Phantom Panther
During the travel back, Malik took the chance to check his stat screen, and in doing so he noticed a few additions to the page.
----------------------------
Name: Malik Thana
Age: 19
Race: Primordial Shifter
Rank: Advanced+(Early)
Gold: 2000
Level: 6
Stats =
Vitality - 60
Strength - 50
Agility - 50
Endurance - 50
Intelligence - 85
Mana - 85
Perception - 50
Charm - 100
Soul - 65
Traits/Abilities:
-Dark Magic
-Dragon Inheritence
-Regeneration(Lesser)
-Mana Sense(Lesser)
-Acidic Venom
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The status window now displayed the abilities he had access to, even those gained through the DNA he absorbed. However, he did note that the system failed to track the DNA within him or the Primordial Shifter traits he was born with, but this didn't feel like much of an issue. Afterall, he could still use them.
"I can even store gold in the system... I wonder if I can store items too? Well it's not like I have anything to store currently." Malik contemplated, closing the screen and focusing on the journey back.
…
The city gates loomed ahead, their iron frames casting long shadows beneath the dying light of the sun. Malik walked at a steady pace, each step controlled, calculated. A black hood draped over his head, obscuring his face entirely. The cosmic slits of his eyes remained hidden beneath the heavy fabric, allowing him to move unnoticed among the people filing in and out of the city.
It wasn't paranoia.
It was necessity.
Kairo's voice slithered into his mind, thick with amusement. "You're being watched."
Malik didn't react outwardly, but he could feel it too.
A subtle shift in the air, a few lingering gazes that stayed just a moment too long. He had expected as much. The disappearance of a well-known Advanced+ ranked mercenary group wasn't something that would go unnoticed, even in a place as transient as Vel Ryn.
But suspicion wasn't evidence.
He adjusted his hood slightly, his posture remaining casual as he stepped through the gates and into the bustling streets. The city was alive with activity, merchants shouting, beggars pleading, mercenaries swaggering down the worn cobblestone roads, boasting of their latest hunts.
For a brief moment, Malik felt something stir within him. A strange sense of detachment. He had been here not long ago, taking contracts, sharing drinks, speaking to people who, at the time, hadn't yet realized that they were nothing more than sustenance to him. Now, he was walking among them, unseen. Untouchable.
Kairo spoke, his voice cutting through the silence in his mind. "You don't belong here anymore, you know that, right?"
Malik exhaled, his expression softening slightly. "I never really did."
Before they could continue, the guildhall came into view, the familiar crest of the Solvarian Empire hanging above the heavy wooden doors.
It was time to play his part.
The moment Malik stepped inside, he felt the shift.
Conversations quieted. Eyes flickered toward him.
It was subtle, barely noticeable to an ordinary person—but Malik could feel the weight of their curiosity, their unease.
The receptionist, a middle-aged man with graying hair, looked up from his ledger, his brow furrowing.
"Back already?"
Malik approached the counter, his voice even. "The job's done. The Shadowfang is dead."
Silence.
A few mercenaries at nearby tables stiffened.
Others exchanged quick glances.
The receptionist's fingers curled slightly against the desk. "And the others?"
Malik tilted his head just slightly, the movement slow and measured, giving nothing away. "They didn't make it."
The words hung in the air and a heavy pause followed.
The receptionist's expression darkened, but not with shock—with something else. Malik could see the calculations in his eyes. The way he hesitated, as if searching for the right words.
He was suspicious.
But there was no proof.
After a long beat, the receptionist exhaled, rubbing a hand over his forehead. "Damn shame. Kael's group has been around a long time."
Malik said nothing.
He didn't need to.
Another mercenary scoffed from a nearby table. A burly man with thick, braided-brown hair and a scar running down his cheek, his gaze sharp and probing. "You're telling me that Kael, Lena, and the rest of those bastards all got wiped out... but you survived?"
More eyes turned toward Malik, boring holes through him.
The challenge was clear.
He could feel the quiet hostility creeping in, the tension rising.
Malik remained still.
Then, with slow deliberation, he reached into his robe and produced the bounty slip and set it down on the counter. "You can doubt me all you like," he said, his voice cold, dismissive. "The Shadowfang's remains are in the designated location. Check for yourself."
The scarred mercenary opened his mouth—then hesitated.
Because Malik was right.
If the Shadowfang was dead, then the proof was there. If they wanted to confirm his story, they could.
And yet…
Malik watched as the man's instincts warred with logic.
A part of him still didn't believe it.
But there was nothing he could say.
The receptionist sighed, shaking his head. "You're lucky I don't have time to deal with mercenary disputes." He slid the bounty reward across the counter. "That's 5,000 gold. Try not to spend it all in one place."
Malik accepted the pouch without reaction, tucking it beneath his robe and absorbing it into the system storage.
