The surge from my feint awakened bloodline hadn't faded.
My body moved like lightning—my claws tearing through the crimson blur of the Gravalok's armored limbs. For the first time in this brutal labyrinth… I felt alive.
I wasn't just surviving anymore.
I was fighting.
I slipped under a claw swipe, leapt onto its arm, and slashed deep across its neck. Black-red blood sprayed as it shrieked, stumbling back.
[Shadow Pulse – Cooldown: 12 seconds]
This new power… it's unstable. Wild. But it's mine.( But its also tearing me apart from inside because my body cannot handle it now )
I couldn't stop now.
The Gravalok snarled, charging again, foam dripping from its split jaw. It smashed through stone pillars like twigs, its rage unchained.
We clashed.
Flesh against claw. Roars against growls. I felt every blow rattle my bones, but I didn't falter.
I countered. I twisted. I struck.
My claws gouged into its thigh, then I ducked as its tail whipped over my head. My instincts, sharpened from years of assassination and weeks of hellish training, kept me one breath ahead of death.
I dashed around its side, gritting my teeth as pain flared through my cracked ribs. I couldn't hold out forever.
But neither could it.
Blood coated its fur. One eye hung damaged. Its breathing had grown ragged.
"Running out of steam, beast?" I hissed, fangs bared.
It lunged blindly.
Too slow.
I spun behind it and slammed my claws deep into its hamstring.
It howled, collapsing to one knee.
But it wasn't over.
With a roar that shook the cavern, the Gravalok went berserk. Its muscles swelled grotesquely, veins pulsing as it released a final surge of primal strength.
[Berserker Instinct – Overdrive Activated]
Damn it…!
It charged, faster than ever before.
This time, I couldn't dodge in time.
BAM!
Its shoulder collided with my side. I flew, tumbling through stone and dirt, crashing hard into a cave wall. My vision spun. Blood dripped from my mouth.
[Health: 17%]
I forced myself up.
Both of us were panting now—bleeding, battered, breaking.
We stood, opposite sides of the field, swaying.
Two monsters, equally savage. Equally determined.
Only one would walk away.
I growled low, planting my feet into the cracked earth.
"I didn't crawl through blood and bones just to tie."
The Gravalok snarled, lowering its head, legs trembling.
Time slowed.
I felt everything—the weight of the moment, the pressure in my chest, the fury in my blood.
This ends now.
I raised my paw, channeling every last scrap of energy into the center of my chest.
[New Skill: Shadow Pulse – Tier 1]
[Manual Override: Risking system strain… Confirm?]
"Do it."
[Confirmed. Shadow Pulse – Overdrive Mode]
Darkness surged.
My body ignited with pure black and crimson light, my fangs and claws glowing like molten obsidian.
And then—I ran.
So did it.
We collided in the center.
I screamed as I slammed both claws into its exposed chest, driving the full force of the Shadow Pulse into its heart.
The Gravalok roared.
Tried to retaliate.
Failed.
BOOM!
The energy exploded point-blank, engulfing both of us.
Silence.
Then—
A crashing thud.
Its body hit the ground.
Twitching once.
Then still.
I stumbled forward.
Bleeding.
Burned.
Barely breathing.
My vision blurred as I stared down at the massive corpse.
"I… won…"
My knees buckled.
Darkness closed in.
I collapsed atop the Gravalok's body.
---
I don't know how long I was unconscious.
But somewhere between the blood and shadows, I felt warmth.
Soft.
Familiar.
Mother.
When I blinked my eyes open, I was inside the cave. My fur was cleaned. My wounds bound in tight leaf wrappings.
My mother was curled next to me, breathing slow and steady.
The massive corpse of the Gravalok rested near the cave entrance, bones picked clean. She must've dragged it here… me along with it.
"...so you were following me because you was worried about me," I whispered.
She didn't respond.
She just nuzzled closer, as if to say, Of course I had to because i love you so much.
I looked at the monster core she left near the fire—still pulsing with crimson energy. The last one.
The tenth.
[Unique Monster Core Acquired – "Crimson Tyrant Gravalok"]
[Condition Met: 10 Unique Cores Consumed]
[System Update: Evolution Trait – Final Stage Available]
[Bloodline Awakening Imminent]
A grin crept across my tired face.
"I made it…"
Then sleep took me.
The final sleep before my evolution.
[SYSTEM ALERT – EVOLUTION IMMINENT]
Name: Kael'thas
Race: Vorrak Beastspawn [Base Form]
Class: Devourer
Level: 19
Status: Wounded | Stable
Unique Monster Cores Consumed: 10 / 10
---
[Core Assimilation Complete]
→ Final Core Acquired: Gravalok, the Crimson Tyrant
→ Apex Trait Absorbed: "Blood Frenzy"
→ Bloodline Reaction: ACTIVE
→ Evolutionary Path: Unlocked
---
[BLOODLINE LIMIT BROKEN]
Species Evolution: Vorrak Alpha (Pending)
*Awakened Trait: Lycanthrope Hybridization [Locked]
---
>> Evolve Now?
[YES] — Initiate Transformation
[NO] — Delay Evolution