Théoden pulled out the sword. A fine double edge symmetrical long and thin knife, he would describe it. It shone in a silver shine due to the sun's rays. Théoden hadn't noticed the change of environment as the pressure around him became heavier due pressure he exuded.

His breathing let out a soft but warm mist. His ruby-red rare lustered eyes turned a slight shade of blue. His mind was clear. Very clear, it was scary.

He could notice the slightest details he had missed before. The movement of the wind could be felt much more sensitively as all sound resonated in his ears giving him a better grasp of where he was standing at. His observation became that of a predator.

Théoden tried to find the weakness of the creature. It was, however, not as easy. Other than its injuries, it didn't show any obvious opening. I mean, it simply paced toward him nonchalantly, and that was hard enough to deal with.

'Whoever makes the first move wins is what they say. I have to do it.'

Théoden rushed forward putting all the power bust to the heel of his foot. He plunged himself with the most power he could gather and pushed toward the demon. The sound of metals clashing was heard.

Clang!

'Huh? Clang?'

The humanoid demon had somehow stopped the vertical slash from cutting its head in two. The demon was not so tall. At least not taller than an average human. It used one arm at that to stop a sharp sword with its claws.

Looking closer, the claws that met the sword had been scratched a little. The demon twitched a little. It seemed to be in immense pain, but Théoden didn't have the leisure to pity it. It was his survival or the monsters. Looking at the state of the demon you could tell it wasn't interested in him, but saw him as food to replenish its health somehow.

It was a kill-or-be-killed situation.

Théoden didn't stop there. He needed to utilize everything he could at the moment. By observance, he could tell the demon's other arm was unfunctional. That was one less danger to him. He pulled back a bit and rushed in again. This time aiming for its eyes. They looked almost lifeless. A hollow abyss of blood-craving void holes.

'A dying demon is still a threat to me.'

When it put its claws up to defend he twisted his body so the sword would shift towards the demon's torso. His attack landed. A place with a torn and open bleeding wound. The sword hit precisely, but there was a problem. He couldn't pull it out. In a panic, he let go and jumped back a few steps behind.

He quickly got a knife from the side and pointed it forward. There was something weird. The demon that was supposed to attack him in the moment of weakness didn't. He realized that the demon never took the initiative. It only defended.

'Why is that? Why won't it attack?'

"...eak human.....grrr....dare....challenge me? Stupid....pest....human. I am...superior. " The demon said in a low sinister voice mixed with rough growls that gave Théoden chills.

"It can speak?" Théoden mutter under his breath. He pointed the knife even wearier than before. The monster had to have the intelligence to manage speech.

"I.....Nalbthalur..am the envy demon in the 10th class of Envy demons. I am not to fall to a mere human. Now I shall eliminate those who challenge me. Become my nutrient human. Feel honored."

The demon's speech got more fluent. Théoden felt insulted, devalued, violated, and most of all angry. His eyes which had gained a cold azure blue gleam switched again and glowed an intense crimson red. They were completely bloodshot with reptilian pupils.

Similarly, the pressure he had was more intense and heavier as the ground sank a bit little to Théoden's knowledge.

He held the knife much more tightly, and small blood droplets fell from his palm. He rushed in with only one aim.

'I have to make it out alive. NO MATTER THE COST.'

He kept fighting for his dear life. He was scratched multiple times and his skin torn many times over that he was in a more miserable state than the demon.

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The demon parried his attacks and casually swung its arm with razor-sharp claws.

Théoden never let go of his weapon. The knife was getting more and more cracks. They fought close quarters and it was inevitable to receive the attacks directly. Théoden couldn't let himself fall here.

'Go on. Stand up again. Don't slack. Don't turn your back. The minute you do, it will be the end. '

He kept chanting words in his mind. It was true that his body which had never held a knife was moving with only one instinct. To defend and survive. He instinctively knew that a direct hit from the demon was his death sentence, so with full concentration, he dodged every attack that came to him a breath's distance.

His goal wasn't to defeat the thing. He wasn't conceited enough to even dream of it. He was aware of the pathetically weak state of the body he possessed and due to that, he understood where his limits reached. He only needed to live. He could gain strength elsewhere at another time, but he would need to stay alive then.

The demon was not able to move much or quickly at that. It was obvious that it was getting hurt as much as Théoden was, but something was off.

