The creature let out a screech, its exoskeleton sizzling and smoking from the impact. The acrid smell of scorched chitin filled the air, making several students gag.

The Blade Mantis bounced to the other side of the room, its scream a chilling mix of pain and fury as it finally stopped before the broken window. Shards of glass glinted menacingly under the flickering classroom lights.

The boy who had boasted about his ability stood with his hand confidently outstretched, the last wisps of electric energy dancing around his fingers. A smug grin played on his lips, widening as he took in the scene before him. His eyes, a peculiar light blue tint, glowed brighter with the thrill of the confrontation.

"Get out of the way!! Let me show you real power!" he roared, his voice brimming with overconfidence. Blue arcs of electricity danced from his fingertips, illuminating his features with a flickering glow.

Around him, the other students exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions a mixture of awe and apprehension. Some stepped back subconsciously, giving him room, their bodies angled away as if to protect themselves from the creature and the boy’s unchecked confidence.

Zain's mind whirred as he watched the boy, his eyes growing colder with each passing moment. Elemental Class. His mind drifted back to what he knew of such abilities. Only those related to the Ancient Families should possess the knowledge to obtain these rare classes. But this boy... Zain couldn’t place him.

Who is he? Zain’s pondered, his brow furrowing as he scrutinized the boy’s face. No one from his class, or any class he knew, had ties to the Ancient Families. The elite bloodlines were secretive, guarding their knowledge with a ferocity unmatched. And Ridgewood Academy was not a place where even the scrape of such lineages could be found.

Zain’s eyes narrowed on the boy again. There was something off about him. The confidence, the arrogance— it all pointed to someone who didn’t understand the weight of the power they wielded. A fool with a dangerous toy, he mused. Maybe a discarded piece from a side branch.

For now, he dubbed him the Lightning Boy.

The Blade Mantis pushed off the ground with its short, blade-like arms, rising unsteadily to its clawed feet.

Enraged, it shrieked again, its cry echoing off the walls, a mix of pain and seething rage. Its compound eyes locked onto the Lightning Boy, forcing him to take a few steps back, his bravado faltering momentarily.

"Face this, you beast!" Lightning Boy's face turned a furious shade of red as he continued to hurl lightning at the creature. His voice was strained with effort and the thrill of combat.

Looking at the constant stream of Lightning Arrow, Zain noted, were unusually refined for someone supposedly untrained by the Ancient Families. The boy's arcane stats should be high. Being an elemental boosted the stat, but it seems that he had already started to use it more efficiently.

Seeing that the students were busy watching the fight between those two, Zain extracted himself from the position.

He surveyed the chaotic battlefield and noticed the absence of more monsters— a stark contrast to what he experienced in the hellish tutorial, where half of the people would be mercilessly overwhelmed in the first ten minutes.

Watching the surroundings, a faint distortion in the air, almost invisible, caught his eye. He noticed the faint, ethereal gray humanoid figure lingering above the Blade Mantis's earlier victim as if attaching itself to the lifeless corpse.

His body tensed for a moment, waiting for the unexpected attack, though the figure remained eerily still except for the becoming more transparent.

He rubbed his eyes hard, half hoping the light would prove to be an illusion. But when he looked again, the ethereal figure was still there.

His eyes darted around, scanning for any remaining threats that might lurk unseen. Though he was focused on the glowing humanoid figure, his experience had taught him never to let down his guard completely.

Most students were captively fixated on a dazzling display elsewhere— the fight that sent flashes of light and booming echoes. The earlier mad scrambled, all but forgotten when the Lightning Boy attacked the monster.

He turned his focus inward, searching for any skill effect in himself, and realized it was related to his Trait.

A cool, tingling sensation pulsed at the edge of his consciousness, something unfamiliar yet profoundly integral to his being. It was as if a dormant power had stirred within him, awakened by the presence of the silhouette. Is that a soul?

The question echoed in his mind, a whisper amid the storm of his thoughts.

Looking around, he saw his chance and cautiously approached the corpse, lying motionless amidst the chaos. He had no prior knowledge of the strange ability that seemed to have awakened within him—only a gut feeling that it was somehow connected to Devour.

His heart pounded in his chest, dread and anticipation setting his nerves on edge. The experience of something new was a refreshing change after the endless war.

With each cautious step towards the body, Zain kept his senses sharply tuned to any hint of danger, his eyes scanning for any changes.

The mantis had driven his blade deep into the tiles, anchoring himself firmly as he withstood the barrage of lightning. Despite the ferocity of the attack, Zain knew it was only a matter of time before he could neutralize the assault and regain his footing. It should be enough...

When he finally stood over the corpse, the humanoid figure appeared hazy and indistinct, its feebleness suggesting even the slightest disturbance could shatter it. The gray color was faded, as if detached from worldly affairs. And Zain's spine tingled as he felt that he was watching something forbidden. Lingering above the corpse, it seemed reluctant to part with its vessel.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

As he knelt beside the lifeless form, Zain hesitated. Engaging with such a power without understanding its nature was akin to walking a tightrope blindfolded.

If he was indeed capable of devouring a soul, what did that mean for the existence of that soul? Was it eradicated completely, absorbed into his being, or merely borrowed?

The concept of an afterlife, a realm beyond the known, was enigmatic, filled with theories and spiritual conjecture even for the vast minds of multiverse geniuses. No one had any idea about the afterlife except eternal extermination. Even the system, with all its intricate rules and powers, had its limitations.

Taking a deep breath, Zain closed his eyes, momentarily pushing aside the weighty moral considerations of his actions.

For now, he focused on the immediate, on mastering the strange and formidable ability that had awakened within him.

