---
Chapter 2: Blood at the Border
The following morning, Suzan stood on the balcony of the east wing of Elvador Keep, staring over the silver plains of Milon. The wind was cold, carrying the scent of steel and frost. His newly awakened souls pulsed within him—one a storm of shadow, the other a blade of cold light.
He clenched his fists.
> "Devour to grow… That's my path now."
Most people trained for years to reach 1-Star, drawing on the ambient magic in the world. But Suzan could feel none of it respond to him. The aura simply refused to enter his body. His system confirmed it.
> [Natural absorption: Disabled.]
[Blood absorption: Enabled.]
He could only grow by killing.
"Suzan." A deep voice snapped him from thought. He turned to see a towering man clad in silver plate armor, his long black hair tied behind his back. His eyes were sharp as drawn swords.
Duke Renald Elvador—the Iron Duke, and Suzan's father in this life.
"You'll be joining the border patrol today," Renald said flatly. "You must see the real world—the blood, the danger, the weight of power."
Suzan nodded. He was ready.
---
By afternoon, they rode out, a dozen elite knights in silver cloaks escorting Suzan and a seasoned border captain. Their destination: the edge of Milon territory, where small skirmishes against beast hordes and rogue cultivators were common.
Suzan wore light armor and carried no weapon.
He didn't need one. His Dark Soul would fight for him.
Hours later, smoke rose on the horizon. The patrol arrived at a burned-out village near the Blackpine Forest. Bodies were strewn across the dirt, their auras long faded. But one creature still remained—a hulking, three-eyed ogre feeding on a fallen soldier.
> [Target identified: Bloodbeast Ogre — Rank: 1-Star.]
[Kill to absorb and advance.]
Suzan stepped forward as the knights drew their weapons.
"Let me handle this," he said.
The knights hesitated. "My lord, that creature—"
But it was too late.
Suzan's eyes glowed purple. His Dark Soul erupted behind him—a massive armored figure wielding dual blades of shadow. With a wave of his hand, Suzan sent it charging.
The ogre roared and lunged, but the shadow warrior moved like smoke and lightning. With a blur of motion, it severed the ogre's arm, then sliced through its heart.
The beast fell, screaming. Blood pooled at Suzan's feet.
> [Target defeated. Devouring essence...]
[1-Star achieved.]
Suzan inhaled sharply as power rushed through him—raw, crimson energy surging into his core. His bones ached, his muscles tightened, his senses sharpened.
He had leveled up.
The knights stared, mouths agape. It was not just the speed of his growth—but the method.
"He… consumed it," one of them whispered.
"Dark magic?" another asked.
"No," said the border captain grimly. "Something older."
---
That night, Suzan sat by the campfire, eyes cold.
This world was cruel, governed by power and hierarchy. If he wanted to survive—no, dominate—he had to climb faster than anyone else.
> "One kill. One level. That's all I need."
He looked at the stars above, then at his hands.
> "I'll reach godhood… even if I must bathe in blood to get there."
-