Chapter 38 – The Depths of Hunger
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The Forbidden Chamber
The deeper they ventured into the ruined temple, the colder it became. The air was thick with something unseen—whispers that slithered through the cracks of the stone, brushing against Luo Fan's senses.
> "Alright, Boss, I need to ask—why do all ancient ruins have this same horror-movie ambiance? Can we for once find an abandoned bakery instead?"
Luo Fan chuckled. "What, afraid?"
> "Pfft. Please. I'm a sentient system mirror. I fear nothing. But I do have a strong dislike for things that tend to dismember their guests."
Shen Mu suddenly halted. "Wait."
Luo Fan stopped just before stepping on a faded inscription. The engravings were barely visible, but as he peered closer, he could make out symbols arranged in a spiraling pattern.
> "Oooooh, look at that. Definitely not ominous." EchoStar whistled.
Shen Mu studied it, her expression tightening. "A sealing array."
Luo Fan frowned. "Sealing what?"
She met his gaze. "Something that shouldn't be unsealed."
> "So naturally, we're unsealing it." EchoStar sighed.
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The Beast Within
The second Luo Fan stepped forward, the air twisted. The ground beneath them shuddered, dust cascading from the cracked ceiling. The ancient symbols flared—dim at first, then violently bright.
The whispers became a roar.
KRRRRAAAAAAAAGH!
From the darkness ahead, something moved. A shape, too large, too twisted to be fully seen.
Shen Mu cursed. "Luo Fan, we need to—"
It lunged.
Luo Fan barely had time to react. A claw, gnarled and pulsating with dark energy, slashed toward him. He twisted away, but the sheer force sent him skidding across the stone floor.
Shen Mu moved instantly, summoning a barrier of blue light. The beast slammed against it, but cracks webbed through the shield in seconds.
> "Hey, Boss? Minor concern—THAT THING LOOKS LIKE A NIGHTMARE GIVEN FORM."
Luo Fan groaned, pulling himself up. "You're exaggerating."
> "I'M LITERALLY SHOWING YOU THE VISUAL FEED, YOU TELL ME."
Luo Fan turned—and saw it clearly.
A monstrous, shifting mass of writhing limbs, barely held together by torn flesh and exposed bones. Its eyes—if they could even be called that—were pits of swirling hunger.
The thing wasn't alive. It was starvation, given form.
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The Devourer's Call
The beast roared again, and the temple walls trembled.
Luo Fan exhaled. "Alright. Time to test something."
Shen Mu's eyes narrowed. "You're not actually planning to fight that thing, are you?"
He smirked. "Not exactly."
The void within him stirred.
He stepped forward, focusing—not on attacking, but on pulling.
The abyss answered.
A shockwave pulsed outward, and the creature twitched. For the first time, it hesitated. Its many limbs recoiled, and its swirling eyes locked onto Luo Fan—not with hunger, but recognition.
It knew.
Luo Fan's power wasn't foreign.
It was kin.
> "…Oh." EchoStar's voice was quiet. "That's either really good or horrifically bad."
Shen Mu stiffened. "Luo Fan, step back. Now."
But Luo Fan didn't move.
Because in that moment—
He understood.
This thing, this monstrous entity—it was a failed attempt. A being that had tried to wield the same power he now held, but had been consumed instead.
And now, it wanted him to follow.
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A Battle of Will
The creature lurched, tendrils shooting toward him.
Luo Fan didn't flinch.
He raised a hand—
Devouring Echo.
The tendrils halted mid-air. The creature shuddered, its body convulsing as cracks of abyssal energy spread through its form.
It was working.
He wasn't just absorbing its power—he was unraveling it.
But then—
A surge of resistance.
The entity fought back, twisting, breaking apart—then reforming again. Its body pulsed with a terrifying energy, and the backlash struck Luo Fan like a hammer.
He staggered, his vision blurring.
> "Okay, NOPE, that's too much! Boss, shut it down before—"
But Luo Fan grit his teeth, pushing forward.
This thing wanted to consume him?
Fine.
He'd consume it first.
With a final pull, the void within him howled. The creature screamed—its form collapsing inward, breaking apart into fragments of raw, pulsing energy—
And then—
Silence.
The chamber was still. The whispers were gone.
Luo Fan exhaled, his legs unsteady.
> "…Did we just win?"
Shen Mu stared at him. "You—" She hesitated, then sighed. "You're reckless."
Luo Fan grinned. "But effective."
> "Yeah, yeah. Until one day you aren't."
Luo Fan closed his eyes, feeling the energy settle within him.
That was close.
But now—
He had grown stronger.
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The Next Step
The temple's oppressive aura had faded. Whatever that thing had been, it was gone now.
But Shen Mu wasn't relaxed.
"Luo Fan… that was just the first."
He raised a brow. "First of what?"
She looked deeper into the ruins. "This temple—this prison—held many."
> "…Oh. Great." EchoStar deadpanned. "So we didn't just beat the final boss early. There's a whole dungeon of these things waiting for us."
Luo Fan stretched his shoulders. "Then we keep going."
Shen Mu blinked. "You're serious?"
He smirked. "We came here for power, right?"
> "Boss, I swear—one of these days your overconfidence is gonna get us all killed."
Luo Fan chuckled. "Not today."
And with that—
He stepped deeper into the darkness.
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[Chapter End.]