The God-Level Scavenger: Infinite Evolution System

Chapter 7: The Void Smith

"Let... go... of... me!"

The Black Viper Mage thrashed, his purple lightning flickering like a dying candle. But Lucian’s grip on his skull was like an iron vice. The dark energy of the 'Scavenger’s Domain' flowed through Lucian’s arm, acting as a parasitic siphon that bypassed the Mage’s magical defenses.

[Extraction in progress: 45%... 70%... 95%...]

"Stop! Please!" the Mage shrieked. He could feel his very soul being pulled through a straw. His memories, his hard-earned mana, even his basic motor functions were being stripped away and converted into raw, digital data.

"You called these people trash," Lucian whispered, leaning in so close that the Mage could see the swirling void in his golden eyes. "But at least trash can be recycled. You? You’re just... pollution."

[Extraction Complete!] [Gained: 4,000 Exp!] [Gained: Permanent Stat Boost: +20 Intelligence, +15 Mana.] [Gained: Rare Skill: 'Chain Lightning (Corrupted)'.]

The Mage’s body didn't dissolve. Instead, it slumped to the floor, grey and withered, like a piece of fruit left in the sun for a month. He wasn't dead, but his mana core was gone. He was now less than a Rank-F civilian. He was a hollow shell.

The other four Black Viper thugs stood frozen. Their leader, a Rank-C+ elite, had been neutralized in seconds without the kid even drawing his blade.

"Kill him! Kill him now!" one of the thugs yelled, snapping out of his daze.

They charged, pulling out high-frequency vibro-blades. Lucian didn't even look at them. He flicked his wrist, and the newly acquired 'Chain Lightning' erupted from his fingertips.

Krak-boom!

Black-tinted lightning arched through the subway station, jumping from one thug to the next. Because the skill had been 'recycled' through the System, its power was amplified by Lucian’s high Intelligence stat.

The thugs didn't even have time to scream. They were charred to cinders instantly.

[Recycle Successful! Gained: 1,500 Exp, 4x Rank-D Loot Chests.]

[Level Up! Level 18 -> Level 21]

Lucian turned toward the shackled scavengers. They were cowering in the corner, staring at him with more fear than they had shown the Black Vipers. To them, Lucian wasn't a savior; he was a new, more terrifying monster.

"The shackles are unlocked," Lucian said, his voice echoing. "Run. If I see you here in ten minutes, I’ll recycle you too."

He didn't need to say it twice. The scavengers scrambled away, disappearing into the darkness of the tunnels.

Now, he was alone with the portal.

At the center of the station, floating above a pile of ancient, rusted machinery, was the 'Void Tome.' It wasn't a physical book, but a cube of shifting black geometry that seemed to pull the light out of the air.

[Ding! Target 'Tome of the Void Smith' detected.] [Requirement met: 10,000 Mana Shards available for activation.]

"Activate," Lucian commanded.

The Mana Shards he had spent all day collecting flew out of his inventory like a swarm of fireflies, spiraling into the black cube. The cube began to unfold, expanding into a massive, translucent anvil and a set of holographic tools that surrounded Lucian.

[Initialization Successful.] [You have unlocked the Sub-Class: The Void Smith (God-Grade).] [Feature: You can now forge 'Void-Rank' equipment by combining recycled monster parts and broken artifacts.]

"Finally," Lucian breathed. He felt a flood of knowledge enter his mind—thousands of blueprints for weapons and armor that the modern world had forgotten.

He looked at the 'Abyssal Sentinel Core' he had decomposed earlier and the 'Shard of Obsidian.'

"System, I want to forge a set of armor. Something that fits the Scavenger’s Cloak."

[Blueprints available...] [Selected: 'Vestments of the Silent Sovereign' (Rank C - Growth Type).] [Materials Required: 1x Sentinel Soul, 50x Metallic Essence, 100x Corrupted Silk (Found in Sector 7).]

