"System, show my status."

[Displaying Status Panel.]

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

Name: Noah (Azazel)

Race: Demon

Class: Demon Prince (SSS)

Title: None

Skills: Sin Transmutation, Devour

⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻⸻

?!!

Noah stared at the screen, his breath catching.

"…Wait, what the fuck?"

His gaze locked onto the class rank.

"SSS?"

He let out a slow exhale, his fingers gripping his hair.

"This… this is an SSS-rank class?!"

A short laugh escaped him—half disbelief, half excitement.

"Wait—does that mean I'm ridiculously overpowered or—" He paused, glancing around at the battlefield.

"Never mind. If I was, I wouldn't be here in the first place."

His eyes narrowed.

A Demon Prince.

Not just some random noble.

Demons occupied one-third of this world, and this world was a thousand times bigger than Earth. A land filled with monsters, horrors, and beings beyond comprehension.

And he was supposed to be at the top of that food chain?

"Yeah… That's not small."

It was massive.

He rubbed his temples, forcing himself to focus.

"Alright. This is big." His gaze flicked back to the status screen.

"But what about my skills?"

His eyes scanned the list.

Sin Transmutation. Devour.

"...Two? That's it?"

A frown crept onto his face.

Noah closed his eyes, letting Azazel's memories settle in.

Sin Transmutation.

His breath hitched.

It was Azazel's skill. The original body's ability.

The knowledge flooded in.

"Any direct or indirect contact with energy… and it turns into demonic energy?"

His frown deepened.

"But I can't absorb it?"

A useless conversion. The corrupted energy just lingers, trapped inside the target.

Noah scoffed.

"What the hell's the point of that?"

His fingers curled.

"Fucking useless."

A cursed ability with no real function.

His eyes flicked to the second skill.

Devour.

A system-given ability.

His brows furrowed.

"So… I can mark a target, and their energy gets drained over time?"

The knowledge settled.

"The mark's invisible. They won't even know it's there…" His lips pressed into a thin line.

"If it's a demon, I can steal their energy." A pause. "But if they're dead… I can break down their body and absorb the remains?"

His fingers twitched.

"That's… brutal."

At first glance, Devour had a problem.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

It only worked on demons or beings infused with demonic energy.

"But…"

Noah's eyes flicked back to Sin Transmutation.

It clicked.

"If Sin Transmutation corrupts all energy into demonic energy…"

A slow smirk spread across his face.

"Then Devour can absorb it. That removes the limitation."

A smirk formed on his face.

"I don't need to be picky about my prey. I don't have to hunt demons specifically."

"I can corrupt, then consume."

A silence hung in the air.

"Heh… hehehehe… that's useful."

His smirk widened.

"For once, the system actually gave me something useful."

Noah flexed his fingers and an unfamiliar energy started thrumming beneath his skin.

He frowned. "Huh. I expected more."

His gaze shifted to the dark red corpse beside him. it was a humanoid body with a goat's head with wounds torn open across its flesh.

"Might as well test it."

Crouching down, he pressed his hand against the cold, lifeless body.

"Devour."

Nothing.

Or at least, almost nothing. The corpse slowly decayed, flesh peeling away, bones turning brittle before crumbling into dust.

Then, the smell hit him.

The stench of rot filled his nose and made it hard to breathe. His stomach twisted as his throat clenched, and his body recoiled in disgust.

He gagged.

"Urgh—!"

He jerked back and clamped a hand over his mouth as bile rose in his throat.

"Holy—!" His stomach twisted violently. He barely managed to stagger back before bile rushed up his throat.

His fingers trembled slightly, and his breath came out uneven.

He squeezed his eyes shut, swallowing down the nausea.

"Just breathe, Noah. You don't have a choice."

His body urged him to back away, to run, but he forced himself to crouch back down. This was survival. No matter how sickening it was, he had to endure it.

Forcing himself to breathe through his mouth, he pressed his palm against another corpse.

"Just…ughh...don't think about it."

The body withered away, breaking apart into dust like the first. This time, something remained.

A dull metal glint caught his eye—a short knife, half-buried in the decayed remains.

Noah hesitated before reaching for it, his fingers brushing against the cold handle.

"Guess these don't disappear with the body…"

He wiped the blade against the tattered remains of a tunic before slipping it into his belt.

Useful.

He exhaled shakily, his stomach still twisting, but… this time, it was a little easier.

"Okay… not as bad the second time."

Still, it would take time.

Without hesitation, he moved to the next body. Then another. And another.

For half a day, Noah devoured every corpse in his path.

At first, it was unbearable. The stench filled his lungs, the sight of rotting flesh made his skin crawl, and the way the bodies crumbled under his touch sent a shiver down his spine.

