The rain fell like needles from the sky.
Cold. Sharp. Relentless.
Lin Xuan lay on the broken ground, his body trembling, blood mixing with mud beneath him. Above, blurred figures stood in silence—watching, judging, deciding.
"Useless."
The word cut deeper than any blade.
"He failed the awakening."
"Throw him out. He's no longer one of us."
No one stepped forward. No one helped.
Not even the people he once called family.
Lin Xuan tried to move, but his limbs refused to listen. His chest burned with every breath, as if the world itself rejected his existence.
So this is it…
A life decided in a single moment.
In this world, power was everything. Those without it were nothing—less than nothing.
Discarded.
Forgotten.
Erased.
Thunder roared across the sky.
And then—
[System initializing…]
A faint voice echoed in his mind.
Lin Xuan's eyes snapped open.
"…What?"
The world froze.
Rain hung motionless in the air. Sound disappeared. Even his pain… dulled.
Only that voice remained.
[Host detected]
[Condition: Near death]
[Compatibility: 100%]
[Shadow System activated]
A dark interface appeared before his eyes, glowing faintly like a ghost.
Name: Lin Xuan
Level: 0
Status: Critical
Talent: None
None.
Even now… nothing?
A bitter smile formed on his lips.
But then—
[Hidden Condition fulfilled]
[Unlocking: "Devour" ability]
His heartbeat stopped for a second.
Devour…?
[Devour: Absorb the power of defeated targets and convert it into your own.]
Silence.
Then, slowly—
Lin Xuan laughed.
At first, it was weak.
Then louder.
Then uncontrollable.
"HAHAHAHA…"
The people around him stepped back, uneasy.
"Is he… insane?"
But Lin Xuan didn't care.
Because at that moment—
Everything had changed.
He lifted his head, eyes no longer empty.
Darkness gathered within them.
"If the world throws me away…"
His fingers dug into the ground, forcing his broken body to rise.
"Then I'll take everything back."
Step.
Step.
Blood trailed behind him.
The rain resumed.
Time moved again.
And in that ruined moment—
A monster was born.