The Forbidden God System

Rising From Black Ash

[System: Warning. Target detected at coordinates 12-4. Reaction speed increased.]

Marvin caught a monster in midair. He swung his fist into the predator's chest, punching straight through its hardened hide. Black blood sprayed everywhere, coating Marvin's hand. He did not wipe it away. He let the blood be absorbed, seeping back through his pores and strengthening the flow of energy within his body.

A strange pleasure spread through his nerves. This was the sensation of power. For the first time in his life, he did not have to kneel. He did not have to beg. He was the predator, and the world around him was his prey.

"Is this what you felt?" Marvin chuckled softly, the sound of his own laughter strange to his ears. "The power to decide who lives and who dies?"

He continued his hunt. Within an hour, the area had been transformed into a graveyard for dozens of Shadow Predators. The corpses of the monsters lay scattered across the ground, dried out and lifeless, their spiritual energy completely drained by Marvin's Forbidden God Meridian.

Marvin stood in the middle of the pile of corpses, his breathing still steady. He stared at his own palm, which was now clean despite having been covered in blood moments ago. This power did not stain. This power purified.

[ Absorbed spiritual energy has reached maximum capacity for the current phase. Cultivation has increased to Qi Refining Stage 2.]

Marvin felt a powerful surge of strength in his chest. Yet he was not satisfied. He looked toward the deeper shadows of the forest, where stronger monsters awaited.

"Stage 2 is still too weak," he muttered. "I need more. I need purer blood."

The System sent another notification through his mind, its voice as cold and emotionless as ever.

[A new mission is available. There is more worthy prey in the central region of this forest. Do you wish to continue the hunt?]

Marvin did not answer. He simply moved forward, leaving a trail of destruction behind him. He realized one crucial thing, his humanity was slowly being eroded. Every time he absorbed the life force of an enemy, the memories of his childhood, his mother's smiling face, the memories of how hard he had trained despite having no meridians, all faded a little more, disappearing beneath a veil of darkness.

Yet he did not care. Those memories were nothing but burdens that made him weak. Revenge was the only goal left in his mind.

As he ventured deeper, he discovered a cave covered in thorny vines. The dense scent of spiritual energy wafted from between the cracks in the stone. It was not the scent of an ordinary monster. It was the aura of a high-level monster that had long made the Forbidden Forest its home.

[Warning. Energy levels detected inside the cave are equivalent to a Stage 3 cultivator. Death risk: 40 percent.]

Marvin stopped directly in front of the cave entrance. He touched the hilt of the broken sword he had taken from the remains of an adventurer in the forest. He was no longer trembling. Fear was an emotion for those who had something to lose. And Marvin had nothing left.

"Forty percent," he said flatly. "That means there's a sixty percent chance I can eat its heart."

He stepped into the darkness of the cave. The air inside felt heavier, damp and metallic. The red glow of his eyes became the only source of light.

At the far end of the cave, a massive creature was curled up. It was a Shadow Tiger, the apex predator of this sector. Its fur was pitch black, and a faintly glowing crescent moon symbol marked its forehead. The monster slowly opened its eyes, staring at Marvin with a threatening gaze.

"I need your blood," Marvin said calmly, as though greeting an old friend.

The tiger growled, its voice reverberating through the cave walls and sending small rocks tumbling down. It prepared to pounce.

Marvin lowered himself into a fighting stance. This time, he would not fight like an amateur. He would fight like a killer.

[Attack pattern analysis activated. Optimizing the Forbidden God Meridian.]

Marvin leaped. The tiger lunged, its claws sweeping wide. Marvin dodged with agility impossible for an ordinary human, twisting his body in midair before landing directly on the tiger's back.

The monster's claws slammed into the cave wall, shattering large chunks of stone. Marvin dug his fingernails into the tiger's hide, holding on so he would not be thrown off. He could feel the violent tremors of the monster's muscles beneath his feet.

The tiger leaped repeatedly, trying to throw Marvin off by smashing its back against the cave walls. Pain struck Marvin's back, but he did not loosen his grip. Instead, the pain triggered his Meridian to work even harder, channeling a cold energy through his nerves to numb the sensation.

"Is that all you've got?" Marvin taunted.

He drew his broken sword and plunged it into the tiger's neck. Fresh blood gushed out, hot and reeking of iron. Marvin did not let a drop of it fall to the ground. He pressed his hand against the wound, allowing his Meridian to greedily drain the creature's life force.

The tiger let out a mournful roar, its voice fading as its strength disappeared. Its massive body began to shrink, its skin withering. In a matter of moments, the once-mighty monster had been reduced to a shapeless corpse.

