The night burned with the screams of beasts.
Lian ran through the forest, the earth trembling beneath his boots. Behind him, the glow of fires spread through the trees like a second sunrise. The Beast Tide had come in full force.
Dozens of creatures tore through the wilds—wolf-like things with obsidian fur, lizard beasts with glowing eyes, and hulking brutes whose hides shimmered with faint starlight. Some crawled on all fours, others moved upright like mockeries of men, but they all shared the same hunger.
And in the chaos, one figure moved differently.
A monster twice the size of the rest, with horns of crystal and a core burning red at its chest.
The Forbidden Core.
Lian felt it before he saw it—power rolling off it like heat from a forge, making the Tyrant's Heart in his chest throb wildly.
This was it. The power the System had pointed him toward.
The one chance to survive.
The one step toward vengeance.
He gripped his battered sword tighter as the beast roared, scattering lesser creatures before it.
Its crimson core pulsed like a heartbeat.
The Tyrant's Heart inside Lian responded in kind.
[Quest Objective Updated: Devour Forbidden Core → Progress: 0/1]
[Warning: Power Signature Overwhelming. Host Body Limit: 23%. Fatality Risk: High.]
Lian gritted his teeth. He didn't have a choice.
He had seventy-two hours to survive this world—or die again.
And he was done dying.
The beast charged.
The ground cracked under its weight as it lunged, claws carving trenches through the soil.
Lian moved on instinct, rolling aside as the monster's fist smashed into the earth where he had stood. Dirt and stone exploded upward.
He slashed at its leg as he rose, but the blow barely scratched the beast's armored hide.
The Forbidden Core pulsed again, mocking him.
The monster swung, a backhand like a falling tree. Lian raised his sword to block, but the impact hurled him through the air.
He hit the ground hard, the breath ripping from his lungs. Pain flared across his ribs.
The Tyrant's Heart throbbed violently in his chest.
And for the first time, it spoke.
[Offer: Unleash Sealed Power—Risk: Host Integrity Failure.]
[Proceed? Y/N]
Lian spat blood. "Do it."
Power roared through him like wildfire.
His muscles burned, veins glowing faintly as the Tyrant's Heart pumped something inhuman through his body.
The next time the beast charged, Lian moved faster.
His sword blurred. Steel clashed with crystal hide, sending sparks flying.
Each strike pushed his body past its limit—but he didn't stop. He couldn't.
Because with every heartbeat, the Tyrant's Heart drank the beast's energy.
With every blow, it pulled the Forbidden Core closer.
Until at last, with a scream that split the night, Lian drove his blade into the creature's chest.
The Forbidden Core shattered.
Its crimson light exploded outward, slamming into him like a storm.
And the world went white.
When the light cleared, the beast was ash.
Lian stood trembling, his sword cracked nearly to the hilt. His body screamed in pain, but the Tyrant's Heart roared with triumph.
[Quest Complete: Devour Forbidden Core → Progress: 1/1]
[Initiating First Evolution…]
Heat ripped through him as the Heart consumed the Core. His vision blurred. Muscles tore and rewove themselves. His skin burned as faint marks of starlight crawled along his arms like living tattoos.
And then, silence.
Breath came easier. The pain faded.
He felt stronger—faster.
Like his body had been reforged.
[First Evolution Achieved: Tyrant Form – Stage I.]
[Attributes Enhanced. Host Synchronization: 46%.]
Lian clenched his fist, feeling the raw strength surging beneath his skin.
But before he could move, a voice spoke behind him.
"You shouldn't have done that."
Lian spun, sword rising.
An old man stood leaning on a crooked staff, robes torn and ragged from travel. His eyes glowed faintly with starlight, but his presence was… calm. Like the chaos of the Beast Tide couldn't touch him.
The man looked at the shattered remains of the Forbidden Core, then at Lian.
Or rather, at his chest—where the Tyrant's Heart pulsed faintly beneath his ribs.
"So," the old man murmured, "the Heart chooses another."
Lian frowned. "You know what this is?"
The man's smile was tired. "I know too much. And none of it ends well."
He tapped his staff against the ground.
"There are Nine Forbidden Cores in this world. Nine fragments torn from a tyrant who once made kings kneel and worlds burn. The one inside you… belonged to him."
Lian felt the words like a weight settling on his shoulders.
A tyrant who made kings kneel…
Was that why the Heart demanded more power? Why it whispered hunger with every beat?
The man's gaze sharpened. "You carry the first. Others will come for it. Core Kings. Beasts. Things far worse. This world bleeds because of that tyrant… and now, through you, he breathes again."
Lian tightened his grip on his sword. "Good."
The old man blinked. "Good?"
"I don't care if he was a tyrant," Lian said coldly. "I will use his power. Because this world took everything from me. My brother. My kingdom. My life. If kings and beasts come for me…"
His eyes burned with cold fire.
"Then let them come."
The old man studied him for a long moment, then sighed.
"Perhaps," he murmured, "the world does not need a hero after all."
He turned away, vanishing into the night as the Beast Tide roared in the distance.
And Lian stood beneath the burning stars, the Tyrant's Heart beating louder than before.