He reached out with his fingers, tentatively touching the fringes of the spectral essence.

Devour.

Instantly, a strange tingling sensation shot through his fingertips.

Inside him, a tumultuous pattern of mana began to swirl and twist, forming pathways he had never encountered in any book or lesson. It was wild and unruly, like a river breaking through its banks, searching for new ground to saturate.

Zain's concentration deepened, his brow furrowing as he sought to impose some semblance of order on the chaotic mana. His hands trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the sheer intensity of the complexity coursing through him.

The ethereal figure above the corpse began to stabilize under his influence, its shimmering light dimming as the process continued. As Zain felt the spectral essence solidify and respond to his will, a draining sensation washed over him.

It was as if the skill, in channeling the mana, was also leeching his vitality as a necessary sacrifice for the transfer of power.

His muscles tensed, and his jaw set firmly as he endured the energy drain, his eyes locked on the diminishing figure. Gradually, the spectral form condensed into a smaller, more intense shape—a ghastly, glowing sphere that pulsed with something forbidden.

With a final, silent shudder of release, the sphere dissolved into a stream of light that penetrated his chest, seeping into his very core.

[ Soul Increased by 0.047 ]

Zain withdrew his hand, his face momentarily lighting up with triumph. The mana pattern inside him dissipated, and the fleeting joy vanished as he staggered back, a sharp, unexpected taste of iron filling his mouth. Touching his lips, he was shocked to find blood on his fingertips.

[ HP: 77% ]

[ MP: 81% ]

A small but alarming spurt of blood had escaped his mouth. Breathing heavily, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his mind racing with confusion and concern. What had just happened? Was this a normal reaction to using such a powerful and unfamiliar skill, or had something gone terribly wrong?

Identity: Zain Valerius ( Level 1 )

Race: Human ( F Grade )

Trait: Soul Devour

Character Stats:

Arcane: 2

Soul: 0.047

Skills (1/10)

* Devour (Level 1)

"I don't feel any different," Zain muttered. He did not feel any noticeable increase in his constitution and mind. For all the hype of the skill, it seemed to have harmed him more than it benefited him.

He was left with more questions than answers, his mind reeling from the experience.

Could it be the nature of the soul he absorbed? Maybe the soul he absorbed was just a single human?

Or maybe it was a time of death? Perhaps it was because he was not the one to kill him?

The uncertainty gnawed at him. His heart raced as he tried to calm himself, the tang of blood still firm on his tongue. The unexpected side effect sent a jolt through his mind.

Despite the initial lack of physical enhancement, the ability to observe any dying soul offered a strategic advantage of incalculable worth.

In his harsh and often unforgiving world, where enemies with bizarre resurrection abilities abounded, having a clear insight into the state of a soul at the moment of death could mean the difference between a temporary setback and a permanent victory.

As he gathered his thoughts, Zain's gaze landed on the corpse's wrist, showcasing a simple watch with a cracked face, still ticking amidst the chaos. Seven forty-two.

Nearby was — a rusted steel blade attached to a wooden handle. After picking both, Zain watched the intense battle unfold.

The lighting boy was still engaged in fierce combat with the Blade Mantis, but the creature's formidable physical resilience made the eclectic charge less lethal.

The mantis had pierced the ground with a blade, and the area was getting filled with a burnt smell. Each strike seemed only to enrage the creature further, its blade-like arms gouging the ground for traction.

Everyone looked cheerful but Zain noticed that the mantis easily sustained the lightning.

Suddenly, the mantis let out a terrifying screech and charged with unexpected ferocity. Lightning Boy, caught off guard, faltered visibly.

"Damn it! Landon, help!" Lightning Boy's usual calm shattered into panic, his voice echoing off the walls as he stumbled backward. His eyes, wide with alarm, darted toward Landon.

Zain's eyes shifted to a boy with pastel red hair, who nodded sharply at Lightning Boy's call.

Landon stepped forward, his hand glowing with a faint, eerie light. With a swift movement, a spectral claw met the mantis's blade mid-air. The clash of magic against the blade produced a sharp, resonant clang, halting the mantis in its tracks.

Zain narrowed his eyes, looking at Landon's skill. A beast related skill was a little unexpected, but it was not an anomaly. A little above average. He started moving toward the front to get a better positioning.

With the creature momentarily stunned by Landon's counter, Lightning Boy regained his footing. His hands crackled with renewed energy, the air around him vibrating as he molded a massive, more potent lightning arrow, larger and more charged than the previous ones formed above his head.

With a mighty yell, Lightning Boy released the arrow. It blazed through the air, a brilliant streak of light that struck the Blade Mantis squarely in its chest. The impact was monumental, the electric energy exploding on contact, enveloping the creature in a blinding flash.

The ear-piercing scream of the monster reverberated through the classroom, ceasing as suddenly as it had begun. The abrupt silence followed was heavy, almost palpable, with the only sound being Lightning Boy's labored breathing as he regained his composure.

"Haha…" Lightning Boy paused as another bout of chuckling threatened to spill out of him. He straightened up slowly, his chest still heaving, and wiped the sweat from his brow. With a deep breath, he seemed to regain his composure, a self-satisfied smirk spreading across his face as he surveyed the damage he had inflicted.

"Did that thing really kill Anlin?" a girl asked, her voice trembling as she eyed the nearly dissipated monster corpse. Murmurs filled the room, a mix of fear and curiosity, as several students shuffled uncomfortably, their eyes darting nervously to the remains of the Blade Mantis.

Zain, however, was focused on something else. As the classroom buzzed with whispered speculations and Lightning Boy basked in his victory, Zain’s attention was drawn to a new gray silhouette on the monster's corpse. Jackpot