Marvin gasped for breath, yet he could feel an immense power coursing through his body. This energy was far purer and denser than anything he had ever absorbed before.

[The tiger's energy has been fully absorbed. Cultivation has increased rapidly. Qi Refining Stage 3 achieved.] The System notification appeared brightly before him.

Marvin stood in the middle of the cave, the darkness surrounding him seeming to bow before him. He felt as though this entire forest had become his domain. He looked toward the mouth of the cave, toward the night sky.

However, in the midst of his satisfaction, another notification appeared in his mind, this one carrying a greater sense of urgency.

[Attention. An extremely powerful trace of spiritual energy has been detected at coordinates 00-9. Someone is approaching this area.]

Marvin narrowed his eyes. Whoever they were, they would not like what they found here. He immediately left the cave, concealing his presence among the dark bushes.

He saw a group of humans walking with brightly burning torches. They wore uniforms he knew all too well. The uniforms of the Sterling clan.

They're still searching, Marvin thought with an almost imperceptible smile. They arrived right on time.

Marvin watched them carefully. There were about ten of them, all elite mercenaries of the clan. They looked tired but alert. Their leader, an older man with a scar across his cheek, held a worn, weathered map.

"We've gone too deep," the leader said in a low voice. "If we don't find his body before sunrise, Lord Marco will have all our heads."

Marvin felt the long-buried hatred rise in his chest once more, but this time, he did not let it explode. He had learned. Anger was a weapon, and weapons should never be used recklessly.

"Body?" Marvin murmured softly, his voice barely more than a whisper of wind among the trees. "You won't find anything but emptiness."

He began to move, leaping from one tree to another without making a sound. He observed the position of every mercenary. He would hunt them down one by one, not as a monster, but as a shadow come to claim their lives.

Marvin landed behind the soldier at the very back of the formation. The man did not even have time to turn around before Marvin clamped a hand over his mouth and snapped his neck with one swift motion. He dragged the corpse into the darkness, making sure no one saw him.

One down. Nine more.

The System notification appeared again. [Absorbing human energy provides a 10 percent bonus to the efficiency of the Forbidden God Meridian.]

Marvin did not stop. He continued moving, attacking with the techniques of an assassin. Each time another soldier disappeared, the tension within the group grew. They were beginning to realize that they were being hunted.

"There's something here!" one of the soldiers shouted, his voice trembling with panic.

"Stay calm! Don't split up!" their leader barked.

But it was already too late. Marvin was among them. He did not reveal himself completely, only a shadow flashing past at incredible speed, spreading death with every step.

In less than five minutes, only the leader remained. The old man stood frozen, surrounded by the corpses of his men, their bodies dried out after their energy had been drained. He stared into the shadows, his eyes wide with terror.

"Come out!" the man shouted, drawing his sword and swinging it in every direction. "Who are you?! Show yourself!"

Marvin stepped out of the darkness, standing calmly beneath the light of the remaining torch. His pale face and glowing red eyes made the old man collapse onto the ground.

"You don't recognize me?" Marvin asked calmly.

The old man stared at Marvin in disbelief. "Lord Marvin? No... no, that's impossible. You were supposed to be dead!"

"I was dead," Marvin replied as he stepped closer. "But the darkness wouldn't accept me. So I came back to make sure none of you ever make it home."

The man tried to flee, but Marvin was faster. He seized the man's shoulder, feeling the overwhelming fear trembling through his body.

"Deliver this message to Marco and Xena," Marvin whispered directly into the man's ear before draining away every last bit of his life force. "Tell them the cripple has returned, and he's not alone. He's brought destruction with him."

The man collapsed, reduced to a skeleton still wrapped in the Sterling clan's clothing.

Marvin stood there, staring at the night sky as it began to brighten. He felt a tremendous surge of energy within his body, a surge that pushed his consciousness toward an entirely new threshold.

[Cultivation has broken through its limit. Qi Refining Stage 4 achieved.]

Yet at the same time, he sensed something else. A warning from the System that he had never heard before.

[Severe Warning. Excessive energy consumption will attract the attention of stronger entities. You have become a target of high-level cultivators in the vicinity of the Forbidden Forest.]

Marvin stared at the horizon. He knew this was only the beginning. The real hunt had just begun, and this time, he was no longer the one being hunted.

He walked away, leaving the corpses behind as a message to anyone who dared enter his territory. In his heart, he no longer felt like a human being, but something far more dangerous, something ready to destroy anything that stood in the way of his revenge.