{Error!}
{Unknown Bloodline Found!}
{The bloodline doesn't exist in the Records.}
{Terminating entity}
{Disintegr$$@$@$*$&@$}
{Error!}
{Error!}
{Error!}
The words overlapped, distorted, tearing through Lucian's consciousness.
{...}
{Unable to terminate.}
{Seeking Permission.}
{...}
Lucian barely heard these words.
His mind went blank. His knees gave out, and his body slammed face-first to the ground.
The impact sent a dull shock through his skull, but he barely felt it.
His thoughts scattered.
He tried to stay awake, but couldn't—his body gave in under the weight of his injuries.
{DING!~}
The crisp, sharp, and loud ring again echoed in his head.
{The entity has been given access by ######.}
{Requesting permission on Bloodline Termination.}
{...}
{...}
{Permission Denied.}
The golden screen glitched violently and disappeared, with another screen appearing before him.
But he wasn't awake to see it.
{Bloodline has been registered.}
{...}
{Congratulations!}
{Your Bloodline has been granted a name by ######.}
{You have awakened the Devourer's Bloodline.}
{You have awakened your rank and talent.}
{You have granted your stat#@%&}
{Error!}
Lucian's body trembled violently.
His fingers twitched, and his spine arched slightly as if electricity had surged through him.
Then—
He went completely still.
His skin darkened slightly to ink black, like shadows crawling into his veins, then—his skin slowly turned back to normal.
The night fell silent.
Then—
[Finally.]
A foggy silhouette appeared before Lucian's unmoving body.
It stood there before him as if it had always been there.
One moment, the space before him was empty, and the next, something stood there.
It was hazy, indistinct, and distorted, but from its proportions, it looked like a woman.
Her presence bent the space around her, causing the streetlights lining the road to flicker erratically.
Her feet—or what seemed to be her feet—didn't touch the ground, hovering a few inches above it.
The silhouette moved toward Lucian's unconscious body—no, floated toward him.
She knelt beside him—her body still not touching the ground.
Her hazy, fog-like, slender hand gently reached out to touch his cheek.
But just before her long fingers were about to—
She paused.
Her entire body was mist, shifting and unstable, except her eyes.
Two blue otherworldly eyes, glowing with something vast and unfathomable—locked onto Lucian's unconscious face.
A small smile spread across her lips, revealing sharp white teeth gleaming in the darkness.
[Welcome back, #@!*$%.]
Then—
She vanished.
The streetlights stopped flickering, and the wind resumed.
As if nothing had ever happened.
***
Fifteen minutes passed.
"Uhh…"
Lucian's body stirred.
His fingers twitched weakly.
A groan escaped his lips as he slowly woke up, scrunching his face as a disgusting stench assaulted his senses.
His mind felt disoriented.
When he saw the bodies around him, his eyes widened.
The goblins, the human corpse, the splattered blood.
As the memories rushed back in, he frowned.
The last thing he remembered was the system's voice.
He held his head lightly.
"What happened?" he asked, ignoring the ache in his muscles and his head.
It felt like he was questioning himself—but he was asking Akasha.
[You awakened.] Her voice echoed inside his mind.
Lucian stiffened.
"...Akasha? What happened to you?"
Her voice was there—but something about it felt different.
And more than that…
She felt closer.
As if he could sense her emotions.
Not clearly, but he could feel it.
And it wasn't just him.
[Our connection is increasing.] Akasha said slowly, like she herself was surprised.
Lucian's frown deepened.
"What do you mean?"
[We are closer than before. I can now sense fragments of your emotions—and you can feel mine as well. Also…]
She stopped, unwilling to continue.
"And what?"
[...Nothing. Forget about it. Look at your status.]
Lucian narrowed his eyes, but didn't argue.
He called out his status.
A familiar blue screen appeared before him.
[STATUS]
Name – Lucian Foster
Race – Human
Rank – F
Titles – Loved by ######
Bloodline – Devourer's Bloodline
Affinity – None
Talent – B
[Attributes]
Strength – 10➝11
Agility – 10➝11
Constitution – 10➝11
Intelligence – 10➝12
Will – 10➝12
Perception – 10➝11
Charm – 10➝13
Stamina – 10➝12
Mana – 1
Attribute Points (AP) – 31
— — —
Lucian's eyes widened as he read through it.
First—his rank.
"F Rank." He wasn't surprised.
This was the rank most people obtained after their first kill. After that, monster cores were used to increase rank.
Then his talent.
"B Rank."
To be honest, he felt disappointed.
He had expected more, since Akasha had said that he was special, so he had thought that he might have an SSS rank talent.
But he figured he might be able to improve it later with Akasha's help.
Hopefully.
"No affinity…." He sighed softly.
Disappointing again.
Elemental affinities were powerful.
Someone without an affinity couldn't be compared to someone with one.
Think about it, someone fighting with his fists or a sword, and his opponent is someone with an elemental affinity, say, fire.
Who do you think will win?
