Chapter 158: The Devourer’s Reward

Chapter 158: Chapter 158: The Devourer’s Reward

The mark on Ronan’s palm pulsed again.

He stared at it briefly before closing his hand.

Whatever had marked him inside the ruins, it hadn’t caused any immediate changes to his body. He could still move normally, and none of his abilities seemed to have weakened.

That didn’t mean he trusted it.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked.

Kharven blinked. "Since the markings began changing, my lord."

"Did you notice anything unusual before that?"

"The energy started flowing toward the central platform. Then the sound came from below."

Ronan nodded and turned toward the passage beyond the platform.

He had already lost two vampires, suffered several injuries, and encountered a guardian capable of manipulating gravity through an ancient formation. Continuing deeper without considering his condition would be foolish.

However, the guardian had also given him something valuable.

Ronan activated his newly acquired Formation Sense.

The surrounding energy became easier to perceive. Faint streams ran through the walls, converging beneath the central platform before disappearing into the darkness below.

He followed their path with his eyes.

The energy wasn’t flowing randomly. It was being drawn toward a specific location.

Something deeper in the ruins was consuming it.

"Stay here," Ronan instructed Kharven. "If anything emerges from that passage, retreat to the stairs. Don’t attempt to fight it unless you have no other choice."

"What about you?"

"I’m going to find out what’s down there."

Kharven hesitated but didn’t argue.

Ronan entered the passage alone.

The corridor was narrower than the chamber behind him, and its walls were lined with deep grooves. Unlike the inscriptions above, these markings remained stationary. They resembled channels designed to carry something through the stone.

As he descended, the mark on his palm grew warmer.

Ronan frowned.

He had no intention of allowing an unknown force to dictate his movements, but the reaction suggested that the mark was connected to whatever lay ahead.

After several minutes, the passage opened into another chamber.

This one was smaller, though its ceiling disappeared into darkness. At its center stood a massive stone structure resembling a sealed gate. Thick chains extended from its sides, disappearing into the walls.

Several chains had already broken.

Beyond the gate, Ronan sensed a powerful presence.

He stopped.

The energy was different from that of the guardian he’d killed. It was denser, but also strangely faint, as though something had deliberately concealed most of its presence.

Ronan examined the broken chains.

Their surfaces were covered in the same shifting symbols found on the tablet.

He approached the nearest chain and touched it with one finger.

A sharp vibration passed through the metal.

The mark on his palm responded.

For a moment, the two energies seemed to recognize each other.

Then a notification appeared.

[Unknown energy detected.]

[Analysis incomplete.]

Ronan withdrew his hand.

"Still useless."

He had hoped that Formation Sense might help him understand the energy, but the trait only allowed him to perceive its structure and movement. It didn’t reveal its origin or purpose.

That was fine.

He didn’t need to understand everything to take advantage of it.

Ronan examined the gate more carefully.

Three chains remained intact, but their tension was uneven. The left chain was nearly severed, while the other two carried most of the weight.

Whatever was behind the gate had been restrained here.

And the restraints were failing.

Ronan considered destroying the gate.

If the creature inside was powerful enough to survive being sealed in the ruins, releasing it without preparation would be a terrible decision.

He turned to leave.

A heavy impact shook the chamber.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

Ronan stopped.

Another impact followed, this time accompanied by a metallic groan.

The remaining chains tightened.

Something was pushing against the gate.

Ronan’s expression changed.

He had intended to retreat, but the sudden movement revealed something important.

The creature was still alive.

And if it escaped while he was exploring the ruins, he might encounter it later under far worse circumstances.

He needed to assess the situation before deciding whether to continue or withdraw.

Ronan activated Predator’s Perception and focused on the gate.

For several seconds, he detected nothing.

Then a faint disturbance passed through the stone.

The creature wasn’t simply pushing against the gate.

It was absorbing the energy holding it shut.

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

The energy channels along the walls were slowly draining into the structure.

At this rate, the remaining chains would eventually break.

He had two options: leave before that happened or find a way to interfere with the process.

Neither option was particularly appealing.

Then his gaze fell on a damaged section of the floor.

A narrow groove connected the gate to a circular depression several meters away. Unlike the other channels, this one was completely dark.

Ronan crouched and examined it.

The groove had been deliberately broken.

He followed its path toward the depression, then looked back at the gate.

Perhaps the depression was part of a mechanism that controlled the restraints.

If he could restore the connection, he might slow the creature’s escape.

Ronan didn’t need to open the gate. He only needed enough time to investigate the rest of the ruins and return with more information.

He activated Formation Sense again.

The structure became clearer.

The three intact chains were connected to the same network, but the broken groove had disrupted the distribution of energy. The gate was compensating by drawing power from the surrounding ruins.

Ronan studied the damaged section.

Repairing it wasn’t possible with his current knowledge.

