Eryon stepped closer to the jaguar's body, knelt down, and pressed his palm against the still-warm, damp fur. The coarse texture clung faintly to his skin, heat fading with every passing second.
[Essence Reap successful. You have obtained a D-rank skill: Predator's Speed]
[Description: Greatly enhances neuromotor output and muscle reflexes, allowing explosive movements and speed surpassing the limits of ordinary humans. Designed to mimic the hunting response of apex predators]
A wicked grin curled across his lips. Speed, an essential factor in close combat. And now, he had it.
A D-rank skill, considered medium low in the grading system, yet its worth depended entirely on context. In this brutal new world, a single second's advantage could separate life from death.
He could already imagine the reactions if anyone discovered his true talent, his ability to extract essence from existential objects. They would swarm like flies, hiding behind smiles, pretending to be allies while scheming to leech from his power.
Leeches.
The world hadn't changed, it had only shed its mask more quickly here.
He knew damn too well how the old world worked. Power was everything, justice nothing but a slogan. Oppression was seen, yet ignored. And those who paraded as "good" wore masks of false virtue, their real faces hidden behind counterfeit smiles.
Maybe… none of it was coincidence. Maybe this world was the true stage. And everything he had endured before? Just rehearsal.
Eryon turned, his gaze locking onto the faint golden glow ahead. A single fruit nestled in mist, hanging from a brittle branch like it had been waiting just for him. It was about the size of an apple, shimmering faintly, framed by vapor drifting in the cave air.
Without hesitation, he reached for it. Smooth, cool skin met his fingers, slightly moist, dense in his grip. He didn't pause, he bit into it.
The taste… bland. Neither sweet nor bitter. Just texture, weight, and nothing more, like chewing a memory stripped of meaning. Yet he kept eating. Bite after bite, until the fruit vanished entirely, leaving not even a seed.
[You have consumed the Fruit of Venom]
[Effect: Immune to all types of poison]
[+5 Strength]
Eryon's eyes widened slightly. Immune to all poison? If that meant every kind, this wasn't just a boon, it was an anomaly. A permanent advantage in a world where venom, corruption, and toxins could come from beasts, plants, or worse.
The strength boost? Just a bonus.
"I'm so fucking blessed," he muttered, satisfaction thick in his voice. This time, his smile couldn't be suppressed.
A system window flickered open, projecting his current stats:
[Name: Eryon Cain]
[Age: 25]
[Level: 2 (119/250)]
[Strength: 25]
[Agility: 17]
[Endurance: 18]
[Constitution: 19]
[Energy Point: 36]
[Talent: Essence Reap (SSS-Tier)]
[Skills: Berserk (D), Enhanced Smell (F), Predator's Speed (D), Predator's Eyesight (D)]
Not even a full day had passed, yet his growth had nearly doubled. With this strength, he could gamble more, take greater risks. He didn't need the safety of the beginner village any longer.
"Time to move on," he murmured as the screen faded away.
But just as he began to rise, his eyes fell on the withering plant that had borne the fruit. A thought crept in, cold and daring.
Why stop at the fruit?
He spread his hand wide and willed his ability into motion.
[Essence Reap successful. Resistance to disease has drastically increased. Physical condition significantly enhanced]
[+5 Constitution]
A low chuckle escaped his throat, then deepened, dark, unrestrained, echoing across the cavern's dripping walls like the laughter of a victor.
Jackpot. This was a jackpot.
Good thing he hadn't barged in recklessly when those four fools had shouted about their "secret." Now, he had claimed it all for himself.
There was nothing left here.
Eryon stepped through the roaring curtain of the waterfall once more, water drenching him head to toe. The cascade swallowed the sound of his footsteps, carrying him into the wild unseen.
But one thing was certain:
In a world like this, being first meant everything. And hesitation… was a death sentence.
---
It was unclear how much time had passed, perhaps an hour, maybe more. Outside, the sunlight had dimmed, the forest giving way to the calm tones of evening.
But the cave was no longer calm.
Nine figures stood at its mouth, eyes wide, breath tight.
