Chapter 228: Darkness And Hunger

The air shuddered.

A low, hungry rumble filled the room as darkness bloomed across the floor.

Its maw expanded like liquid night, swallowing the light whole.

Jack’s scream was short, choked, and ended far too quickly.

A moment later, silence returned.

Far away, in the cafeteria, Noah lifted his cup of water and took a slow sip.

Ding!

He blinked as a glowing screen materialized in front of him.

[Darkness Affinity Detected!]

He frowned, pausing with his food halfway to his mouth.

This wasn’t unusual. After all, he’d triggered similar prompts before after using Devour.

The problem was, he’d never really gotten this type of notification before.

[Ink Affinity Detected!]

“Ink… affinity?” he murmured under his breath. What did that have to do with him?

He had Darkness Affinity, yes, but not Ink Affinity.

Then came the next line, explaining what was happening.

[Will you like to use your Hunger Affinity and feast on the target’s affinities?]

Noah blinked, his mind racing. His fork clinked against the plate, forgotten.

He understood immediately.

Hunger Affinity, one of the affinities he’d gained from his merge with the Dark Dragon, wasn’t limited to just devouring energy or flesh.

With the help of Feast, it could now consume other affinities.

A slow, dangerous grin spread across his lips.

He didn’t hesitate.

“Yes,” he whispered.

The world flashed white.

Ding!

[Ink Affinity Granted.]

For a moment, his mana veins pulsed, hot and cold at once.

The new affinity sank into him like a boulder thrown into a pond.

It was as if actual ink had been poured straight into his gut, sitting thick within it.

He could feel it coating his mana pathways, blending with the existing web of darkness within him.

His vision shimmered faintly, and when he blinked, a subtle oily sheen briefly clouded the edges of his sight.

’Ink,’ he thought. ’So that’s what it feels like.’

He could almost sense its potential. Malleable, fluid, and tangible.

Where darkness was absence, ink was density and control. The ability to manifest the void into substance.

“Perfect,” he murmured.

His thoughts ran quickly through the implications.

This ability wasn’t random. Feast had evolved far beyond simple consumption. It was selective now, instinctive.

If he devoured something that shared an affinity with him, like darkness, he could extend that connection through his Hunger Affinity to acquire whatever else the target possessed.

It was, in a word, efficient.

He leaned back in his chair, grin widening.

That meant that if he faced the octopus again, that ink-spitting beast in the lake, he wouldn’t just gain an ink spell. He could also gain its water affinity.

And if the monolith replaced the Minotaur as well, that could give him even more opportunities.

Either creature would be a win.

The possibilities unfolded in his mind like a map.

Of course, there was a risk. Monolith bosses didn’t always stay the same. Once defeated, they regenerated new guardians at random.

He could re-enter and find a completely different set of monsters, but it was worth the gamble.

Even if he had to clear it again and again, the reward outweighed the cost.

He finished the last of his meal, savoring the quiet moment, and stood up.

The cafeteria was nearly empty, with just a few other students scattered about, mostly first-years.

The sound of spoons scraping against bowls and low chatter filled the air, faintly echoing off the high ceilings.

Noah adjusted his cloak and started for the exit, his steps unhurried.

He expected that no one would be looking for Jack for a while.

The holidays had scattered the academy’s population across the kingdom, and the remaining students mostly kept to themselves.

By the time the next semester began, Jack Daniel would simply be marked missing.

And even if an investigation was opened, there’d be nothing left to find. Feast didn’t leave corpses or traces.

The thought made him smile faintly as he walked through the academy grounds.

He soon reached his dorm, the hallway silent.

Inside his room, everything was as he left it. Neat and orderly.

He unbuckled his boots, placing them by the bed, and sank into the chair by his desk.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully.

Outside, the sky dimmed from gold to deep blue, and the light of the moon sent thick beans of silver light seeping through the window.

Noah smiled at the sight, his fingers itched for action.

Night had always been his favorite time.

When the rest of the academy slept, he thrived.

He stood, pulling on his leather cloak. Then he retrieved the dark cloth mask from his drawer, tying it over the lower half of his face until only his eyes were visible.

He flexed his hand once, feeling mana gather in his palm. The air shimmered faintly.

“Let’s see if the monolith’s still standing,” he murmured.

And with a last look around his room, he vanished.

[][][][][]

The cold night air greeted him as he reappeared at the edge of the forest outside the capital, near the base of the A-rank monolith.

The towering spire of black stone could be seen in the distance.

Around it, stationed torches and warding runes glowed faintly gold, marking the perimeter where the soldiers stood guard.

Noah crouched behind a tree, observing the scene.

Same formation. Same patrol rotation.

But something in the air felt… off.

He exhaled softly, readying his next move.

Since he couldn’t actually teleport directly into the monolith, he’d create a distraction, slip past the guards again, and head straight for the entrance.

Simple and efficient.

He gathered mana in his hand, forming the spell formation for Pillar of Judgement. But before he could cast it, a sound rang out.

A loud clang.

A flash of gold light burst around him.

“What—”

The world constricted.

A translucent golden box of energy materialized around him, cutting off the night air.

The barrier thrummed with power, sealing off the world away from him.

Noah turned slowly.

Captain Roderick stepped through the trees, his heavy boots crunching against the undergrowth.

His armor gleamed faintly beneath the moonlight, polished gold designed with black highlights.

His expression was cold as he stared at Noah. Then he spoke.

“I told you, stranger, to never return. Didn’t I?”

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