Cursed Devourer

The horizon bled crimson as the sun rose above the jagged cliffs, its growing light casting rays over the war-torn plains.

Malik's boots crunched against scorched earth, his path littered with the remains of those foolish enough to oppose him. Charred skeletons and blackened armour were all that remained of armies once brimming with defiance- now reduced to ash with a few precise swings of his blade.

But this wasn't recklessness. Not anymore.

Malik learned.

Every encounter sharpened more than his blade; teaching him control beyond brute force. His armour, a divine artifact infused with wisdom and teachings, whispered to him- guiding, instructing, pushing him to refine his power.

No longer did he unleash torrents of flame wastefully. He condensed it, shaping it with surgical precision, channelling devastating force into focused arts that could slice through battalions like a knife through silk.

His true power was no longer overwhelming might. It was in refinement.

But even that evolution left him hollow.

The armies fell too easily. Their blades too slow, their fear too predictable. They died before they could teach him anything worth remembering.

[3 days, 4 hours, 5 minutes.]

The timer for the third quest ticked down in the back of his mind like a heartbeat he couldn't ignore. His path to Potix was littered with bodies- fools who'd thought numbers could triumph over true power, something he didn't lack.

Until now.

A ripple- no, a shockwave- of killing intent struck Malik like a tidal wave, halting his steps mid-stride. His grip on the sword instinctively tightened. This wasn't just bloodlust. It was something primal, something refined. A predator's hunger honed to a razor's edge.

Malik turned, scanning the empty plains.

'There.'

A blur of crimson and black energy, moving at a speed that defied reason. No war cry. No warning. Just lethal intent.

Malik's instincts screamed at him. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he pivoted, sword rising in a defensive arc just as the figure struck, dual blades colliding with colossal force against his poised steel.

CLANG!

The impact was a sonic boom, metal shrieking as divine flame met tempered steel. Malik skidded back, boots carving deep furrows into the dirt as he was sent hundreds of metres. A crater formed from their clash that left the site looking like a meteor had struck.

'Strong. Too strong for a first strike.' Malik scowled beneath the helmet, his mind spinning.

'No hesitation, no testing the waters. Whoever this is... they're here to kill me.'

Across from him, the attacker stood- a man, lean and scarred, long and wild white hair fluttering against a howling breeze, his grin stretching too wide to be sane. Twin katanas gleamed in his hands, slick with azure runic patterns and dried blood. His muscles coiled like a predator's, every inch of him vibrating with an uncontained red aura- pure killing intent.

"I knew you'd be fun," the stranger purred, rolling his neck with a sickening crack.

"Malik, right? The devourer of armies they've nicknamed you," The strangers maddening grin stretched to his ears, his voice lined with subtle interest, "But all you've faced are weaklings. Insects."

Malik said nothing. His heart was steady, but his mind raced.

'Dual blades. That's dangerous- means he can attack from unpredictable angles and counter while striking. And that grin... he's not just confident. He's unhinged.'

The man's grin widened as if he could read Malik's thoughts. "Name's Goliath. Please humour me, I don't want to waste our time together."

He vanished.

A flash of red- impossibly fast.

Malik barley raised his sword in time, parrying a strike to his neck that split the air.

CLANG!

The katana rebounded off his sword, but the impact travelled through his arm, almost fracturing it.

Goliath didn't let up. There was no room left to breathe.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

A flurry of strikes ensued, each one faster and stronger than the last, the momentum behind his ferocity soaring with each swing as he tried to dismember Malik.

Malik continued to parry, looking for an opening, but the force made his arms ache and kept him on the defensive.

'Too fast. He's faster than anyone I've faced. Faster than I thought possible. I've grown conceited.'

He ducked under a horizontal slash, a wave of red shot out from its edge and continued to cut a deep crater into the mountain far behind them. Malik didn't let up, pivoting to counter- but Goliath anticipated it, twisting mid-strike to bring his second katana slashing upward. Malik barely dodged, the blade grazing his cheek and slicing cleanly through the armour.