But he could do something simpler.

He could destroy the exposed channel entirely, preventing the creature from drawing energy through that route.

It was a gamble.

If the gate depended on that channel, destroying it might weaken the seal further.

If the channel was feeding the creature, however, severing it could temporarily deprive the creature of energy.

Ronan considered the possibilities.

Then he stepped away from the depression.

He wasn’t going to experiment on a prison whose occupant he couldn’t even identify.

He turned toward the passage.

The gate shook violently.

One of the remaining chains snapped.

The sound echoed through the chamber.

Ronan cursed under his breath.

He had delayed too long.

The creature behind the gate released a low, distorted roar. The sound carried an oppressive force that made the stone beneath Ronan’s feet tremble.

The two remaining chains began to crack.

He had no intention of fighting whatever emerged from that gate while injured and without an escape route.

Ronan activated Wind Step and rushed back toward the previous chamber.

Behind him, the gate exploded outward.

A wave of gray energy swept through the corridor.

Ronan felt the force strike his back, throwing him forward. He slammed into the floor, rolled, and immediately scrambled to his feet.

The passage behind him collapsed.

Stone and debris sealed the route.

Ronan stared at the blocked corridor.

"...Wonderful."

A shadow moved through the dust.

Something emerged from the ruined passage.

It was roughly the size of a large human, but its body was covered in overlapping plates of dark bone. Its long arms ended in hooked claws, and its head was crowned with several curved protrusions.

A faint gray glow shone through the gaps in its armor.

Unlike the guardian above, this creature possessed no visible weapon.

It didn’t need one.

The energy surrounding its body distorted the air.

Ronan’s instincts screamed at him to retreat.

He immediately assessed the distance between them and the collapsed passage.

There was no clear route back.

He would have to create one.

The creature tilted its head.

Then it vanished.

Ronan reacted on instinct, activating Wind Step and throwing himself sideways.

A claw tore through the place where his chest had been.

The impact shattered the floor.

Ronan landed hard and rolled away as the creature attacked again.

Its speed was terrifying.

He activated Limit Break, but even with the enhancement, he struggled to keep up with its movements.

A second claw struck his shoulder.

Blood sprayed across the stone.

Ronan retreated, his expression grim.

He couldn’t afford to exchange attacks with this creature. His injuries were already accumulating, and its speed made every mistake dangerous.

He needed to understand how it moved.

Predator’s Perception sharpened his awareness.

The creature’s movements were strange, but they weren’t completely unpredictable. Each time it vanished, the gray energy around its body compressed before releasing in a sudden burst.

It wasn’t teleportation.

It was acceleration.

The creature was compressing energy around itself and releasing it to propel its body forward.

Ronan’s gaze sharpened.

That meant its movement followed a pattern.

He could exploit that.

The creature lunged again.

This time, Ronan didn’t retreat immediately.

He waited until the energy around its body compressed, then shifted his weight and activated Gravity Affinity.

He altered the force acting on his own body, pulling himself sideways just as the creature accelerated.

Its claws missed him.

Ronan drove his fist into its ribs.

The impact sent the creature crashing into the wall.

For the first time, it made a sound resembling pain.

Ronan didn’t waste the opportunity.

He followed with another strike, then activated Annihilation Force and slammed his fist into the same damaged area.

The bone plating fractured.

The creature retaliated with a sweeping claw.

Ronan blocked with his forearm, but the force sent him sliding backward.

Pain shot through his injured shoulder.

He gritted his teeth.

The creature was stronger than him in raw physical combat, and its strange energy made it difficult to predict its attacks.

However, it wasn’t invulnerable.

Ronan had damaged its armor.

He could kill it if he found a way to keep it from overwhelming him with speed.

The creature crouched.

Gray energy gathered around its limbs.

Ronan immediately moved toward the nearest wall.

The creature accelerated.

Instead of attempting to dodge in open space, Ronan used Wind Step to leap over a broken section of stone.

The creature followed him, its momentum carrying it directly toward the damaged wall.

Ronan activated Gravity Affinity.

The force acting on the creature shifted abruptly.

Its trajectory changed just enough for its shoulder to slam into the stone.

The wall collapsed around it.

Ronan charged through the falling debris and struck its exposed ribs with Annihilation Force.

The armor broke.

A dark, pulsing mass was revealed beneath it.

Ronan recognized the opportunity and attacked without hesitation.

His fist penetrated the exposed tissue.

The creature convulsed.

Its gray energy erupted in a violent burst, throwing Ronan backward.

He crashed into the floor and felt something crack in his side.

For several seconds, he couldn’t move.

The creature staggered, but it remained alive.

Its movements had become slower, and the energy around its body was flickering, yet it was still capable of fighting.

Ronan forced himself upright.

He had reached the point where retreat was no longer a simple option.