[System Notification: 5,000 Gold Received]
[Total Gold: 7,000]
As Malik turned to leave, Kairo's voice echoed in his mind, low and amused.
"They still don't trust you."
"They don't have to."
Kairo snorted. "You should leave the city. Now. No point in drawing more attention to yourself."
Malik stepped out into the cool evening air, blending into the crowd as he made his way through the streets. The gold in his bank was a comforting weight, but his mind was elsewhere.
Kairo wasn't wrong.
Vel Ryn had been useful, but it was small. The people here would remember him. The longer he stayed, the more questions would arise.
He needed to move on.
But not yet.
There was one more contract he wanted to complete.
...
The next morning, Malik strode into the mercenary guildhall, his presence drawing wary glances. Some mercenaries recognized him through his aura alone, but hesitated, sensing something different about him, while others knew him from the suspicious 'Shadowfang Incident' the day before.
He ignored them all and moved straight to the mission board, his mind elsewhere.
His gaze immediately landed on the one that caught his attention a few days ago.
[Target: Phantom Panther
Rank: Advanced+
Abilities:
Complete Invisibility
Presence Masking (Cannot be detected by anything below Master)
Bounty Reward: 5,000 Gold
Status: Active]
Malik's lips curled slightly beneath his hood. "Invisibility? Perfect. I will become an unstoppable force, especially at stealth." He started daydreaming about the future possibilities, how he could apply such a broken ability during combat.
The receptionist glanced at him as he approached.
"You sure about this one?" He asked. "The last three mercenaries who took it never returned."
Malik awoke from his stupor and placed his hand on the counter, tilting his hood slightly. "I'm like not them."
The receptionist hesitated, then sighed and handed him the contract.
"Okay just don't die, Mr. Ma—."
Malik raised his finger to his lips, his aura flaring in warning, "From now on, it's Devourer. Change it on my identification."
The receptionist nodded in understanding. He never questioned a name change, in the mercenary world it was a common thing, it was more surprising that he hadn't done so beforehand.
Malik took the parchment, turning toward the exit without another word.
The hunt was on.
"Devourer, huh… It suits you." Kairo chimed as he left through the doors.
"I can't keep using my name, I have no history on this planet, don't need people connecting the dots too soon." Malik replied nonchalantly, focusing on the battle ahead.
...
Malik set off the in the morning. The distance was far even by flight so it would still take him more than half the day to get there.
Once the city was out of reach, his black-scaled wings burst from his back and he shot in the direction of the mission co-ordinates. By the time he arrived, it was nightfall again.
The forest stretched endlessly, ancient trees towering above like silent sentinels. The deeper Malik ventured, the more the light struggled to pierce through the thick canopy, leaving everything shrouded in an eerie twilight. He moved without sound, his enhanced senses stretched out, his Predator Vision scanning the terrain for any trace of his quarry—the Phantom Panther.
The beast had already earned its name through fear. A perfect hunter. A killer of mercenaries. An executioner that left no witnesses. The bounty had warned of its unique trait—the ability to vanish completely, erasing its presence from sight, sound, and even mana detection. A predator invisible to the senses of even Master- Ranked mercenaries. But Malik wasn't a normal mercenary.
He relished the challenge.
"This thing's clever," Kairo mused, his voice echoing in Malik's mind. "No traces. Not even a flicker of mana left behind. If it weren't for the recent kills, I'd think this bounty was a scam."
Malik crouched, running his fingers over a torn piece of fabric near an upturned tree root. The blood was still fresh. Claw marks raked across the bark, deep and precise.
It had been here recently.
He followed the signs—a displaced rock, the faintest imprint of a paw, a single drop of blood leading toward the darker depths of the forest. But even with his heightened tracking ability, he couldn't see or sense the panther itself.
It wasn't running.
It was hunting.
A slow smirk curled under Malik's hood. "I see. It's watching me."
Kairo let out a low hum. "You sound excited."
"Wouldn't you be? It's rare to find something this meticulous." Malik straightened, rolling his shoulders. "This thing isn't just strong—it's intelligent. It's letting me think I'm in control, but really, I'm the prey."
"So, how do you turn the tables?"
Malik exhaled slowly, closing his eyes. He let his senses sharpen, ignoring sight and relying solely on instinct. He slowed his breathing, quieted his mind, and became still.
Seconds passed.
Then he heard it—the whisper of movement. The faintest crunch of a leaf. A shift in the air. The panther could mask itself, but not the environment.
"Above."
Malik moved the instant the realization hit. His body twisted to the side as razor-sharp claws raked through the space where his throat had been. The panther had leapt from above, its massive black form materializing from thin air, its glowing amber eyes locking onto him as it landed.
