I sat up from the cold stone floor while the blue system screen still hovered right in front of my face.
My chest didn't hurt anymore since the fiend bloodline completely healed whatever damage I took from the fall.
I whispered the word status to see exactly what kind of garbage body I had inherited when I woke up in this novel.
[Name: Jin]
[Bloodline: Ancient Fiend (Incomplete - 0.1%)]
[Tier: F-Rank (Unawakened)]
[Strength: 6] [Agility: 7] [Vitality: 8] [Mana: 0]
[Talent: Devour]
I stared at the glowing numbers and almost laughed out loud because they were absolutely pathetic.
An average academy student usually started with around twenty points in every single category just from awakening their family bloodline.
Tae-Hyung probably had over fifty strength already since he was the main focus of the novel and the golden boy of the seraph guild.
I was incredibly weak, but the difference now was my talent since I wasn't stuck at the bottom of the barrel anymore.
A loud scraping noise suddenly echoed through the dark cavern, making me instantly grip the handle of my chipped hunting knife.
I turned toward the noise and saw something moving in the shadows near the dirt slope I had tumbled down earlier.
It was the exact same scavenger lizard I had been tracking in the forest because it must have fallen down the sinkhole right after me.
The beast was roughly the size of a large dog with thick grey scales and three sharp claws on each foot.
Its yellow eyes locked onto me before it hissed loudly to show off rows of dirty needle-like teeth.
Normally an unawakened extra like me would run away since a scavenger lizard could easily tear a normal human apart in seconds.
I didn't run because I desperately needed a beast core to pass the academy test and avoid getting sent to the mana factories.
More importantly, I really needed a live target to test my new devour talent.
The lizard lunged at me while snapping its jaws together in the dark.
I stepped to the side quickly but my agility was only a seven, meaning I was barely fast enough to dodge the attack.
The lizard's claws scraped heavily against a stone pillar and missed my leg by a single inch.
I didn't hesitate at all and drove my rusty knife right into the soft spot behind the lizard's front leg.
The blade was completely dull but I put my entire body weight into the strike so it would actually pierce the tough skin.
The knife sank deep into the monster and the lizard shrieked loudly before thrashing wildly to knock me to the ground.
I held onto the handle with both hands and twisted the blade as hard as I possibly could.
The beast twitched once and went completely still while dark blood pooled quickly on the stone floor.
I breathed heavily and pulled my knife out before standing over the dead beast.
"Devour," I said quietly.
The black scales hidden under my skin flared to life and pushed a strange black mist out of my hands.
The mist wrapped entirely around the dead lizard and started breaking it down instantly.
The beast's body shriveled up like a dried leaf until its flesh and blood simply vanished right into the dark mist.
Only a small white core was left sitting on the ground when the mist finally returned to my body.
The blue screen appeared again to show me the results of the meal.
[Target Devoured: F-Rank Scavenger Lizard]
[Extracting Bloodline...]
[Target bloodline is too weak. Converting to raw attributes.]
[+2 Agility]
[+1 Strength]
I felt a sudden rush of energy enter my muscles and make my body feel noticeably lighter.
My grip on the hunting knife became much tighter since my strength actually increased from a single kill.
I bent down and picked up the white beast core so I could officially pass Instructor Baek's test when I returned.
I had the core so I wouldn't be expelled, but looking at the dark tunnels leading deeper into the underground ruin made me hesitate.
The academy hunt lasted until sunset, meaning I still had a few hours left before I needed to return to the surface.
I looked at my hands and realized I wanted more stats before going back to deal with Tae-Hyung and the other arrogant awakeners.
I gripped my knife tightly and walked deeper into the dark ruins to find another target.
The air grew much colder the further I walked away from the broken altar since the sunlight from the sinkhole completely faded.
I navigated the crumbling stone hallways for about twenty minutes until I heard the sound of heavy footsteps echoing ahead of me.
I pressed my back against a broken wall and carefully peeked around the corner to see what was making the noise.
A massive shadow goblin was pacing back and forth in front of a heavy stone door.
Shadow goblins were strictly E-Rank monsters, meaning they were completely off-limits for first-year students during this basic hunt.
It held a rusted iron sword in its hand and had thick green skin that looked much tougher than the lizard I just killed.
The original novel never mentioned a shadow goblin hiding under the Whisperwoods because this entire dungeon was a massive anomaly.
I checked my knife and noticed the edge was already duller from hitting the lizard's bones earlier.
Fighting an E-Rank beast head-on with my current stats was basically suicide, so I had to be smart about this.
I picked up a loose piece of broken rock from the floor and tossed it lightly across the hallway.
The rock clattered loudly against a pillar and the goblin instantly turned its ugly head toward the sound.
It let out an angry grunt and walked away from the stone door to investigate the noise.
I waited until it walked right past my hiding spot before I lunged out from behind the wall.
I didn't aim for its thick chest or arms since my knife would probably just bounce right off the green skin.
I jumped on the goblin's back and jammed the blade straight into the side of its thick neck.
The monster roared in pain and swung its heavy arms backward to grab me.
Its rough hands grabbed my jacket and threw me hard against the stone wall, knocking all the air out of my lungs.
I hit the ground and rolled quickly just as the goblin swung its rusted sword right where my head had been a second ago.
Sparks flew from the stone floor and I kicked the goblin hard in the kneecap with my heavy academy boots.
The beast stumbled forward from the kick, giving me enough time to scramble to my feet and pull the knife out of its neck.
Dark blood poured constantly from the wound, making the goblin dizzy and slow as it tried to swing at me again.
I dodged the sloppy attack easily since my agility had just increased from devouring the lizard.
I stepped inside its guard and drove the knife deep into its chest right where its heart should be.
The goblin dropped its sword and collapsed onto the stone floor with a heavy thud.
I leaned against the wall and wiped the sweat from my forehead since that fight was way too close for comfort.
I looked at the dead E-Rank monster and held my hand out to use my new talent again.
"Devour."
The black mist rushed out and completely consumed the shadow goblin in a matter of seconds.
[Target Devoured: E-Rank Shadow Goblin]
[Extracting Bloodline...]
[Minor Shadow Affinity detected. Merging with Ancient Fiend Bloodline.]
[+3 Strength]
[+2 Vitality]
[New Skill Acquired: Shadow Step (F-Rank)]
My eyes widened in pure shock because I didn't just get stats this time.
I actually stole a skill directly from the monster, which was something literally impossible in the original novel's setting.
Only people born with shadow bloodlines could learn shadow skills, but my Devour talent completely ignored the rules of this world.
I felt my muscles bulge slightly as the new strength settled comfortably into my body.
I picked up the goblin's rusted sword since it was much better than my chipped knife, and I walked over to the stone door it had been guarding.
It was time to see what this hidden dungeon was actually hiding.