The first thing Kain noticed when he woke up was the hunger.

  Not for food.

  Something deeper. Something primal.

  His body ached, his vision blurred. He was lying on cold stone, the scent of blood and damp earth filling his nose. When he tried to move, pain lanced through his skull. He groaned, pushing himself up, and that’s when the notification flashed before his eyes.

  [SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]

  [ERROR: HOST UNREGISTERED]

  [COMPENSATING…]

  [SYSTEM ADJUSTED – CLASS: UNBOUND SIPHONER]

  Kain blinked.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “What…?”

  Memories crashed into him all at once. A town burning. Screams. The armored figures descending from the sky like reapers. Then—darkness.

  He clutched his head as the pain subsided. Slowly, he took in his surroundings. A cavern. Stalagmites jutted from the ground like jagged teeth. Water dripped from the ceiling, echoing through the chamber. And in front of him—

  A corpse.

  A creature he had never seen before, its insectoid body split open, green blood pooling around it.

  Then another notification appeared.

  [Skill Absorption Activated]

  [Eligible Skills Detected: Lesser Carapace Reinforcement, Chitin Strike, Echo Vision]

  [Would you like to absorb available skills?]

  [Y/N]

  Kain’s breath hitched. He didn’t understand the system, but he wasn’t about to waste an opportunity.

  “…Yes.”

  A rush of heat surged through him, like molten fire coursing through his veins. His muscles tightened, his skin tingled, and then—clarity.

  [Skill Acquired: Lesser Carapace Reinforcement]

  [Skill Acquired: Chitin Strike]

  [Skill Acquired: Echo Vision]

  Kain exhaled, his hands trembling. His skin had hardened slightly, and when he clenched his fist, he felt a strange strength in his knuckles, as if something beneath the surface had changed.

  The hunger faded slightly.

  Not for food.

  For more.

  He looked around the cavern, eyes sharpening as the absorbed Echo Vision pulsed. Shapes formed in the darkness—more creatures, lurking. Waiting.

  Kain smirked.

  If this was his new reality, then he would carve his way through it.

  One kill at a time.