The deeper Kael ventured, the colder the air became. The walls of the Shadow Cave changed from rough stone to smooth, black obsidian, carved with runes that seemed to pulse like a heartbeat.
[Warning: Entering 'Restricted Zone']
[Detection: Rank E Elite Monster – The Bone-Claw Stalker]
Kael pressed his back against a pillar. In the center of the chamber stood a creature that looked like a nightmare made of skeletons and shadows. It was twice the size of the spiders, its claws scraping sparks off the floor.
If the Guild Master knew an Elite was this close to the entrance, he never would have sent recruits in. This wasn't a trial; it was a massacre waiting to happen.
Thump. Thump.
Kael's heart wasn't racing from fear—it was racing from hunger. The Void in his chest was screaming. It didn't just want to survive; it wanted to eat.
"Okay," Kael whispered, his grip tightening on his rusted dagger. "Let's see if you taste better than the spiders."
He didn't wait for the monster to smell him.
[Skill: Shadow Step – Activated!]
Kael vanished. He reappeared directly above the Stalker, dropping from the ceiling like a silent predator. His dagger struck the creature's neck, but the rusted blade snapped against its bone armor.
The Stalker roared, swinging a massive claw that missed Kael's chest by an inch.
[Mana: 5/50]
[Critical Warning: Mana Depleted. Shadow Step Deactivated.]
Kael hit the ground hard. The monster loomed over him, its jaws opening to reveal a swirling vortex of dark energy. He was out of mana, out of tricks, and his only weapon was broken.
But as the Stalker lunged, Kael didn't move. He reached out and grabbed the monster's face with his bare hands.
"My turn," Kael hissed.
[Condition Met: Physical Contact Established.]
[Activating 'Void Devour'...]
A massive surge of black lightning erupted from Kael's palms. The Stalker's roar turned into a pathetic whimper as its entire body began to collapse inward, sucked into the vacuum of Kael's soul. The obsidian walls cracked from the pressure of the energy being released.
[Elite Monster Slain!]
[Level Up! Level Up! Level Up!]
[Stat Points Gained: +10]
[New Skill Unlocked: Void Burst (Rank E)]
Kael slumped to his knees as the monster turned to dust. A warm, golden light washed over him, healing his bruises and filling his veins with a power he had never dreamed of.
He wasn't a Zero anymore. He was a predator.