"I have the essence and the soul. I just need the silk."

Lucian looked toward the deeper parts of the subway station, where giant 'Phase-Spiders' were known to nest. These spiders didn't eat meat; they ate mana, spinning webs that could trap even a Rank-B Hunter.

"Let's go shopping."

Lucian moved with 'Silent Step,' a ghost in the machine. He found the nest within minutes. Hundreds of glowing purple webs covered the walls, and at the center was a 'Phase-Spider Queen' (Rank C+).

She was beautiful and terrifying, her eight eyes glowing like rubies. She hissed, sensing an intruder.

[Phase-Spider Queen: Rank C+] [Danger Level: High.]

Lucian didn't hesitate. He activated 'Scavenger’s Domain.'

The webs, which were supposed to be his trap, began to vibrate.

"You think these webs are yours?" Lucian sneered. "In my domain, everything is mine."

[Skill: 'Extraction' applied to 'Mana Webs'.]

The webs didn't break—they began to unspool, flying toward Lucian and wrapping around his arms. He used the monster's own silk to pull himself toward her at blinding speed.

Slash!

'The Harvester’s Fang' bit deep into the Queen’s abdomen.

[Effect: Bleed Inflicted.] [Effect: Mana Drain Active.]

The Queen shrieked, trying to phase through the wall to escape. But Lucian’s dagger had the 'Soul Devour' trait. He locked her in place, his blade acting as an anchor for her soul.

"Don't run," Lucian whispered. "You're going to be a very fine suit."

Ten minutes later, the Queen was a pile of dry husks.

[Recycle Successful! Gained: 200x Corrupted Silk, 1x Queen’s Venom Gland.]

Lucian returned to the 'Void Anvil.' He threw the silk, the metallic essence, and the Sentinel’s soul into the black flames.

"Forge!"

CLANG!

The sound wasn't physical; it was a soul-shaking vibration. The air in the subway station distorted as the 'Void Smith' tools hammered the ethereal materials into shape.

A moment later, the light faded.

Standing where the anvil had been was a suit of armor that looked like it was woven from shadows. It was light, flexible, and felt as thin as silk, yet Lucian knew it was stronger than the Tanker Borris’s heavy plate.

[Item Created: 'Vestments of the Silent Sovereign' (Rank C - Growth).] [Passives: 'Void Shield' (Absorbs 20% of all incoming damage), 'Weightless' (Increases Agility by 15).] [Note: This item will level up as the Host recycles more powerful souls.]

Lucian donned the armor. Combined with his Scavenger’s Cloak, he now looked like a shadow incarnate. His Rank-C badge was pinned to the chest, but it looked out of place on such divine gear.

"System, status."

---

Status Window Name: Lucian Thorne Level: 24 Class: The God-Level Scavenger / Void Smith Strength: 55 | Agility: 68 | Stamina: 50 | Intelligence: 62 Equipped: The Harvester’s Fang (C), Vestments of the Silent Sovereign (C).

Lucian’s stats were now approaching those of a Rank-B Hunter. And he had only been active for twenty-four hours.

He walked out of the subway station, back into the purple haze of Sector 7. But as he reached the surface, he saw a flare in the sky.

A Vanguard Guild signal.

BOOM!

A massive explosion rocked the nearby skyscrapers. A Rank-A presence was approaching—Elena Vance. And she wasn't alone. She was fighting something that made the Abyssal Sentinel look like a toy.

A 'Calamity-Class' World Boss had just spawned in the heart of the Graveyard.

"An S-Rank encounter?" Lucian looked at his new armor, then at the distant explosion. "The 'trash' from an S-Rank battle... that could make me a God."

Instead of running away with the other retreating Hunters, Lucian began to run toward the explosion.

[Warning: Death Probability is 99% if Host engages the S-Rank Boss.]

"I'm not going to engage it," Lucian grinned, his cloak billowing behind him. "I'm just going to wait for the pieces to fall."