With the bloodline ritual looming, Kael pushes his limits in the Hollow Crown labyrinth. The Devour Core awakens, granting power from his fallen prey, but each hunt sharpens his hunger. As he carves a path through beasts, a distant cult's rituals grow bolder, whispering of a king who will shatter the world. Can Kael evolve fast enough to silence his doubters?
# Chapter [Number]: The Howler's Fall
The forest echoed with snarls and pounding paws. Leaves trembled as Kael lunged, claws slashing into the Vexhorn Howler's hide. Blood sprayed in a crimson arc. The beast roared, tusks gnashing, but Kael twisted under its bulk, eyes gleaming with focus.
*This is my second hunt. The third monster I've faced. I'm not the runt they mock anymore.*
The Howler bellowed, a hulking mass of black fur with violet cracks along its limbs. Its curved horns, lined with mossy bone, glinted, and its magma-like fangs pulsed.
**System: Monster: Vexhorn Howler – Rank D**
**Traits: Echo Pulse, Brute Charge, Regeneration (Minor)**
I grinned despite the pain in my side. *My body's different. Stronger. Hungrier.*
---
That morning, dawn had barely broken. Kael stirred, groaning from yesterday's hunt. His muscles ached, but his eyes were sharp.
A system screen flickered.
**System: Devour Ability Unlocked**
**You now possess: 1 Core Eligible for Devour**
*The Mirehorn Grunk's core. My first victory. My first prey.*
Kael sat up, holding the shimmering core between his claws. It throbbed like a heart. He focused, willing the energy inward.
It resisted, pushing against his essence. *Come on… give in.*
"Focus your instincts," his mother's voice cut through.
Kael looked up. She stood beside him, calm yet alert, her paw pressing his chest.
"I saw the screen. Don't absorb it alone, foolish pup," she scolded, worry in her gaze. "If I hadn't come in time and it backlashed, what would've happened to you?"
"…Sorry," Kael muttered. *Her warmth… I'm not used to being protected.*
She sighed, nudging him. "Next time, call me."
Together, they absorbed the core. Energy poured into Kael like molten steel. His bones groaned. His blood raced.
**System: Devour – Level 1 Unlocked**
**Effect: You may now devour 1 unique monster type without backlash.**
**Slot Used: Mirehorn Grunk**
**You may now absorb additional Mirehorn Grunk cores safely.**
**Next Unlocks at Devour Lv.2:**
- Gain stats from devoured cores
- Unlock chance to gain monster traits
- Passive ability: Instinct Siphon (Sealed)
- Core limit: +1 unique type
---
Now, Kael faced the Vexhorn Howler, his second kill. He ducked its charge, muscles honed by the Mirehorn's vitality. *Faster now. Tighter.*
The Howler screamed, unleashing a sonic blast that split the air. Kael clenched his teeth, tumbling behind a boulder. The stone cracked under the wave's force.
"Kael!" his aunt called from a ledge. "It's more bark than bite. Keep your nerves in check!"
Kael nodded, licking blood from his lips. *This isn't just a hunt. It's evolution.*
The Howler's eyes locked onto him, burning with rage. It charged, faster this time.
*Too fast. But I'm faster.*
Kael dove low, hooves smashing past. His claws tore upward, ripping the underbelly. The Howler's agonized howl thundered. It buckled, blood spraying like black rain.
Kael pounced onto its back, fangs sinking into its neck. It flailed, slamming into a tree, but Kael held on, jaws clenching until bone cracked.
With a final roar, it collapsed.
Silence returned.
Kael's chest heaved, blood staining his fur. He stepped off the carcass slowly.
"I see you've improved," his aunt said, leaping down. She inspected the body, grunting approval. "Vexhorn Howlers aren't weak. You did well. But you're not done."
She tossed him the Howler's glowing core.
"We'll absorb this nearby. No time to go home—we hunt again."
---
They stopped at a crevice flanked by black pines, water trickling nearby. Kael's aunt etched a protective ward into stone—scratch marks glowing faintly.
"Now," she said, motioning to begin.
Kael held the core. The system appeared:
**System: Devour Eligible Core Detected – Vexhorn Howler**
**Absorb this core?**
**Warning: This will consume your available monster slot. Proceed?**
*Yes.*
The rush was wilder, deeper. Kael's body tensed as the core's essence flooded in. His bones lengthened slightly. Muscles tightened. The energy was violent, but the system smoothed it.
**System: Core Absorbed – Vexhorn Howler**
**Devour Skill Level: 2**
**Monster Slot Unlocked: +1**
**Traits Gained:**
- Echo Pulse (Active): Short-range sonic burst, disrupts enemy focus and balance.
