Chapter 141 — Hunt Begins

Damian stood alone in the dark forest, Kuro perched silently on his shoulder, and pulled up his status screen.

The changes were immediately apparent, and they were staggering.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Name: Damian Valcor

Age: 16

Rank: C-

Talent: S

Core Attributes:

Strength: 170 → 290

Speed: 175 → 300

Stamina: 179 → 295

Vitality: 190 → 310

Aura: C-

Will: 230(140)

Perception: 160(100)

Intent: Slaughter

Skills: —

Shooting: A

Hand Combat: A

Telekinesis: A

Macro Vision: A

Sonic Blink: B

Self-Healing: B

Aura Control: B(C)

Aura Magnification: 2×

Weapon Arts: —

Omega Point - S: Level 3

Abyssal Slaughter - SS: Minor Success

Devourer Body Art - ???: Initiated

Bond: Kuro (C Rank)

- Unknown Entity

- Talent Unknown

Warning: Excessive use of Devourer Body Art in short periods of time can result in severe consequences.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Damian stared at the numbers, processing what they meant.

His physical attributes had increased by roughly 120 points each!

That was the kind of growth most awakeners spent years achieving, and he’d accomplished it in a day through his insane experiment.

’Creating my body as a weapon using the Devourer Body Art... it worked. Better than I dared hope.’

He clenched his fist experimentally, feeling the raw power coursing through muscles that had been restructured at a fundamental level.

His muscles felt like iron wrapped in flesh. They were dense and heavy. Capable of explosive force that defied his size and rank.

’I don’t even know how strong I am physically now. But it feels like I don’t need Aura at all to be dangerous. Pure physical strength alone is enough to kill.’

But the warning at the bottom of his status screen couldn’t be ignored, and neither could the debuffs clearly marked next to his mental stats.

Will stat reduced by 90 points. Perception stat down by 60. Aura Control also dropped an entire grade.

Although these debuffs were temporary, this clearly showed how his mental capabilities were affected right now.

’The price... Everything has a price.’

His thoughts felt slightly sluggish, like thinking through water.

His awareness of his surroundings wasn’t as sharp as usual.

His control over his Aura, normally precise and responsive, now required conscious effort to maintain.

’Devouring so many Giants in such a short time... it’s affecting my mind. Making me more primal and reactive. Less in control.’

But even as he recognized the danger, he couldn’t bring himself to regret the choice.

’I was on the verge of being slaughtered. Everyone was... This was necessary. I’ll deal with the consequences later. For now, I need to use this power to eliminate the threat before the side effects become even worse.’

He looked at Kuro, who had grown noticeably larger and more powerful after absorbing so much death energy.

"Kuro, expand to your largest size."

The raven launched from his shoulder and grew mid-flight, his body expanding until he was massive, easily large enough to carry a human.

Damian jumped, landing on Kuro’s back, his enhanced strength making the movement effortless despite the height.

The raven’s feathers were strong enough to support his weight without strain, and through their bond, Damian could feel Kuro’s readiness for violence.

"Let’s hunt."

Kuro cawed, the sound echoing through the forest, and took flight.

They rose above the treeline as the wind whipped through Damian’s crimson hair, his axe held ready in one hand.

From this height, he could see for kilometers in every direction, searching for targets.

’Time to fuck them up! Until they’re too scared to hunt us anymore.’

****

[Giant Patrol - Twenty Warriors]

The patrol of twenty Giant warriors moved through the forest with casual confidence, their long legs covering ground quickly, their weapons ready but not raised.

They’d been chasing the fleeing humans for days and were growing complacent with the ease of the hunt.

"These humans are pathetic. Running like frightened prey, barely able to fight back when cornered."

One Giant, slightly shorter than the others but still over three meters tall, spoke in the grinding language of their kind.

"I expected more resistance from the species that supposedly ruled an entire planet. But they’re too weak and fragile. No challenge at all."

"Quiet your boasting, Throk."

The patrol leader, a scarred veteran with grey skin, cut through the younger warrior’s confidence.

"We lost an entire patrol yesterday. Thirty warriors, gone silent with no communication. Something killed them all or they’d have reported in. That doesn’t happen against ’pathetic weak prey.’"

Throk waved dismissively.

"Probably ambushed and killed by their own incompetence. Or they encountered whatever caused the portal to form and got wiped by environmental hazards. Doesn’t mean the humans are dangerous."

"Being careless gets you killed. Remember–"

The leader’s warning was cut short.

BOOM

Something fell from the sky.

Throk didn’t even have time to look up before an axe blade, driven by strength that exceeded even Giant capabilities, caught him vertically from shoulder to groin.

The blade cleaved through armor, bone, organs and everything... splitting Throk perfectly in half with a single strike.

The two pieces of his body fell in opposite directions, with organs spilling out, blood spraying in all directions and his face frozen in an expression of shocked confusion.

THUD

Damian landed in the space where Throk had been standing, his axe dripping, his crimson eyes empty of anything human.

"What–"

Kuro descended like divine judgment, his massive form crashing into the patrol, and for the first time, the raven used an actual skill.

"ROAAR!"

The cry that emerged from Kuro’s throat wasn’t natural. It carried power, resonance and something that affected reality itself.

Five Giants within immediate range of the sound suddenly stopped moving, their eyes going glassy and their weapons dropping as they stood frozen in place.

’Kuro’s gained abilities beyond just physical enhancement.’

SLICE SLICE SLICE

The frozen Giants didn’t resist as Kuro’s talons and beak tore into them, ripping through armor and flesh with horrifying ease.

One had his throat opened with blood emerging like a fountain.

Another’s chest was opened, heart torn out still beating.

A third’s head was simply removed, Kuro’s beak strong enough to sever spine and neck in one bite.

The remaining Giants broke from their shock and tried to coordinate a defense.

But it was too late!