It was bigger than expected, standing nearly five feet tall at the shoulders, its body sleek but packed with coiling muscles. Its fur was pitch black, shifting unnaturally even in the dim light, giving it an almost spectral appearance. Its claws dripped with a faint red substance. The blood of its last kill.
The Phantom Panther.
And it had just revealed itself.
Malik grinned. "You decided to show up."
The panther lunged first, closing the distance in a blur of movement. Its claws sliced through the air, but Malik was faster—he leaned back, the tips of its talons grazing his cheek as he twisted to the side.
It wasn't just quick, it was the fastest enemy he had faced so far, and it was unpredictable.
Without hesitation, the beast feinted left, then disappeared mid-movement, vanishing like mist dissolving in the wind.
"Shit," Malik muttered, shifting his stance. His Predator Vision couldn't pick it up. No heat signature. No mana fluctuation. It had become nothing.
A blur flickered in the corner of his eye—he reacted instantly.
Malik spun, raising his arm just in time to block the panther's strike with his forearm. Claws dug into his flesh, but his reinforced Draconic bones held firm. He retaliated with a savage kick to its abdomen, but the beast was already gone, vanishing again before impact.
"It struggles to attack while cloaked, either a limitation of the ability, or the panthers use of it." Kairo commented analytically.
It reappeared at his flank, fangs bared. Malik ducked low, letting the attack sail over him, then countered with a sweeping arc of dark magic. Black tendrils lashed out, striking at nothing but air.
The panther was too fast.
It darted between shadows, its movements erratic, using its invisibility to stay a step ahead.
Malik's grin widened. "Clever. But not clever enough."
He allowed himself a moment of stillness, inhaling deeply. If his eyes and mana sense were useless, he'd use something else.
Scent. Sound. Taste. The movement of the air.
He felt a whisper of breath behind him.
Malik turned—claws flashed toward his chest.
Instead of dodging, he lunged into the attack.
The panther's eyes widened in surprise as Malik caught its arm mid-swipe, stopping it inches from piercing through him. His grip tightened like an iron vice.
"I've got you."
The beast thrashed, twisting violently, but Malik's strength held firm. It sank its claws into his side, a strange venom burning through his system—but he ignored the pain, his body already adapting to counteract it.
With a fluid motion, Malik shifted.
His jaws elongated, fangs sharpening into draconic teeth. Before the panther could react, he lunged forward and sank his razor-teeth into its forearm, tearing through fur and muscle with brutal force. A howl of agony split the air as Malik's own venom mixed with the panther's bloodstream.
The fight had shifted.
The panther lashed out desperately, claws flashing, but its movements were slower now. The acidic poison Malik had injected into its system was already working—its muscles stiffening, its movements losing precision.
It disappeared again, retreating into the shadows.
But this time, Malik could see it. The wound he had inflicted was still bleeding, dripping with green acid, leaving a faint shimmering trail against the air itself. Its own invisibility betrayed it, now painting it like a target in the abyssal night.
Malik didn't hesitate.
With a burst of speed, he closed the distance, ripping through the veil of darkness with a single decisive move.
The panther turned just in time to see death coming.
Malik's claws tore into its neck and he used the grip to vault onto its back, his jaws clamped down on its throat as he ripped through flesh and tore out the windpipe in a savage final strike.
The beast shuddered, its body convulsing before collapsing into the dirt heavily.
Silence.
Malik exhaled, letting his form return to normal as he wiped blood from his lips. His wounds were already closing from the trolls regeneration.
Kairo let out a low whistle. "Well... that was brutal."
Malik rolled his shoulders. "I'd argue efficient."
He felt it then—the familiar rush of power flooding his veins as the System recognized his kill.
[System Notification – Level Up]
[You have slain an Advanced+ Ranked Phantom Panther.]
[You have gained: Phantom Cloak – Ability to vanish completely from sight and mana detection. Applicable to 1 sub-rank above.]
[You have leveled up: Level 6 → Level 7.]
[You have gained 10 stat points.]
[Distributing... +10 to Mana]
As Malik stood over the fallen beast, he clenched his fist, feeling the new ability settling within him.
For a brief second, he vanished completely.
Then— reappeared like he never left.
"Amazing , even I could barely sense you. This will be a great contribution to your power going forward." Kairo noted admiringly, watching Malik adjust to the new ability.
"This is only the beginning. A single stepping stone of the thousands to come. I will devour beast and human alike until I stand at the top." Malik replied in confidence, finally stabilizing his form.
He turned his gaze toward the horizon in the far distance, but to Kairo it felt he was looking even further.
There was still so much more to take. without the directives of the system he had no real goal until learning of the academy. Even now, he only wanted to reach the academy to unveil whatever secrets were tied to his rebirth. However, there was one constant in everything. He needed to be strong, stronger than anyone else.
"Let's go."