[Your magic affinity is: Void]
[Your magic soul has awakened as: Primordial Devour Soul]
[Your mana container has evolved into: Infinite Devouring Core]
A terrifying sensation flooded Max's heart, as if he were standing above the world itself. Something in the surroundings had changed, making him aware of things he had never noticed before. The first thing he realized was that the air felt far denser and heavier, as though an invisible pressure were bearing down from above.
His system screen flashed with golden light, pulsing like a living flame.
[Proceeding to devour nearby mana. Prepare for impact.]
His face twisted between panic and ecstasy, as if he couldn't decide which emotion would claim him first. Tiny holes opened at the tips of his fingers, greedily sucking in the dense air he now understood to be mana. A spiraling torrent descended from the sky and crashed into the pillar, snuffing out the golden light at its tip.
BOOM!
A deafening blast tore through the air. The altar, which had stood for ages, finally lost its battle against the pressure and crumbled into fine dust.
[Ancient magic detected...]
This time, Max could hear the system speaking directly to him in a robotic, metallic voice. Strangely enough, it still sounded gentle.
[Would you like to absorb the magic runes into your skin?]
A small screen appeared before his finger, offering only two choices:
[Yes]/[No]
He stood frozen in place, stunned. The events of today were far too overwhelming for a mind that had never known magic before. With every passing second, he could feel something inside his chest expanding, not outward, but deeper, as though something vast were unfolding within him.
Max's finger hovered for only a second. Then, without further hesitation, green consumed his eyes as he pressed [Yes].
In that instant, the fine dust the pillar had become surged toward him, wrapping around his body like a cocoon.
Small engravings rapidly took shape, condensing into runes across his skin.
While Max was still evolving from an ordinary human into a mage, the people outside felt as though the earth and sky had begun to twist together. Buildings shook violently, old dried wood splintering apart under the force of the awakening. Every animal fled as if it had glimpsed the devil himself, sending villagers scrambling after them in vain.
"What kind of beast did we bring into our home?" Henry watched with an ashen face. Everything was crumbling. Everything he had built, everything his father had left behind—every last piece of it was now being destroyed because of his decision.
In that moment, he remembered the instant he had stopped one of his men from killing Max while he was still half-dead and injured. His heart had been torn between the clan's honor, their pride, and the safety of his people.
Rosalia's knees hit the ground with a soft thud. She watched the tornado of mana coil around Max, devouring everything in its reach. She knew that if it spread any farther, all the plants, vegetables, and crops in the village would wither and die. Her heart was torn between regret, confusion, and a strange happiness for him. In that moment, she didn't know whether she should laugh or break down in tears.
But all of Stonehollow shared one single thought.
"They will come... they've found us now..." One after another, the villagers began to whisper, terror filling their eyes. Several gazes unconsciously drifted toward the west, their bodies trembling like leaves caught in a storm. Even fighters like William wanted to run for their lives, but the honor of the clan and the blood tying them together kept him rooted in place. His eyes settled on the swirling vortex, yet there was no hatred in them now, only a strange sadness he could not explain.
While the village descended into chaos, Max stared at his hands, feeling an overwhelming sense of pride surge through him, something he had never experienced before. For the first time in his life, it felt as though his fate truly rested in his own hands, as though he finally possessed the power to reshape his future however he wished.
A wide, almost sickening smile crept across his lips. Even his slightly yellow teeth were slowly turning pearly white, as if the devouring had not only consumed the mana he needed from the outside world, but had also cleansed his body of its impurities.
"I'm... powerful... I—" He stumbled, nearly losing his footing. "I can do whatever I want with this. The Supreme Bloodline System can build an empire for me... no..." His eyes burned with obsession.
"I can rule the world with this power. And this... this power will let me crush anyone who stands in my way. If I must, I'll swallow the sun itself to rise above them all. No longer the loser they called me. No longer the trash of the world they thought I was. I can finally become who I was meant to be... hahaha!"
Laughter spilled from him, loud and unhinged, carrying something dark and possessive within it.
Luckily for him, no one outside could hear a single word.
But Stonehollow was slowly turning into a wasteland. If he had known, he might have tried to stop—but now it was too late. Unknowingly, Max had begun destroying the very place that had saved his life.
Meanwhile, far in the distance, in a land surrounded by towering volcanoes, a young man sprinted forward as fast as he could, his breath ragged and uneven. His eyes burned with a mix of excitement and terror. He rushed along a narrow stone path carved into the mountainside with surprising agility.
Before him rose towering structures that pierced the sky, their heights rivaling the mountains themselves. Streams of molten lava flowed from high observation decks, cascading down into a vast lake of magma below.
At the center stood a small fortress, encircled by thick defensive walls.
Inside, a young woman around the age of twenty sat upon a throne forged from cooled magma. She greeted the man with an amused smile as his knees slammed against the ground before her.
"Q-Queen—there—to the east—the Ice Dragons—we... we found them!" he gasped, struggling to catch his breath between each word. His vision blurred from exhaustion.
The woman rose gracefully.
Her long, fiery red hair cascaded down her back, nearly reaching her waist. A golden crown rested upon her head, while her black eyes and pale skin gave her an otherworldly beauty.
"Gather the troops," she said calmly, her voice carrying quiet authority.
"We leave today..."