The heat reached him before the pain did.
It wasn't ordinary heat.
It was the kind that peeled skin, boiled blood, and turned breath into smoke.
Ethan Vale staggered across cracked stone as molten droplets fell from the cavern ceiling. The dungeon core pulsed behind the infernal drake like a dying star.
Three heads.
Six burning eyes.
And all of them locked onto him.
His grip tightened around his fractured spear.
Behind him stood the members of Radiant Dawn Guild.
Silent.
Still.
Waiting.
"Shield rotation!" Ethan shouted. "Lucas, now!"
No response.
The drake's center head inhaled sharply. Fire gathered in its throat.
Ethan turned his head just enough to look back.
Lucas Hart stood calm, silver armor gleaming in the lava glow. Mira held her staff—but she wasn't chanting. Jaxon had already stepped closer to the rear tunnel.
The escape tunnel.
Cold realization crept into Ethan's spine.
"…What are you doing?" he asked.
Lucas met his eyes.
"You did well," he said evenly. "You bought us enough time."
Time.
The words felt distant.
The escape scroll flared to life behind them, golden light forming a portal.
For them.
Not for him.
"You said we fight together," Ethan whispered.
Mira looked away.
Jaxon gave a helpless shrug. "You're F-Rank, Ethan. You can't expect—"
The drake roared.
Fire exploded outward.
Ethan dove, barely avoiding incineration. His cloak caught flame. He tore it off and rolled.
"You planned this," he said hoarsely.
Lucas didn't deny it.
"We needed someone to hold aggro while the scroll charged. The dungeon collapse will seal the exit. If this thing escapes, the city suffers."
"So I die for efficiency?"
"For humanity."
The word struck harder than the heat.
Humanity.
He had trained with them for three years. Bled with them. Carried supplies. Stayed behind so others could advance.
He had awakened with F-Rank Energy Sense — the weakest known ability.
Useful for detection.
Useless in combat.
Replaceable.
The drake lunged.
A massive claw smashed into his chest and sent him crashing across the cavern floor. His spear snapped completely.
He forced himself up.
He refused to kneel.
The left head shot forward and clamped onto his shoulder.
The sound of bone breaking echoed in the cavern.
Pain detonated through his body.
He screamed.
Through blurring vision, he saw the golden portal intensify.
Lucas stepped backward into it.
"Thank you for your sacrifice."
The light swallowed them.
And Ethan finally understood.
In a world ruled by power—
Loyalty meant nothing.
Kindness meant nothing.
Only strength decided who lived.
The drake lifted him into the air. Blood ran down his arm. Its jaws tightened.
His vision dimmed.
This is how I end?
As bait?
As a stepping stone?
The drake opened its central maw.
White fire erupted.
Everything vanished.
Silence.
No heat.
No pain.
Just endless dark.
Then—
A sound.
Clear.
Mechanical.
[Condition Satisfied.]
Ethan's fading consciousness stirred.
Condition?
[Host consumed by superior lifeform.]
[Hidden Compatibility Achieved.]
[Initializing SSS-Rank Devourer System.]
SSS-Rank?
Even Lucas had only been A-Rank.
This had to be a dying hallucination.
[Binding Complete.]
Cracks of light split the darkness.
Air rushed into his lungs.
He gasped—
And slammed upright.
Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead.
Cold tile pressed against his palms.
Voices echoed around him.
"Next candidate!"
He froze.
This place—
The Awakening Hall.
Slowly, he turned his head.
Teenagers filled rows of plastic chairs. Some nervous. Some excited. Some whispering about becoming heroes.
The large digital calendar on the wall read:
March 3rd.
One year before the Crimson Abyss raid.
One year before his death.
His breathing became shallow.
No.
This wasn't possible.
"Ethan Vale!" a staff member called impatiently. "You're up."
His body moved on instinct.
He walked toward the Awakening Crystal — a translucent sphere swirling with blue light.
Last time, this had sealed his fate.
He placed his palm against it.
Cold energy surged into him.
The crystal flickered violently.
For a split second, the room dimmed.
A technician frowned.
"What was that?"
Then the display stabilized.
Talent: F-Rank — Energy Sense
Murmurs rippled through the hall.
"F-Rank?"
"Unlucky."
"Support type…"
Ethan withdrew his hand calmly.
Exactly the same result.
But inside his mind—
[Primary Ability Concealed.]
[Devourer System Active.]
[Display Rank: F.]
His pulse quickened.
It hid itself.
The system had masked his true power.
He returned to his seat without speaking.
The whispers didn't matter.
Nothing they said mattered.
"Status," he murmured quietly.
A translucent interface unfolded before his eyes.
Host: Ethan Vale
Level: 1
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Endurance: 5
Mana: 5
Talent: SSS-Rank Devourer (Sealed)
Abilities:
— Devour (Lv.1)
— Analysis (Lv.1)
Devour.
Absorb stats.
Absorb skills.
Grow by consuming the strong.
A memory surfaced.
Three days from now.
A minor spatial crack would appear near the Han River.
Short duration.
One creature would pass through.
An Iron Fang Wolf.
Last time, it killed two civilians before hunters arrived.
This time—
Ethan's fingers curled slowly.
Prey.
The fluorescent lights flickered overhead.
For a brief moment, his shadow stretched unnaturally long across the floor.
As if something inside it was awakening.
He closed his eyes.
Lucas.
Mira.
Jaxon.
The burning cavern.
The broken bone.
The betrayal.
When he opened them again, the softness was gone.
"In this life," he whispered, voice steady and cold, "I will never be prey again."
The system responded immediately.
[Objective Updated.]
[Become the Apex Devourer.]
And somewhere deep within him—
Something answered.
Hungry.