Cale entered the fracture, stepping onto loose rocks as he rested the scythe on his shoulder. ‘This is different from all the other gates—a new terrain…’ he thought, scanning the rocky, bush-covered landscape. ‘Is this where the Shard Eaters live?’

He walked a few paces forward. “Where are these bastards?” he muttered, sounding annoyed as he tightened his grip on the scythe.

Suddenly, the ground around him began to vibrate, catching his attention. Ten Shard Eaters emerged, their glowing blue forms flickering as they turned their faceless heads toward him.

“Speak of the devil~” Cale smiled happily, shifting into a fighting stance. A yellow system panel appeared in front of him floating besides him.

[Information (Info):

Name: Shard Eater

Level: 31–32 (in this area!)

Status: Hungry and angry

Species: Elemental Parasite

Weakness: Sharp force or stone-based magic

Description: Shard Eaters are crystalline beings that feed on elemental shards scattered across fractures. Small but resilient, they grow stronger as they consume. Their crystalline bodies are vulnerable to sharp force, causing them to shatter when hit by strong impacts or certain earth-based attacks.]

Cale ignored the System panel floating besides him and focused on the blue Shard Eaters who started slowly walking towards him.

The blue Shard Eaters raised their arms, morphing them into spikes before firing them at Cale at high speed. He quickly slashed several of the flying spikes out of the air, though three still managed to pierce his left arm. “UGH!”

He yanked the spikes out quickly, watching as the wounds healed almost instantly. Cale held his scythe more tighter as he shouted, “Take this!” charging forward and killing one of the Shard Eaters with a powerful swing of his scythe.

As Cale’s blade cleaved through the first Shard Eater, the remaining nine creatures roared, their crystals spiky hands became more long and sharp shifting as they tightened the circle around him, their crystalline faceless bodies reflecting a feral, hungry light.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Hungry for more?” Cale muttered, adjusting his grip. Two of the creatures charged forward, their claws morphing into deadly blades aimed directly at his chest.

He smiled and slashed horizontally, a red aura arcing from his blade and slicing through both Shard Eaters. The others roared, enraged by the swift loss of their kin.

“Not bad. But I don’t have all day,” he remarked with a smirk, scanning his surroundings and assessing his enemies. He already knew their crystalline bodies could be shattered by sharp force, but he could see that they were learning from his moves just as quickly.

Two more Shard Eaters charged from opposite sides, coordinating their attacks. Cale ducked, spinning his scythe upward and cleaving through one of them, sending shards of crystal scattering as he completed the swing.

With five down, only five remained. They looked even more agitated now, their claws morphing into much longer, sharper spikes. The blue glint of their crystal bodies flashed as they moved closer, tightening their formation not giving him any space.

'Might as well finish them off in one move,' he thought.

Just as he prepared to strike again, the ground below him rumbled, and several spikes shot up. He narrowly dodged, leaping to the side and landing on a boulder to regain his footing. The Shard Eaters lunged again, claws aimed to impale him mid-air.

“Alright, that’s enough!” Cale yelled, sweeping his scythe with a powerful swing. His blade caught three of them in one stroke. The last two faltered, thrown off by the rapid loss of their comrades.

Cale seized the opening and charged. The remaining creatures raised their spiked arms defensively, but he was faster. He twirled the scythe above his head and brought it down in a powerful, controlled slash. One, two—the final Shard Eaters shattered, their crystalline bodies falling to pieces around him.

Cale lowered his scythe, breathing heavily, and surveyed the now-still terrain. The rocky, bush-filled landscape was littered with the crystalline remains of the Shard Eaters, twinkling under the fracture’s otherworldly light.

“Well, that was a decent warm-up,” he muttered, scanning the area to ensure no more enemies were nearby.

‘Oh right. I should probably devour them,’ he thought, eyebrows raised as he eyed the bodies of the Shard Eaters.

Cale opened his hand, extended it, and muttered, “Devour.” Dark energy enveloped his hand, taking the shape of a shapeless creature.

The dark aura, now with a gaping mouth, devoured all the Shard Eaters in moments, leaving no trace behind. Cale closed his hand as the System dinged.

Ding!

[Host has devoured Shard Eaters.]

[Ability: Shard Consumption, Proficiency: 20%]

[Description: The host can use the powers and attributes of all metals and crystals devoured at will.]

Upon seeing this, Cale smiled ear to ear. He looked out at the rocks and bushes ahead. “This is going to be fun~” he chuckled, resting his scythe on his shoulder as he continued forward.