2026-03-19 01:05:17The air was thin, reeking of rusted iron and the stench of rotting meat. Amidst the skeletal concrete remains of a skyscraper in District 13, Jaden Grey coughed up a mouthful of blood. He collapsed onto the cracked asphalt as a heavy military boot slammed into his back with enough force to nearly shatter his ribs.
"Get up, you piece of filth! Don't go dying on me now—you'll ruin my mood!" The voice belonged to Captain Vargon, a B-Grade Hunter gifted with Pyrokinesis. Vargon let out a cold, cynical laugh, looking down at the trembling Jaden with less respect than he would show an insect. Around them, the world had been a living hell since 'The Great Collapse' ten years ago. Dimensional gates had torn open across the globe, spewing monsters that common bullets couldn't touch. The survivors gained the 'System' and 'Awakening', but for Jaden, the system was nothing more than a cruel joke. "Look at this," Vargon spat next to Jaden’s head. "A Beastmaster who can't even tame a stray cat. And you call this thing a Summoned Beast?" In Jaden’s shaking, bloodied palm, a dull green caterpillar with wilted fuzz squirmed feebly. It was a Moss Caterpillar. A Level 0 creature usually reserved as fodder for the pets of elite Hunters. No fangs, no venom, no combat ability. Just a small, helpless grub. "P-ple... please... stop..." Jaden whispered, his voice hoarse. Blood trailed from his temple, blurring his vision. "Stop?" Vargon grabbed Jaden by the hair, forcing him to stare into the abyss ahead. There, in the darkness of the subterranean tunnel, a pair of glowing red eyes stared back with hunger. "We’re in an A-Rank Dungeon, Jaden. My team needs bait to lure the Shadow Stalker out. And you? You’re the perfect lure." "You’re insane! I’m only a F-Grade Hunter! I’ll die!" Jaden screamed with the last of his strength. "That’s the whole point, idiot. Your death gives us a three-second window to strike its heart," Vargon smirked. With a violent shove, he hurled Jaden’s thin frame into the darkness of the tunnel. "Have fun with your disgusting little pet!" CRASH! The heavy iron door behind Jaden was kicked shut and sealed from the outside with fire magic. Jaden was trapped. Alone. In a total darkness that smelled of death. Jaden tried to stand, but his left leg seemed to be broken. A sharp, stabbing pain shot through his nerves. In his palm, the Moss Caterpillar remained, emitting a dim, fading green glow. "I’m sorry..." Jaden whispered to the insect. "I shouldn't have brought you into this cruel world." Suddenly, a sharp hissing sound echoed from the ceiling. Sreeeeeek... Sreeeeeek... Ten razor-sharp claws scraped against the concrete. A Shadow Stalker. A predator known for its fondness for skinning its victims alive. Jaden felt a bone-chilling cold as the monster slowly crawled down, savouring the scent of terror radiating from his body. Ding! A transparent screen flickered before Jaden’s fading eyes. [Warning: User's heart rate exceeds the threshold.] [Condition: Near-Death.] [Tamer Status: Ignored, Insulted, Discarded.] "Shut... shut the hell up..." Jaden cursed. This system always appeared at the most useless moments. Since he awakened as a Beastmaster two years ago, it had done nothing but display his lowly status. [Hidden Conditions Met: Loyalty of a Weak Creature at the Nadir of Death.] [Unlocking Hidden Function: 'Evolutionary Devourer System'.] Jaden froze for a second. Evolutionary Devourer? Before he could process the information, a massive black shadow lunged from the dark. CRAAAASSSHH! The Shadow Stalker’s claws ripped through Jaden’s shoulder, tearing flesh and muscle until white bone was visible. Jaden shrieked hysterically. The pain was unbearable. He was flung against the wall, and the Moss Caterpillar slipped from his hand, falling into a pool of his own blood. The monster—a two-metre-tall creature with pitch-black skin and no face except for a mouth full of fangs—slowly approached the tiny grub. It intended to crush it before finishing Jaden off. "NO! NOT HIM!" Jaden tried to crawl. In a world where everyone looked down on him, only this little caterpillar had stayed by his side, sharing scraps of dry bread in his slum shack. As the monster’s foot was about to pulverise the insect, the system screen flashed blood-red. [Warning! Soul Contract at risk of