Death Heir’s Devouring System

The benefits of being of the Tainted Corruption Rank were numerous.

Yet no doubt one positive stood above the rest.

Since Azrael was of that Rank, it meant the only way to raise his Corruption was to slaughter monsters with a Rank equal to or higher than his own.

And fortunately these Wanderers were merely of the Twisted Rank.

In other words, for as long as he was careful, he could kill to his heart's content.

And he wasn't going to let something as rare as this pass from his grasp.

Shattering the ground beneath him in a spiderweb pattern, he leaped high. In a flash he was on the shoulders of a Wanderer.

The abomination didn't even have time to process what was happening before its beheaded head fell to the ground.

'Sadly, to every positive there is a negative.' He thought.

'Since I am not raising my Corruption by killing these monsters, the system will not echo in my head confirming my kill. This means I have to be more careful to not let one pretend to be dead.'

"More are coming!" Chunk shouted with all his might, taking several steps back.

At the beginning of the fight things had proceeded smoothly, but unfortunately it seemed that there were many more monsters hidden in the forest than the squad expected.

That was why Alexander made the decision to split them into teams and spread them out over a large area. In theory, this way an abomination shouldn't be able to reach the human settlements before encountering at least a single Chosen.

"Fall back, and watch my rear!" Azrael called back to the man he was teamed up with. Since the squad leader viewed Azrael in a positive light. He, alongside Chunk, was sent deep in the forest where the Corruption of the Rift was most rampant.

Their job was simple: kill everything they see.

That suited the Heir of Death fine; he needed the chance to refine his skills in real combat, not just simulated ones.

Accelerating forward, he met Chunk's gaze briefly before speeding off even faster.

Four Wanderers were running towards them full force, jagged nails and maws wide open, intending to devour them.

'You have been resting for too long; it's time you come out and battle in the sunlight once more.' Azrael mused, his lips parting.

"Cinder."

A second later the ashen bird lunged at one of the abominations. Chunk kept the second one at bay, while Azrael was meant to deal with two at the same time.

One of the abominations swung claws trying to tear him to pieces; the second used its wide arm's reach to surprise Azrael by striking at his rear.

This was what made the Savage monsters much more dangerous than the Feral ones; it wasn't their raw strength nor their size.

It was their adaptive intelligence.

Had Azrael still been Marked, he would have perished right there, unable to see the attack aimed at catching him off guard.

But now, being of the Proven status, things were different.

He lived in a sort of bubble; anything that got close in approximately a meter and a half from him would instantly be picked up by his instincts.

In a graceful motion he evaded the two strikes that missed him by a hair's margin.

An instant later he moved, going below one of the abominations. Targeting their weak spots, he severed the tendons behind their knees, leading them to fall and be easy to pick off afterwards.

Before he could afford to rest, he dashed to Cinder's side. The Remembrance wasn't meant to be used in battle; at most Azrael could afford to use it as a distraction.

The ashen bird screeched louder, the monster's crimson eyes growing fiercer.

Taking that as a chance, the Wanderer roared as well in an attempt to scare the bird away.

A few seconds later it was slain by Azrael's ambush.

Once the area was cleared out, he called out.

"Are you alive?"

After several seconds of silence, a strained cough came from the other side.

"Barely."

Chunk loomed forward, a large gash bleeding from his forehead threatening to kill him sooner rather than later.

"If you have healing items, now is the time to use them." Azrael spoke calmly.

A dry laugh escaped Chunk's mouth. "I already did; all of them were single use. I have nothing left."

Azrael frowned at the words.

'The last thing I need is for someone to slow me down. I can let him die, but then this might give negative impressions to Seyra.' He thought bitterly, handing over Moonlight Tears that had been attached to his armor all this time.

"Drink, it heals." He spoke coldly.

Chunk's eyes narrowed momentarily seeing the healing item; with a nod of appreciation, he took a few sips, letting his injury heal at an absurd rate.

"Thank you! I won't forget the gesture!"

With a sigh, Azrael attached the healing item back to his attire.

"Naturally, once we are back, you are to repay me with credits."

Hearing that, Chunk's shoulders fell down. He didn't want to part with his money, but yet again his life was more important than some credits.

Just when the two men thought they would be able to take a breather, Alexander's voice echoed from their ID devices.

"Do you copy?"

He wasn't talking to them specifically but to the entire team as a whole.

"Phase one of the operation has concluded. The Proven team entered the Rift, and not long after, it closed; for now, nothing will be able to come out or go in. Kill the remaining monsters, and the operation will be a success."

"Finally," Azrael muttered, massaging his shoulder.

"We are almost done."

Ironically enough, picking the leftover monsters was more tedious work than dealing with them when they came in waves.

At least then they would be easy to spot; now some of them had the tendency to stay quiet in hopes of remaining undetected.

'This would have gone so much faster if Isolde were here…' Azrael sighed, surveying the area from the roof of the HQ building.

"Good work." Alexander praised every single Proven individually. As it turned out, the Champion hadn't just fought but also observed the way his team fought and gave them pointers.

"Azrael." The man spoke, getting a few steps closer.

"You are very strong and have an animalistic instinct; you know when and how to move…"

He shook his head slowly.

"Frankly, you would be the perfect Proven if there wasn't one thing weighing you down."

Azrael's eyes enlarged; if someone was going to give him tips about how to get more powerful, he would listen.

"You lack experience." The Champion said. "And I mean a lot; you are still young. You haven't had the time to be in tens of thousands of battles. You can't always rely on your power; you have to slowly build your experience, otherwise you risk running into something that you are yet unaware how to face."

Truthfully, Azrael appreciated the advice; he was going to take it to heart.

"Hey."

A second later Chunk came and put a hand over his shoulder.

"I thought of a better way to repay you for the healing item! You have a VR headset, don't you? I can guide you through battles against other Chosen that will help you improve faster. The truth is… I'm something of a semi-celebrity in that world."

'The Champion did tell me I need more experience.' Azrael mused.

"Sure, give me your contact information; we will work something out."

The mission had concluded, Alexander had sent the report, and verification was ready.

Exhausted but content with themselves, the squad was about to head out—

Yet one Proven didn't move.

"Clara, what are you waiting for?" Alexander arched an eyebrow, getting closer. "Is this because you won't get credits for this mission?"

The woman stayed silent for a few seconds. Then slowly she raised a trembling finger pointing to the Rift.

"Didn't the Proven team enter just a few hours ago?"

Alexander frowned, his gaze moving to the Rift only to see the unstable Corruption it was giving off.

Quite strange; when there were Chosen challenging a Rift, the portal should have remained stable.

The man didn't have a lot of time to ponder; a moment later a threatening wave of Corruption passed over the Chosen bodies.

Only Alexander and Azrael managed to stay firm on their feet. The other felt their knees buckling as they collapsed on the ground.

"The Rift leveled up?" The Champion's face paled in pure terror.

Before they could get their bearings, a hand came from the Rift.

A hand belonging to a Reaver monster.