The night erupted into chaos.
"Kill him!" a scavenger roared, his Gu worm flashing as his arms bulged with brute strength. Two others rushed in with daggers, one clutching a flame Gu that sparked fire across his hands.
The MC's breath slowed. The abyss whispered. His black blade pulsed, tendrils crawling up his arm like veins.
Strike. Feed. Devour.
The first brute lunged, fist crashing down with bone-cracking force. The MC moved without thought—the abyss flowed. His arm split into two tendrils of living shadow, each sharp as a spear.
Shhhk!
Both tendrils pierced the man's chest. He gasped, strength Gu flickering dim as his body went limp. The abyss drank deep, pulling essence and life until the corpse shriveled like dried leather.
The others froze in horror.
"What… what kind of Gu is that?!"
The MC smiled thinly. "Not Gu."
The dagger-wielders charged anyway, driven by greed and fear. One slashed, but his blade glanced uselessly off a sudden surge of black armor that coated the MC's chest like liquid steel. The other raised his fire-wreathed hand—only for a tendril to lash out, wrapping his arm and yanking him screaming into the dark.
His body disappeared into the writhing mass. Bones cracked. Flesh tore. When the shadows receded, only scraps remained.
The last scavenger stumbled back, torch shaking in his grip. His dagger fell from his hand, clattering against stone. His face was pale as ash.
"Y-you're a demon… a parasite demon! Heaven will purge you!"
He turned and fled, vanishing into the corpse-littered field.
The MC did not chase. His chest heaved, the abyss receding slowly, leaving only faint traces of armor and the pulsing blade in his hand. The corpses around him were drained and broken, but his own body… felt stronger. Clearer. Alive in a way he never had been before.
The abyss purred in satisfaction.
Well done, child. They will whisper of you now. They will fear you. Let them come—every enemy is meat for the hive.
The MC knelt, staring at his reflection in a pool of blood. His face was pale, his eyes black pools with faint red glimmers. No trace of his old humanity remained.
And yet… he felt no regret.
"I died once already," he muttered. His voice was colder now, steady. "This time, I'll live. Whatever it takes."
Far in the distance, a wolf howled. The battlefield was silent once more, save for the dripping of blood.
When dawn came, scavengers would return, and the rumors would spread:
A lone survivor with black eyes.
A boy who fought without Gu, wielding shadows as weapons.
A parasite demon feeding on corpses.
The world of Gu had gained a new monster.