Four of them, faces Eryon had seen earlier, careless and loud, froze in cold sweat. Their expressions were heavy, dark as the shadows etched across the cavern walls.
"Fuck! How is this possible?!" one of them shouted, voice breaking. His head snapped around frantically. "Someone beat us to it!"
Footsteps echoed against stone. A man advanced, tall, broad-shouldered, clean-shaven, his black hair parted neatly down the middle. His presence seemed to drain the warmth from the air.
Eric William.
He stopped before the massive jaguar's carcass, crouching to examine it. His fingers brushed the wound gently, like a surgeon tracing a scar. Only seconds passed before the corpse began to decay rapidly, flesh dissolving into sludge, bones cracking and crumbling into dust.
The eight men behind him swallowed hard, their throats dry, horror flickering in their eyes. Eric's aura didn't flare violently; it chilled instead, sharp, surgical, lethal.
He lifted his head, gaze drifting to the plant nearby.
That plant.
Its golden stem still stood upright, but the glow was gone, its once-vibrant leaves now drooped lifelessly. The fruit branch hung empty, the skin peeled back into delicate flakes, as though drained from within.
Eric stepped closer, crouching until his eyes leveled with it. He didn't touch it. He simply studied it in silence. The details, stem structure, broken fruit branches, faint lingering energy, told their own story.
Then his gaze shifted back to the predator's remains.
"…Whoever did this used a spear."
His voice was flat, clinical, like an autopsy report.
One of his men stepped forward cautiously. "There aren't many who use spears, we could—"
"—find him?" Eric interrupted, calm. Too calm.
The man froze, words choking in his throat.
Eric smiled then, but it wasn't warmth. It was a blade.
"Smart. Quick thinking. Unfortunately, you're only clever after the fact."
Silence fell heavy.
Eric approached slowly, footsteps soft, like a shadow sliding across stone. He stopped before the man, their heights matched, but the weight of Eric's gaze pressed like iron.
"I even praised you," Eric said, voice quiet yet unyielding. "You came to me, gave me the details. Thorough. But out of all the actions you could've taken… you chose to leave it unguarded. No one stationed here. No one watching. Too busy imagining your share."
The man said nothing. His knees trembled, ever so slightly.
Eric sighed, rubbing the back of his neck with a casual gesture that didn't soften his words.
"When I worked in forensics," he began, voice steady as stone, "a suspect once gave himself away. Not because he left evidence… but because he believed he hadn't."
His eyes swept the cavern as he walked, every step deliberate. The air was damp with the coppery tang of blood. The floor still radiated the faint warmth of violence.
"He forgot one thing, gravity."
Eric stopped near the jaguar's skeleton, now brittle and hollow. His men dared not breathe.
"The man dropped a coin. Worthless. But heavy enough to scrape the dust on the old wooden floor. From that, the entire scene unraveled."
His eyes sharpened, scanning the cavern like a predator dissecting prey. "Now we're at another crime scene. The perpetrator just left. But he… left traces."
One of his men, younger, eyes bright with eagerness, stepped forward. "What should we look for, Eric?"
Eric pointed toward the ground near the jaguar's remains. "Soil. Weight distribution. Pressure marks. Residual fluids. Even shifts in the air's scent. Anything that doesn't belong here."
Then he turned toward the wilted plant. He crouched again, eyes narrowing.
"And this…"
Its structure still intact, yet hollow. Leaves limp, stem blackened from the base, not rot, but drained.
Eric touched the base lightly with two fingers. He held it for a few seconds, then pulled back.
"The energy was pulled out. Forced extraction. Its vitality stripped clean without breaking its form."
One of the four men, voice trembling, finally spoke. "Are you sure… someone did this?"
Eric's eyes cut to him. Calm, yet sharp enough to pierce.
"He has a talent for draining life. And more than that, he knew exactly what he was doing. This wasn't an accident. It was deliberate."
The cave sank into silence once more. Eric rose to his full height, eyes cold as forged steel.
"Find him."
The words weren't loud, but they cracked like a verdict. And every man obeyed instantly.