'He cut it?!' Malik was startled internally, trying not to let it effect his concentration. But even so, the fact his armour had been cut through brought forward a reality Malik had yet to see.

'It does have limits.' But this was good. It put him in his place.

Malik parted from Goliath, pain blooming in his cheek as a foreign energy tried to invade his blood. The armour acted quickly to quell it, but he felt the effects nonetheless.

'First blood's his. But even worse, what is this energy? Poison?'

Malik surged back, divine flames erupting in a sweeping arc. The heat was blinding, the force enough to carve a trench into the earth.

But Goliath was already gone.

Malik's eyes darted— 'Above.'

Goliath descended like a comet, both katanas poised to cleave him in two, the madness in his eyes flaring.

Malik rolled, flames bursting from his feet to propel him clear. He countered mid-roll, sending a condensed spear of divine energy straight at Goliath's exposed flank, trying to catch him mid-air.

'It hit.' Malik gleamed.

Goliath's side erupted in blood— but he didn't slow.

He landed, staggered for half a heartbeat, then charged again. The wound was already closed.

'Regeneration. Damn fast too. Sloppy strikes won't work. I have to be precise- disable, not just damage him.'

Malik met him head-on, blades colliding in a whirlwind of sparks, impossible to see without a trained eye. He shifted tactics, condensing his flames into focused bursts, aiming not to kill but to cripple- tendons, joints, pressure points. Even if it only gave him a millisecond of an opening, he would seize the opportunity.

Goliath adapted just as quickly.

A feint to Malik's left— he parried.

'Shit it's a trap!'

But it was too late.

The second katana dug into his side, slipping between armour plates.

Pain flared and Malik grit his teeth. His armour's regenerative circuits kicked in, but it wasn't instant like Goliath's. He pivoted sharply, spinning his waist to unlodge the katana and send an elbow strike to Goliath's face, divine flames exploding upon impact.

Goliath staggered, blood streaming from his shattered nose, a ghastly deformity visible where his face had once been.

"HAHAHAHAH!" He laughed crazily, his voice shaking Malik's eardrums.

"Oh, you're good," he cackled, licking the blood off his lips, savouring the taste. "But you're thinking too much. You're fighting like a soldier."

He stepped forward, the aura around him intensifying, growing more violent.

"I want to see the beast!" He roared, his power spiking even further.

Malik's breath came heavy, not from exhaustion but from sheer adrenaline.

'He's right. I'm analysing. Calculating. But he's not. He's pure instinct. I need to stop thinking like a tactician... and start fighting like a predator.'

Malik's grin mirrored Goliath's now— a savage, blood-soaked thing.

"That's more like it! Come!" Goliath cheered, his voice contained not an ounce sarcasm, only unrestrained joy.

Malik exploded forth, his sword clashing against the dual katanas once again.

This time Malik was faster. Not so much physically— but mentally. He anticipated Goliath's wild unpredictability, reading the faintest shifts in weight, the subtle muscle twitches and tells so that he could effectively counter his attacks.

'A downwards slash?' Malik saw through the next attack, countering with an angled deflection and redirecting the force into a spin, his blade carving a deep crimson arc across Goliath's thigh.

Goliath roared as he stumbled back to regain balance, the wound in his leg healed mid-stagger.

'Damn it. It's not enough. I can't outlast him, I have to end this quickly or he will gain back the advantage. Heart or head. Nothing else will stick.'

Malik pressed the attack, his divine flames coalesced around his blade and condensed into a thin layer that smothered its edge, he pierced towards Goliath's head, a motion that made the air burst from sheer force alone. The blade shot through the space between them, its tip piercing through Goliath's chest. Malik pushed harder, pouring all the strength he could muster, but Goliath wouldn't go down so easily.

It was instantaneous.

"Not yet!" A guttural roar erupted from Goliath's throat as both his body and the atmosphere around it shifted, the heat intensifying to a level that matched Malik's own flames. The blade that had pierced an inch into his chest was repelled outwards and Malik hastily retreated ten metres to gauge the situation.