The passage was blocked, his injuries were worsening, and the creature was still standing.

He had to finish this.

The creature charged again.

Ronan waited.

The energy around its limbs compressed.

At the last possible moment, he activated Gravity Affinity and shifted his body sideways, allowing the creature’s acceleration to carry it past him.

Then he seized one of its hooked limbs.

Using the creature’s own momentum, he twisted and drove it into the floor.

The impact cracked the stone beneath them.

Ronan immediately activated Limit Break.

His remaining strength surged through his body as he raised his fist and struck the exposed wound in the creature’s chest.

Once.

Twice.

A third time.

The dark tissue ruptured.

The creature released a final distorted cry before collapsing.

Ronan stood over its remains, breathing heavily.

Blood dripped from his fingers.

His body was badly injured, and the energy clinging to his wounds was slowing his recovery. He needed to leave the underground chamber and find somewhere safe to heal.

But first, he examined the creature.

Its bone plating had a peculiar structure. The overlapping layers were designed to absorb and redirect impacts, explaining why his initial attacks had caused so little damage.

The exposed tissue beneath the armor was its weakness.

Ronan placed his hand against the corpse.

[Target eliminated.]

[Analyzing available traits...]

[Trait acquired: Burst Acceleration.]

He paused.

The new trait immediately caught his interest.

Burst Acceleration enhanced the body’s ability to produce sudden increases in speed over short distances. It wasn’t the same as Wind Step, which allowed him to move rapidly through the use of wind energy.

This trait improved his physical acceleration itself.

Combined with Gravity Affinity, it could allow him to change direction rapidly and exploit the momentum of his opponents.

Ronan examined the trait more closely.

He could already see several uses for it.

However, he didn’t attempt to test it while injured. He had learned enough from this battle to understand its value, and experimenting now would accomplish nothing.

He turned toward the collapsed passage.

The creature had emerged from behind it, meaning the chamber beyond the gate might contain another route out.

Ronan approached the rubble and began moving the smaller stones aside.

It took several minutes, but he eventually uncovered a narrow opening.

Beyond it lay another corridor.

He passed through cautiously.

The passage descended for a short distance before opening into a circular chamber. Unlike the previous rooms, this one contained no pillars, chains, or formations.

Only a stone pedestal stood at its center.

Something rested on top of it.

Ronan approached.

It was a small black crystal, roughly the size of his thumb. Unlike the fragments he had found earlier, this one didn’t release any visible energy.

He picked it up.

The mark on his palm pulsed.

Then the crystal dissolved into a stream of dark particles that sank beneath his skin.

Ronan immediately stepped back.

A notification appeared.

[Unknown energy detected.]

[Foreign energy absorbed.]

[Evaluating compatibility...]

[Analysis incomplete.]

He stared at the notification.

The system still couldn’t identify the energy, but this time it had absorbed something rather than merely detecting it.

Ronan waited for a moment, examining his body for changes.

His injuries remained.

His abilities appeared unchanged.

Yet the mark on his palm had become darker, and the strange energy no longer seemed to be spreading.

Instead, it had settled into a small point beneath the skin.

Ronan closed his hand.

He had gained a new trait, discovered another section of the ruins, and absorbed something that his system couldn’t identify.

That was enough progress for one expedition.

He still needed answers, but he wasn’t going to sacrifice his life chasing them.

Ronan looked around the circular chamber and noticed a narrow staircase leading upward.

A faint draft passed through the opening above.

An exit.

He began climbing.

By the time he emerged from the ruins, the sky above the Ashen Reach had darkened.

Kharven was waiting near the broken tablet, his weapon drawn. He immediately rushed forward when he saw Ronan.

"My lord! You’re alive!"

"Obviously."

Kharven looked at the blood covering Ronan’s clothes.

"You’ve been badly injured."

"I’ve noticed."

Ronan glanced toward the collapsed entrance.

"We’re leaving."

Kharven didn’t question him.

They moved away from the ruins, heading toward the safer outskirts of the Ashen Reach.

Ronan’s body slowly began recovering, but he could tell that the injuries would take time to heal completely.

He had entered the region looking for clues about the mysterious energy.

Instead, he had discovered an ancient underground complex, fought two powerful creatures, acquired Formation Sense and Burst Acceleration, and absorbed an unknown substance.

More importantly, he now understood that the energy wasn’t simply lingering in abandoned places.

It was being used, stored, and consumed by something.

And the ruins were only one part of a much larger system.

Ronan glanced at the dark mark on his palm.

"Whatever you’re connected to," he muttered, "I hope it’s worth the trouble."

The mark pulsed once.

He ignored it and continued walking.

He had survived the expedition, but he wasn’t returning to Bloodfall City empty-handed.

The Ashen Reach had given him new tools, new questions, and a reason to return.

Next time, he would come prepared.