I Devour the Leftovers

Chapter 14: The Wasteland

The Blackwood Tower was a distant silhouette against the bruised purple sky. Kaelen didn't look back. The Mana Storm still raged, the black lightning illuminating the desolate landscape ahead.

This was the Ironroot Peninsula. It was a wasteland. A century ago, a magical catastrophe had torn the land apart. Now, it was a barren expanse of jagged rocks, twisted trees, and toxic swamps.

The air was thick with Miasma—a poisonous fog that choked the lungs and corroded the skin. To a normal human, it was a death sentence.

To Kaelen, it was home.

He took a deep breath. The miasma burned his throat, but the Vyre larva in his arm stirred, absorbing the toxic energy. It was like a refreshing breeze.

[Environmental Scan: Miasma Detected]

[Effect: Host Immune. Parasite Nourished.]

He looked at the schematic book. The Alchemic Codex highlighted a location: The Scrap Fields. It was a massive graveyard of old war machines, broken golems, and discarded magical artifacts. It was a paradise of "residue."

He started walking.

The terrain was rough. The ground was uneven, covered in sharp shards of obsidian. But his Adaptive Carapace protected his feet, and his enhanced strength made the trek easy.

He heard a sound. A low, guttural growl.

From behind a pile of rusted metal, a creature emerged. It was a Mire Hound. It was the size of a wolf, but its skin was a mass of boils and lesions. Its eyes glowed with a sickly green light. It was a mutant, born from the toxic environment.

It snarled, showing rows of yellow, needle-like teeth.

Kaelen didn't stop. He didn't even slow down.

The hound lunged.

Kaelen sidestepped. He grabbed the hound by the scruff of its neck with his mutated arm. The creature thrashed, its claws scraping against his carapace.

Kaelen squeezed.

Crunch.

The hound's spine snapped. It went limp.

Kaelen dropped the body. He didn't feel a thing. No fear. No excitement. Just a task completed.

He looked at the corpse. It was a source of biomass. Of residue.

He used his Acidic Spray to cut open the hound's chest. He reached in and pulled out a small, blackened organ—the hound's Mana Core. It was a concentrated source of magical energy.

He popped it into his mouth and chewed.

[Consumption: Mire Hound Mana Core]

[Parasite Evolution: +0.5%]

[Trait Enhanced: Enhanced Senses (Tracking)]

Kaelen's eyes sharpened. He could see farther. He could smell the scent of other creatures on the wind. He could hear the scurrying of insects underground.

He looked toward the horizon. The Scrap Fields were close.

He had a new hunting ground. And he was the apex predator.