DEMON STAR WOLF
Chapter four
David hesitated before asking, "Okay, so what are you? You're clearly not human. Your voice almost split my head open, yet that same voice soothed my pain. How is that even possible?"
"Hmm? What am I, you ask?" the entity replied arrogantly. "Get ready to wet your pants! Hehehe! I am the World Devourer, Leader of the Evolution Army, Bringer of Life and Death—SKYBLOOD WOLF!"
"Huh?"
The entity fell silent.
Then, in an incredulous voice, it asked, "What do you mean, 'Huh?' I just introduced myself! What do you mean, 'Huh?'"
"I asked what you are. I didn't understand anything you just said. All I heard was 'wolf.' Just wolf!"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING JUST WOLF?!"
The entity's voice exploded inside David's head.
"AHHH! AHHH! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!" David screamed, clutching his head.
"Hmph!"
The entity snorted, apparently offended by David's reaction.
A moment later, however, a warm sensation spread throughout David's body as the entity began healing him again."Let's leave who I am aside. You said this world changed just a month ago, right? Well, let's say two months ago. During the first month, a timer appeared in the sky, giving us thirty days to do whatever we were supposed to do. I don't know what it was for, but it was visible all over the world.
"Then the timer hit zero. One minute, I was in Lagos. The next, the sky cracked open, and something that looked like plasma spread across it—or at least, I think it was plasma. I'm not sure.
"And the next thing I knew, I was here, in a dungeon filled with beasts and dangerous critters roaming around. Oh, right! Apparently, we have kings now, too."
David sighed.For the first time since their conversation began, Skyblood Wolf said nothing.
Then, slowly, its voice echoed through David's mind.
"...A timer?"
"Yes, a timer. Are you going deaf, or—"
"Silence."
David shut his mouth.
The wolf's voice had changed. Gone was the arrogance, the mockery, and the irritating pride. What remained was a chilling seriousness.
"Describe the sky."
David frowned. "What?"
"The moment the timer reached zero. Describe exactly what you saw."
"Like I said, it cracked open. There was something that looked like plasma spreading across it."
A long silence followed.
Then Skyblood Wolf spoke again.
"Impossible."
David tilted his head. "What is?"
"The heavens don't crack on their own, boy. And mana doesn't suddenly flood a world without a cause."
"Mana? What's that supposed to mean?"
The wolf ignored him.
"Tell me something, David. Before that timer appeared, did your world possess even the slightest trace of mana?"
David thought for a moment.
"No. Not that I know of."
For several seconds, Skyblood Wolf remained silent.
Then it muttered something David couldn't quite hear.
"...Someone forced an entire world through an evolution cycle."
"Hey! Stop mumbling and explain what you're talking about!"
"Explain?" The wolf let out a humourless laugh. "You want me to explain how your world may have been transformed into a feeding ground for creatures that shouldn't even exist in your realm?"
David went still.
"...What?"
"Now you're asking the right questions."Skyblood Wolf remained silent for a moment before asking, "Is there anything else that happened besides the timer and the sky cracking open?"
David paused, trying to remember.
"Oh, right! There's one more thing. The Awakeners claim they have something called a system interface. Apparently, it allows them to view their information and abilities, or something like that. Honestly, I don't know much about it. Nobody knows whether it's even real or just something they made up."
"...A system interface?"
"Yeah. Why? Do you know what it is?"
Skyblood Wolf didn't answer immediately.
For an entity that had lived through countless worlds filled with mana, the concept wasn't entirely unfamiliar. However, something about David's explanation caught its attention.
"Boy, tell me something. These Awakeners you're talking about... what exactly makes them different from ordinary people?"
"Nothing much. They look just like ordinary humans. Some of them are incredibly strong, while others can control elements and use them to attack. Oh, and I heard that the more beasts they kill, the stronger they become."
Skyblood Wolf fell silent.
"Interesting," it muttered.
"What's interesting?"
"The rules of this world, boy. If what you've heard is true, then humanity has been given a means to survive."
David tilted his head. "You make it sound like someone deliberately gave us these abilities."
"Because that's precisely what bothers me." The wolf's voice grew serious. "Power that grows through killing beasts, an interface that measures one's abilities, and a world suddenly overrun by creatures..."
"...And what?"