The Sinner's Banquet

The First Hunt

A sharp claw missed my nose by an inch, leaving a deep scratch on the stone wall behind me.

I threw myself to the left, rolling across the cold ground. Three more Abyssal Ghouls leaped into the spot where I had just been standing. Their yellow teeth snapped together in the dark. The cavern was completely alive with the sounds of heavy breathing and scratching feet. Sixty-seven monsters wanted my flesh, and they were closing in from every single tunnel.

"Stop panicking, kid," the old voice spoke inside my head, sounding totally calm. "Your veins are fixed now. You have level eight stats. Stop running like a coward and use your right hand."

I scrambled to my feet and looked down at my right arm. The purple shadow hand moved perfectly when I willed it. I could feel a cold, raw energy flowing through the fingers.

Two ghouls lunged at me at the same time. One aimed for my legs, while the other jumped toward my chest.

Instead of backing away, I stepped forward. I thrust my new shadow hand straight out toward the first monster. The purple energy extended instantly, sharpening into a long blade of solid shadow. It pierced right through the ghoul's chest.

[Gluttony's Maw Activated.]

[Devouring Target...]

The monster dried up into dust in less than a second. A fresh wave of cold energy rushed up my arm and into my chest.

[Level Up! Level 8 → Level 9.]

"Good," Kaelen said in my mind. "Now swing to your left! Don't let the other one touch you!"

I spun around and slashed my shadow hand in a wide circle. The dark blade cut through the second ghoul's neck, sending its head rolling across the floor. I did not wait for the system message this time. I ran straight toward a narrow opening in the cavern wall. If I stayed in the open area, the entire pack would surround me and tear me apart. I needed a tight space where they could only attack me one by one.

I jammed myself into the narrow tunnel. It was so tight that my shoulders scraped against the rough rocks.

The ghouls sprinted after me, their red eyes glowing in the darkness. The first monster squeezed into the tunnel, its jaws wide open. I drove my shadow hand forward, plunging it deep into the creature's skull. As it dissolved into ash, the monster behind it pushed forward.

I lost track of time. I simply thrust my shadow blade forward over and over again, devouring every single creature that tried to reach me. Each time a monster died, the bitter, cold energy filled my stomach, making my muscles stronger and my eyes sharper. The darkness of the tunnels did not bother me anymore. I could see the outlines of the rocks and the movements of the monsters perfectly.

After what felt like hours, the scratching sounds finally stopped.

I dropped to my knees, gasping for air. The floor of the narrow tunnel was covered in a thick layer of grey ash. My shadow hand slowly shrank back to its normal size, though it still glowed with a faint purple light.

A long list of purple text appeared in front of my face.

[LEVEL UP NOTIFICATION]

Current Level: 15

New Skill Acquired: Minor Illusion (Level 1) — Allows the user to change their physical appearance and clothes for thirty minutes. Costs 10 Void Mana.

Current Status: Personality Integration at 7%.

"You fight like an angry dog," Kaelen said, his voice echoing in my mind. "No technique at all. But I suppose your strange magic system makes up for your complete lack of skill."

"Who are you?" I asked aloud, my voice sounding raspy. "Why are you in my head?"

"I told you, my name is Kaelen," the old man said, sounding quite annoyed. "I was a general for the Ascendancy twenty years ago. Malakai framed me just like he framed you. He threw me down here to die, but my soul refused to fade. I became that ghoul you just ate. Now, a piece of my spirit lives inside your core. If you die, I die. So I guess I have to help you survive."

I clenched my left fist. "I am going back to the surface. I am going to kill Malakai, and I am going to find out why my sister betrayed me."

"Going to the surface is suicide," Kaelen said. "The guards will cut you down the moment they see your face. You are a branded criminal."

"I have this," I said, pointing at the purple screen that showed the Minor Illusion skill. "I can change my face. I just need to find a way out of this pit."

"There is a secret path," Kaelen said after a short pause. "The noble families use the lower tunnels to smuggle illegal goods away from the king's taxes. But it is heavily guarded."

Suddenly, a strange sound echoed from the deep tunnel ahead of us. It was not the growl of a monster. It was the sound of a human voice, followed by the clinking of metal chains.

I quickly pressed my back against the rock wall, hiding myself in the shadows. I looked through a small crack in the stone.

A young man was walking down the path, holding a bright crystal lantern. He wore expensive blue silk robes covered in silver embroidery. He looked about my age, with clean blonde hair and a pale, arrogant face. Behind him, two large guards in heavy black iron armor were dragging a poor, bleeding servant in chains.

"Just dump him here," the noble boy said, waving his hand with a look of pure disgust. "If my father finds out this slave broke my favorite magic vase, he will be angry. Let the ghouls eat him. Nobody will ever know."

I stared at the noble boy's face. I recognized the silver crest printed on his silk robes. He belonged to the Vane family, one of the richest noble houses in the elite Magic Academy.

"Well, kid," Kaelen said, his voice turning incredibly cold. "There is your ticket to the surface. That is Julian Vane. If you take his face and his clothes, nobody at the academy will ever question you."

Julian stopped right in front of the crack where I was hiding. He turned his back on me, completely unaware of the danger.

I raised my glowing shadow hand, my eyes locked onto his neck.