Midnight.
Rei stood at the edge of a red-zone district—an abandoned section of the city swallowed by dungeon corruption. The air shimmered unnaturally, like reality was stretched too thin.
He stepped past the barricades.
> [You have entered: Lesser Rift - Wolf Nest]
Danger Rank: D
Monsters Detected: 7
Objective: Eliminate all threats
His heart didn't race.
It pounded steadily.
Before the devourer system, stepping into a rift alone was suicide. But now? He was starving, and the System had no cooldown.
The scent of wet fur and rotting meat filled the ruined subway.
Snarls echoed from the dark.
Rei crouched, hiding behind a collapsed pillar as a pack of corrupted canines stalked through the rubble—six-foot monsters with bone masks fused to their heads and spikes jutting from their backs.
> [Targets: Corrupted Bonehounds – Lv. 7]
They were higher level.
Good.
He gripped a rusty short blade scavenged from a dead Hunter. It wasn't strong. He wouldn't need it long.
The first hound leapt—and Rei didn't dodge.
He lunged into the attack, ramming his shoulder into its throat mid-leap. The beast gagged, flipped midair, and slammed into the ground.
Rei was on it instantly, driving the blade through its jaw into its skull.
> [Enemy Killed – Devourer Protocol Triggered]
[You have devoured: Corrupted Bonehound]
– Strength +1
– New Skill: Savage Leap (Lv.1)
– Hunger 2% → 0%
He gasped. The raw, burning rush filled him again. His limbs stretched, bones cracked, but it felt… good.
Another hound attacked from the side.
This time, Rei leapt.
> Savage Leap activated mid-motion. He flew, claws extended, and tore the creature's eye out mid-strike.
Blood. Screams. Power.
He devoured them one by one.
Until silence returned to the rift.
> [All targets eliminated. Rift collapsing in 3 minutes.]
He stood there, surrounded by twitching corpses, soaked in their essence.
He wasn't even breathing hard.
> [Level Up – Devourer Lv. 2]
Traits Gained:
– Predator's Sense (passive): Slightly increases detection of living targets
– Claw Morph (Lv.1): Arms temporarily mutate for increased damage
– Max Hunger threshold increased
Rei wiped blood from his lips and smiled.
He wasn't prey anymore.
He was the predator.
---
🩸 Meanwhile… elsewhere in the city
> "Did you say… someone cleared the red-zone rift? Alone?"
"Yes ma'am. No team logs. No surveillance. Just corpses… and one missing wolf core."
The woman in the long black coat narrowed her eyes, silver earrings glinting in the light.
"Track him. Whoever he is, he's not a normal Hunter."