Jason stood over the fallen Harrower, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The battle had drained him, but the familiar tug from the void pulled at his senses, relentless and hungry. With a single thought, he willed The Devourer into his hand. The weapon pulsed in response, its hunger surging through him like a living thing.

  He barely needed to think before whispering, "Consume."

  At once, the Harrower’s body lifted from the ground, caught in an unseen current. Darkness coiled around it, a swirling vortex speckled with faint lights, like stars in an infinite void. The creature’s essence drained away, and Jason felt The Devourer shift—its presence growing stronger, heavier.

  Harrower Consumed.

  Three options materialized before his eyes:

  New Skill: Depths of Despair – Force a target to relive their worst memory. Can break the target’s will. Warning: Only one new skill can be added at the current grade. Hood of the Harrower – A cursed hood granting minor mental protection from negative emotions (Passive) and Piercing Gaze (Passive), allowing the wearer to see through minor illusions. Two Razian Coin. Jason smirked. This weapon can absorb the powers of the monsters I sy? His mind raced with possibilities. Depths of Despair was tempting—but too cruel. He had spent too long walking through his own haunted halls to subject someone else to that same torment.

  Unsure of the coin’s worth, he selected Hood of the Harrower.

  “Hood of the Harrower added to dimensional storage.”

  He could feel it—a presence lingering in the back of his mind, like an item tucked into a bag. A notification fshed:

  Hood of the Harrower (Uncommon)

  Pierce the Veil – See through minor illusions. Minor Mental Protection – Reduces effects of minor mental attacks. Would you like to equip? Yes or No

  Jason selected Yes, and tendrils of shadow curled around his head, twisting into the shape of a tattered hood. The fabric felt both weightless and suffocating at once, like wearing the st whispers of the dead. A chill ran down his spine as a faint sense of detachment settled over him—the world’s noise now a distant murmur.

  As he walked along the overgrown path, movement flickered at the edges of his vision. A creature formed from the same bckened vines that coated the ground. Jason used Identify.

  Brierhound – Grade F. A predator born from the creeping darkness. Its sinewy vines coil like living chains, wrapping around prey to strangle and ensnare.

  Jason’s pulse quickened as he noticed another lurking just beyond the first. They hunt in packs.

  With growing unease, he drew Undying-Fme from the rent in reality and lunged at the nearest beast. “Fme Crescent!” he shouted, sshing wide. A wave of fire erupted forward, striking the Brierhound dead-on. Fmes spread across its twisted form as it yelped and thrashed violently.

  The element of surprise was gone.

  Jason barely had time to react before the second Brierhound lunged. He rolled, but the vines shed out, wrapping around his ankles and yanking him off bance. The creature sank its fangs into his left shoulder, and pain exploded through his body. His vision swam as a wave of white-hot agony coursed through him.

  Panic surged. His bde cttered from his grasp, vanishing into fmes. He shed out, nding desperate blows with his fists, but the Brierhound held firm.

  Thump. Thump.

  A deep pulse resonated inside him. His mind cleared.

  With a single thought, Jason summoned The Devourer into his hand. He wasted no time, driving the bde into the Brierhound’s side—again and again—until the creature finally slumped lifelessly beside him. The moment stretched, breathless, before Jason shoved the corpse aside and staggered back, panting.

  His shoulder burned, blood soaking through his sleeve. Then, a long, mournful howl echoed through the valley.

  Jason looked up, eyes narrowing.

  At the top of the hill stood another Brierhound. This one was twice the size of the others. Dark vines coiled and shifted across its massive frame like serpents waiting to strike. Jason’s gut twisted as he used Identify

  Alpha Brierhound – Grade F. The relentless ruler of the pack. Larger, faster, and far more cunning than its kin. Its coiling vines move like living chains, striking before prey can react.

  Jason clenched his fists, his shoulder throbbing—a painful reminder of how narrowly he had survived the st fight.

  Gncing at the fallen Brierhound, Jason muttered, “Consume.” Once more, the void wrapped around the carcass, swallowing it in a silent vortex.

  Brierhounds Consumed.

  Whip of the Brierhound – A weapon crafted from its enchanted vines. Ensnares targets. Skill: Ensnare – Control the vines of Umbrithil to trap a target. Warning: Only works in the domain of Umbrithil. Five Razian Coin. Jason sighed, knowing a skill locked to this region wouldn’t benefit him in the long run. He selected the coins twice. A notification blinked, but he had no time to check.

  The Alpha was already moving.

  Unlike the others, it didn’t charge recklessly. Instead, it stalked forward, its vines snaking across the ground, testing the terrain, waiting for an opening. Jason tensed. This wasn’t just a brute—it was a predator.

  With a steadying breath, he switched back to Undying-Fme, gripping the hilt tightly. “Fme Crescent!” he roared, sshing through the air. Fire surged forward, aimed at the Alpha’s chest.

  But the Alpha didn’t dodge.

  Instead, a thick vine shed out, intercepting the attack. The fire sputtered against it, barely leaving a scorch mark before the vine recoiled and snapped toward Jason like a whip.

  Jason braced himself, but another vine shed out with blinding speed, smming into his chest like a battering ram.

  The impact sent him flying. He soared back fifty feet, crashing into an obsidian pilr. The stone cracked on impact.

  Pain exploded through his ribs. His vision blurred.

  Jason groaned, trying to push himself up, but his body refused to cooperate. Every muscle screamed in protest.

  Darkness curled at the edges of his vision. He forced his fingers to move, his breath ragged. Not yet.

  Then—

  A figure stepped into his fading sight.

  His mind screamed at him to move, to react, but his body was already shutting down.

  Everything went bck.