Chapter 3 The First Void Synthesis

"Don't you dare die now, Giz," Killian whispered. His voice cracked, swallowed by the silence of the corridor. "I just found a way to make them pay. You have to see it. We have to do it together."

Purple light pulsed at the tips of Killian's fingers, creeping slowly like electrical circuits searching for a way home. In his arms, Giz's body felt lighter and lighter, as if the little worm's life was evaporating into the damp underground air. Killian panted heavily, his vision, once blurry, now unnaturally sharp. His left eye throbbed in agonizing rhythm, radiating a golden glow that illuminated the surrounding walls.

Before his eyes, the transparent liquid interface continued displaying details that made his entire body tremble.

[Hidden Evolution Path: Void Devourer Grunt Rank: Unknown/Anomaly]

[Status: Requirements Not Fulfilled]

[Energy Deficiency: 94%]

[Required Materials: Predator Energy Core (0/1), Life Essence of the Anomaly Available].

Killian turned toward the still-warm corpse of the Calamity Spider. Acidic fluids from the monster's body hissed against the ground, creating a sharp stench that stabbed at his nose. He knew what he had to do. His Evolution Eye revealed a glowing point inside the spider's chest cavity, a small crystal that served as the heart of the creature's power.

Using the last of his strength, Killian crawled toward the corpse. Every inch of movement felt like thorns piercing his muscles. He grabbed the rusted iron rod he had used to kill the predator. His hands shook violently as he slammed the iron into the spider's hardened chest, trying to tear through the thick chitin plating.

"Open... damn you, open!" Killian growled.

The scraping of metal against hardened shell echoed harshly through the corridor. Killian did not care that his hands were torn open and his blood had begun mixing with the monster's green fluids. His mind focused on only one thing, Giz. He glanced back at the little worm lying motionless behind him. Time continued to slip away.

[Remaining time until target death: 45 seconds]

"Come on!" Killian roared as he delivered one final strike.

Crack!

The protective shell shattered. Inside it rested a small deep-purple stone glowing faintly. Killian snatched it without hesitation. An icy sensation immediately spread from his palm through his arm, a wild energy that seemed to reject human touch.

[Calamity Spider Energy Core acquired. Integrating into synthesis process…]

Killian returned to Giz's side. He placed the energy core directly atop the worm's body. But the golden panel before him flashed red, delivering a warning that nearly stopped his heart.

[Warning: Energy from the Core is insufficient to stabilize Void structure.]

[Evolution failure will result in total destruction of both subject and user.]

[Emergency Option: Use Life Essence as an additional catalyst].

"What does that mean?" Killian asked.

[Description: You must sacrifice a portion of your own life.]

[Risk: Permanent organ damage or death].

Killian fell silent for a moment. He stared at his filthy hands, then at the tiny worm that had become his only companion through years of humiliation and suffering. In this world, Killian Moretti's life was considered worthless. Captain Vax discarded him like trash. Jax laughed at him like a joke. The only creature that had ever looked at him with pure loyalty was this earthworm now standing at death's door.

"The world already gave up on me," Killian laughed bitterly, cold madness flashing in his eyes. "So why should I care about my own safety? If I have to burn myself alive to destroy them all, then so be it."

He grabbed a shard of sharp glass from the nearby rubble. Without hesitation, he sliced open his right palm. The cut was deep, and thick crimson blood poured freely. Killian pressed his wounded palm against Giz and the energy core.

"Take everything," he hissed. "Take my blood. Take my rage. Wake up, Giz!"

Instantly, the underground corridor seemed to lose its gravity. Killian's blood did not drip to the floor. Instead, it floated through the air, forming tiny spirals drawn into the spider's energy core. The golden light in his eye exploded outward, merging with the dark purple glow of the synthesis process.

[Forbidden Evolution Protocol activated]

[Absorbing Life Essence…]

[Synthesizing Void Cellular Structure…]

Killian felt as though a gigantic pump were sucking the marrow from his spine. The pain was indescribable. It felt as if every cell in his body were being pulled through the eye of a needle. His skin turned deathly pale, and dark circles appeared beneath his sunken eyes.

"Ugh... aaaagh!"

He collapsed to his knees, his head slamming against the floor, yet he still refused to break contact with Giz. He could feel his heartbeat slowing, every thump heavier than the last. His vision darkened, but the Evolution Eye continued feeding him data about the ongoing process.

[Integration: 40%... 60%... 85%...]

The entire corridor began to tremble. The air around Killian grew heavy and smelled of scorched ozone. Golden lines from his Evolution Eye spread across the walls, forming impossible geometric patterns, as though reality itself were being rewritten according to Killian's will.

[Warning: User heartbeat below safe levels.]

[Terminate process now or risk of death will increase to 90%].

"Shut up..." Killian gritted his teeth until his gums bled. "Don't stop... keep going!"

[Integration: 95%... 98%... 100%].

