Chapter 61 : Unexpected Rewards

Chapter 61: Chapter 61 : Unexpected Rewards

The first sensation was heat.

It spread from Ash’s chest outward with such intensity that he nearly collapsed.

The ancient creature’s body began dissolving into streams of energy, not decaying or breaking apart like an ordinary corpse, but gradually transforming into luminous particles that rose from its scales.

Blue light flowed first.

Then silver.

Then a faint crimson energy emerged from beneath the ancient wounds.

The three colors twisted together around Ash.

The relic on his chest absorbed the first wave.

Ash’s body immediately reacted.

His heart slammed against his ribs.

His muscles tightened.

His bones seemed to burn from within.

Ash fell onto one knee, claws digging into the snow as another surge of energy entered his body.

Aren rushed forward.

"Ash!"

Kael stopped him.

"Wait."

The old Silver Lynx watched the swirling energy with wide eyes.

"This isn’t ordinary absorption."

Ash couldn’t hear them clearly anymore.

The world around him had become distant.

He could hear everything.

The movement of snow several hundred steps away.

The heartbeat of Aren.

Moonfang’s breathing.

The distant shifting of ice beneath the mountain.

Even the movement of tiny creatures beneath the snow became painfully clear.

His senses continued expanding.

Ash smelled ancient energy.

He had no idea how he could smell something that had no physical scent, yet he could distinguish it from ordinary energy with absolute clarity.

The entire landscape suddenly became different.

Lines of blue energy appeared beneath the ground.

They travelled through the mountains like enormous veins.

Some converged beneath Moonveil.

Others stretched toward distant regions.

Ancient ruins glowed faintly beneath the snow.

Old symbols hidden beneath layers of ice became visible.

Ash’s eyes widened.

He could see the ancient network.

He could see what the old civilizations had once seen.

The System appeared.

[Ancient Devouring in progress.]

[Compatible energy detected.]

[Integration beginning.]

Ash’s body shook.

The energy became stronger.

His muscles tightened as though every fiber was being rewritten.

The sensation was painful, but beneath the pain came strength.

His bones became denser.

His joints felt more stable.

His lungs seemed capable of drawing in more air.

His heartbeat gradually slowed.

Then another message appeared.

[Skill Acquired: Ancient Predator Physique.]

[Host’s physical capabilities have increased.]

[Muscular density increased.]

[Bone density increased.]

[Physical endurance increased.]

[Recovery efficiency increased.]

Ash closed his eyes.

He could feel the difference.

It wasn’t an overwhelming transformation.

He hadn’t suddenly become invincible.

But his body felt more complete.

More prepared.

Like something inside him had finally remembered what it was supposed to become.

Then another wave of energy entered him.

Ash’s senses expanded again.

The world became covered in invisible patterns.

Ancient ruins.

Buried relics.

Energy corridors.

Territorial boundaries.

Even the distant mountain carried a faint aura.

The System appeared.

[Skill Acquired: Ancient Energy Perception.]

[Host can now perceive concentrated Ancient Energy.]

[Ancient structures, relics, seals, corrupted energy, and certain Primordial territories may become detectable.]

Ash opened his eyes.

The plateau was no longer simply a frozen landscape.

It was alive with ancient history.

The ground beneath him carried memories.

The stones carried energy.

The mountain carried something far darker.

Then the System continued.

[Predatory Experience Assimilation initiated.]

Ash’s mind filled with sensations.

He suddenly knew how to follow tracks belonging to enormous creatures.

He understood how certain predators marked territories.

He recognized subtle changes in snow that indicated the passage of something heavy.

He understood how ancient creatures concealed their presence.

None of it felt like learning.

It felt instinctive.

His body simply knew.

The System confirmed it.

[Skill Acquired: Predator’s Instinct.]

[Compatible hunting instincts successfully integrated.]

Ash breathed slowly.

The memories of the creature were gone, but fragments of its instincts remained inside him.

He understood now why it had survived for so long.

It had never relied purely on strength.

It had survived because it understood when to fight and when to flee.

Then came another notification.

[Ancient Bloodline Resonance increased.]

[Current Resonance: 19%.]

Ash’s eyes widened.

Nineteen percent.

The System still refused to identify the bloodline.

That mystery remained untouched.

Then the experience notification appeared.

[Ancient Entity defeated.]

[Experience acquired: 48,700.]

[Level requirement fulfilled.]

[Level increased.]

[Level increased.]

[Level increased.]

[Level increased.]

[Level increased.]

[Level increased.]

Ash’s breathing stopped for a moment.

[Current Level: 23.]

He stared at the message.

From Level 17 to Level 23.

Six levels from one creature.

Yet somehow, even that enormous reward didn’t feel like the most important thing he had gained.

The energy inside him was still changing.

The System suddenly froze.