Goliath's flesh wriggled and morphed, taking on a deep red colouring as his body grew to double its size. Steam slowly escaped from the pores of his skin, his eyes glowed a deep crimson like he had become a beast with no reason.

Berserker Shift. The main trait of his ability, increasing all his physical aspects exponentially, at the cost of rationality.

Malik's instincts screamed— 'MOVE!'

But he was too slow.

Goliath materialized in front of Malik, a speed akin to teleportation. His katana blade slammed into his chest, cracking the armour, the force sending him spiralling through the air. He hit the ground hard, coughing blood. His internal organs rattled inside him.

'Armour is compromised. Regeneration's slowing. I can't take another hit like that or I'm fucked.' Malik spat out another mouthful of blood as he organised his thoughts, the incessant ringing in his ears slowly dimming.

Goliath advanced relentlessly, not paying any heed to Malik's state, his rationale long gone.

Malik staggered as he got to his feet, his mind racing.

'Think Malik, think. He's faster. Stronger. But he's reckless now. His berserker state sacrifices defence and intelligence for power. Let's use that.'

Suddenly—

Malik dropped to a knee, his breathing heavy and staggered, a grimace on his face.

Goliath wouldn't waste this chance.

"Got you!" His voice escaped in a low growl as he launched himself toward Malik, swords raised and angled for a clean decapitation.

He had committed to the final blow— there was no room to recover.

A smile tugged at the corner of Malik's lips.

His voice came calm and steady, "No… I've got you."

Goliath knew it. He'd been baited.

Malik rolled from his knees, ducking the blow as he lunged forward. His sword aimed true, divine flames surged- not wide, not wasteful. A single, precise thrust that tore through space.

The blade penetrated deep into Goliath's chest, just nicking his heart, but not enough to be fatal.

Goliath immediately realised Malik's mistake and went to claw at his face with energy—

But he stopped.

He felt it then. He was in checkmate.

The blade in his chest flickered with energy, a golden needle of flames formed along its ridge and pierced into his heart ever so slightly, just not enough to finish the kill.

The katanas clattered from his hands as the needle grew slightly longer, death whispering in his ear. He fell on his back with a loud thud, the sword still protruding from the wound.

"Well played, Devourer." Goliath grinned.

"Why not finish it?"

Blood bubbled at the corners of Goliath's mouth as he chuckled, even with death so near. His body twitched with the echoes of the battle just fought, though he made no move to pull away. His regeneration was useless now- the blade pinned him like an insect under glass, the divine energy disrupting the very core of his healing ability.

Malik stared down at him, eyes cold but curious.

"Why?" Malik asked finally, his voice low, edged with exhaustion and something sharper. "Why come after me? What did you expect to find? You don't seem like a man that takes orders…"

Goliath's grin widened, teeth stained red.

"Ah… that's the question, isn't it?" He coughed, blood splattering onto Malik's greaves. "I wanted to see for myself. The boy who grew into this… monster. The one who keeps growing no matter what stands in his way…"

Malik didn't respond, he just stared at him, his eyes empty.

Goliath's eyes gleamed with something close to admiration- or maybe insanity. "Now I understand why the king's so interested in you. There's something… different. He knows it and that's why he lets you run wild."

The words lodged in Malik's mind like splinters.

'The King.'

Malik had though little of him beyond the looming of the third quest's timer. A figurehead. A name tied to power. But interest? That suggested something more.

'He knows too much about me and I know near to nothing about him.'

"What is he hiding? What is his purpose?" Malik pressed, voice sharp as the blade itself.

Goliath chuckled again, a wet ragged sound close to a gurgle. "If I knew that, I'd still be alive, wouldn't I?" His eyes half-lidded flickering with the faintest spark of life. "But I can tell you this… he doesn't see you as just another pawn. No, Malik. You're something else entirely."

Malik's mind raced, piecing together fragments of theories–

'Why would the king care about me? I understand seeing me as an enemy, but I can tell it's not that simple… Is it my power? My growth? Or…'

Malik felt his heart thump in his chest.

'Does he know about the system?'

