The sky above the slums was red.
Not the natural hue of sunset—but a pulsing, twisted red, leaking from the gaping wound in the air. The Rift above the warehouse district shimmered like torn flesh, distorting the buildings beneath it.
Rei stood on a rusted rooftop, watching as mana bled into the sky.
> [Detected Rift Instability: Class C - Collapse Imminent]
[Time Remaining: 00:31:44]
Beneath the Rift, no guards. No Hunter squads. Just silence—and a warehouse gate hanging half-open, dark mist curling out like a beckoning hand.
"Just like Luka said," Rei muttered.
No one would report it. No one would stop it.
Because this wasn't a rescue mission. It was a cover-up.
He dropped into the alleyway and moved silently toward the Rift entrance. The hunger flared in his chest again—burning, whispering.
> Devour. Feed. Change.
---
▓ Inside the Rift
The warehouse was gone. Swallowed. Inside was a twisted jungle of broken steel and bone-like vines. The ground pulsed with corrupted mana. A predator's den.
Rei stepped in, and the Rift sealed behind him with a screech.
> [Environment Locked – Escape: Disabled until Rift Cleared]
[Objective: Eliminate Core Serpents – 3 Targets]
He took a deep breath. The air was thick with poison.
Movement in the shadows. Slithering.
The first one struck from the side—fast, long as a car, covered in slick scales with bone ridges along its spine.
Rei dodged, claws already forming from his fingers.
His nails turned black and curved. His eyes dilated.
He launched forward.
> [Skill: Savage Leap – Activated]
He collided with the beast mid-lunge, driving both claws into its throat. It screamed—no, rattled, vibrating its whole body like a bone-chime.
A second serpent burst from the ceiling, flaring wings and fangs.
Rei rolled, slashed upward.
> [Blood Snarl – Triggered: Serpent Alpha flinched!]
He didn't wait. Rei pounced like an animal, biting into the first serpent's neck with his evolving jaw. It tasted of iron, filth, and something sweet beneath.
> [Devour in Progress…]
The body convulsed as Rei drank it down—absorbing muscle, scale, essence.
> [Devour Successful: Trait Extracted – Venom Resistance Lv.1]
[Skill Unlocked – Fang Growth]
His teeth ached. Grew longer. Sharper. He licked his lips and smiled.
"I could get used to this."
The winged serpent shrieked in fury, coiling mid-air and diving toward him with blades of bone extending from its ribs.
> [Warning: Multi-Element Signature Detected]
Rei slammed his hands into the ground.
> [New Mutation: Bone Root – Activated]
Black roots surged from the floor, catching the serpent mid-lunge. It thrashed, hissing, wings cutting into the web—but not fast enough.
Rei leapt again—this time not to strike, but to consume.
He tackled it from above, mouth wide, eyes glowing.
> [Devour in Progress… Critical Mass Detected…]
The serpent screamed.
And then it was still.
---
🧬 Minutes Later...
Rei knelt among the ruins, panting, soaked in monster blood and his own sweat. His claws had retracted. His limbs trembled.
> [Devour Complete: Hybrid Serpent Core Assimilated]
[System Evolution Path Opened]
> ▓ Select Evolution Mutation: – Venom Spitter (Ranged Toxin Attacks)
– Bone Carapace (Defense + Regeneration)
– Winged Limbs (Mobility Boost, Temporary Glide)
Rei hesitated.
The wings tempted him. But survival didn't mean flight.
It meant not dying when things went wrong.
> [Selection: Bone Carapace]
> Confirmed.
> [Mutation Beginning…]
His spine cracked. His skin rippled. Hard bone grew over his shoulders, then curved downward like a half-formed exoskeleton. His chest burned as natural armor fused to muscle.
> [New Passive Acquired: Carapace Layer Lv. 1]
---
Suddenly, the Rift trembled.
> [Warning: Rift Collapse Imminent – Final Host Detected]
A shape rose in the distance—larger, coiled, radiating pure hatred.
The final serpent. Twice the size. With all the traits of the others combined.
And glowing red eyes locked on him.
Rei stood tall. Bone armor flexed. Claws gleamed.
The hunger inside him smiled.
> "Come on, then…"
> "Let's see who eats who."