The usual blue interface disappeared.

For several seconds, there was nothing.

Then a new message appeared.

[Hidden Condition Fulfilled.]

Ash’s ears lifted.

[Host has successfully devoured an Ancient Entity.]

[Ancient Devourer Function unlocked.]

Ash stared at the words.

The System continued.

[Ancient Devourer allows the Host to assimilate compatible traits from devoured creatures.]

[Warning: Not all traits are compatible.]

[Incompatible traits will be rejected.]

[Excessive assimilation may damage Host’s body.]

Ash slowly understood what this meant.

The System had changed.

Until now, devouring had simply been a method of obtaining energy.

Now it had become something more.

He could inherit specific characteristics from powerful creatures.

But there was a limit.

His body would decide what it could accept.

That restriction prevented the ability from becoming limitless.

Then another message appeared.

[Ancient Memory Fragment acquired.]

Ash’s expression changed.

The memory he had already experienced had shown him the creature’s ancient past.

But this was different.

This was something the creature itself had never fully understood.

A memory hidden deep within its instincts.

Ash accepted it.

Darkness swallowed his consciousness.

He stood in an enormous cavern.

The ancient predator was there.

It was older now.

Much older.

Its body had scars covering its scales, and its eyes carried the exhaustion of countless years.

It stood at the edge of an enormous underground chamber.

Something was beneath it.

Ash couldn’t see the entire shape.

Only darkness.

Then one enormous eye opened.

The ancient predator froze.

The creature’s instincts screamed.

Not attack.

Not fight.

Run.

Ash felt the terror himself.

The eye beneath the earth was so enormous that his mind struggled to comprehend its size.

The ancient predator backed away.

The darkness moved.

The memory ended.

Ash was thrown back into reality.

He opened his eyes sharply.

The storm had stopped.

The plateau was silent.

The ancient creature was gone.

Only a massive depression remained in the snow where its body had fallen.

Aren slowly approached.

He stared at Ash for several seconds.

"Are you alright?"

Ash looked at him.

He wanted to answer immediately, but the words didn’t come.

Something about him had changed.

Aren noticed it.

Kael noticed it too.

The old Silver Lynx walked closer, studying Ash’s face.

His eyes narrowed.

The blue in Ash’s eyes had changed.

A faint silver ring now surrounded the pupils.

It wasn’t bright enough to be obvious from a distance, but Kael could see it.

He stopped.

"Whatever you just became," Kael said quietly, "you’re no longer the same wolf who entered this valley."

Ash looked toward Moonveil.

For the first time, he could see beneath the mountain.

Not physically.

Through the Ancient Energy Perception.

The blue energy network beneath Moonveil was no longer flowing peacefully.

It was moving.

Something was disturbing it.

Something enormous.

Ash’s breathing slowed.

The ancient seal appeared beneath his perception like a massive web of ancient energy.

Several sections had already weakened.

The System appeared.

[Ancient Energy Perception activated.]

[Host has detected a concealed entity beneath Moonveil.]

[Entity Classification: Unknown.]

[Species: Unknown.]

[Origin: Unknown.]

[Threat Level: Beyond Current Evaluation.]

Ash stared at the mountain.

Then another message appeared.

[Main Quest Updated.]

THE AWAKENING

Objective: Discover what sleeps beneath Moonveil.

Secondary Objective: Restore the Ancient Covenant.

Warning: Ancient Seal integrity continues to decline.

Critical Warning: If Ancient Seal integrity reaches 0%, Frostfang Continent will enter an irreversible state.

Ash remained silent.

Aren followed his gaze toward Moonveil.

"What do you see?"

Ash didn’t answer immediately.

He could now see the ancient energy moving beneath the mountain.

He could see the weakened seal.

And somewhere beyond it, buried in darkness deeper than the mountain itself, something was slowly shifting.

The creature he had just devoured had spent an age running from that presence.

The ancient Guardian had spent an age containing it.

The four bloodlines had once united to protect the seal.

And now the Blackfang heir stood at the edge of the same ancient crisis.

Ash lowered his gaze toward the snow where the Ancient Predator had disappeared.

He finally understood the meaning behind its final actions.

It had not come to challenge him.

It had come looking for him.

The realization brought no satisfaction from the victory.

Instead, Ash felt a quiet weight settle inside his chest.

He had gained strength.

He had gained experience.

He had gained instincts from an existence older than the current world.

But the more he learned, the more frightening the truth became.

The creature he had just devoured had survived an age that had swallowed civilizations.

And even that creature had been afraid.

Ash looked once more toward Moonveil.

Deep beneath the mountain, something moved.

The ancient seal trembled.

And for the first time, Ash could feel it clearly.

Whatever had been sleeping beneath the world was no longer dreaming.

It was waking.

To be continued...