'This piece of sh*t... It plans to use its life to defeat me. I...can't let you have your way.'

Théoden was losing blood quickly. He was barely able to stand up since his sheer will made it possible with his weak body. The demon, however, didn't mind getting hurt. It was taunting him in a way. It hadn't died until then even with the very severe injuries so their position was never on equal stands. Reverse the wounds and Théoden would be undoubtedly dead.

[Threat identified.]

'It wants me to get angry.'

[Host's life is endangered]

Most system messages were sent but non of them registered in Théoden's mind. He had fallen into a trance of survival. It was his instincts speaking.

[Countermeasures are being taken by the system.]

[Initiating System defense]

'Don't let it get to your head.'

[The host state is critical.]

[Newbie package automatically utilized]

The Newbie package that was locked on the system window was activated.

[Host has received a new skill]

[Skill: Devour]

[Congratulations on acquiring the first skill Host.]

Messages came one after another. They flashed in front of Théoden's eyes but Théoden didn't notice any of this as his sights were concentrated on the demon. They activated on their own. The package seemed to consider the situation to give its host a higher survival chance.

[Mana gained: 3]

[Intelligence gained: 2]

[Will Host use the skill now?]

Théoden's mind was hazy and he was losing vision of his surrounding. He lost the strength to his feet. He had lost too much blood. The demon Nalbthalur made a mocking smile. Even in its disfigured ugly face it still couldn't hide the mocking smile. The system request passed Théoden's mind like a very distant blurred echo.

'Bastard demon...I will wipe that smile off your face,'

[Choice: Yes/No.]

Théoden didn't even notice the information gushing in his brain. He was completely detached from the surrounding as if it was only him and the demon in existence. His hands which had grown numb due to the tension of his tight grip on the weapon, moved at the will of his thoughts ignoring the piercing pain that lingered.

[The System forcefully taken over.]

[Choice: Yes]

[The skill Devour has been forcefully activated by the system]

'I want to survive. No. I must survive. I can't die. Not yet. Not like this. I have yet to...I have yet to start my new life. No matter what, I will survive.'

While thoughts like this filled his mind he hadn't noticed the change in his surroundings or the fact that he was kneeling already.

An urge was created and only growing in him. A void in his stomach followed by hunger to consume the demon. Théoden's unfocused hazy eyes suddenly became predatory. He had the urge to eat or swallow the creature in front of him whole. Théoden flinched and stopped in his tracks only realizing the thoughts and sensations he was feeling. An insatiable hunger that was craving for the demon.

'What the hell??? I don't want to eat that...thing...but it looks kind of.....tasty? F**k! Snap out of it.'

That simple thought completely brought Théoden from his trance as he vigorously shook his head. Théoden was filled with very contrasting feelings.

Even his thoughts were being affected slightly by the activation of the skill. He stuck out his tongue in disgust, but his eyes remained on the demon looking at it like it was the best chopped-up cuisine in the world. His eyes were full of greed and...hunger.

The demon on the other hand saw Théoden just drop and stop in his tracks not attacking any further. It was now certain that the human in front of it had lost its stamina and would only be a matter of time until it could feast on the human.

Nalbthalur had been abandoned after its defeat by a human during the war. Since then, it was lost. After wandering for a long time in search of a way to get its health to a stable state, it luckily caught the scent of a human that was still alive.

The human looked weak. It wasn't like the humans it fought with. For the fun of it, it engaged in a long fight with the human. It noticed the human's movements becoming more adaptive and it could fight with the demon of equal standing in its injured state. However, the demon didn't panic. Since it wanted to play with the human it never utilized any of its major attacks but only its body to defend and sometimes scratch. It found the human's pain and suffering amusing. The feeling of being superior was like an addictive drug.

'The filthy human must be exhausted now. Be honored to be of use to this demon.'

The demon had not seen the sinister change in Théoden's attitude. It was only thinking about absorbing the human's vitality. How to completely humiliate the human. The emotions of despair and pain were the icing cream on the cake.

The Omnipotent System.

[Name: Théoden Andras][Race: Human][Age : 16 years]

[Authority: None]

[Attributes: Strength:3 Dexterity:3 Stamina:2 Mana/Magic:5 Intelligence:3]

[Luck:???][Locked]

[Skills: None]

[Status: Weak/Normal]

[Newbie package.][Used]