Chapter 1: The Predator's Cradle
The silence of the Abyss was not a lack of sound; it was a physical weight. It pressed against Zayn's lungs, making every ragged breath feel like he was inhaling shards of cold glass. He lay broken on the jagged stone floor of the S-Rank Dungeon, The Hollow Graves. Above him, the massive obsidian gate hissed as it began to slide shut, a final curtain closing on his life.
"Zayn... don't look at us like that."
The voice belonged to Ryan, the leader of the 'Silver Dawn' guild. He stood near the closing gate, his golden armor shining mockingly in the dim light. Beside him stood Sarah and Marcus, the teammates Zayn had spent three years protecting as their scout. They didn't look like heroes now. They looked like cowards.
"You're an F-Rank, Zayn," Ryan continued, his voice devoid of any guilt. "You were born to be a stepping stone. The boss needs a distraction so we can extract the mana-crystals. Your sacrifice will buy us the fame you could never achieve yourself. Consider it your last service to the team."
Zayn tried to speak, but only a mouthful of hot, metallic blood escaped his lips. His right leg was a mess of crushed bone and torn sinew, the result of Ryan's 'accidental' Shield Bash that had sent him tumbling into the boss room.
Clang.
The gate sealed shut. The faint light from the corridor vanished, plunging the chamber into a suffocating, absolute darkness. Zayn was alone.
He lay in the dark, listening to the sound of his own heart. Thump. Thump. Thump. It was the sound of a clock ticking toward zero. Tears of frustration and pure, unadulterated hatred carved paths through the grime on his face. He had been their dog. He had scouted the traps, carried their luggage, and stayed up for forty-eight hours straight to guard their tents. And in the end, they didn't even look him in the eye when they left him to be eaten.
Scritch. Scritch.
The sound of massive claws dragging across stone echoed from the far end of the hall. Then came the smell—the stench of rotting meat and ancient sulfur. The Bone-Eater. An S-Rank monstrosity that lived up to its name. It didn't just kill; it savored the sound of bones snapping between its mandibles. Zayn could hear its heavy, wet breathing. It was close.
'Is this it?' Zayn thought, his fingers clutching the cold dirt. 'I die here as a nameless bait? While they go back and spend the gold earned from my blood?'
The thought ignited a spark of fire in his gut. It wasn't the heroic fire of a savior. It was the dark, toxic coal of a man who wanted to watch the world burn. I want to kill them, he screamed internally. I want to rip Ryan's throat out. I want to see them beg.
Suddenly, the air in the chamber froze. The heavy breathing of the monster stopped.
[DING!]
A sound like a crystal bell shattered the silence. In front of Zayn's failing vision, a screen erupted. It wasn't the standard blue screen of the Awakened. It was a deep, pulsating crimson, like a fresh wound.
[Requirement Met: Absolute Despair and Malice.]
[Scanning Host Soul... Compatibility: 100%.]
[The Forbidden 'Monster King System' has found its Progenitor.]
"A... System?" Zayn gasped, his voice a dry croak.
[Warning: Your physical body is 94% destroyed. Death will occur in 54 seconds.]
[The System offers you a Contract of Evolution.]
[Do you wish to abandon your humanity and become the 'Predator of the Heavens'?]
[Accept / Decline]
The Bone-Eater let out a deafening roar, its massive shadow looming over Zayn. Its jaws opened, revealing rows of serrated teeth dripping with corrosive saliva. It lunged.
"I accept!" Zayn roared, the sound tearing his throat. "I'LL BECOME ANYTHING! JUST GIVE ME THE POWER TO KILL THEM ALL!"
[Contract Established.]
[Initiating Protocol: Monster Core Integration.]
[Host Skill Awakened: 'Absolute Predation' (Rank: EX).]
Time slowed to a crawl. The monster's teeth were inches from Zayn's neck when a surge of black lightning erupted from his chest. The pain was beyond anything he had ever imagined. It felt as if his skin were being peeled off and replaced with liquid fire. His shattered leg snapped back into place, the bones fusing with a strange, dark metal-like density. His eyes, once a dull brown, bled into a glowing, predatory gold.
The black lightning struck the Bone-Eater, pinning the massive creature to the ground. The beast, which should have been an unstoppable force of nature, let out a whimper of pure terror. It felt it—an aura far more ancient and terrifying than its own.
Zayn stood up. He didn't know how, but he stood. His body felt heavy, yet overflowing with a dark, primal energy. He walked toward the pinned monster, his movements fluid and feline.
[System Notification: The prey is weakened. Consume it to begin your evolution.]
Zayn didn't use a sword. He didn't have one. Instead, he reached out his hand, and his fingernails lengthened into obsidian claws. He plunged his hand directly into the monster's chest, tearing through the S-Rank hide as if it were wet paper. He grabbed the monster's heart—a pulsating, glowing orb of mana—and pulled it out.
The Bone-Eater let out a final, rattling breath before its massive body began to dissolve into black particles, all of which flowed into Zayn's skin.
[DING!]
[First Prey Devoured: Bone-Eater (S-Rank Larva stage).]
[Calculating Attributes...]
[Level Up! Level Up! Level Up!...]
Zayn stood in the center of the dark chamber, his chest heaving. The wounds were gone. The F-Rank weakling was dead. He felt a strange hunger—not for food, but for essence. He looked at his hands; they looked human, but he could feel the monstrous strength humming beneath the surface.
[Status Window]
Name: Zayn
Level: 8 (EXP: 120/800)
Race: Progenitor (Half-Human / Half-Monster)
Title: [The One Who Defied Death]
[Attributes]
* Strength: 22 (+15)
* Agility: 18 (+12)
* Stamina: 20 (+14)
* Intelligence: 12
* Mana: 15
[Unique Skills]
* Absolute Predation (Rank: EX): The ability to consume the essence of any fallen foe. Gained 100% of the Bone-Eater's 'Hardened Skeleton' trait.
* Shadow Extraction (Locked): Reach Level 20 to unlock.
* Monster Form (Locked): Reach Level 50 to unlock.
Zayn stared at the screen. A cold, cruel smile touched his lips. He looked up at the sealed gate, his vision now piercing through the darkness as if it were broad daylight. He could almost see through the stone, imagining the Silver Dawn team celebrating their successful 'raid' at a local tavern.
"Run while you can, Ryan," Zayn whispered, his voice carrying a double-tone—one human, one a guttural growl. "Enjoy your fame. Celebrate your gold. Because I'm coming back. And I'm not coming back as a teammate."
He turned away from the exit, heading deeper into the Abyss. To grow stronger, he needed to eat. And this Dungeon was full of prey.
"I'm coming back as your nightmare."
[System: Quest Updated.]
[Main Quest: The Path of the Sovereign.]
[Objective: Reach the Surface.]
[Reward
: Hidden.]