I felt my arm turning into iron, heavy and solid.
A smile crept up before I even knew it.
I could feel the strength building as I made a fist, bending one finger at a time — slow, tight, like I was feeling the strength of what I'd become.
The first BoneCrawler came flying at me, claws swinging, mouth wide open.
I didn't move back — hell, I walked right into it, grinning.
The rush hit first — that sharp thrill in my chest.
My fist met its face midair, clean and heavy. I felt the crack run up my arm before I could even hear it in my ears.
I felt the shattering of its bone in my knuckles, the soft give of flesh right after, and the warmth of blood spreading over my hand as my fist sank deeper into its body.
The hit threw it off its feet. It smashed into a tree, the bark cracking loud enough to make my ears ring. I felt the vibration in my hand even after it was down.
For a second, I just stared.
I couldn't explain it — that warmth in my chest, spreading like fire under my skin. I was lost in the moment, breath short, heart loud.
If anyone saw my eyes then, they'd probably see it too — that rush, that hunger that wasn't entirely mine anymore.
I heard the voice before I saw them — claws slicing through the air, fast and close enough that the wind brushed my face.
My grin didn't fade. It stretched wider.
"Good," I muttered through a short laugh. "Keep coming. Don't stop now."
I could feel the heat crawling up from my heart, slow and steady, stopping right at my throat.
My chest felt heavy, uneasy for a second, like something was about to come out — but didn't.
For a second, it felt like something inside me was trying to laugh.
"RockSkin."
I felt my skin harden right before the hit landed.
The bone blade scraped across me, sparks flashing past my eyes — but it barely did anything. Just a scratch.
I caught its bone blade before it could pull back and slammed it down. I didn't even notice at first — I just kept slamming it down, again and again.
It was probably dead after the first hit, maybe even before that.
At some point, It stopped moving. Didn't even notice when.
Everything went quiet — guess this damn zone finally ran out of things to throw at me.
I stood there, breathing slow. The heat inside me wouldn't fade. It kept crawling up, steady and calm… but hungry.
My chest still rose and fell heavy, the rush burning through me. My heart didn't know the fight was over.
Adrenaline bit hard, every breath hitting deeper than before.
F-3 wasn't just strength. It felt alive — like my body was finally matching the hunger in me.
I looked around — broken limbs, crushed shells, blood everywhere. I couldn't even tell how long it had been.
A minute? An hour? Who cares.
I just stood there — fuck — catching my breath, counting under it.
One… two… three… four… five.
Five BoneCrawlers. Maybe more.
Hard to tell when they stop looking like anything.
Yeah, whatever. I'll count again when I'm pulling their bloody cores out.
A laugh slipped out before I even noticed — quiet, low.
Two years ago, I couldn't even fight back against words.
Now I lose count of the things I tear apart.
Guess that's progress.
The seed in my chest pulsed again slowly. It felt… proud.
And maybe, yeah — so was I.
Damn… I lost track of time again.
Should've brought a damn watch. Not that it'd help in this hellhole anyway.
The sky was already bleeding orange, the sun half-dead behind the trees. Great — almost night. Because what's better than monsters in daylight? Monsters in the dark.
"But who cares, right?" I said to nobody, eyes moving over the mess. "All that matters is how many damn cores I can rip out before the next wave shows up."
I stood there for a second, like I was actually waiting for someone to reply.
Nothing.
Figures.
I snorted. "Yeah… still talking to myself."
I moved through the mess, kicking bones out of my way.
One by one, I crouched down, carving out the monster cores.
Then I raised my hand over each body.
"Void Eater."
Again. "Void Eater."
My voice came out flat, almost bored.
"Damn," I muttered, wiping my hand. "Would it kill this thing to work on more than one body at a time?"
Every time I used it, I felt the pull in my chest — the bodies being dragged toward me, devoured whole.
A faint flash, then gone — another one erased.
When I was done, the place was dead quiet. Just that damn blood smell left.
Guess that's my cleanup done.
The system screen blinked, flooding my eyes with blue.
I laughed. Finally. About time this grind paid off.
[ Void Eater Activated ]
[ Devoured: 10 * BoneCrawler (F-2) ]
[ Experience Gained: +7500 ]
[ New Skill Gained: 5* Bone Slash (F) ]
[ New Passive Skill Gained: 5* Blood Sense (F) ]
[ Skill Acquired: Bone Slash (F Rank Skill) – Adjusted to Host ]
[ Effect: Host can transform both hands into sharp bone blades. Allows stabbing and slashing with high penetration power. Inflicts Bleed effect — continuous health loss until treated. Bleed stacks with repeated hits. ]
[ Duration: 30 seconds ]
[ Cooldown: 20 seconds ]
[ Seed Growth: +20 ]
[ Taint: –10 ]
I just stood there, staring at the screen. Blue light everywhere.
Can't lie — it actually made me smile. Who the hell gets happy over skill screens? Apparently, me.
[Void Eater Notification]
[Similar Skills Detected: Blood Sense (x7)]
[Fusion Threshold Reached — 5 Required]
[Initiating Skill Evolution...]
[Absorbing Duplicate Skill Data...]
[Bloodline Resonance: Stable]
[Seed Conversion: 71%... 82%... 100%]
[Skill Evolution Complete]
[Skill Evolution Successful]
[Blood Sense → Blood Instinct]
[New Skill: Blood Instinct]
[Grade: F → E]
[Type: Sensory / Predator ]
[Active Effect: The user perceives life through blood flow, heartbeat, and scent within 1KM meters.]
[Passive Effect: Instinctive reaction to sudden attacks or blood nearby.]
And of course, just when I thought it was done — another one popped up. Bone Slash. Figures.
[Void Eater Notification]
[Similar Skills Detected: Bone Slash (x5)]
[Fusion Threshold Reached — 5 Required]
[Initiating Skill Evolution...]
[Absorbing Duplicate Skill Data...]
[Resonance Type: Bone Manipulation / Physical Mutation]
[Seed Conversion: 39%... 74%... 100%]
[Skill Evolution Complete]
[Skill Evolution Successful]
[Bone Slash → Bone Rend (E Rank Skill)]
[Effect: Host can morph both arms into hardened bone scythes with extended reach and reinforced edges.]
[Attack Range: +50%]
[Damage: +60% penetration bonus]
[Each strike creates a short cleaving shockwave that causes secondary bleeding (minor).]
[Passive Effect: Bone density increased during activation, reducing recoil and strain damage.]
[Duration: 45 seconds]
[Cooldown: 25 seconds]
[ Total Experience Gained: 8200 ]
[ Threshold Reached ]
[ Level Up — F-4 ]
[ Seed Growth: +84 ]
[ Current Rank: F-4 ]
[ Experience: 520 / 12288 ]
[ Taint: 23 ]
"Yes… F-4 in one damn day."
I couldn't stop grinning. Tried to, but it just stuck there. Felt too good — too real. Like my whole body was buzzing from the inside.
[ Blood Instinct – Activated ]