[Scene: Abandoned Underground Shelter – Morning After the Dungeon]
The light from a cracked bulb flickered above, casting shadows across the dusty room.
Kaito sat on the floor, shirt torn, back against the wall. Blood was crusted on his arms. Steam still rose faintly from his body.
His breath was shallow. His heart? Racing like a drum.
And in front of him…
[SYSTEM BOOTING…]
[Hidden-Class System: "Devourer" Activated]
[WARNING: Class is Forbidden in All Known Realms]
[Proceed? Y/N]
He stared at the prompt, eyes trembling.
"This… this is real," he whispered.
His hands shook as he hovered over the glowing YES.
No turning back now.
He tapped it.
[System Lock Released]
[Welcome, Devourer]
Suddenly—
WHOOSH!
A black circuit-like pattern burned across his right arm, glowing briefly before fading beneath his skin.
His eyes widened.
"What the hell was that!?"
Then came the pain.
THUMP!
He clutched his chest.
It felt like his insides were shifting—rearranging.
Bones cracked, skin rippled, muscles swelled slightly before retracting.
He gasped. Sweat poured from his face.
[Skill Integration: Berserker Strength – COMPLETE]
[New Passive Gained: "Adrenal Surge" – Temporarily boosts speed and power when injured.]
Kaito dropped to his knees, panting.
"So this is what it means to evolve…"
He looked at his reflection in a shattered mirror.
His hair was slightly longer.
His pupils—slit-shaped, like a beast.
And that purple glow in his eyes… still there.
[Scene: Downtown Hunter Guild – Registration Office]
"Next!"
A bored guild worker waved a hand. Kaito stepped forward in his ragged hoodie.
The receptionist—a tired middle-aged man—barely looked up.
"Name?"
"…Kaito Ryu."
"Hunter license?"
"…Don't have one."
The man sighed.
"Another wannabe," he muttered. "Alright. You here to apply for a Class Scan?"
Kaito nodded silently.
A scanner orb floated down from the ceiling and hovered in front of him.
"Place your hand on the orb," the worker said. "If you've awakened, it'll show your class. If not, you'll be charged 10 credits."
Kaito placed his hand on the orb.
It glowed…
…and then went black.
[ERROR: Class Not Recognized]
[Security Alert: Forbidden Class Signature Detected]
The orb shattered.
CRACK!
Glass shards flew across the desk.
Everyone in the room turned.
The receptionist stood up fast, eyes wide.
"What… what did you do!?"
Kaito didn't answer.
It rejected the scan… just like the system said.
Suddenly, a side door opened. A woman in a suit walked out. Eyes sharp. High-level Hunter badge on her lapel.
"Kaito Ryu, come with me. Now."
[Scene: Guild Private Room – Minutes Later]
Kaito sat in a steel chair. Across from him, the woman paced.
"I'm Yuna Mizaki. A-Rank Hunter. Internal Affairs," she said.
"Your scan triggered a full guild alert. No one below a Hidden-Class level can do that."
Kaito stayed quiet.
Yuna sat down. Eyes locked onto his.
"Whatever system you're using—it's not registered. That's dangerous, and potentially illegal."
"I didn't choose it," he muttered. "It chose me."
Her eyes narrowed.
"You're saying… the system forced a class onto you?"
Kaito nodded slowly.
She leaned back, surprised.
"…There's only one type of system known to override Awakening Permissions."
Her voice dropped.
"A God-Class Protocol."
Kaito's breath caught.
She stood. "You're not trash anymore, Kaito Ryu. But what you are now… the world isn't ready for."
"That makes two of us," he replied quietly.
[Scene: Alley Outside the Guild – Later That Night]
The moon hung high. Rain drizzled.
Kaito sat under a metal stairwell, flipping through his system window.
[Devourer System]
[Level: 5]
[Skills: Devour, Predator Core, Berserker Strength, Adrenal Surge]
[Next Evolution Unlock: Level 10]
[Quests Available: 1]
[Quest: Feed the Core]
Objective: Absorb 3 living monsters
Reward: Random Skill
Penalty: System Instability
Kaito swallowed.
"Absorb three more…"
He looked at his hand.
It trembled again—not from fear… but hunger.
The urge was growing.
The system inside him didn't just want to evolve.
It wanted to feed.
[Scene: Abandoned Subway Station – Late Night Hunt Begins]
Kaito moved silently along the tracks.
The lights flickered above. Wind howled through the broken tunnels.
A nest of low-level beasts had been reported here.
No hunters had taken the job.
Too risky.
Too small of a reward.
Perfect.
Suddenly—GRRRRRRHHHH.
A Fang Hound leapt from the shadows—its eyes glowing red.
"DEVOUR."
SLASH.
Kaito's claws extended mid-air.
One clean swipe.
Blood exploded across the wall.
[Target Absorbed: Fang Hound]
[Skill Gained: Night Prowl (Movement Boost in Darkness)]
He didn't stop.
Another monster appeared.
Then another.
He moved like a ghost—dodging, striking, consuming.
The third monster—an armored mole-beast—rushed him.
He jumped—landed on its back—and rammed his hand into its spine.
"You're mine."
FLASH.
[Quest Complete]
[Random Skill Rolled: Void Step – Rank B]
Suddenly, Kaito's vision blurred.
His body warped briefly—teleported two feet sideways.
"What the—!?"
[Void Step: Short-range teleport (5 meters max). Cooldown: 30 seconds]
He stood there, stunned.
A smile slowly stretched across his face.
"I'm evolving."
The shadows around him flickered.
His aura grew darker.
A quiet voice echoed inside his mind again.
"One step closer to your final form…"