The corrupted adventurer appeared during Jak's fourth week of dual schedule.
Standard contract. Dire wolf pack. Eastern forest. Supervised operation with Marcus.
Routine work. Should have been simple.
But when they found the wolves, something was wrong.
The pack wasn't attacking travelers. Wasn't defending territory. Just... existing. Unnaturally still. Unresponsive.
"That's not normal wolf behavior," Marcus said. "They should have scattered when we approached."
Jak activated his void sense. Examined the wolves carefully.
There. Purple-blue energy. Faint. Woven through their bodies. Void corruption.
"They're corrupted," Jak said. "Exposed to void energy somehow."
"There's no rift activity in this area," Marcus said. "Guild monitors showed clean readings."
"Then the corruption came from somewhere else."
They killed the wolves. Carefully. Corrupted beasts were unpredictable. Dangerous.
But while fighting, Jak noticed something else. A trail. Void energy residue. Leading deeper into the forest.
Something corrupted had been here. Recently. Moving through the area. Spreading corruption.
"We should follow that trail," Jak said.
"That's not part of the contract."
"Something's out there spreading void corruption. That's a threat."
Marcus considered. Then nodded. "Fine. But we report this immediately if we find anything dangerous."
They followed the trail. Through dense forest. For two hours.
Found a camp. Abandoned. Recently used. And saturated with void energy.
Jak's void sense screamed warning. The corruption here was intense. Dangerous.
"Someone was living here," Marcus said. "Multiple people. Maybe a week ago."
"Someone corrupted," Jak said. "Look at the ground."
The dirt was discolored. Purple-blue traces. Everywhere. Saturating the soil. The trees. The air.
"This is bad," Marcus said. "We need to report this. Get a sealing team out here."
Then Jak's void sense detected something else. Movement. Close. Coming toward them.
"Someone's here," Jak warned.
A figure emerged from the trees. Human. Male. Maybe thirty years old.
But wrong. Corrupted. Severely.
His skin had purple-blue veins. Visible. Pulsing. His eyes glowed with void energy. And his movements were off. Jerky. Inhuman.
"Hello," the corrupted man said. Voice distorted. Multiple tones overlapping. "You shouldn't be here."
"We're guild adventurers," Marcus said. Keeping his tone calm. Non-threatening. "We're investigating void corruption in the area."
"Corruption." The man laughed. Sound like breaking glass. "That's what you call it. I call it evolution."
"What happened to you?" Jak asked.
"I became what I was meant to be." The man stepped closer. Void energy radiating from his body. "I walked the path. Cultivated. Grew stronger. Until the guild tried to stop me."
"You're a cultivator," Jak said quietly. "Like me."
The man's glowing eyes focused on Jak. Studied him carefully.
Through his void sense, Jak could see the corruption clearly now. It had spread through the man's entire body. Saturating every cell. Rewriting his biology.
"You're void-touched too," the man said. "I can see it. Feel it. You're early stage. Barely corrupted. But walking the same path I walked."
"What happened to you?" Jak repeated.
"I went too far. Too fast. Absorbed too much void energy without proper control." The man gestured to his corrupted body. "This is what happens when cultivation becomes corruption. When power overwhelms humanity."
"Can it be reversed?" Jak asked.
"No. I'm beyond reversal. Beyond healing." The man's expression was strange. Not quite human anymore. "But I'm also beyond death. Beyond weakness. I'm void-touched. Void-born. Void-eternal."
"You're insane," Marcus said flatly.
"Maybe. Probably." The man smiled. Too many teeth. "But I'm also free. No guild restrictions. No human limitations. Just power. Pure. Absolute."
He attacked.
Fast. Impossibly fast. Corrupted body moving at inhuman speeds.
Marcus barely blocked. His sword catching the man's clawed hands.
Jak and Shade flanked. Coordinated. Professional.
But the corrupted man was strong. B-rank power. Maybe higher. And the corruption made him unpredictable. Immune to pain. Regenerating damage instantly.
The fight was brutal. Extended. The corrupted man was nearly impossible to damage permanently. Every wound closed immediately. Void regeneration far beyond what Jak could achieve.
"You see?" the man shouted mid-fight. "This is what cultivation leads to! Power without limit! Strength without end!"
"You're a monster," Jak said.
"We're all monsters. You just haven't accepted it yet." The man's eyes focused on Jak. "But you will. Keep cultivating. Keep walking the path. Eventually you'll be like me. Corrupted. Powerful. Free."
Marcus's sword found the man's throat. Deep cut. Should have been fatal.
The man just laughed. Healed instantly. Countered with claws that tore Marcus's armor.
They couldn't win this fight. Not conventionally.
Jak activated his void sense fully. Examined the corrupted man's energy structure.
There. A concentration point. Where void energy was densest. In the center of his chest. Corruption core.
That was the weak point. Destroy that, destabilize the corruption.
"Marcus!" Jak shouted. "Center chest! Target the corruption core!"
Marcus understood immediately. Shifted his attacks. Targeting the same location repeatedly.
Shade coordinated. Attacking from different angle. Creating openings.
Jak's blade found the core. Drove deep. Pierced it.
The corrupted man screamed. Void energy exploding outward. Uncontrolled. Chaotic.
His body began destabilizing. Corruption turning inward. Consuming him.
"Yes," the man gasped. Dying. "Yes. This is what awaits you. Power. Corruption. Death. All the same path. All the same end."
He dissolved. Like a rift spawn. Purple-blue mist. Gone.
Jak and Marcus stood in the clearing. Breathing hard. Wounded. Exhausted.
"What was that?" Marcus asked.
"A cultivator who went too far," Jak said quietly. "Someone who let corruption consume him."
"Is that what you're becoming?"
"I don't know."
Marcus stared at Jak. "You need to stop. Whatever you're doing. Wherever you're going at night. Stop before you end up like him."
"How did you—"
"I'm not blind. You're exhausted. Distracted. Disappearing every night. Coming back at dawn smelling like void energy." Marcus's voice was serious. "You're cultivating in secret. And it's killing you. Slowly. But killing you."
Jak said nothing.
"I won't report you," Marcus continued. "Because I think you're trying to do the right thing. But I'm warning you. That man was you. Just further along. That's your future if you don't stop."
"I can't stop."
"Then you'll die. Simple as that." Marcus sheathed his sword. "Come on. We need to report this. Corrupted cultivators are priority threats."
They returned to the guild. Filed reports. Described the encounter. Requested sealing team for the corrupted campsite.
But Jak couldn't stop thinking about the corrupted man. About his words.
"You're walking the same path I walked."
Was that true? Was Jak destined to end up corrupted? Insane? Monstrous?
He looked at his hands. Saw the faint purple-blue traces. Evidence of corruption. Evidence of change.
The man had said it was irreversible. That cultivation inevitably led to corruption. To monstrosity. To death.
But Jak was still human. Still sane. Still in control.
The difference was moderation. Control. Balance.
The corrupted man had rushed. Absorbed too much too fast. Lost himself in the power.
Jak wouldn't make that mistake. He'd be careful. Measured. Controlled.
Or so he told himself.
Through the bond, Shade's concern. The fox had seen the corrupted man too. Understood the warning.
They needed to be more careful. More controlled. More aware of the cost.
Because the corrupted man was right about one thing.
Power without control led to monstrosity.
And Jak was walking that line closer than he wanted to admit.