Chapter 1: The End... or The Beginning
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the city. The sky, once a serene blue, now burned crimson as massive rifts tore through reality. People screamed. Cars flipped. Buildings collapsed like flimsy toy blocks. It was chaos—pure, unrelenting destruction.
And standing right in the middle of it all, holding an almost empty energy drink can, was Daniel Cross.
"…What the hell?" Daniel muttered, watching a gigantic, grotesque worm with ten eyes slither out of a rip in space. The monstrosity roared, its mouth lined with swirling vortexes that consumed everything in its path.
"This isn't how today was supposed to go," Daniel grumbled, adjusting his hoodie. "I was supposed to go home, eat some instant noodles, and—OH SHI—!"
A car flew straight at him.
Instinct kicked in. He dove to the side, rolling into a pile of abandoned groceries. A bag of chips exploded under his weight. The car smashed into a streetlight behind him, sending sparks flying.
"What in the absolute hell is happening?!" he yelled.
Then it hit him—no, not the car, thankfully—but the realization. The world was ending.
---
Ten Minutes Earlier…
Daniel had been standing in line at a 24-hour convenience store, struggling to decide between a spicy instant ramen or the beef-flavored one. That was the toughest choice of his day—until the sky cracked open like a broken mirror and eldritch horrors started pouring in.
A message had appeared in his vision, glowing with eerie red letters:
[Dimensional Collapse Detected.]
[All beings must adapt or perish.]
[Congratulations! You have been chosen.]
That was when an excruciating pain shot through his entire body, like his bones were being melted and reshaped. He blacked out for a second, and when he came to, the world had turned into a nightmare.
---
Back to the Present…
Daniel was still trying to process everything when another notification popped up.
[Congratulations! You have awakened the Dimension Devouring System.]
[Survive and devour dimensions to evolve.]
[Your first ability has been granted: Dimensional Absorption.]
His brain barely had time to catch up before a massive, three-headed mutant dog lunged at him, drool sizzling against the pavement.
Daniel did what any rational person would do in that moment—he screamed and flailed wildly.
Somehow, his palm made contact with the beast's snout.
[Absorbing target…]
[Absorption successful. You have acquired: Enhanced Agility.]
The monstrous dog vanished into thin air.
Daniel blinked. "Wait, what? Where did—"
Then he felt it.
His muscles surged with power, his body feeling lighter, faster. He twisted to the side just in time to dodge a flying tentacle that would have bisected him.
"Oh. Oh, I like this." He flexed his fingers. "This is cool."
Another alert appeared.
[New Quest: Devour or Be Devoured.]
[Objective: Absorb 5 beings to stabilize your powers.]
[Reward: Dimensional Storage Unlocked.]
Daniel's survival instincts kicked in. If he wanted to live through this apocalypse, he needed to devour more.
And so, he ran.
Not away.
But towards the chaos.
---
An Unexpected Feast
He spotted a hulking, armored brute stomping down the street, its body covered in sharp, crystalline spikes. The creature turned its glowing blue eyes toward Daniel and let out an earth-shaking roar.
"I bet you taste like XP," Daniel muttered, cracking his knuckles.
The brute charged.
Daniel dodged—his newly acquired agility making him feel like a parkour god—and slammed his hand onto the creature's jagged torso.
[Absorbing target…]
[Warning: Target has high resistance.]
[Absorption in progress…]
"C'mon, c'mon—AHHHH!" Daniel screamed as the brute swung a spiked fist at him. He barely ducked in time, the impact blasting apart the pavement.
Then—POOF!—the brute disintegrated.
[Absorption complete. You have acquired: Minor Regeneration.]
"Oh, hell yeah," Daniel laughed, inspecting a small cut on his arm as it healed before his eyes. "Now we're talking."
---
A World Gone Mad
Everywhere he looked, reality was breaking. Some people had developed strange powers. Others were being devoured by monstrous entities. The government? Nowhere to be seen.
It was survival of the fittest.
And Daniel had just hit the jackpot.
He needed more abilities, more power. But more importantly—he needed a plan.
Then another rift cracked open nearby, and out walked something that made his blood run cold.
It was… a human.
Or at least, it used to be.
The man's body pulsed with eerie, shifting shadows, his eyes glowing an unnatural shade of red. He grinned at Daniel.
"Well, well… another lucky bastard with a system," the man mused. "I wonder what happens if I devour you."
[Warning! Hostile System User Detected!]
[Threat Level: High.]
Daniel swallowed. "Oh, that's just fantastic."
The man extended a clawed hand toward him.
This is it. My first real fight.
Daniel grinned.
"Alright, creepy dude. Let's see who eats who."
---
To Be Continued…
Would Daniel survive his first real encounter with another system user?
How would he continue to evolve his Dimension Devouring System?
And most importantly… would he ever get to eat his damn instant noodles?
Find out in the next chapter of Ancien Legends: In the Apocalypse with My Dimension Devouring System!