Death Heir’s Devouring System

Thanks to his status as a Proven, Azrael didn't have a hard time finding Principal Arthur.

"Young one." A subtle smile tugged the man's lips.

"I am quite surprised to see you on your feet so soon after your mental examination. Did Seyra judge that you are ready?"

Azrael nodded slowly. "She did."

Seeing that he wanted to talk about something, the principal motioned for him to sit in a chair.

"Now what business do you have with me?"

With a sigh, Azrael began.

"It's about the terrorist attack."

Instantly upon mentioning the reason he was here, the old man's face hardened.

"Just before I was forced to enter the Rift, I saw Champion Frederick in his last moments."

Naturally, Azrael changed the story slightly. Originally, the Champion gave him his entire arsenal, and then Azrael killed him, devouring his soul in order to give himself better chances of survival. The tale he told was similar; the only change was that rather than killing the Champion, he ran away only to see him being eaten by a monster a few moments later.

Since at the time of the incident the place had been full of abominations, Frederick's corpse had been eaten by a monster. In other words, there was no proof he was killed by a human.

"Thanks to the items he gave me, I was able to survive the Rift." Azrael continued his story, calling forth Gray's Cigar.

"This was the item that Champion Frederick wanted me to deliver at all costs. I am doing it as goodwill for giving me the chance to survive the Rift."

Arthur's eyes widened slightly, extending his hand forward.

He observed the item with great interest.

"Frederick… you old fool." The old man muttered before handing the cigar back.

"I can't take the item." Arthur shook his head. "It will be better in your hands now."

Azrael frowned. "If you don't mind me asking, why don't you take it? Isn't this supposed to belong to your heir?"

The principal didn't reply immediately. He took a deep breath, resting his back against the chair.

"Because he isn't here anymore." The old man stated simply.

'So he is dead.' Azrael didn't press on further.

"He isn't dead." However, Arthur didn't seem to be done.

"Technically at least, he shouldn't be… About two years ago he entered a Rift; he wasn't ready to challenge it yet, but he did so regardless of the danger. The young fool wanted to become a Champion as soon as possible."

Clutching his fists, he continued.

"He has yet to exit the Rift, nor has the Rift evolved to the next Level. Meaning somebody from the expedition should still be alive there. However, the chances that it's my heir are… slim at best… So I can only hope that you keep this item, even if it's useless to you, as a reminder."

The man leaned forward a little.

"Don't risk your life meaninglessly. You can do so at the virtual simulation without a problem, but don't confuse simulation with reality. We have lost many good men and women that have done so."

Taking the principal's words to heart, Azrael left.

His next stop was to go towards an item shop. Now, after officially clearing a Feral Rift, he had been awarded a lot of credits, which, combined with the ones he had saved from before, meant he had a good amount.

The selection of goods was smaller than he expected, but that didn't matter. He had come here for one thing and one thing only.

Healing item.

There were a lot of types of items of that nature; unsurprisingly, most were single-use. However, what Azrael wanted wasn't something that could be used only once. He needed something that he could rely on indefinitely. Like the Blessed Teapot. No matter how much liquid it turned into water, as long as he had the energy in his body, the item would work.

After some searching, his eyes landed on the perfect item for the task.

Item: [Moonlight Tears]

Item Type: [Mundane]

Item Rank: [Cleansed]

Item Description: [The moon being the ultimate enemy of humanity, it's only given that their vitality should be recovered by its tears.]

This was a mass-produced item rather than being one rewarded by the system upon a monster kill. Going against popular belief, that meant the item was eagerly sought after and very expensive.

That was why Azrael was barely able to afford it.

"Still, it's more than worth it." He exhaled, looking at the crimson flask woven in brown fabric that ensured a firm grip.

The way the item worked was simple. A Chosen would keep the item summoned at all times, preferably attached to their armor. Then once they began to slaughter monsters, rather than their Purity or, in his case, Corruption being increased, the essence would go towards the flask itself, slowly filling it.

Once the person needed to heal their injuries, they would take a sip before going straight into battle once more.

Essentially, this was the perfect item for Azrael. Aside from being able to rely on it no matter the situation, it would also slow down his descent into madness… hopefully.

'I am really glad I saved up.' He thought, going towards his newly assigned place of residence.

*****

The next day Azrael was awakened by a call from his ID device.

"I still can't get used to the sound these things make."

With a groan, he stood up. Only to see that Seyra was the one calling him. Not that this revelation surprised him.

"Good morning, pupil." She spoke calmly.

"Good morning," he called back, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"You remember how I told you, you are about to be sent on your first official Rift subjugation? Today is the day."

He frowned slightly. "Isn't it too soon? I mean, shouldn't I get a little rest after escaping from one? Not to mention I thought I should refine my skills in the VR simulation."

"We Chosen can rest all we want when we die." Seyra laughed wholeheartedly.

"Don't forget, we are not sending you into a Rift. Your role is to simply kill the monsters that come out of it. We have another group that will enter it and hopefully clear it."

'They give me shelter, food, protection, and training. It's only natural they'd want something in return.' He figured.

"Okay. Send me the coordinates to where I am supposed to go."

Once the call ended, he quickly stretched his muscles, preparing himself for combat, dressed himself in the familiar attire, and exited.

"Now that I think about it. This is the first time I will be doing what is expected of a Chosen—killing monsters that came out of Rifts before reaching the human settlements." He muttered, scratching his chin.

"This will be an interesting experience. Who knows, I might even devour a skill or two."

He quickly went over the coordinates that Seyra had sent him.

The winds picked up speed, sweeping his white hair to the side.

Soon after, he caught a glimpse of his team for the mission. With his interest piqued, he neared, ready to gauge their strength levels.

It was such a shame, sadly. That he wouldn't know how wrong his first mission would go until it was too late to do anything about it.