Blood burst forth between man and monster!
David's own blood sprayed into the air, while the creature's green blood splattered across his face.
Stimulated by the scorching, foul stench of blood, David let out a furious roar and forced his emerald demon claw to strike again!
The monster, equally driven into a frenzy, lashed out once more at the weak human who dared challenge it.
Its claws tore through David's shoulder.
Another strike came—but David twisted his body, narrowly avoiding it.
Then—
A claw that shouldn't exist suddenly pierced straight through the creature's throat.
It froze.
Green blood gushed from its neck like a fountain.
Clutching its throat, it staggered back two steps—
Then collapsed.
David knelt on one knee, panting heavily.
Blood poured from his wounds, making him look terrifying—
But he did not fall.
He knew he would win.
Because his Life Energy was higher.
Though his Demon Claw had a short cooldown, its attacks were far more unpredictable—
Impossible to guard against.
The monster had torn away over 200 of his Life Energy.
But his Demon Claw had dealt nearly the same damage.
In a direct exchange like that—
Victory belonged to the one with the larger pool.
Without hesitation, David crawled toward the corpse and grabbed its arm.
[Demon Arm absorbed. Life Energy capacity increased by +200.]
As the arm fused into his body, a surge of vitality flooded his limbs.
A wave of comfort spread through him.
His wounds began to steam—
Healing at a visible, terrifying speed.
[Life Energy: 315 / 520]
David clenched his fist slowly.
Though he hadn't fully recovered, he could move freely again.
"So the Life Energy I absorb… is the monster's maximum?"
"If that's the case… as long as I keep killing these things, I can keep increasing my HP…"
"What a ridiculous ability…"
But that wasn't all.
He noticed—
After absorbing another arm, his Demon Arm had changed.
It had grown thicker. Stronger.
Its iron-green skin had become tougher.
It could evolve—
By devouring other arms.
A smile slowly formed on David's lips.
Suddenly—
His vision shifted uncontrollably.
Whoosh—!
His gaze locked onto another approaching shadow.
A health bar appeared above it.
…
[Demon Arm absorbed. Life Energy capacity increased by +200.]
Not long after—
David killed a second monster.
This time, he barely took any damage.
His strengthened Demon Claw easily blocked the creature's attacks.
His swelling Life Energy enhanced his body—
Making him faster, stronger.
With a single sidestep—
He seized the opening—
And pierced straight through the monster's chest.
Now—
His Life Energy limit had reached a staggering 720.
His green arm had grown even stronger.
"So this… is the power of a supernatural being."
In just a few dozen minutes—
He had gained over seven times the Life Energy of an ordinary person.
He was no longer a fragile human who could be crippled by a single blow.
But—
Could he bear the price of this power?
The maddening hunger returned.
Even though devouring arms eased the Devourer's cravings—
It never truly disappeared.
He needed to eat.
He had to eat.
Dragging his heavy steps, David continued toward the edge of the valley.
In his memory—
Beyond this barren land lay human civilization.
And food.
He walked through the darkness.
There were no stars. No moon.
He didn't know how long he traveled.
Until—
He crossed another ridge.
And saw the plains beyond.
Black earth stretched endlessly to the horizon.
And there—
In the southern sky—
Hung a colossal crescent.
"What… is that…? The moon? That's impossible…"
Something stirred in his mind.
This world…
Had always been like this.
That "moon" wasn't a moon at all—
But another massive celestial body pressed against the southern edge of the world.
Two planets that should have collided long ago—
Yet somehow—
Had remained like this for over three hundred years.
More memories surfaced.
This world…
Half of it had already fallen into darkness.
The Goliath Empire had risen three centuries ago under the Lionheart King.
With knowledge of sorcery and alchemy from another world—
They had held back the darkness.
A golden age had followed—
Where steam-powered firearms and supernatural blades coexisted.
But the darkness…
Had never retreated.
Lost in thought, David stepped onto the plains.
Facing that enormous crescent shadow—
He continued forward.
He no longer cared about the past.
He only wanted food.
Even the worst scraps would do.
He would abandon his noble pride—
And swallow anything.
Wait… noble?
I'm not a noble…
Then…
Who am I?
He staggered forward in a daze.
Until dawn approached—
He finally saw lights in the distance.
A village.
A farmer carrying a hoe stepped out toward his field.
In the faint morning light—
He spotted a figure lying on the dirt road.
Startled, he ran over—
And lifted the young man dressed in noble attire.
From David's lips came a weak murmur—
"Food… give me food…"
…
David was taken in by a kind farmer.
He finally got food.
Though—
It was just a potato.
Under the old man's gentle gaze—
David devoured one potato after another.
At last—
The maddening hunger was suppressed.
But something caught his attention.
The farmer, Larsen, had a daughter.
Her name was Siti.
She had a more mature figure than most girls her age—
Especially her full chest—
Which David found himself unable to look away from.
He covered his eyes and sighed.
Now he understood—
What trouble the Watcher spirit would bring him.
Yet the girl didn't seem to mind his gaze at all.
Instead—
She looked at him with a strange, expectant expression.
That made David uneasy.
Very uneasy.
In his memories—
Commoners should avoid him.
They would never look at him like this.
But he couldn't recall more.
His head still throbbed.
He needed rest.
And so—
David stayed in this strange village.
A strange village.
Warm villagers.
Strange gazes.
To get more food—
He offered to help with farm work.
He took off his noble clothes—
And changed into rough linen.
Larsen accepted him naturally.
Siti never cared about his gaze.
They smiled at him.
As if welcoming a rare guest.
…
At night—
David would leave the village.
Entering the dark forests and mountain edges—
Hunting wandering monsters.
Using the God Corpse Arm and Demon Arm—
He crushed their skulls—
And devoured their arms.
Night after night—
The Demon Arm kept growing.
Endlessly.
When he killed his tenth monster—
A change finally occurred.
[Demon Arm II: Consumes 10 Spiritual or Life Energy. Cooldown: 2.5 seconds.]
It had leveled up.
Compared to the God Corpse Arm—
Which could instantly kill enemies if enough energy was available—
The Demon Arm lacked raw power.
But—
Its short cooldown made it far more versatile.
Now at Level II—
It had grown even stronger.
He could overpower monsters—
And snap their limbs with brute force.
Meanwhile—
His Life Energy had surged to a terrifying 3520.
David had become stronger.
Stronger than ever.
Strong enough—
To no longer fear anything emerging from the darkness.
But he still felt—
It wasn't enough.
There were memories he hadn't recovered.
Something important—
Was missing.
Until one night—
When he returned from the forest—
He saw it.
The once peaceful village—
Was burning.
Screams echoed through the night.
The cries of women—
And the roars of something beastlike—
Pierced the darkness.