The Reaper Forest was finally quiet.

Well, as quiet as it could be after the absolute chaos that had just unfolded.

The tentacle abomination lay in a mangled heap, its massive body oozing black ichor, its severed limbs still twitching slightly as the last remnants of its unnatural life faded away.

The mercenaries and the retired soldiers are clearing up the way for the continuation of the journey, the cultist, well…. They're kneeling and praying like this is the 2nd coming of their lord, meanwhile Alvin and Vincent are arguing about who sliced the most tentacle and did the most damages.

And steve? Shivering as usual.

Darin, still reeling from everything, sat on a rock, trying to gather his thoughts.

Then he heard it.

A wet, squelching noise.

Like something tearing through flesh.

He slowly turned his head—

And nearly choked on air.

Grumble was feasting.

The small, shadowy creature, usually perched on Steve's back like a lazy ball of darkness, had now latched onto a massive chunk of the monster's flesh—

And was devouring it like a starving beast.

Its little jaws worked furiously, black tendrils of shadow energy pulsing around it, breaking down the monstrous meat at an unnatural speed.

Another chunk of flesh vanished into the abyss of its mouth.

Then another.

Then another.

Darin just stared.

"…What the hell?"

Vincent, who had just walked up to check on the situation, blinked.

Then he burst out laughing.

"Whoa, he's like a vacuum!" Vincent said, pointing. "At this rate, he might turn into a tentacle monster himself!"

Darin, already on edge, snapped out of his daze and immediately rushed forward.

"GRUMBLE, STOP!"

The tiny shadow cat didn't even look up.

He just kept eating.

Darin, now panicking, grabbed Grumble by the back of the neck and tried to pull him away from the monstrous feast—

Only to freeze when Grumble turned to look at him.

His eyes glowed red for a brief second, his entire body rippling with a strange, dark energy.

Darin could feel it.

An ominous, ancient power pulsed from the little creature—something far beyond a normal beast's aura.

It wasn't just hunger that drove Grumble to eat.

It was instinct.

It was need.

Darin's stomach twisted.

"…Grumble?" he murmured.

Grumble blinked, the strange glow vanishing instantly, and went back to his meal, chewing happily like nothing had happened.

Darin just stood there, gripping the air where he had almost grabbed Grumble.

Vincent, still watching, grinned. ThischapterwasmadepossiblebythecommunityatMV|LEM|PYR.

"Yeah, no. That thing is definitely not normal."

"…No kidding," Darin muttered.

Before he could make sense of what he just saw, a calm voice cut through the air.

"Let him eat."

Darin turned to see the Sorceress approaching, her expression as unreadable as ever.

She walked gracefully through the battlefield, stepping over piles of dead tentacle limbs without so much as a glance at the carnage.

Darin frowned. "What do you mean, 'let him eat'? That's monster flesh!"

The Sorceress tilted her head slightly. "And?"

Darin threw his hands in the air. "AND?! He's gonna get sick or—worse—turn into some kind of eldritch horror!"

Vincent snorted. "I dunno, Darin. I think he'd look good with a few extra tentacles."

Darin shot him a glare.

The Sorceress, meanwhile, simply sighed. "Relax. He is of shadow lineage."

Darin blinked. "…What?"

The Sorceress knelt beside Grumble, watching as he continued to devour the monster chunks like they were the finest delicacy.

"Creatures of the shadow bloodline have… peculiar diets," she explained. "What is corrupting to others can be nourishment to them."

Darin was still processing. "…Wait, wait. You mean to tell me this is normal for him?"

The Sorceress gave a small nod. "Yes. In fact, this kind of highly condensed monster flesh will make him stronger."

Darin stared at Grumble again, watching the tiny creature absorb the corrupted essence with unsettling ease.

For a moment, he felt a chill.

How strong could Grumble actually become?

And if he kept eating creatures like this…

Would he ever stop?

Vincent, oblivious to Darin's concern, just grinned. "Well, that's good to know! Keep eating, little guy!"

Grumble wagged his tail happily and chomped down another massive chunk.

The Sorceress then stood up, reaching into her cloak.

"Now, Darin," she said, her voice as calm as ever. "Catch."

Before he could react, she tossed something at him.

Darin instinctively caught it.

The moment his fingers closed around it, a surge of energy pulsed through his arm.

His eyes widened as he looked down.

It was a core, but not just any core.

The monster's core.

A swirling, pulsating orb of dark energy, encased in a crystalline shell that seemed to shift and warp under his gaze.

It was alive.

The power within it whispered, like a voice just barely out of reach.

Darin's breath hitched.

"…This is the monster's core?"

The Sorceress nodded. "Yes. It is yours now."

Darin frowned. "What do you mean, 'mine'? I don't want this thing!"

She arched a brow. "Do you even know what a monster core is used for?"

Darin opened his mouth—

Paused.

Closed it again.

"…I mean, I assumed it was just a fancy gemstone thing."

Vincent snorted. "Wow. You really don't know anything, do you?"

Darin glared. "Shut up."

The Sorceress, ignoring them, continued. "Monster cores are concentrated sources of power. They can be used for enchantments, weapon forging, or even personal strength enhancement."

Darin immediately squinted at her. "Okay, see, that last one sounds shady."

The Sorceress simply smiled. "Only if you are weak-willed."

Darin gripped the core tighter, feeling the dark energy pulse against his skin.

Something inside him stirred.

The Overlord's voice whispered in his mind.

"Ahhh… A fine gift indeed."

"Oh no, not you again."

"Take it, Darin. Let its power sink into you. Grow stronger."

"Will it really?"

"Darin?"

Darin snapped out of it, realizing Vincent was waving a hand in front of his face.

"You good, buddy? You kinda spaced out there."

Darin shoved the core into his coat pocket immediately. "Yep. Totally fine. Not hearing weird voices or anything."

Vincent gave him a look. "Uh-huh. Sure."

The Sorceress simply smirked. "Hold onto it. You will understand its value soon enough."

Darin wasn't so sure.

But for now, at least, they had to keep moving.