The rain in the Blackwood Forest didn't wash away the blood; it only made it smell more like iron.
Fenris sprawled in the mud, his ribs screaming in protest. Above him stood his half-brother, Cillian—a massive, golden-furred werewolf who had shifted just to prove a point. Cillian's claws were buried an inch deep into Fenris's shoulder.
"You're a stain on the Silvermoon lineage, Fenris," Cillian growled, his voice a guttural vibration. "Father was too kind to let you live eighteen years. I'm just fixing his mistake."
Fenris tried to speak, but only a wheeze came out. He was a 'Dud.' While every other teen in the pack had shifted at sixteen, gaining power and status, Fenris remained human. In a world of predators, he was nothing more than prey.
With a bored huff, Cillian kicked Fenris off the edge of the Ravine of Shadows. "Die in the dark where you belong."
As Fenris fell, the wind whistling past his ears, he felt a strange coldness spreading from his chest. Time seemed to slow down. Just before his body hit the jagged rocks below, a glowing blue screen flickered in his vision.
[Life Signs: 2%... 1%...] [Compatibility Confirmed.] [Host 'Fenris' has reached the required threshold of despair.] [The Last Alpha System is now binding to your soul...]
CRACK.
Fenris hit the ground. His legs shattered, and his vision went black. But the darkness didn't last.
[Emergency Protocol: Blood Sacrifice Detected.] [Absorbing ambient mana from the Ravine...] [Host Revived. Current Form: Level 1 Human (Evolvable).]
Fenris gasped, his eyes snapping open. They weren't brown anymore. Deep within his pupils, a golden circuit-like pattern flickered. The pain was gone, replaced by a hunger so deep it felt like his stomach was turning into a black hole.
He looked at his hands. The bones were knitting back together with sickening pops.
[New Quest: Survival of the Fittest]
Objective: Kill your first prey and consume its essence.
Reward: 10 Stat Points, Unlock 'Devour' Skill.
Failure: Permanent Death.
A low growl echoed from the shadows of the cave nearby. A Shadow Crawler—a beast even full-grown werewolves avoided—stepped into the dim light. Its many eyes locked onto Fenris.
Fenris didn't feel fear. For the first time in eighteen years, he felt… hungry.
"My turn to hunt," he whispered.
🐺 Chapter 2: The Devourer's First Meal
The Shadow Crawler was a nightmare of obsidian scales and too many legs. It stood six feet tall at the shoulder, its mandibles dripping with a corrosive ichor that hissed when it hit the wet cave floor.
Normally, a human—especially a 'Dud' like Fenris—would be dead before they could even scream.
[Warning: High-Level Threat Detected!] [Shadow Crawler: Level 5] [Host Level: 1] [Probability of Survival: 0.4%]
"Shut up," Fenris hissed at the blue floating screen. "I've spent eighteen years surviving. I don't need a math lesson."
The beast lunged. It moved like a blur of darkness. Fenris threw himself to the side, his new, magically-knit bones humming with a strange, frantic energy. He was faster than before—not wolf-fast, but better than human.
He grabbed a jagged shard of rock from the cave floor. It was obsidian, sharp enough to draw blood from his own palm.
The Crawler turned, its multiple eyes tracking his heat signature. It hissed, a sound like grinding metal, and spat a glob of acid. Fenris rolled, the acid melting the stone where his head had been a second before.
[Stamina: 12/20] [Adrenaline Boost Active: Strength and Agility increased by 20% for 60 seconds.]
Fenris felt the surge. His muscles tightened. He didn't wait for the beast to strike again. He leaped onto the creature's back, his fingers digging into the gaps in its scales. The Crawler bucked like a wild horse, slamming Fenris against the cave wall.
Cough!
Fenris tasted copper. His vision blurred, but he didn't let go. With a guttural roar, he slammed the obsidian shard into the largest eye on the creature's head.
The beast shrieked, a sound that could shatter glass. It thrashed violently, but Fenris leaned in, twisting the shard deeper.
"You're... just... a... bug!" Fenris growled, his golden eyes glowing brighter.
As the beast weakened, the System's voice rang in his head like a bell.
[Target is in a 'Near-Death' state.] [Skill: 'Devour' is ready. Would you like to consume the essence?]
"Do it!"
Suddenly, dark tendrils of energy erupted from Fenris's chest, sinking into the Shadow Crawler. The beast didn't just die; it withered. Its scales turned to ash, and its life force flowed into Fenris in a burning torrent of power.
[Devour Complete!] [Gained 500 Experience Points!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!] [Level Up!]
[Current Level: 4] [New Attribute Gained: Shadow Camouflage (Passive)] [Physical Constitution improved. Bone density increased.]
Fenris stood up, the tattered remains of his shirt falling away. His body was no longer lean and sickly. Hard, corded muscle now defined his chest and arms. He felt a strange warmth in his throat—a growl that felt like it could shake the very forest above.
He looked up toward the top of the ravine, toward the Silvermoon Pack that had cast him out.
"Cillian... Father..." Fenris whispered, his voice vibrating with a power he had never known. "I'm not coming back as a son. I'm coming back as a King."
[Hidden Quest Progress: 1/10 Alphas Devoured for 'True Awakening'.]
Fenris froze. The System wasn't just helping him survive. It was asking him to hunt his own kind. A cold, dark smile spread across his face.
"So be it."