He felt like even considering this was crazy, the system was within his head and soul, no one had ever heard him say the word, only Orlan was close to knowing.

'It's not certain. I'll just have to ask him when I meet him.'

Goliath coughed again, blood dripping freely now. His strength was fading, but his grin remained.

"This was fun," he rasped, "Second best fight I've ever had."

Malik's brow furrowed slightly.

"Second?"

Goliath's eyes shone, the last flicker of life burning bright. "Leo and Katya. They're strong. Stronger than me by a margin. Be careful when you face them. That's just some advice for a fellow battle-maniac." His grin that always seemed mad, expressed a slight joy that surprised Malik.

"But the best fight I ever had?" His grin switched to savage as if the joy had never been.

"It wasn't even a fight. The King… he never left his throne. I didn't stand a chance. Why else would someone like me work for another?"

The words hit harder than any attack during their fight.

'The King didn't even stand?'

Malik's mind reeled. Goliath– the monster who had pushed him to the brink– was nothing compared to someone who didn't feel inclined to stand when defeating him.

Malik exhaled slowly, letting the thoughts settle.

Then, without hesitation or remorse, he twisted the blade.

The divine needle flared, expanding in an instant, erasing Goliath's heart with a searing light. His body convulsed once, then went still, the manic grin frozen on his face as the fire spread and ash began to consume what remained.

But Malik didn't look away. He owed at least this to a kindred warrior, someone he had his first dance with death with.

As Goliath's soul unravelled, tendrils of dark energy surged towards Malik's chest- drawn in, absorbed like all the others. But this time… something felt different.

Malik staggered slightly as the last remnants of Goliath's soul surged into him, a searing current of power flooding through every nerve, muscle, and vein. It wasn't just energy—it was knowledge. A torrent of instincts, sensations, and raw data crashed into his mind like a wave, drowning him in information he hadn't asked for but couldn't resist absorbing.

His breath hitched. 'What is this?'

He felt it– the subtle shifts beneath his skin, the way his body responded as if it had unlocked something ancient and primal. 

A name carved itself into his mind, etched like a brand: 'Regenerative Adaptation.'

The knowledge came with it, unbidden and absolute. His body could now recover from almost anything—severed limbs, crushed organs, torn muscles—it didn't matter. Everything would heal. Faster. Stronger than his armour. Like his cells were learning, adapting, refining themselves with each injury.

But beneath that surge of invincibility, a whisper of vulnerability remained—a hard, cold truth woven into the fabric of the ability.

'The heart and the head can't be saved.'

If his heart was pierced, or if he lost his head, it was over. No regeneration. No second chances.

Malik clenched his fists, feeling the pulse of life roaring beneath his skin, stronger than ever before. It was intoxicating, but not without its shadow. This wasn't invincibility. It was a razor's edge—an incredible gift balanced on the thin line between survival and death.

A grin tugged at the corner of his bloodied lips.

Without hesitation, he opened his status window.

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Name: Malik Thana

Age: 19

Race: Human(Devourer)

Level: 0

Stats = (Temporary Boosts for the Duration of the Third Quest)

Vitality - 5(+2000)

Strength - 3(+1400)

Agility - 5(+1400)

Endurance - 4(+1200)

Intelligence - 15(+1200)

Mana - 0(+1200)

Perception - 0(+1400)

Charm - 1(+1200)

Soul - 0(1,470,009,781/9.83B)

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Abilities: (New!) 

[Regenerative Adaptation]

-------------------------------------

He saw the newly acquired ability woven into the system, but there was a detail that surprised him.

'No temporary tag? Does that mean it's now a permanent part of me? So that was possible...'

Malik's attention shifted to his stats, that had seen a nice increase of 200 in strength, agility and perception, followed by a gigantic leap of 800 in vitality, something he attributed to the new ability. However unlike the ability, these were still only temporary.

"Seems like stronger souls give much better rewards." He chuckled.

His grin grew as a scary thought crossed his mind.

'I wonder how big the leap would be if I got my hands on the King's soul...'