The memory of the Grey Tower fueled the furnace in his chest, but the immediate reality was teeth and claws.
The two remaining Rot-Wolves lunged. They were fast, blurs of matted grey fur and sickly green light. Yesterday, Evan wouldn't have even seen them coming. Today, the world seemed to move just a fraction slower.
[ PASSIVE EFFECT: Adrenaline Surge (Host Body) ]
Evan didn't have combat training. He didn't know how to redirect force or find pressure points. He only had the raw, unrefined strength the System had shoved into his starving body.
He stepped into the attack.
He threw his left forearm up to block the first wolf's snapping jaws. The beast's teeth sank in, but instead of tearing flesh, they met resistance that felt like iron beneath a thin layer of skin.
Evan grunted, not from pain, but from effort. With a roar that tore at his own throat, he swung his arm outward, throwing the fifty-pound beast against the canyon wall.
Thud. Crack.
The wolf whimpered, its spine shattered against the stone.
The last wolf hesitated. It smelled the broken bones of its packmate. The malice in its eyes flickered, replaced by the sharp tang of fear.
[ SYSTEM DETECTED EMOTION SHIFT: FEAR ]
[ FEAR POINTS GENERATED: +20 ]
Evan smiled, a look that didn't reach his eyes. "Don't stop hating me now," he whispered. "I need it."
The wolf turned to flee.
"Oh no you don't."
Evan thrust his right hand forward. He felt a drain on his mental reserves as he activated the skill the System had just granted him.
[ ACTIVE SKILL: PREDATOR'S GRIP ]
[ COST: 15 FEAR POINTS ]
A spectral claw, formed of jagged, crimson energy, erupted from his hand. It extended five feet, clamping around the fleeing wolf's hind leg.
Evan clenched his physical fist. The spectral claw mirrored the action with crushing force.
The wolf shrieked as its leg was pulverized. It collapsed into the dust, dragging itself forward with its front paws, whimpering.
Evan walked over to it slowly. The adrenaline was fading, leaving a dull ache in his muscles, but his mind was terrifyingly clear. He looked down at the creature that would have eaten him alive minutes ago.
He felt no pity. Only a cold, hard satisfaction. The strong eat the weak. That was the rule the Empire taught him. He was just applying it.
He raised his boot and brought it down hard on the wolf's skull. Silence returned to the valley.
Evan stood panting over the three broken carcasses. He waited for the guilt. It didn't come. Instead, a notification chimed in his mind, louder and more insistent than before.
[ COMBAT RESOLVED. ]
[ VAST DIFFERENCE IN STRENGTH DETECTED. (Host was weaker) ]
[ VENGEANCE BONUS APPLIED. ]
[ ACTIVATING DEVOUR MODULE... ]
Evan stepped back in alarm as the bodies of the Rot-Wolves began to dissolve. They didn't rot; they simply broke apart into motes of oily black light. The light swirled in the air, coalescing into three streams that shot directly into Evan's chest.
It felt like swallowing ice water after running through a desert. It was shocking, painful, and intensely addictive.
His body convulsed. His vision blurred, shifting from human sight to something sharper, more predatory. The grey world of the valley suddenly had depth and contrast he'd never perceived before.
[ DEVOUR SUCCESSFUL. ]
[ ASSIMILATING ESSENCE: E-RANK ROT-WOLF (x3) ]
[ REWARDS GRANTED: ]
[ +3 AGILITY ]
[ +2 STRENGTH ]
[ +1 VITALITY ]
[ NEW PASSIVE TRAIT ACQUIRED: [Feral Senses (Minor)] ]Description: Slightly enhances hearing and smell. Allows the user to see in low-light conditions.
Evan gasped, falling to his knees as the integration finished. He looked at his hands. They were still thin, still covered in the grime of the valley, but the trembling weakness was gone. He clenched his fist, feeling the newly acquired muscle fibers tighten.
He looked around. The shadows of the canyon weren't impenetrable walls of blackness anymore. He could see the texture of the rock within them. He could smell the metallic scent of blood from fifty feet away.
He had entered the valley as prey. In less than an hour, he had become a predator.
And he was starving for more.
[ QUEST COMPLETE: FIRST BLOOD ]
[ INITIALIZATION PHASE FINISHED. ]
[ MAIN SYSTEM INTERFACE UNLOCKED. ]
A new screen flickered into existence, larger and more complex than the previous notifications.
[ NAME: Evan Grey ]
[ CLASS: NONE (System Host) ]
[ LEVEL: 1 (Experience: 30/100) ]
[ SYSTEM RANK: SSS - FORBIDDEN ]
[ ATTRIBUTES ]
Strength: 7 (Average Adult Male: 10)
Agility: 9
Vitality: 6
Intelligence: 14
Origin Flux (Mana): 50/50
[ FEAR POINTS: 5 ]
[ HATRED MULTIPLIER: 0% (Currently Inactive) ]
Evan stared at the numbers. They were pitiful compared to a real Awakened, even an F-Class. But to him? They represented the first things he had ever truly earned.
"Level one," he murmured, dusting off his knees and standing up. He looked toward the distant mouth of the valley, toward the lands of the Empire that had rejected him.
"It's a start."