When the roar tore through the forest, every man in the camp jumped to his feet in panic. Shouts filled the air as they scrambled for weapons, spears, axes, anything they could grab.
Rion sat there with blurry eyes, his vision hazy, his mind fighting to stay awake. The pain from the spear lodged through his shoulder throbbed violently, his blood still dripping down his arm. The same man who'd stabbed him earlier returned, and without a word, yanked the spear out.
Rion groaned in agony as the weapon slid free, his breath catching, his body trembling. He was already close to death, his skin pale, his heartbeat weak, but he refused to die here. He bit down on his lip, hard enough to draw blood, forcing his mind to stay alert.
The man ran toward the forest, following the sound of the roar, but only seconds later,
Boom!
A massive explosion shook the ground. Trees were ripped from their roots and thrown aside like twigs. The screams that followed were raw and horrifying.
Rion's blurry eyes tried to make sense of what he was seeing, shadows twisting, bodies flying, flames flashing.
Then he saw it.
A huge figure moving between the trees, towering at nearly four meters tall. Its skin was covered in black scales that shimmered under the dim light, and from its head curved a thick, sharp horn. Its eyes glowed faintly, a pale yellow that seemed to pierce straight through the ground.
The creature opened its jaws, revealing rows of serrated teeth.
Rion could barely move, his breathing shallow, but the sight still sent a chill through his broken body.
The beast lunged at one of the men, biting down with a crunch that echoed through the camp. It tore the man's head clean off, blood spraying across the ground like a fountain. It stomped the body into the dirt, bones cracking beneath its claws.
Panic filled the camp. Some men ran, others screamed, their weapons forgotten.
The creature charged through them, crushing and tearing, its tail whipping across the air and shattering ribs, spines, and skulls alike.
Then—
It stopped.
Its glowing eyes turned.
And locked on Rion.
The low, rumbling growl that came from its throat made the air vibrate. It stepped closer, slow and deliberate.
Rion's heart pounded in his chest. His body trembled, not just from fear but from exhaustion and blood loss.
He couldn't die here.
He wouldn't.
He wanted to live. He wanted to leave this place. He wanted to prove that his life wasn't meant to end in pain and humiliation.
That desire burned in him, louder than the pain, louder than the fear.
And then it happened.
The mark on the back of his hand began to move.
It pulsed once, then spread, crawling across his skin like living ink. The veins of darkness slithered over his arm, across his chest, up his neck. It moved fast, covering his entire body in seconds, until his skin disappeared beneath black and red markings that hardened and twisted—forming armor.
It looked incredible, like something out of a nightmare and a legend at once.
But inside it, Rion screamed.
The pain was unbearable. It felt like molten metal being poured into his veins, like his blood was on fire. He clenched his fists, trembling, his body shaking violently.
And from that pain,
came rage.
The monster roared and lunged forward.
Rion didn't think. His body moved on its own.
He threw a punch.
BOOM!
The impact shook the ground. The air itself cracked. The beast's head snapped to the side, the sheer force of the blow sending it staggering back several meters.
Rion froze, staring at his hand.
Did he… just do that?
But there was no time to think. The armor pulsed again, pain flaring through every nerve. His heart pounded faster. The rage was building, feeding on itself.
He roared and threw another punch.
BOOM!
The creature's skull caved slightly under the second hit, and its body crashed into a tree with a loud crack.
Rion gasped for air, looking down at his hands. His vision blurred again.
Blood dripped from under the armor. His knees buckled. He coughed, crimson spilling from his lips.
The armor wasn't protecting him.
It was feeding on him, his blood, his anger, his life.
And the more it took, the stronger the rage grew.
If he stayed like this for too long, it wouldn't be long before he was gone, consumed entirely, body and mind, until there was nothing left but the rage itself.
The system message came again, the same cold, mechanical voice echoing in Rion's head, but this time, the words were different.
[The Demon God has looked down on you and has smiled. You have received the blessing of the Demon God]
The voice faded, and glowing letters appeared before his eyes, bright and sharp in the darkness.
But Rion couldn't even focus on them. The pain was too much. His body was burning from the inside out, every nerve screaming. His chest heaved as he gasped for air, his mind barely holding onto consciousness.
The creature roared again and charged, shaking the ground beneath its weight.
And then, something tore open behind him.
Six dark tentacles burst out of his back, each one long, sharp, and pulsating with red light. They cracked through the air like whips and shot forward, wrapping tightly around the beast's neck, legs, and torso.
The creature thrashed violently, roaring in pain, but the tentacles only tightened, dragging it down to the ground until its face was inches from Rion.
Then Rion moved.
Boom!
His fist smashed into the creature's face, blood and bone flying.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He didn't stop. His arms moved on their own, faster, harder, fueled by rage, pain, and whatever dark force had awakened inside him.
Left. Right. Up. Down. Center.
Punch after punch after punch.
Each blow landed with the force of an explosion, the monster's skull cracking, its roars fading into gurgled wheezes. The ground shook beneath the storm of fists, blood splattering across the dirt and over Rion's armor.
He couldn't stop.
He didn't stop.
Not until the creature's head caved in completely and its body twitched one final time before falling still.
The forest went silent.
Rion's breathing was heavy and ragged. His vision flickered.
The tentacles withdrew slowly back into his body, leaving behind only pain and exhaustion. He dropped to his knees, coughing hard, blood splattering the ground beneath him.
He tried to push himself up, but his strength was gone.
More blood poured from his mouth, and the world started spinning.
His body hit the ground beside the monster's corpse with a dull thud.
The black armor that had once wrapped around him began to fade, breaking apart into tiny particles of light before vanishing completely, leaving only his wounded, bloodied body lying still in the mud.