[Evolution Complete]

A shockwave of pure energy erupted from beneath Killian's palm. Its force hurled the giant spider corpse against the wall, crushing it into fragments of chitin and slime. Killian himself was blasted backward, his spine slamming violently into the wall. He slid down helplessly, barely breathing, every inhale feeling like fire in his lungs.

In the silence following the explosion, thin clouds of purple smoke slowly blanketed the area.

Killian struggled to open his heavy eyes. Where Giz had once lain, there was now a perfectly oval cocoon made of pitch-black material that resembled a black hole at the center of the room. The cocoon emitted no light. Instead, it seemed to devour the light around it.

Thump.

A powerful heartbeat echoed from inside the cocoon. It did not sound like the heartbeat of an insect, but more like a war drum reverberating within Killian's soul.

[Name: Giz]

[Race: Void Devourer Grunt Unique Evolution]

[Rank: Peak Iron]

[Growth Capacity: Hidden Infinite]

[Status: Hatching].

Killian smiled weakly. Blood still flowed from the corner of his lips and from his torn palm, but overwhelming pride filled his heart. He had done it. He had challenged the laws of the System and won.

Suddenly, a crack appeared across the surface of the black cocoon. Dark purple light shone through the fissure, carrying a predator's aura so cold that the remaining shadow rats in the corridor died instantly.

Crack! Crack!

The cocoon shattered into countless pieces, dissolving into cosmic dust that vanished into the air, and a small figure emerged from within.

It was no longer the fat, sluggish earthworm from before. The creature now possessed a sleek body covered in shimmering black scales like polished obsidian. Its six small legs ended in razor-sharp claws radiating distorted spatial energy. On its tiny head sat a pair of dark purple eyes, identical in color to the Void energy itself, radiating intelligence far beyond any monster Killian had ever seen.

The creature moved, its voice no longer a weak chirp but a low hiss that sounded like noble metal grinding against itself. Slowly, it crawled toward Killian's broken body.

Killian stared at the creature with what little consciousness he had left. "Giz...?"

The creature stopped directly before Killian's face. It extended its tiny tongue and licked the wound on his cheek. Killian felt a cold healing sensation spread across his skin. A powerful spiritual bond connected them, and through it Killian could feel Giz's rage, its loyalty, and its endless hunger for the enemies of its master.

"You're... you're incredible," Killian murmured.

At that same moment, far above the surface, inside Captain Vax's headquarters, a warning alarm blared across the System monitoring console.

"Captain! An energy anomaly has been detected at coordinates 4-B!" shouted a pale-faced technician. "The signal... the signal isn't registered in the System database!"

Vax, who had been enjoying liquor after considering the "trash cleanup" mission complete, frowned. "What do you mean? Did a Boss-level monster appear?"

"No, Captain. This isn't a monster." The technician swallowed hard, his hands trembling over the keyboard. "Th-the energy... it feels like something is tearing dimensional space apart from underground. And the source... it's coming from the location where we left Moretti."

Vax froze, the glass in his hand suspended midair. "Impossible. That piece of trash was spider food."

Back in the underground corridor, Killian slowly forced himself upright. Though his body felt shattered, new energy flowed through the bond with Giz, giving him strength to rise. He looked at the hand he had sliced open earlier. The wound had closed completely, leaving behind only a thin silver scar.

Giz, the Void Devourer, leaped onto Killian's shoulder. The creature stood proudly, radiating an aura of dominance that seemed to force the surrounding shadows into submission.

Killian looked toward the hole in the ceiling where the crimson light of dusk had begun to shine through. He could hear the faint sounds of helicopters and movement above. The world might still see him as prey, but they had no idea that the true predator had just been born in the darkness.

"They think this pit is our grave, Giz." Killian stood tall, his gold-violet eyes gleaming in the dark. "But they're wrong. This is the birthplace of our empire."

He clenched his fist, feeling spatial power churn violently within him. The vengeance he had buried for so long now finally had a vessel through which it could be unleashed. He was no longer the Killian begging for mercy. He was the anomaly that would devour this entire System whole.

"Come on," Killian said in a cold, lethal tone. "Let's give them a surprise they'll never forget."

Giz released a sharp hiss, agreeing with every word spoken by its master. As they began walking toward the exit, the space around Killian's feet visibly trembled, as though the world itself were too weak to contain their existence.

But just as Killian reached the area beneath the opening of light, a familiar laugh echoed from above.

"Look at that! Still signs of life down there!" Jax shouted arrogantly. "Vax, you were right, that rat's got nine lives. Let's finish what we started before another monster shows up!"

A rope ladder was thrown down, followed by the shadows of several figures descending into the depths. They had come to ensure Killian's death, carrying weapons gleaming with counterfeit System energy.

Killian stopped walking. He made no attempt to hide. Instead, he stood directly beneath the light, allowing the traitors to see his face.

"You came at the perfect time," Killian whispered while Giz on his shoulder began radiating dense black energy, ready to tear apart anything standing in their path. "I was just about to test this new power."

A deadly grin spread across his face.