The book pulsed one final time before vanishing—not into the abyss, not into the ground, but into him.

Leonard’s breath caught as an unnatural heat spread through his veins, coiling through his bones like liquid fire. His vision warped, distorting the abyss into something vast and hungry. It was as if something had awakened within him, something ancient, something… ravenous.

Then the whispers began.

Faint at first. Incoherent. Then rising, clawing at the edges of his mind like writhing hands reaching from the dark.

“Consume.”

A message burned itself into his vision.

[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED: DEVOURER’S CURSE.]

[Consume the weak. Absorb the strong. Assimilate the unknown.]

[Warning: Over consumption leads to instability.]

Leonard’s fingers twitched as something slithered through him—a deep, primal hunger that wasn’t his own. It coiled in his gut, a writhing parasite gnawing at his insides. This wasn’t just hunger for sustenance.

This was hunger for existence.

His breath came ragged as he glanced around. The battlefield stretched far, twisted carcasses of slain monsters lying in grotesque ruin. At the edge of the field, something caught his eye—a withered, half-decayed plant, its roots shriveled, its leaves blackened.

Curious.

He reached out instinctively, and the moment his fingers brushed the plant—

It dissolved.

Black tendrils curled around his hand as the plant disintegrated into pure energy, sinking into his flesh. The sensation sent a shudder through him—his body pulsed, his muscles tightening, his senses sharpening. But beneath the rush of power, something crawled in his mind.

A whisper.

“More.”

Leonard’s jaw clenched as the craving grew. He turned toward the scattered remains of the creatures he had slain, their twisted forms still leaking ichor onto the charred ground.

The whispering surged, becoming a chant.

“More.”

“Devour.”

“Take. Become.”

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

Leonard’s teeth ground together as he fought the urge. His fists clenched at his sides, nails digging into his palms. This power—it was dangerous. He knew it. He could feel it, trying to root itself deeper, to claim him like a starving beast.

Then a movement. A sound. Something was watching.

Leonard's head snapped up.

From the darkness beyond the battlefield, a figure emerged. A twisted, half-formed beast—its body a mess of exposed muscle and jagged bone. Its head twitched, mouth gaping open with rows of uneven, jagged teeth.

Leonard felt its fear before he even saw it move.

It recognized him.

It knew what he was now.

Leonard stepped forward. The beast flinched.

He could hear its thoughts. A new instinct, raw and primitive, whispered its meaning to him.

Predator.

It sees you as a predator.

Leonard inhaled deeply, the scent of blood, death, and fear thick in the air. His muscles tensed, his body shifting effortlessly into motion.

It ran.

Leonard let it.

For a moment.

Then he moved.

He was faster.

Before the creature could even process its mistake, Leonard was upon it. His fingers dug into its malformed flesh, his blade tearing through its body in one brutal, efficient motion. The moment its life faded, the hunger surged.

Something in him snapped.

Leonard didn’t hesitate—he let it take him. The Devourer’s Curse activated, tendrils of shadow wrapping around the corpse. The flesh peeled, bones dissolved, and raw energy poured into him.

The whispers howled in pleasure.

Leonard shook, the sensation overwhelming—power surging through his veins, his body adapting, strengthening. His pupils dilated, breath ragged as something ancient and primal stirred in his core.

Then it stopped.

Silence.

Leonard exhaled sharply, the taste of the creature’s essence lingering on his tongue. He wiped his mouth, breath steadying. The hunger had receded… for now.

But he knew.

It would return.

And next time, it would demand more.

A cold, eerie chuckle escaped his lips as he gazed at his trembling hand. He was losing himself, piece by piece.

But strangely enough—

He didn’t mind.

The horror of his journey was far from over.

If only it was.