- Brute Charge (Passive): Temporary speed and power burst when engaging from a distance.
- Minor Regeneration (Passive): Slowly regenerate minor wounds outside battle.
**Stat Boost: +2 Strength, +1 Agility**
**Current Devour Slots:**
- Slot 1: Mirehorn Grunk
- Slot 2: Vexhorn Howler
Kael gasped, staggering as the changes settled.
"So?" his aunt asked, eyes sharp.
"I… leveled up," Kael said.
"Good. Let's use that strength. More beasts await."
---
They wove through the forest, Kael fighting alongside his aunt. Lesser beasts fell—fanged vipers, forest gnashers, a three-eyed predator Kael didn't recognize. He didn't absorb them yet, storing their cores in his aunt's bone-weave pouch. *Soon, they'll be mine.*
Something had shifted in Kael. *I'm no longer prey pretending to be a hunter. I'm what they fear. A predator evolving.*
By dusk, the valley glowed blood-orange. Kael carried eight cores, their power radiating. *I need that surge again.*
At home, his mother's eyes narrowed. "I'll take those," she said, claw outstretched.
"But—"
"No 'but.' You nearly backlashed last time. You'll sneak off and try absorbing them without help."
*She's right.* Kael hesitated, but his hunger for power burned. *I need to evolve. Before the ritual. Before Varok's prophecy.*
"I've awakened an ability," Kael said. "I can absorb cores safely… without help."
Her eyes narrowed. "Don't lie, Kael. You're smart, but I'm not stupid."
"I can prove it," Kael offered, stepping forward. "Watch."
Suspicion flickered, but curiosity won. She nodded.
Kael pulled a core from the pouch and activated Devour. Energy rushed through him—fiery, volatile, but controlled.
His aunt leaned forward. "He's not faking. No backlash."
Kael's mother crossed her arms. "It's not backlash I worry about. It's addiction to power."
"I'll be fine," Kael said firmly.
She sighed, relenting. "Three cores per night without me. The rest—under my eyes. Got it?"
Kael clenched his jaw. *I want them all. Now.* But he nodded. *A compromise. One step closer.*
---
## The Red Labyrinth
In the eastern reaches, beyond Verdant Cliffs and dead marshes, the Red Labyrinth Ruins lay silent.
Or so it seemed.
Beneath its lowest levels, past broken stone and sigil-marked doors, a chamber pulsed with corrupted life. Bone candles flickered. Blood-painted altars stood amid chained prisoners, their hollow eyes awaiting death.
A priest in obsidian robes knelt before a runic circle, muttering in a tongue from the Age of Fracture.
"The offering is prepared," a cultist in beast-hide robes said. "Ten souls tonight. Five awakeners. Five dreamless."
The priest raised his hand. "The blood of the divided will bind the path for the undivided. Soon… the Gate will open."
A massive crest on the wall shimmered—the sigil of the Forgotten Prince, a demonic general of a lost age.
A low hum vibrated as the blood ritual began. Prisoners' screams were muffled by sigils etched in stone, unheard beyond the chamber.
The priest's voice rang, eyes glowing red: "Rise, O King of Chains—let your will shatter the false peace. Your children await."
Shadows writhed. Something ancient stirred, its presence a whisper of chains and hunger.
---
## Character Profile
**Name:** Kael
**Race:** Ferawyn Pup
**Bloodline:** ??? (Locked)
**Age:** 3 Moons
**Health:** 88 / 100
**Energy:** 70 / 100
**Status:** Stable
**Evolution Trait:** Dormant
**Bloodline Awakening:** Not yet triggered
**Titles:** —
### Skills
- **Predator's Instinct (Passive):** Heightened senses and hunting perception.
- **Shadow Footwork (Basic):** Improves stealth and silent movement.
- **Killer's Focus (Basic):** Enhances combat clarity under stress.
- **Devour (Level 2 | Partially Unsealed):**
- Can absorb 2 unique monster cores without backlash.
- Future same-type cores can be consumed safely.
- Grants minor stat increases and passive traits.
- **Sealed Effects (Level 3+):** Active skill absorption, trait fusion, enhanced evolution resonance.
### Core Absorption
**1st Core:** Mirehorn Grunk (Stabilized)
- **Trait:** Tough Hide (Passive): Slightly increased defense.
**2nd Core:** Vexhorn Howler (Stabilized)
- **Traits:** Echo Pulse (Active), Brute Charge (Passive), Minor Regeneration (Passive).
### Quests
**Main Quest 1:** Become as strong as possible before the ritual.
- **Progress:** 2 unique cores absorbed.
- **Note:** Strength and evolution level will influence your awakened bloodline.