destruction.] [Would you like to activate 'Force Evolution' at the cost of 90% of your remaining lifespan?] Jaden had no time to think. If he died now, he died as trash. If he accepted, at least he could strike back at the bastards who threw him in here. "DO IT! TAKE IT ALL! KILL THAT MONSTER!" Jaden roared. [Activation Successful.] [Target: Moss Caterpillar.] [Process: Devour surrounding Shadow Essence...] Suddenly, the once-helpless grub erupted with a dense black aura. Its soft fuzz transformed into crystalline spikes. Its dim green light was replaced by a violet flame that seemed to burn the very oxygen in the room. GROOOOOOOAR! The roar didn't come from the Shadow Stalker, but from the tiny creature that was now growing at an impossible speed. The caterpillar’s body elongated, segmenting into a hard chitinous armour as tough as steel. The Shadow Stalker, once the apex predator, froze. It sensed something far more ancient and bloodthirsty rising from the creature it had dismissed. The mutated caterpillar—now an Abyssal Silk-Wyrm—shot forward like lightning. It didn't bite; it exploded into thousands of black silk threads that wound around the monster’s neck. SREEEEET! With a single, violent tug, the Shadow Stalker’s head was ripped clean from its shoulders. Black blood sprayed against the walls, drenching Jaden’s semi-conscious face. [You have slain a Shadow Stalker (Rank A).] [Level Up! Level Up! Level Up!...] [Your status has been permanently updated.] Jaden felt a surge of heat coursing through his nerves, knitting his broken bones back together in a painful yet refreshing rush. He stood up slowly, staring at the monster's carcass before looking at his pet—which had shrunk back down, but now possessed a pair of intelligent red eyes. Jaden stared at the iron door where Vargon and his team waited. His eyes were cold now, devoid of fear. There was only a bloodlust that rivalled the monster he had just killed. "A Moss Caterpillar, eh?" Jaden smirked, stroking the grub on his shoulder, which now felt like a weapon of mass destruction. "Let’s show them who the real trash is." Jaden walked towards the iron door, ready to turn this Dungeon into a graveyard for those who had dared to mock him.
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Chapter 10: The Fiery Woman Amidst the Ruins
The air inside the massive cavern felt like hot metal pressed against his lungs. Every time Salsa As exhaled, a thin red vapour escaped her cracked lips—remnants of fire mana becoming unstable within her magic circuits. In front of her, the Void Commander—a three-metre-tall monster with deep purple glowing chitin armour—stepped forward, its long claws scraping the stone floor and throwing off sparks."Surrender, Salsa. Your phoenix has dimmed. Fire has no power in the realm of the void," the monster hissed, its voice echoing off the cave walls like thousands of crawling insects.Salsa As tried to stand tall, though her legs trembled violently. Her iconic red cloak was now in tatters, revealing black burn marks from the Void Stalkers' attacks. Beside her, a small phoenix with feathers like dying embers whimpered softly. Its left wing was broken, dragging on the cold ground."I’d... rather burn to ash... than let a creature like you touch my soul," Salsa whispered, her voice rasping yet
Chapter 9: The Horrific Trail of Battle
The silence in the valley of ruins felt unnatural. The sound of the wind, which usually whistled through the cracks of ruined buildings, was now held back, as if the universe itself were holding its breath. Jaden Grey crawled through the rusted metal remains of an ancient harvester robot, his faint purple eyes scanning every inch of the scorched earth.The sharp scent of copper stung his nose—the smell of fresh blood that hadn't yet dried.On his shoulder, Blackie pricked up its antennae. The Void Insect let out a low-frequency hum that was almost inaudible, yet Jaden could feel the vibration of anxiety radiating through their soul bond. Ahead of them, in a crater formed by an energy explosion, lay a sight that would make an amateur Hunter vomit instantly."Damn it..." Jaden whispered, his eyes narrowing.A dozen or so corpses of Hunters in sky-blue uniforms—the signature attire of the Border Guard Sector—lay scattered. But they hadn't died from bullet wounds or common monster bites.
