The stench hit Jin before he even saw the creature. A thick, metallic smell of old blood and rot filled the cavern, curling in his throat and setting his stomach to revolt. His bare feet touched cold, wet stone, slick with dark ichor that reflected the faint green glow from moss crawling along the walls.
His arm throbbed fiercely.
The bone spike that had erupted from his wrist yesterday was no longer just an appendage, it pulsed with a sick, unnatural life. Every beat felt like a warning, every twitch a demand.
Feed Or die.
The HUD flickered faintly in his vision:
[WARNING: Degeneration Increasing — 12%]
[Hunger Level — 95%]
He swallowed hard and pressed forward.
Ahead, three figures moved with jerky, unnatural motion. They were small — no bigger than wolves — but grotesque. Their skin was pale and blistered, eyes hollow and glowing faintly red. Long, needle-like fangs peeked from their snarling jaws.
[Lesser Devourer Spawn — Level 4]
[HP: 70/70]
[Aggression: High]
Jin's chest tightened. His shoulder throbbed where he'd been clawed in his last fight. His ribs still ached from the air he'd sucked in, sharp and jagged.
But the hunger—the gnawing void inside him—was worse.
His pulse quickened. The bone spike cracked and lengthened, a jagged spear snapping free from his skin.
With no thought, Jin launched himself forward, slamming the spike deep into the first creature's side. It screamed, a horrible, tearing sound that echoed off the cavern walls. Black ichor sprayed across his face, sizzling where it met his skin.
The second lunged with furious speed. Jin twisted, slamming his knee hard into its chest, then drove a second bone spike through its side. It collapsed in a heap.
The last one snarled and tried to flee, but Jin didn't hesitate. He tackled it to the ground, his teeth bared like a wild animal, and ripped into its neck with his bare hands until it stopped moving.
Panting and trembling, Jin dropped to his knees. His skin was slick with sweat and dark ichor. His breathing was ragged.
That was feeding.
His hands—no longer quite human—were trembling. Long, curved claws grew from his fingertips. Patches of hardened chitin had begun spreading along his forearms. The bone spikes, now jagged weapons fused to his flesh, twitched and flexed with his heartbeat.
His vision shifted suddenly, becoming sharper and clearer in the dim light.
[Status Update]
Level: 3
HP: 60/90
Mutation: 15%
Skills Acquired: Bone Spike (Lv 2), Devour (Lv. 1), Night Vision (Passive)
Jin's lips curled into a bitter smile. Mutation was climbing fast. He was losing himself piece by piece.
But for now, he was still alive.
He pushed himself up and moved on, deeper into the dark labyrinth. The walls themselves seemed alive as patches of slick, fleshy growth pulsed slowly, veins twitching beneath the surface.
The air grew heavier, thick with a sickly sweet scent that made his head spin.
Suddenly, a low gurgling noise echoed from the shadows ahead. His instincts screamed at him to run, but his body refused.
A creature emerged.
Bigger than the others, with mottled flesh stretched taut over exposed bones. It had a single glowing eye, and its gaping maw was lined with too many teeth — long, jagged, and blackened at the tips.
It hissed, and Jin felt the words echo inside his mind:
"You belong to me."
The battle was brutal and short. The creature lunged with terrifying speed, and Jin barely dodged, slamming the bone spike into its side. It shrieked, the sound a ripping slash of pure agony.
Pain exploded in Jin's left arm as a new spike forced its way out, stabbing through his flesh.
He gritted his teeth against the agony and pushed forward, each stab of the bone spike tearing through his enemy's thick hide. The creature's blood—black and oily—splattered his face and chest.
When the beast finally collapsed, Jin sank to the ground, panting and drenched in sweat.
He could feel the transformation happening in his veins. The monster inside was waking, but so was something else — a primal urge to survive at all costs.
[You have consumed: Devourer Matriarch's essence]
[Hunger decreased: 95% → 25%]
[Mutation slowed: Degeneration paused temporarily]
His body screamed with newfound strength but a terrifying cost.
Leaning against the wall, Jin's vision blurred for a moment. His chest tightened—not with pain, but with a cold numbness.
I'm losing myself.
But he wasn't done fighting yet.
As he limped through the twisting halls, a faint flicker caught his eye.
Movement.
Another person.
She was slumped against the wall, eyes wide with terror, blood seeping from a deep bite on her arm.
"Help… please," she whispered.
Jin approached cautiously. "Are you infected?"
She shook her head weakly. "No… not yet."
He scanned her.
[Human – Uninfected]
HP: 40/100
She looked at his clawed hands and bone spikes, horror flashing in her eyes.
"What… are you?"
Jin hesitated, then answered quietly, "Something trying not to become a monster."
Behind them, a chilling shriek shattered the silence.
The shadows twisted and stretched.
A towering creature emerged—long, thin, and covered in slick black scales.
[Devourer Broodkin – Level 7]
HP: 180/180
Its eyes locked onto them with a hunger that chilled Jin to the bone.
He tightened his grip on the bone spike.
"This ends now," he said, voice low.