Before anything else, the system governing the accumulation of points within the training camp was both simple in structure and unforgiving in execution:
Slaying a lower-tier beast granted 1 point.
Defeating a normal beast yielded 5 points.
Eliminating an elite beast—such as the Bloodfang Wolf—granted 15 points.
And lastly, killing a peak beast would grant a staggering 30 points.
However, as of this moment, no participant had yet encountered such a creature.
The mere implication was enough to unsettle even the most confident among them.
Zephyr exhaled slowly as he forced himself upright after the grueling battle. His body protested with every movement, his wounds still fresh and his strength partially drained. Yet, there was no time to indulge in weakness.
Survival demanded action.
He turned his gaze toward the lifeless body of the Bloodfang Wolf lying before him. Its once menacing form now reduced to nothing more than a carcass—silent, still, defeated.
"I should take some of its meat," he muttered. "Food will be necessary if I want to last longer."
But before doing so, another thought surfaced.
"I should test the other ability…"
Zephyr narrowed his eyes slightly.
Upon forming a contract with Maw, he had gained two abilities.
The first was hellfire—a power of terrifying destructive capacity. Yet, after experiencing its consequences firsthand, he had no intention of relying on it recklessly. The pain it inflicted was not something he wished to endure again—not unless absolutely necessary.
Power gained through desperation and self-destruction was vastly different from strength forged through discipline and hardship.
The second ability…Devour
Its nature remained uncertain.
He recalled the strange maw that had manifested from his hand earlier in the cafeteria—a grotesque phenomenon that defied logic. At the time, he had only speculated its purpose.
Now, however, speculation would no longer suffice.
He needed answers.
Stepping closer to the beast, Zephyr extended his hand and placed it upon the Bloodfang's corpse.
"Devour."
The moment the word left his lips, the ground beneath the carcass distorted.
A massive maw—vast, grotesque, and utterly unnatural—emerged from the earth itself. It opened wide, revealing an endless abyss within, before swallowing the entire beast in a single motion.
Gone...Completely erased.
Zephyr staggered back slightly, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"No… warning?" he whispered.
The sheer abruptness of it unsettled him. There was no resistance, no lingering trace—only absence.
Yet what shocked him even more…Was what came next.
Within the deepest recesses of his consciousness, a change had begun.
A familiar place emerged—the inverted temple within Maw's astral domain.
But now…
Something new stood within it.
A towering pillar.
It was forged from what appeared to be pure black obsidian, its surface smooth yet imposing. Dark flames coiled around it like chains, forming a prison-like structure that exuded both power and suppression.
Zephyr's breath caught.
"It's… similar," he murmured.
The resemblance to the countless pillars he had once witnessed in Maw's domain was undeniable. Yet this one was smaller—far less grand than the originals. Gone were the endless cries, the cacophony of tortured entities begging for release.
Still…The memory lingered vividly.
He observed in silence as the pillar continued to take form, its structure stabilizing as if completing its existence.
Then, at its base—He saw it.A presence.A soul.
It writhed faintly, yet its movements were restrained—as though bound by an unseen force. It could not ascend, could not escape.
At first, Zephyr could not comprehend why.
The soul itself appeared intact, unbroken—so what held it in place?
Then realization struck.
"The weight…" he whispered.
It was not chains.Not bindings.It was the pillar itself.
The sheer, incomprehensible weight of its existence suppressed the soul entirely, rendering it immobile.
A chill ran down his spine.
"What is this… Maw?"
Maw's voice echoed, calm and unbothered."It is called the Devourer's Pillar. Its purpose is simple—to collect and imprison souls, strengthening the power you wield."
Zephyr's gaze hardened."So… everything I devour ends up here?"
"Yes."
"And the reason that one is at the bottom…?"
"Because it is weak."
Silence...
Then—
"…What?" Zephyr muttered, disbelief creeping into his tone.
'That thing… weak?' his thoughts roared. 'That beast could have killed me effortlessly!'
But his mind wandered endless. 'Maybe this is the path!!! This is it!!! The overpowered power other main character received in other novels!!!. Hmm... but what is novel? Well he don't know...'
" There is no easy path to power." Maw's words echoed once more
Snuffing the delusions running in his mind.
"Now.." Maw continued, "touch it."
Zephyr blinked.
"…Touch it?"There was a brief moment of hesitation.But only a brief one.
Perhaps—just perhaps—this was some form of reward. A hidden benefit. A power waiting to be unlocked.
A faint grin formed on his lips.
'So this is it… a power boost,' he thought confidently.
From within, Maw's unseen gaze flickered with something almost resembling amusement.
'…You are about to taste the consequences of your ignorance, boy.' Maw said internally
Zephyr reached out.
His fingers made contact with the soul.
And in that instant—
Everything changed.He stood within a vast expanse.
Endless and Boundless if a being might describe it.
A world without horizon or limit.
Zephyr turned slowly, attempting to comprehend his surroundings. The silence was suffocating, the emptiness overwhelming.
"…What is this place?" he muttered.
He took a step forward—and then...
Everything tilted.
His vision spun.
For a fleeting moment, confusion overtook him.
Darkness...
His head rolled across the ground.Severed.Lifeless.
Zephyr died.
"GAAAH—!!"
He gasped violently, clutching his neck.
He was alive.
Standing once more in the same endless expanse.
"…What…?"
Before he could process—
It happened again.A flash.A distortion.
And—
Death,Again and again and again....
Each time, he died without warning.
No enemyNo visible attack.Only an inevitable end.
His body torn apart, his existence extinguished like a flickering candle.
The sensation...Was real.
The pain, helplessness, insignificance.
It crushed him.
'I'm… nothing,' a thought crept into his mind but a mere insect,powerless, and pathetic.
Each death chipped away at his sanity, dragging him deeper into an abyss of despair.
Time lost meaning.
Countless deaths blurred into one continuous nightmare.
Panic set in.
The unknown devoured his mind.
His thoughts fractured, his will crumbling under the weight of endless failure.
Yet…
Even that resistance proved futile.
Outside, Maw observed in silence.
Expressionless,Detached.Like a god watching a mortal struggle.
"…Did I push him too far?" he wondered briefly.
He already knew the answer, he was prepared to intervene, to end it.
Yet—Something changed.A flicker.
Subtle, but unmistakable.
"FREAAAKING HELL!!!"
Zephyr's voice shattered the void.
Raw, defiant and unyielding.
"I REFUSE TO STAY WEAK!!"
His body trembled, yet his eyes burned with unyielding resolve.
"I WILL MAKE THIS WORLD TREMBLE!!"
He turned—And finally saw it.
The Bloodfang Wolf.Standing before him.
Whole,Uninjured,Perfect.
"…So it was you," Zephyr muttered.
"The one killing me over and over again."
The beast growled.
And then—
They clashed.It ended instantly.
Zephyr was torn apart.But this time—
He did not despair.
Again...they clashed...Again...he died...Again...he rose...Over and over.
At first, he could do nothing. He was overwhelmed—bitten, shredded, mutilated beyond recognition.
But slowly…Something changed.
A fraction of a second.A slight movement.A reaction.
Then—A strike,A single blow landed.
Insignificant.Yet real.
Zephyr no longer sought victory.
Only improvement.Punch after punch.
Blow after blow.
Even without a weapon—He fought.
And with each death…
He grew stronger....