Chapter 3: Devour
The Bloodfang Werewolf screamed.
Blood sprayed through the rain-soaked street as Fenrir's claw tore across its chest.
For a brief moment...
Everything became silent.
The monster stared at the wound in disbelief.
As if it couldn't understand what had just happened.
Then rage exploded from its body.
ROOOAAARRRR!
The werewolf lunged forward.
Its massive claws descended toward Fenrir's head.
Fast.
Violent.
Lethal.
Yet Fenrir's perception had completely changed.
The world seemed slower.
The monster's movements appeared clearer.
More predictable.
His newly awakened instincts guided every movement.
He sidestepped.
Twisted.
Counterattacked.
His claws collided with the werewolf's.
BOOM!
The impact shattered the pavement beneath them.
Cracks spread across the street.
Nearby vehicles shook violently.
The werewolf was stronger.
Much stronger.
But Fenrir possessed something it didn't.
Evolution.
Every second of combat made him stronger.
Every exchange sharpened his instincts.
Every injury accelerated his adaptation.
The Alpha Sovereign bloodline was awakening.
And it was learning.
Fast.
---
The battle intensified.
The werewolf attacked relentlessly.
Its claws became a blur.
Its jaws snapped with terrifying force.
Yet Fenrir continued adapting.
A minute ago he could barely survive.
Now he was fighting evenly.
The werewolf sensed it.
Fear began replacing its rage.
The monster didn't understand why.
Neither did Fenrir.
But OBLIVION did.
[Passive Skill Evolved.]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Predator's Instinct → Alpha Predator's Instinct
Reaction Speed Increased.
Combat Adaptation Increased.
Threat Detection Increased.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Fenrir grinned.
For the first time since his awakening...
He enjoyed fighting.
The realization disturbed him.
Yet it also felt natural.
As though this was what he had been born to do.
To hunt.
To battle.
To devour.
---
The werewolf suddenly retreated.
Its crimson eyes darted around nervously.
Looking for escape.
Looking for survival.
Unfortunately...
The hunt was already over.
The moment the creature hesitated...
Fenrir moved.
BOOOOM!
The ground exploded beneath his feet.
His body became a silver-black blur.
The distance vanished instantly.
The werewolf barely reacted.
Too slow.
Far too slow.
Fenrir's claws pierced directly through its chest.
The monster froze.
Its eyes widened.
Blood poured from its mouth.
Then Fenrir twisted his arm.
CRACK!
The werewolf's heart shattered.
Silence returned.
The creature's body collapsed onto the wet pavement.
Dead.
A Level 12 Bloodfang Werewolf.
Killed by someone who had awakened only hours ago.
For several seconds...
Fenrir simply stood there.
Breathing heavily.
Staring at the corpse.
"I won..."
The words felt unreal.
Then the notifications began.
[Enemy Defeated.]
[Experience Acquired.]
[Level Increased.]
[Level Increased.]
[Level Increased.]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Level 1 → Level 4
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
[New Skill Acquired.]
[New Title Acquired.]
[Bloodline Authority Unlocked.]
One notification after another appeared.
Fenrir barely had time to read them.
Then OBLIVION displayed a final message.
A message that made his heart stop.
[Devour Available.]
---
"What?"
Fenrir frowned.
The word appeared again.
[Devour Available.]
[Would Host Like To Consume Target?]
He looked at the dead werewolf.
Then back at the screen.
"Consume?"
[Correct.]
[God Devourers evolve through consumption.]
[Devouring prey allows acquisition of strength.]
[Devouring prey allows acquisition of abilities.]
[Devouring prey allows evolution.]
Fenrir felt his stomach twist.
Consume?
Was OBLIVION asking him to eat the corpse?
Absolutely not.
That was insane.
He was human.
At least...
He used to be.
[Host misunderstanding detected.]
[Devouring does not require physical consumption.]
[Bloodline Consumption Method Recommended.]
Before Fenrir could ask what that meant...
The hunger awakened again.
Far stronger than before.
His gaze locked onto the werewolf's corpse.
And suddenly...
He understood.
Instinctively.
His hand reached forward.
Crimson-black energy emerged from his palm.
The moment it touched the corpse...
Everything changed.
---
The dead werewolf dissolved.
Its body transformed into countless crimson particles.
The energy flowed into Fenrir.
Directly into his body.
Into his blood.
Into his soul.
The sensation was indescribable.
Warm.
Powerful.
Addictive.
Every cell in his body rejoiced.
His wounds healed instantly.
His fatigue vanished.
His muscles strengthened.
His senses sharpened further.
The hunger became satisfied.
For now.
[Devour Successful.]
[Genetic Essence Acquired.]
[Bloodline Compatibility Confirmed.]
[Skill Extraction Successful.]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
New Skill Acquired:
Bloodfang Claws
Rank: F
Description:
Temporarily enhances claw sharpness and attack power.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Fenrir's eyes widened.
"I gained its ability?"
[Correct.]
[This is the authority of the God Devourers.]
[Consume.]
[Evolve.]
[Surpass.]
A chill ran down his spine.
For the first time...
He understood why the entire universe feared his race.
This wasn't merely power.
It was cheating.
Absolute cheating.
Any enemy he defeated could become part of his strength.
Any prey could become fuel for evolution.
No wonder the gods had tried to exterminate the God Devourers.
If allowed enough time...
They would eventually surpass everyone.
---
Suddenly...
OBLIVION issued another warning.
[Danger Detected.]
Fenrir immediately became alert.
"What now?"
[The werewolf was not alone.]
The rain continued falling.
Thunder echoed overhead.
Then...
Fenrir smelled something.
Several scents.
Approaching rapidly.
His enhanced senses immediately identified them.
More werewolves.
Many more.
At least ten.
Maybe twenty.
And unlike the one he had just killed...
Several were stronger.
Much stronger.
Fenrir's expression darkened.
His first battle was over.
His first hunt was complete.
But the night itself had only just begun.
Far away, hidden within the darkness of the city...
Dozens of crimson eyes slowly opened.
And every single one of them was staring in Fenrir Endarth's direction.
The scent of an Alpha Sovereign had spread.
The predators were gathering.
And soon...
The streets would run red with blood.