Of course, the one with Fire affinity.
He can just burn his enemy to ashes, and game over.
The one without affinity can only win if he has a very high proficiency in combat.
So he was hoping for an affinity.
But the most shocking things were his bloodline and title.
"Loved by… what?"
His brows knit together.
'Loved by whom? Why is it written like that?'
He couldn't comprehend the ######. The characters were unreadable, uncensored, and distorted. It felt as if he didn't have the right to know what it represented.
He asked Akasha—but even she didn't know.
Then—
The Bloodline.
"Devourer's Bloodline." He whispered the name quietly.
The name felt heavy on his tongue for some reason he didn't quite understand.
This part felt important.
More important than anything else… aside from the title.
"What does my bloodline do?"
[It is exactly as it sounds.] Akasha replied.
[It devours.]
She said simply, as if that explained everything.
Lucian stared at the screen for a moment longer.
Then—
[Ding!~]
[You have obtained the Unique Skill: Devour]
[???➝Devour]
There was no specific description, no explanation, but Lucian instinctively knew what its functions were.
Like it was carved into his instincts.
A wide, excited smile appeared on his face.
He didn't know if it truly worked exactly as described, but if it did…
"This is the best."
His voice trembled—not with fear, but with anticipation and excitement.
[Now use your skill on the bodies.]
Akasha's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Lucian inhaled deeply.
He turned toward the nearest goblin corpse and knelt beside it.
Its dull eyes stared lifelessly at the sky.
"Haa…"
He placed his left hand on its chest.
"Devour."
The moment he spoke, the skill activated.
His hand turned ink black as it spread through his palm. It crawled across the goblin's body like a liquified shadow.
His irises darkened until they resembled two bottomless voids.
The goblin's body paled, then thinned—shrinking and shriveling slowly until nothing remained.
Not even bones.
Lucian grimaced at the sight—but at the same time, he felt stronger.
A notification appeared.
[You have devoured a goblin.]
[Your agility has increased by 1.]
[You have obtained 1 Attribute Point.]
His eyes widened.
It was only an F-rank monster—yet his agility had increased by 1 point, and he had gained an Attribute Point.
But—
Along with that, he felt something else… something strange.
He shook it off and moved to the next goblin.
[You have devoured a goblin.]
[Your strength has increased by 1.]
[You have obtained 1 Attribute Point.]
[You have devoured a goblin.]
[Your agility has increased by 1.]
[You have obtained 1 Attribute Point.]
[You have devoured a goblin.]
[You have obtained 1 Attribute Point.]
…
…
…
…
[You have devoured a goblin.]
[You have obtained 1 Attribute Point.]
Again.
And again.
By the time he finished devouring all the goblins, he had gained 10 Attribute Points. His strength had increased by 1, and his agility by 2.
They were weak monsters, so the gains were limited—but he was still satisfied.
"...Now."
He turned to the human corpse.
His smile faded, turning grim.
"Do I… have to devour him too?" he asked quietly.
His chest tightened.
He didn't feel like devouring the human corpse.
It was not just about morality.
When he devoured the goblins, he felt something he couldn't comprehend.
Something wrong.
[It is up to you.] Akasha answered.
Lucian exhaled slowly.
"I need to get as strong as possible—and as fast as possible."
Shaking his head, he knelt beside the body.
It was a middle-aged man.
He was wearing office attire, with a loosened tie; maybe he was just on his way home after work.
His lifeless eyes were frozen in terror, and his mouth was slightly open, maybe because he was murmuring something before dying.
His chest had been torn open by the goblin. His throat was slit.
Lucian placed his hand on the blood-soaked chest.
Gritting his teeth, he finally said,
"Devour."
The darkness slowly spread again.
He wanted to close his eyes, but he didn't.
'I have to get used to this.' He thought, not looking away from the corpse.
The man's body thinned, slowly fading until it vanished completely.
[You have devoured a human.]
[You have obtained 1 AP.]
Lucian froze.
His eyes turned blank.
His pupils shrank.
Suddenly, emotions flooded him—overwhelming and violent emotions that weren't his.
Images followed.
A goblin charged at him.
A blade sliced his throat.
Before death, unbearable pain tore through his chest.
He looked down and saw the monster opening him up with claws and a dagger.
Pain.
Endless pain.
The man—Lucian, felt his regret.
His wife.
Their divorce.
Their argument.
The last words she said.
He wanted to call her.
Before dying, he wante—
The memory shattered.
Lucian gasped violently, collapsing forward, sweat pouring down his body.
The pain.
The fear.
The despair.
He had felt everything, every second of it—as if he had lived that moment himself.
For a moment, his mind couldn't process it.
Then, slowly, he understood.
As soon as he devoured the man—
He hadn't just absorbed the flesh.
He hadn't just gained his strength.
But something more…
Those emotions.
Those memories.
They weren't his.
They belonged to the dead man.
Lucian's hand shook uncontrollably.
"Ha… ha…"