Every part of him screamed that this was wrong, that he wasn't supposed to be doing this.

But after dozens and then hundreds…

The nausea dulled. The bile stopped rising.

He got used to it.

At first, he barely noticed any difference. It was just a faint tingle under his skin.

But as time passed, the change stacked up.

He flexed his arms. "Now we're talking."

His grip felt firmer, his body lighter. The exhaustion from earlier? Gone.

He took a deep breath, feeling the difference in his lungs. "It's slow, but after this much… yeah, it's definitely working."

His eyes flicked across the battlefield, scanning the scattered remains. Weapons. Armor. Supplies.

He crouched beside a half-decayed corpse, pulling at a leather chest piece with a few minor cuts but still in good condition. He strapped it on.

"It's not in perfect condition, but it's better than nothing."

A short sword lay half-buried in the mud, its blade was dull but sturdy.

He wiped it clean and tested its weight in his hand.

"Looks like I just need to keep eating, hahaha." His lips curled into a grin.

He cracked his knuckles and looked at the battlefield ahead.

"Still plenty left. Let's keep going."

Noah was about to devour the next corpse when voices carried from the distance.

Noah's ears caught the sound of distant voices. His eyes narrowed as he turned toward the direction of the noise.

"Listen, I'm telling you, there's no reason to be scared. The battle wiped out everyone. If anyone survived, they'd be long gone by now."

"I know… but—"

"No buts. There's three of us. Even if there are survivors, they'd be half-dead. No way they're in any shape to fight back."

A short pause. "Hey, Bertio, say something."

A heavy sigh followed, like someone reluctant to be dragged into this. "Cye is right, Tery. I doubt anyone is still alive. We are not here to fight, anyway. We just grab whatever supplies we can and leave."

Noah squinted his eyes.

'It's Scavangers.'

His eyes flicked across the battlefield.

"I gotta hide somewhere."

Without hesitation, he crouched and moved through the scattered bodies. The stench was suffocating, thick with blood and rot, but he forced himself to ignore it.

Carefully, he wedged himself between a pile of corpses, pressing down just enough to create a small gap to breathe through.

From the small opening, he could see them now.

The three scavenger demons.

"Fine… I'll believe you. Not like I have much of a choice. You two dragged me here without even asking."

"Hahaha! Relax. We'll just grab some stuff and head back. Easy, right?"

As they got closer, their forms became clearer.

Bertio led the group, his pale green skin stretched over a thin frame, fingers twitching.

Cye walked beside him, the same wiry build, his mouth curled into an eerie grin.

Tery trailed behind, shifting uneasily, his wide eyes darting around.

The three of them were nearly identical and were heading straight toward him.

"Bertio, Cye! Look here. Why is there no corpse in this area?" Tery pointed, his fingers stiff as he limped forward.

"It's weird." Cye scratched his chin. "Maybe there was an explosion, and it just burned everything away."

Bertio sniffed the air, his twitching fingers slowing. "Something is wrong."

He used his nails and scrapped the dirt on the ground and then smelled it.

"The scent of death is strong, but the bodies... they are gone. Something took them."

"..."

"..."

"Wait a minute.." Tery's wide eyes flickered.

he moved closer alone and was just right in front of the pile of corpse Noah was in.

"Come on, Bertio, you are being paranoid." Cye let out a dry chuckle. "Maybe wild beasts came through and ate the remains."

Bertio's fingers suddenly stopped twitching. His pupils narrowed.

"Wild beasts don't eat bones And they don't leave the weapons behind."

Tery's lips stretched into a disturbing grin. "then that means..."

He crouched, running his fingers over the ground, brushing against the scattered corpses.

"Someone's been here."

Noah's grip tightened around the hilt of his sword. His heart pounded as he watched Tery's wide, unblinking eyes settle on the pile of corpses—right where he was hiding.

Shit. He's looking right at me.

He held his breath, muscles tensed.

'I can't stay hidden. It's only a matter of time before they find me.'

'I have to take him out first.'

Tery crouched, his bony fingers shifting through the rotting bodies. His pale green face twisted, nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air.

Noah didn't move and held his breath.

Tery leaned in closer, his face inches from Noah's hiding spot. His nostrils flared, his lips parting as if to say something.

"Sniff, sniff… huh? I smell somethi—"

Schlk!

Tery's body jerked. His mouth hung open mid-sentence. His bulging eyes twitched violently before he collapsed to the ground.

Thud.

?!!

"What was that?!" Cye's eerie grin vanished as his head snapped toward the sound.

Bertio's twitching fingers stilled. His gaze locked onto Tery's lifeless body, black blood pooling beneath him.

"Tery's… dead?"

"WHO KILLED HIM?!"

Noah stepped out from the corpse pile, his sword dripping black blood.

"So... who's next?"