Chapter 2: The Feast of Power Begins

BOOM!

A massive shockwave rippled through the city, shattering windows and flipping cars like cheap toys. Daniel barely had time to brace himself before he was flung backward, skidding across the pavement.

"Okay—ow! That hurt like a divorce settlement," he groaned, pushing himself up.

Standing before him was the ominous figure from before—the guy radiating pure nightmare energy, eyes glowing crimson, and an aura of absolute menace.

[Warning! High-Level System User Detected!]

[Threat Level: HIGH.]

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, System. Thanks for the motivational speech," Daniel muttered.

The man stepped forward, his shadowy aura pulsing like a heartbeat. "You're new to this, aren't you?" he sneered. "I can smell it. A fresh system user—ripe for the taking."

Daniel's gut twisted. "I don't suppose we could just, y'know, not fight and be cool about this?"

The man chuckled darkly. "Unfortunately for you, this world doesn't work that way anymore."

And then he vanished.

---

Battle of the Devourers

Daniel's instincts screamed at him. He barely managed to pivot as a clawed hand slashed inches from his neck. The air itself rippled from the sheer force of the strike.

"Alright, that's cheating!" Daniel shouted, stumbling backward.

[New Passive Ability Acquired: Spatial Awareness.]

[You can now sense distortions in space within a ten-meter radius.]

His body reacted before his brain could process the new ability. He ducked under another attack, narrowly avoiding a swipe aimed to bisect him.

I need to counterattack. Fast!

Daniel reached out, activating Dimensional Absorption, his fingers brushing against his opponent's arm.

[Attempting to Absorb Target…]

[WARNING! Target possesses Anti-Absorption Resistance!]

The moment his ability activated, his opponent smirked.

"Nice try," the man sneered, twisting his body unnaturally.

Then—a kick slammed into Daniel's ribs, sending him flying into a ruined bus. The impact caved in the metal like tin foil.

Crap, I need more power! Daniel thought, his breath ragged.

That's when he saw them.

Behind the enemy, crawling out of the broken streets and shattered buildings, were the Dimensional Beasts—monstrous abominations that had slithered into their world from the rifts. Their grotesque, misshapen bodies pulsed with strange energies, their gaping maws dripping with unknown horrors.

Daniel's eyes flicked between the beasts and the shadowy enemy approaching him.

Then a brilliantly stupid idea formed in his mind.

---

Turning the Tables

"You know what?" Daniel gasped, pushing himself up. "You're a real tough guy, sure—but how about you handle that?"

The shadowy man frowned. "What are you—"

GRAAAAAAAAAARRGH!

A horrifying, centipede-like Dimensional Beast with three heads lunged at them. Daniel grinned and leaped out of the way.

The man, caught off guard, reacted a second too late as the monster tackled him.

CRASH!

The ground trembled as the beast and the enemy system user went tumbling into a demolished building.

Daniel didn't waste a second.

He dashed forward, placed a hand on a nearby weaker dimensional creature, and activated Dimensional Absorption.

[Absorbing Target…]

[Absorption Successful! You have acquired: Enhanced Reflexes.]

His body surged with newfound power. The sluggishness from the previous fight vanished, and he felt like his movements were now on turbo mode.

"Alright, let's get really stupid," Daniel muttered.

Before the bigger beasts could notice him, he ran straight toward another—this one looking like a nightmarish wolf with six glowing eyes.

[Absorbing Target…]

[Absorption Successful! You have acquired: Night Vision.]

"Well, that's neat but not exactly helpful right now."

A screech from behind made him whip around.

The shadowy enemy had killed the three-headed centipede beast and was glaring at Daniel, clearly pissed.

"You're clever," the man growled, his form flickering with dark energy. "But you're not getting away alive."

Oh, I was afraid of that.

Then the enemy did something unexpected—he ripped a chunk of the dimensional beast's corpse and absorbed it.

[Enemy has acquired: Dimensional Mutation.]

Daniel's heart dropped. "Oh, you can do that too?!"

The enemy's arm transformed, turning into a monstrous, clawed appendage covered in shifting black scales. The air trembled from the sheer power radiating from him.

Daniel took a deep breath. "Okay, yeah, this is bad."

---

Twist of Fate

The shadowy enemy launched forward at insane speeds. Daniel barely managed to dodge, rolling to the side as claws sliced through the air.

[Ding! New Quest: Survive the Encounter.]

[Optional: Counter and Absorb Target for a Rare Ability.]

[Reward: Evolutionary Unlock.]

"Okay, System, now's not the time to be giving me bonus challenges!"

His opponent kept attacking relentlessly.

Think, Daniel, think!

Then he noticed something.

Each time the enemy attacked, his monstrous claw seemed to pulse uncontrollably—like the mutation wasn't stable.

Daniel smirked.

"I bet that fancy upgrade of yours is a little… unpredictable, huh?"

The man hesitated for just a split second.

That was all Daniel needed.

He ducked under the next swing, grabbed a jagged pipe from the debris, and shoved it straight into the unstable arm.

BZZZZT!

A violent reaction occurred. The enemy's arm convulsed wildly, energy surging out of control.

"You—BASTARD!" the man roared, staggering back.

Daniel didn't hesitate—he lunged forward and activated Absorption.

[Absorbing…]

[Critical Success! You have acquired: Unstable Dimensional Mutation.]

Power rushed into him, but something felt… off.

His body twitched, and a strange force clawed at his insides.

Then—black scales momentarily flickered across his arm before vanishing.

His opponent, now missing his mutated limb, howled in agony. "You… you took my power?!"

Daniel took a shaky breath. "Correction: I borrowed it. And I don't think I'm giving it back."

The man glared at him, then glanced at the chaos of monsters surrounding them. His face twisted with fury, but he knew he was at a disadvantage now.

"Tch. You win this round, newbie."

And with that, he vanished into the shadows.

---

The Aftermath

Daniel exhaled slowly. "Okay. That was way too close."

He looked at his hands, flexing them. That last absorption… it felt different. Stronger. Wilder.

But also… dangerous.

He needed to figure out how to control it. Fast.

Then his stomach rumbled.

"Damn it. I still didn't get to eat my instant noodles."

A deep sigh.

And so, with a battered body, a new terrifying ability, and a city falling apart around him, Daniel took his first step into a world where only the strong survive.

And he had every intention of becoming the strongest.

---

What Happens Next?

A mysterious faction takes an interest in Daniel's abilities.

More system users emerge—some allies, some enemies.

Daniel's Unstable Dimensional Mutation begins to show unexpected side effects…

Find out next time on Ancient Legends: In the Apocalypse with My Dimension Devouring System!