But then, just as the thought crossed his mind, a high-pitched, blood-curdling shriek echoed through the cave.

Arthur spun around, his heart skipping a beat as the sound reverberated through the walls. The crystals around him pulsed, their glow intensifying as the shriek faded, leaving a cold silence in its wake. Arthur’s claws flexed instinctively, his muscles tensing as his eyes scanned the cave for the source of the sound.

Then he saw it.

Emerging from the shadows, crawling along the ceiling of the cave, was a figure unlike anything Arthur had encountered before. Its body was gaunt, skeletal, its limbs elongated and twisted at unnatural angles. Its skin was pale, almost translucent, and its eyes glowed with a sickly yellow light. But it was the face that sent a chill down Arthur’s spine—a grotesque, twisted maw filled with jagged teeth, hanging open as if unhinged.

It reminded Arthur of something. Something from his past. A creature from human folklore.

Wendigo.

But this was no ordinary Wendigo. As the creature lowered itself from the ceiling, its eyes fixed on Arthur with a burning intensity. And then, from its open maw, a burst of flame shot out, scorching the air between them.

Arthur barely dodged in time, the searing heat grazing his side as he rolled to avoid the blast. His heart raced, the reality of the situation hitting him all at once. This wasn’t just a creature. This thing was a monster, a twisted hybrid of human and beast, capable of wielding fire as if it were part of its very being.

The Wendigo-like creature screeched again, flames flickering from its maw as it lunged at Arthur. He reacted on instinct, his claws igniting with molten heat as he met the creature head-on. Their claws clashed, the force of the impact sending sparks flying in every direction. Arthur twisted, slashing at the creature’s side, but it was fast—far faster than anything he had fought before.

The Wendigo dodged his attack, its long, skeletal limbs twisting unnaturally as it moved. Arthur could feel the heat building in the air around him, the creature’s fire ready to burst forth at any moment. He had to be smart. His strength alone wouldn’t be enough to take this thing down.

As the creature lunged again, Arthur ducked low, using his tail to knock it off balance. The Wendigo hissed in frustration, flames spilling from its maw as it stumbled backward. Arthur took the opportunity to strike, his claws slashing across the creature’s chest, leaving deep, molten cuts in its pale skin.

But the Wendigo didn’t back down. It roared, flames bursting from its mouth in a wave of searing heat. Arthur leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast, but the heat still singed his scales. The creature was relentless, its movements erratic, unpredictable.

Arthur’s mind raced. He couldn’t win this fight with brute strength alone. He needed to outthink the creature, to use its own power against it. As the Wendigo lunged again, Arthur feigned weakness, stumbling backward as if he had been caught off guard.

The creature took the bait, rushing toward him with a triumphant screech. But Arthur was ready. At the last second, he twisted his body, dodging to the side and slamming his tail into the creature’s legs. The Wendigo shrieked, its balance thrown off as it fell to the ground, flames sputtering from its maw.

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Arthur didn’t hesitate. He pounced, his molten claws sinking deep into the creature’s chest. The Wendigo thrashed wildly, its limbs flailing as it tried to free itself, but Arthur held firm. With one final, savage strike, he tore into the creature’s throat, silencing its cries once and for all.

The Wendigo’s body went limp beneath him, its yellow eyes flickering out as the flames in its maw died.

Arthur stood there, panting, his body trembling from the exertion of the fight. His side ached where the creature’s fire had grazed him, but he had won. Barely. The Wendigo had been faster, more dangerous than anything he had fought before, but his tactics had saved him.

As the adrenaline began to fade, Arthur stared down at the fallen monster, his mind racing with questions. What was this thing? Why had it looked so much like the creatures from his past life?

But, he needed to eat and recuperate first.

*

Arthur stood over the fallen Wendigo, his chest still heaving from the fight. His claws dripped with the creature’s blood, the acrid scent of its burnt flesh lingering in the air. The once fearsome hybrid monster now lay lifeless beneath him, its twisted form grotesque in the flickering light of the cave’s crystals. The sight stirred something within Arthur—not disgust, not pity—but a growing hunger for power.

It’s time.

He crouched down, his mouth watering as he tore into the Wendigo’s flesh. It tasted bitter, like ash, and was tougher than the meat of any creature he had eaten before, but he pushed through, driven by the hunger and the promise of what consuming this monster might bring. As he devoured the creature, he felt something strange—an energy not like the raw power of the Kraken or the Speedy Fish, but something more elusive, more ethereal.

Arthur had noticed it early on, even during his first evolution. Every time he devoured a creature’s Spirit Core, the changes were immediate—his body would grow stronger, more resilient, and with each transformation, his wounds would heal rapidly. It was like the act of consuming these cores didn’t just enhance his abilities; it also mended him from the inside out.

As Arthur finished devouring the Wendigo, the deep gashes and burns from their battle, which had seared his scales and left him bruised, began to mend themselves. He could feel the pulsing heat within his body as the energy from the Spirit Core flowed through him, targeting the damaged areas of his flesh. The torn skin closed, the bruises faded, and the lingering aches dissolved. His muscles, once fatigued, now felt refreshed, as though they had never been strained in the first place.

Each time he consumed one of these Spirit Cores, the process was the same. It wasn’t just a matter of gaining new abilities; his body was being repaired, restored to a better version of itself. The deeper the core’s power, the more thorough the healing process. The Kraken had left him bruised and battered, but after consuming its core, he had been made whole again, and stronger for it. The Wendigo’s core, being more ethereal, had a different quality, but it still healed his wounds with a strange, creeping warmth that spread through his limbs.

The system seemed to reward him not just with power, but with survival itself. Arthur felt that as long as he kept consuming, kept growing, his body would continue to recover and evolve, making him harder to kill with each new battle.

And then, just as he swallowed the last bite, the system returned.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

Congratulations, Arthur! You have devoured the Spirit Core of a distant descendant of the God of Fear.

New Evolutionary Traits Available:

* Aura of Dread: Project an overwhelming sense of terror to nearby enemies, causing them to hesitate or flee in fear.

* Shadow Step: Temporarily become one with the darkness, allowing for swift movement unseen by enemies.

* Nightmare Vision: Peer into the minds of those around you and manifest their deepest fears as illusions.