I Can Devour Monsters' SSS Talents

”Do you really think that a young man who now has the support of Rhaenar Pendragon, and whom Celestial Kairos is also trying to recruit, will follow the family’s orders like before after he returns?”

The first man frowned.

”Are you saying he shouldn’t return?”

”I’m saying we need to understand who we’re bringing back, Lian is no longer the same young man we could simply set aside and expect to leave without complaining.”

Cassius had listened in silence the entire time, and the discussion taking place in front of him was exactly what he had expected.

Some wanted Lian to return because they now understood his value, while others were afraid of his return for the very same reason.

The young man who had once been removed from the power struggle because of his weakness and lack of talent could now change the entire situation simply by being there.

”If he returns, the succession issue will also become more complicated.” One of the elders spoke in a lower voice.

This made several people exchange meaningful looks.

Cassius finally joined the discussion.

”For now, he has made no request to return.”

Everyone looked at him.

”And you’d better not forget this, Lian is no longer a child whose future others can decide without him being present.”

Then, without waiting for a reply, he continued his report, but when the meeting ended, it was clear that the Vorhelm Family was now more divided than before.

And neither side intended to back down.

In the same residence, Celestia, the second wife of the Vorhelm patriarch, was sitting in her private room.

Several reports were placed on the table, and she had been looking at one of them for a long time.

Lian Vorhelm’s name could be seen at the top of the page.

Ancestral Mark.

An invitation from Celestial Kairos.

Support from Rhaenar Pendragon.

Every time her eyes fell on one of these phrases, her fingers tightened around the paper a little more.

Finally, she placed the report on the table with a dry sound.

”Impossible.”

She stood up.

She walked a few steps around the room, but the calm did not return to her face, she knew very well what position Lian had held in the past.

A boy who had been removed from the family’s main structure.

A young man who was not expected to have any major influence on the Vorhelm Family’s internal struggles anymore.

But now?

That same young man had reached a point where two Celestials were personally showing interest in him.

And this was not good news.

Not at all.

Celestia placed her hand firmly on the edge of the table.

”How could that boy have reached this point?!”

For a few moments, her breathing became heavier.

But what worried her more than all of Lian’s achievements was not just his newfound power.

His return could give an opportunity to those who had been waiting for a change in the balance of power for a long time.

She had to do something, she had to make sure that one of her own children became the heir, no matter what it took.

Her thoughts turned to a specific person.

That woman.

The first wife of the Vorhelm patriarch.

Celestia looked toward the window.

That woman shouldn’t remain silent in this situation either, right? She would definitely make a move as well, but Celestia couldn’t trust her either.

In the end, both of them wanted their own child to become the heir.

She picked up the report again, and this time, her eyes stopped at the section about the patriarch’s return.

In about one month.

There wasn’t much time left, and when he returned, the struggles that had been taking place behind closed doors until then would probably become more open.

Celestia slowly placed the paper on the table, anger was still visible on her face, but now there was worry as well.

Lian was no longer a problem that could be solved by ignoring him.

A few days later, the Vorhelm Family released an official statement.

The family patriarch was expected to return soon, and preparations for the final stage of selecting his successor would begin after his return.

However, the more important part of the statement was the date of the ceremony, the official Vorhelm heir selection ceremony would be held eight months later.

The news quickly spread among the Six Great Families and the Twelve Ancient Guilds, and for many observers, the Vorhelm succession was especially important.

The family had stood among the world’s major powers for years, and its unique fighting style was widely known, now it was going to entrust its future to a member of the younger generation.

But now, Lian’s name was being mentioned again among the possible candidates, even though he had not officially returned to the family’s main structure.

Some believed that after returning, the patriarch would not be able to ignore the achievements of such a young man.

Others said that Lian’s close ties with the Pendragons might prevent his return, while some preferred to make no predictions before hearing the patriarch’s decision.

In any case, one thing was clear.

The Vorhelm succession struggle would no longer be the same as before.

At the same time, in another world, in an unknown part of the Ruined Realm, the sound of another heavy impact echoed between the walls of an underground valley.

KRAAAK!

Part of the rock collapsed.

A huge creature emerged from the dust and landed on the ground with heavy steps, many wounds could be seen on its body, and dark blood flowed down between the thick plates covering its skin.

But it was still alive.

The monster raised its head and let out a rough roar.

Several dozen meters away, Roderick stood on a broken rock.

His clothes were torn, and dried blood covered parts of his arms and shoulders, his breathing was heavy, but his eyes remained fixed on the last enemy.

Behind the monster, the bodies of dozens of other creatures lay on the ground, some of them were so large that their bodies blocked a large part of the valley’s paths.

Others lay among the broken rocks and the holes created during the battles.

This area was not recorded on the usual maps of the Ruined Realm.

Roderick had discovered its hidden entrance a long time ago while exploring one of the remote areas.

Inside, there was a series of natural passages and connected habitats where many powerful monsters lived.

For most Awakened, entering such an area without a backup force would be considered a foolish decision.

But Roderick had seen another opportunity here.

Experience, resources, and most importantly, levels.

He had stayed in this hunting ground for a long time and hunted the monsters one after another.

Sometimes he had won, sometimes he had been forced to retreat, and several times he had suffered wounds that would probably have stopped him from fighting if they had been even slightly more serious.

But every time, he had returned, and now only one monster remained

The huge creature lowered its head.

Roderick noticed the change in the pressure on its feet, its next attack would come straight at him.

He waited.

The monster rushed forward at a speed far greater than its size suggested, the stones beneath its feet shattered, and its huge claw moved toward Roderick.

At the last moment, Roderick moved out of its path, and the claw struck the rock behind him.

BOOOOM!

The rock split along the point of impact, but the monster did not get the chance to complete its second attack, as the human had already passed beside its body.

His fists struck the old wound on the creature’s side, and dark blood splashed onto the ground.

The monster twisted its body with a painful roar, Roderick moved back, but this time, he did not put too much distance between them.

His eyes remained fixed on the monster’s foot movements.

During their previous battle, he had noticed that whenever the creature turned to the left, it placed more weight on its rear leg.

And that same leg was already injured.

When the monster attacked again, Roderick did not retreat, instead, he cut across its path and delivered a heavy strike to its injured leg.

A dry cracking sound rang out.

The creature lost its balance, and its huge body fell onto its side, raising a large cloud of dust from the ground.

Roderick forcefully breathed out, but he did not hesitate, before the monster could get back up, he rushed forward through the dust and delivered his final punch to the spot he had spent the entire battle trying to expose.

KRAAAK!

The monster’s body tightened for a moment, then became motionless.

Roderick stood there for several seconds, his heavy breathing could be heard in the silence of the valley.

Finally, he took a step back and kept his eyes on the last monster’s body.

It was over, there were no living creatures left in the hunting ground, he had hunted every single one of them.

At that moment, a system window appeared in front of him.

[ Level Increased ]

[ Current Level: 40 ]