NOVPUBMan was a beast. No matter how advanced he became, he was still a beast. And a beast with many desires—that was man.
Among those desires was the hunger for food. Or was it a craving? In the end, it didn't matter. Man would do anything for food.
Food decided who survived and who didn't. For that desire—no, that craving—man would face beasts much bigger, faster, and stronger than himself.
For the right to feast on their flesh. For nourishment.
Damon understood. Hunger was a torment. Starvation—a waking nightmare. The feeling of his body cannibalizing itself, burning fat, draining strength, replacing it all with nausea.
Some pain could never be forgotten or forgiven.
He could almost smell it again—the reeking stench of the cells he was locked in as a child. Each time he defied the boss of Quick Hand, a new punishment would be devised.
And of all those cruel punishments, the one he feared the most... was starvation.
Even then, he refused to admit it. An obstinate child to the bitter end.
How ironic. He was fated to starvation.
His own shadow craved flesh and souls. And when they refused to feed it, they both suffered. They both starved.
It was as if fate never wanted him to forget. Reminding him constantly of his filthy beginnings as a street child.
Starvation would follow him, always.
From his village to the streets of Valerion, he had been a victim of hunger.
A weak and helpless victim of starvation.
But the circumstances had changed. Drastically.
He was still fighting an uphill battle—yes. But Damon had grown. He was stronger. Not just physically... but mentally.
His hunger had taught him to devour his oppressors. Make them part of his power.
Devour them without remorse.
Why ration the scraps they had... when they were surrounded by food?
He grinned. A sinister thing stretching across his face as he gazed at the grotesque monsters lurking beneath the water's surface.
Those creatures wanted to eat them.
The feeling was mutual.
Damon and his party were stranded on a makeshift island of wreckage, surrounded on all sides by water.
The only thing keeping predator and prey apart was terrain.
No matter how Damon turned it over in his head—they wouldn't last long on their remaining rations.
If that was the case, the answer was simple.
They would hunt their hunters.
These creatures were enormous. Hideous. Grotesque. There was no promise their flesh would taste good. But it didn't matter. They had enough meat to feed them.
Damon's eyes flicked to Xander, who gripped his spear tightly. The boy's blue eyes burned with cold resolve.
Evangeline raised her hand, conjuring a radiant light that washed the area in a golden glow.
The green waters sparkled ominously. Vast shapes moved beneath the surface—shifting shadows, some of them utterly horrific. They weren't looking for something that tasted good.
Just something easy to catch.
Damon stepped forward to the edge of their island of rubble.
Dozens of gleaming eyes glared up at him. Eyes filled with pure, unrestrained murderous intent.
He could feel it—hatred sharp enough to cut flesh. But it didn't matter. The others were in position.
Damon opened his eyes and unleashed the [Omen of Dread] skill.
A wave of paralyzing terror poured into the water.
His aura, dark and foreboding, washed over the beasts like poison. The weaker ones froze instantly, their minds drowning in fear. The stronger ones grew sluggish, wary.
The skill was most effective against those weaker than him—and among these monsters, plenty were.
He pointed swiftly at one that had drifted too close to the wreckage.
"That one. Leona, now…"
Lightning sparked violently around Leona's armor, arcing in halos of white power. She raised her hand—and brought it down like judgment.
A blinding bolt slammed into the water, exploding in a column of roaring energy.
The shockwave sent massive pillars of water splashing in every direction. The creature struck twitched, shrieked, and rose from the water, flailing as electricity tore through it.
Matia's hand moved with chilling grace—she conjured a spear of ice and launched it into the churning water.
The moment it struck, a creeping cold spread across the green surface. Ice bloomed out like spiderwebs, freezing the thrashing creature in place.
"Xander—do your thing."
Xander dashed forward with silent determination. His spear gleamed, then flew straight into the creature's massive fin.
Boom.
The spear hit with a sickening crack, pinning the beast as the ice web shattered around it.
Blood gushed from the wound. The monster howled.
Raising his hand, Xander summoned his gravity magic. The spear twisted in midair and dragged the beast upwards—its limp body flailing, dangling over the island.
"Sylvia—now. Evangeline, cover her."
Sylvia drew her bow and fired arrow after arrow into the pinned creature. Each shot sank deep into its twitching body.
Its thrashing slowed.
Damon activated his Magic Gatling spell—but he didn't aim for the monster. He and Evangeline turned their sights on the water below.
Blood was already spreading.
The other creatures had gone into a frenzy.
Perfect.
Damon's hands erupted with spinning barrels of magic, unleashing a wild torrent of magic bullets into the water. Evangeline followed with searing explosions of light, blowing the water apart with each detonation.
The walls around them were soaked as spray blasted everywhere. Her magic lit the submerged chaos—revealing a swarm of frenzied monsters moving just beneath the surface.
Xander clenched his fist and pulled the impaled monster downward, slamming it hard onto a metal slab among the wreckage. Blood splattered across the wreckage, flowing back into the water in slow, crimson streams.
By the time it hit the platform, it had stopped moving—killed by their combined assault.
Damon and Evangeline landed softly beside it, eyes still locked on the water's surface.
Just in case something dared to follow.
They waited... then regrouped with the others.
Damon exhaled slowly.
"That went better than I expected."
He looked at the still form of the beast.
"Now we have food."
