Chapter 2: The Hunger of the Abyss
The heavy, metallic scent of the Bone-Eater's remains still lingered in the air, but the physical body of the monster had vanished, absorbed entirely into Zayn's pores. He stood in the absolute darkness, but to his new eyes, the world was no longer black. Everything was draped in a faint, ethereal grey—a thermal-like vision that highlighted the jagged edges of the rocks and the faint traces of mana floating in the air.
[Status: Evolution in Progress... Hardened Skeleton trait integrated.]
Zayn felt a strange itch beneath his skin. It wasn't painful, but it was uncomfortable, as if his bones were becoming denser, heavier, and as cold as steel. He clutched his fist, and the sound of his knuckles cracking was like two stones slamming together. He looked at his reflection in a pool of dark ichor on the floor. His face was the same, but his eyes... they glowed with a predatory amber light that didn't belong to a human.
Grrrr...
His stomach growled, but it wasn't a normal hunger. It was a void—a deep, dark hole in his soul that demanded to be filled with more essence. The 'Absolute Predation' skill wasn't just a power; it was an instinct. It was a constant whisper in the back of his mind, telling him to hunt, to kill, and to consume.
"I need to move," Zayn whispered. His voice sounded different now, carrying a low vibration that seemed to echo off the walls.
He didn't head for the gate. He knew that Ryan and the others would be waiting at the entrance of the dungeon to confirm the 'clean-up'. If he showed up now, wounded and weak-looking, they would finish the job. He needed to be stronger. He needed to become the very thing they feared most. He remembered the layout of The Hollow Graves. This was an S-Rank dungeon, and he was currently on the outskirts of the boss chamber. To survive, he had to go deeper, into the areas where even Ryan's team feared to tread.
Zayn turned toward the dark tunnel that led deeper into the second floor. As he walked, he noticed that his movements were no longer clumsy. Every step was silent, his body instinctively avoiding the loose pebbles that could give away his position. His F-Rank body had been a prison of weakness; this new form was a finely tuned weapon.
[System Notification: New Quest Available!]
[Quest: The First Hunt]
[Objective: Slay and Devour 5 'Shadow Crawlers'.]
[Reward: Skill Upgrade - 'Absolute Predation' Level 2.]
Shadow Crawlers. Zayn remembered them from the guild's manuals. They were Rank-A hunters that moved in packs, using their camouflage to tear scouts apart before they could even scream. For an F-Rank scout like the old Zayn, a single Crawler meant instant death.
Now, he was looking for five.
He didn't have to wait long. From the ceiling above, he heard the faint clicking of many legs. Five pairs of glowing red eyes appeared in the shadows, circling him. They were the size of wolves, with long, spindly limbs and obsidian-like carapaces. They moved with a sickening fluidity, their bodies blending into the darkness.
Normally, Zayn would have been paralyzed with fear. But as he looked at them, all he felt was... irritation. They were standing between him and his next meal.
One of the Crawlers hissed and lunged from the darkness, its razor-sharp front leg aimed directly at Zayn's throat. Zayn didn't dodge. He didn't blink. He simply raised his arm, bracing for the impact.
Clang!
The Crawler's blade-like leg struck Zayn's forearm, but instead of cutting through flesh, it made the sound of metal hitting a solid wall. Zayn's skin didn't even break. The 'Hardened Skeleton' trait had turned his bones into an impenetrable shield. The monster's eyes widened in confusion. It was used to soft, squishy human flesh.
"My turn," Zayn muttered.
He reached out, his hand moving faster than the Crawler could react. He grabbed the monster by its head and slammed it against the cavern wall with such force that the stone cracked. The sound of the carapace shattering echoed through the tunnel like a gunshot.
[Target Neutralized. Begin Devouring?]
"Not yet," Zayn said, his eyes scanning the other four Crawlers who were now hesitating. "I'll eat all of you together."
The monsters, sensing a predator far more dangerous than themselves, tried to coordinate a simultaneous attack. Two lunged from the front, while the others circled behind. But Zayn's 'Monster Sense' flared, showing him their movements in slow motion. He spun, his leg connecting with one Crawler's chest, sending it flying across the room until it exploded into a mess of green ichor.
He finished the rest with a cold, terrifying efficiency. He was no longer fighting like a human. He was biting, tearing, and striking with a primal savagery that would have horrified his old self. Within minutes, the tunnel was silent again, littered with the broken bodies of Rank-A monsters.
Zayn stood over the pile of corpses. He knelt down and placed his hands on the largest Crawler.
"Devour," he commanded.
Black mists erupted from his palms, coiling around the carcasses like hungry snakes. The bodies began to liquefy, turning into dark mana that surged into Zayn's body. He felt a rush of euphoria as the strength of the five monsters was added to his own.
[DING!]
[5/5 Shadow Crawlers Devoured.]
[Quest Complete!]
[Level Up! Level Up!]
[Current Level: 10]
[Skill Upgrade: 'Absolute Predation' is now Level 2.]
[New Passive Skill Gained: 'Shadow Camouflage' (Rank: B).]
Zayn felt his presence fade. He looked down at his hands and saw that they were becoming translucent, blending perfectly with the darkness of the dungeon. He was now a ghost in the shadows. He could feel the dungeon itself acknowledging him, no longer as an intruder, but as a part of its dark ecosystem.
However, the silence didn't last long. The ground beneath his feet began to tremble. A low, guttural vibration hummed through the walls, shaking loose dust from the ceiling.
[System Warning: High-Energy Mana Signature detected nearby.]
[An 'Abyssal Guardian' is approaching.]
Zayn felt a massive vibration. Something much larger than a Shadow Crawler was coming—something that made the air itself feel heavy and suffocating. A massive silhouette appeared at the end of the tunnel, its footsteps sounding like falling boulders. It was a creature of stone and rotting flesh, ten feet tall, carrying a rusted iron mace.
A dark, twisted smile spread across Zayn's face. He didn't hide. He didn't run. He leaned against the cave wall, his body disappearing into the shadows thanks to his new skill. He watched as the Guardian sniffed the air, searching for the intruder who had slaughtered its subjects.
"Good," Zayn whispered, his eyes glowing with a predatory light. "I was still feeling a little hungry."
He could feel his power growing. With every kill, the human part of him felt further away, replaced by a cold, calculating hunger. He was no longer just surviving the dungeon. He was conquering it. Somewhere above, Ryan and the Silver Dawn were likely toasting to their success, unaware that the 'bait' they had thrown away was currently evolving into the God of the Abyss.
Zayn stepped deeper into the darkness, his footsteps silent,
his heart cold. The hunt was just beginning.