Chapter 8: Escape into a New Shadow
The world beyond the massive walls of District 13 was no place for humans. As soon as Jaden Grey’s feet touched the sandy soil of "The Outlands", the air felt heavy with toxic spores that glowed with a faint green light in the darkness. The sky here was never truly blue; it was always shrouded by a creeping purple mist—the result of ancient mana pollution that warped the laws of biology.Jaden panted, leaning against a tree trunk whose bark felt like reptilian scales and was as cold as a corpse. Behind him, the fifty-metre-high concrete wall looked like a giant tombstone separating him from the civilisation that had just tried to skin him alive."We made it out, little one," Jaden whispered. His voice was cracked, his throat burning and dry.On his shoulder, Blackie—the First Void Insect—let out a low hum. The creature seemed incredibly alert. Its long antennae vibrated rapidly, catching the frequencies of predators lurking behind the dense thorny bushes. In this place, Blackie was no
Chapter 7: Vibrations of Wrath from the Red Light Sect
The wail of magical sirens pierced the silence of District 13. A blinding red glow flickered on the horizon, reflecting off the shattered glass of derelict buildings. This wasn't the city’s standard security alarm; it was a combat mobilisation signal from the Red Light Sect. The organisation that controlled the logistics and trade of Beast Cores in this region was currently consumed by an indescribable fury.At the heart of the sect’s grand headquarters, a marble table was reduced to dust under the clenched fist of a middle-aged man clad in blood-red robes. He was Elder Valerius, father of Ares, a Grade A Hunter whose power was capable of levelling an entire residential block with a single incantation."My son... broken?" Valerius’s voice trembled, not with grief, but with a surging rage so potent that his fire mana scorched the very air around him. "A piece of Grade F trash with a moss maggot... dared to touch my own flesh and blood?"In front of him, Korg and two other bodyguards pr
Chapter 6: The Void That Makes Them Kneel
Ares’s shrill screams slowly subsided, replaced by sickening sobs and ragged gasps. In the narrow alley now scorched by the black aura, the atmosphere had transformed into a mass grave for the pride of elite Hunters.Korg, the muscular guard, lay limp with skin that appeared shrivelled. His mana had been completely drained by the energy threads of the Void Insect. Meanwhile, the other two guards could only cower in the corner, not daring to lift their heads, let alone their weapons. They felt as though a mountain were pressing down on their shoulders every time the Void Insect flapped its wings.[Passive Skill Active: Void Pressure.][Targets within range experience 'Fear' and 'Mana Paralysis'.]Jaden stepped forward, his boots treading through Ares’s cooling pool of blood. On his shoulder, the First Void Insect—a pitch-black creature with cold amethyst eyes—emitted a low-frequency hum that pained the ears."P-please... Jaden... don't kill me..." Ares crawled backward, dragging his tr
Chapter 5: The First Void Insect Approaches
The narrow alleyway seemed to tear away from reality. The sunlight creeping between the gaps of the ruined skyscrapers could no longer penetrate the dome of darkness enveloping Jaden Grey. The air around him froze—not because the temperature had dropped, but because of the presence of something that transcended the laws of nature.At the epicentre of the black energy storm, the mass of mist that had shrouded the Moss Caterpillar began to solidify. The sound of bones breaking and being rearranged was gruesome—crack, crunch, snap—clashing with the howling void wind."What is that?! Korg! Do something!" Ares screamed, his voice pitching high with panic. He tried to summon fire mana from his palm, but his flames flickered out instantly, as if the oxygen in the area had been devoured by the darkness.Korg, an experienced D-Grade Hunter, tried to lunge with his short sword. "Stop this black magic, you filth!"But before Korg could get within three metres, a massive gravitational pressure sl
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