger. Strong enough to never feel this helpless again. Strong enough to tear fate apart.
His body went limp in the serpent's grip. Crushed between the jaws of fate.