ChrisLingayo

Lumberling, a 42-year-old civil engineer, grew numb to the monotonous rhythm of modern life. Hoping to rekindle his sense of wonder, he set out on a solitary nature trip, only to stumble upon an ancient, forgotten pyramid. A strange red light burst forth, killing him instantly… and binding itself to his soul.

Cast adrift in the void, his soul found no rest, until he awoke in the body of a young foot soldier, bleeding and broken on a war-torn battlefield in a world not his own.

Determined not to die again, Lumberling fights to survive in this brutal new realm where knights clash with monsters, kingdoms rise and fall, and mysterious powers shape the fate of nations.

Armed with a strange ability to devour the essence of those he slays, he begins to carve out a new path, one forged by blood, strength, and sheer will.

But power alone may not be enough. In a world where danger lurks in every shadow, and ancient forces stir in the dark, can a lost soul rise above fate… or will he be consumed by the very essence he seeks to control?

The Devouring Knight

The sun was dipping below the treeline when Lumberling and the Duskspire Legion returned to Willowshade Village.

They came not in formation, but in quiet, unshaken stride, armor dark with dried blood, cloaks torn at the edges, weapons nicked from use. Over the saddle of one horse was slung the Alpha Jackal's carcass, its monstrous form wrapped in cloth, but the bulk unmistakable. Behind them, bundled in cloth and sacks, were claws, teeth, pelts, and glands, resources stripped from the monsters they had felled.

The village head and Captain Halric waited at the gates.

Then back at the masked soldiers, each radiating a quiet, lethal calm.

"…It's dead," Halric muttered, voice low, almost unbelieving.

Lumberling dismounted, handing the reins to a waiting soldier. "The Alpha. And the pack."

Chapter 88: A Familiar World in Disguise