Sunrise crept slowly behind the trees of the Forest of Darkness, turning the sky from pitch black to a dull gray. The faint light fell on Kael, who still sat on the ground, his breathing heavy, his body covered in wounds, but his eyes… shone differently.
Kael had never felt like this before.
He had never felt this alive.
The system still displayed the last notification:
[Passive Unlocked: Predatory Sense Lv. 1]
[Skill Acquired: Ravager Instinct Lv. 1]
Kael pressed the screen to make it disappear.
The Spirit Devourer floated down in front of his face, its black mist swirling gently.
"You felt that, didn't you?"
Kael nodded, though he didn't fully understand.
"Yes. I feel… something inside me changing."
The Spirit Devourer made a sound like a small hiss.
"You're not just absorbing the Ravager's energy… but also its nature."
Kael swallowed.
"So… I'm starting to become a monster?"
The Spirit Devourer shook his head slowly.
"No. You're still human. But the system that operates in your body isn't the same as the world's. My system—our system—allows for the assimilation of some predatory traits."
Kael grabbed his collar. A chill crept up his spine.
"I can control this, right?"
The Spirit Devourer hovered closer.
"It depends on you."
First Symptoms
Kael stood with a grimace. His wounds were still numerous, but his newfound Vitality was healing him faster.
As he took a step, he noticed something strange.
He could hear the footsteps of a small rabbit from dozens of meters away.
Even his own heartbeat was clearer.
Predatory Sense.
Ravager Instinct.
Kael stopped and tried to calm himself.
"I have to… get used to it."
The Spirit Devourer stared at him silently.
"Control it, Kael. Don't swallow it."
Kael nodded and walked back to where he had entered the forest to continue his training.
But halfway there—
GRRRR…
Kael was shocked. "What is that?!"
He wanted to raise his sword, but the voice… came from his own chest.
Fast, powerful, ferocious—like the sound of a hungry monster.
"Even though your body has evolved," the Spirit Devourer explained, "the Ravager energy is too great. Your predatory instincts haven't stabilized."
Kael felt his teeth bite his lip.
"What do you mean?"
The Spirit Devourer twisted its misty body and pointed at Kael's chest.
"If you don't quell it…
you could lose control."
Unnatural Hunger
A few minutes later, Kael searched for wild fruit. He was hungry from the intense fighting. He picked a small red fruit and took a bite.
But as soon as it entered his mouth—
He spat it out.
"Why does it taste… disgusting?"
The normally sweet fruit tasted like rotting mud.
Kael tried another fruit—the same.
He found a root—he spat that out too.
He tried a bite of dead deer meat—but the taste, uncooked, made his head throb.
The Spirit Devourer lowered his head slightly.
"It's the effect of Ravager Instinct."
Kael looked at him, his face pale.
"I… can't eat regular food anymore?"
"That's not it," the Spirit Devourer replied. "But your body now craves energy. Not regular nutrition."
Kael realized what he meant.
"…Devour."
The Spirit Devourer grinned faintly.
"You're quick to catch on."
Kael took a deep breath.
So this is how it goes…
The more he develops, the more he relies on the Devour system.
"But make no mistake," the Spirit Devourer added,
"you can still eat normal food—as long as your body isn't in this 'overly thirsty' state. Right now, your body is adapting."
Kael breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't want to become a creature that could only eat monsters.
But it still scared him a little.
If his body changed any further…
How long would it be before he couldn't return to being a normal human?
A Voice from Within
Kael decided to walk deeper, searching for a small monster he could devour to stabilize his body.
But as he walked…
Suddenly—
Kael…
Kael stopped. The voice wasn't coming from outside.
It was inside his head.
"Spirit Devourer, is that you?"
The Spirit Devourer shook his head.
"My voice can be heard clearly from outside your body. That… isn't me."
Kael swallowed softly.
Kael… hungry…
The voice was low, like the groan of a dying animal mixed with a human whisper.
Kael clutched his head.
"No… don't… not now…"
The Spirit Devourer looked at Kael with a sharp gaze.
"That's Ravager energy that hasn't been fully tamed. You've gained great power… but you're bearing its burden too."
Kael tried to catch his breath.
"I can control this…"
But his voice was shaky.
The Spirit Devourer touched Kael's forehead with the tip of his mist.
"If you don't want to be a monster… then you have to prove it."
The Battle with Oneself
Kael walked until he found a Dark Hare—a weak F-Rank monster, just enough for stabilization.
Kael raised his sword—
But suddenly his vision blurred.
The Dark Hare appeared like a red mist.
His heart pounded rapidly.
The voice in his head grew louder:
Eat… eat… eat…!
Kael held back a scream.
"No… I… AM… IN CONTROL!"
He gritted his teeth, resisting the internal urge.
The Dark Hare leaped at Kael—
Kael swung his sword, but was too slow.
The monster managed to claw at his arm.
"Aargh!"
Kael backed away, his breathing ragged.
The Spirit Devourer cried:
"Control it! You're not a Ravager!"
Kael gritted his teeth—
Then he forced his mind to focus on the memories:
The Awakening Ceremony.
The looks of those who looked down on him.
His crying mother.
The teacher who told him he had no future.
The people who said he would never be an adventurer.
And the sound of children's jokes still pierced his ears:
"Kael? The one born without mana? Don't joke."
Kael shouted from the bottom of his throat:
"I AM NOT A MONSTER—I AM KAEL VERNIUS!"
His sword swung in an arc, decapitating Dark Hare in one blow.
His body trembled.
His red vision slowly faded.
And that thirsty voice… slowly vanished.
Like night swallowed by morning light.
The system beeped:
[Dark Hare defeated]
[Energy Extractable: 3 Units]
Kael raised his hand, but not driven by the voice's impulse…
but by his own decision.
"Devour."
A small amount of energy entered his body.
[Agility +1]
[Vitality +1]
Kael took a deep breath.
His body stabilized.
The Spirit Devourer approached, staring at him for a long moment.
"I thought you were about to lose control," it said.
"But it seems… I was wrong."
Kael smiled wearily.
"I was afraid that would happen, too."
The Spirit Devourer floated higher.
"You must remember, Kael.
Every evolution… brings new powers and traits."
Kael nodded.
"But I will not allow myself to turn into a monster."
The Spirit Devourer stared at him with its red eyes.
"I hope that's true. Because if one day you lose…"
It swirled like a black wind,
"…I will not hesitate to finish you off."
Kael tensed.
But the Spirit Devourer added:
"Of course… I hope that never happens."
Kael smiled wearily but sincerely.
"I will control it. Whatever the cost."
And for the first time, the Spirit Devourer looked at Kael with an expression that was almost… proud.
New Powers — and New Dangers
The sun had fully risen. Kael walked out of the inner forest, his body beginning to stabilize.
But before he could leave the area—
He saw something high in the sky:
A giant, faintly rotating circle of blue light.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"What is that…?"
The Spirit Devourer frowned, his tone becoming sharp.
"That's… a trace of the world system's activation."
Kael stared at it in confusion.
"Why did the world system appear here?"
The Spirit Devourer didn't answer.
Instead, he said something that sent shivers down Kael's spine:
"Because someone… or something… is watching this place."
Kael felt a chill run down his spine.
"Do they… know about me?"
The Spirit Devourer slowly nodded.
"The power you gained from the Ravager… likely attracted the system's attention."
Kael clenched his fists.
So, before he left the forest, before he entered the guild, before he proved himself…
The world system had already begun to notice him.
Chapter 10 ends here—
and the next chapter will take Kael into a situation far greater than himself.