**Chapter Excerpt: "The Throbbing"**
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The pain came without warning—a **white-hot spike** driving into Mark's temple. He staggered, his vision blurring at the edges, the world tilting like a ship caught in a storm. The Wind Blossom Katana slipped from his fingers, clattering against the metal floor of the corridor.
*"Ren,"* he gritted out, pressing the heel of his palm against his throbbing skull. *"Take the fish. Clean them. Drain every drop of blood. Cook them at high heat—*nothing raw.*"*
Ren frowned, glancing at the two massive River Maw corpses they'd dragged back. *"You good?"*
Mark didn't answer. He couldn't. The pain was **spreading**, tendrils of fire curling around his brainstem, sinking into his veins. His left eye pulsed—a deep, unnatural heat radiating from it.
He turned away, stumbling toward the hallway's dim recesses. The ship's flickering emergency lights painted the walls in jagged stripes of red and shadow. He didn't make it far. His knees buckled, and he slumped against the bulkhead, sliding down until he was seated on the cold floor.
*Breathe. Just breathe.*
He squeezed his eyes shut, but the pain didn't relent. It **twisted**, morphing from agony into something stranger—a *pressure*, like his skull was too small for what was inside.
Then—voices.
Not from the corridor. Not from the colonists murmuring in the distance.
From **inside his head**.
*"Little human,"* something whispered, the words slick and guttural, *"you've been eating well."*
Mark's eyes snapped open. His breath came in ragged gasps.
*Hallucinations. Cryo-sickness. Something in the fish.*
But the voice laughed—a sound like grinding bones. *"Oh, no. We're quite real."*
Mark clenched his fists, his nails biting into his palms. He needed focus. Something *real*.
His **status screen**.
[STATS]
[Race: Human 98%/ Blood Demon 2%
Level: 10 EXP: 95/470
Status Points: 6
Strength: 25+(3)
Agility: 11+(2)
Magic: 25
Health (HP): 11/ 27
Mana (MP): 30/ 30
Stamina: 5/ 14
Skill: Blood Slash Mastery-10 Cost: 2 HP]
**[New Trait Available: "Blood Demon's Whispers"]**
Mark's pulse spiked.
He focused on the notification, and the screen expanded, text scrolling rapidly:
**[Trait: Blood Demon's Whispers]**
- *Type:* Mental/Corruption
- *Effect:* Grants **limited communication
** with the Blood Demon essence within you.
-*Effect:* When your life is in great Danger you will mutate into a lesser Blood Demon.
-*Risk:* User will slowly gain a Stone Heart.
-*Risk:* Expect your body to start mutate and look more like a Blood Demon.
- *Unlocks:* Hidden knowledge about your mutations and the worlds of mana]
A chill slithered down Mark's spine.
The voice in his head **purred**. *"Ask us anything, little killer."*
Mark exhaled slowly. His hands trembled—not from fear, but from the raw, electric *hunger* curling in his gut. The same hunger that had made him bite into the first creature's flesh. The same hunger that now gnawed at his sanity.
He could ignore it. Shut the screen away. Walk back to the others and pretend nothing was wrong.
He'd been careful. He'd controlled the mutations, the urges. But the system was clear—every step deeper into this power brought him closer to losing himself.
And yet…
The ship was a graveyard. The colonists were starving. The creatures out there were getting **stronger**.
He needed every advantage.
His finger hovered over the **[Accept Trait]** option.
The voice in his head **laughed**, low and knowing.
Mark tapped the screen.
**[Trait Acquired: "Blood Demon's Whispers"]**
The world **shattered**.
Pain exploded behind his eyes—not the dull throb from before, but a **rupture**, like his mind had been split open. Visions flooded in:
- A **black sun** hanging over a ruined city.
- Creatures of sinew and static, crawling from broken screens.
- A **man in a lab coat** (Vorne?) screaming as his body *unraveled* into crimson threads.
And then—
*"They're coming,"* the demon whispered. *"The apocalypse children. And they're* hungry.*"*
Mark gasped, doubling over as the visions receded. His nose was bleeding, hot droplets spattering the floor. His left eye burned, the pupil slit like a serpent's.
But the pain was gone.
In its place—**clarity**.
He stared at his reflection in the katana's blade. His face was pale, his silver hair streaked with sweat. But his eyes…
One blue.
One **red**.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
*Not bad.*
[Evolution Mission: Deafeat Level 10: Arcadic Dragon]