Devouring System and Ryan
The Lester Continent, the Aispa Magic Empire, Imperial Suburbs
The howling wind, flashing lightning, and torrential rain falling like a waterfall—Caesar's family's only remaining dilapidated house seemed on the verge of collapse, ravaged mercilessly.
Inside the house, a little girl, around six or seven years old, sat by a worn-out bed, crying helplessly. On the bed lay a handsome young man whose pale face suggested he had been lifeless for some time.
"Brother, Alice is really scared, please don't leave me! I beg you!"
The little girl named Alice cried out in despair, shaking her brother on the motionless bed.
With a thunderous roar accompanying a terrifying lightning strike, the electric glow from outside illuminated the young man's face through the leaky roof.
Suddenly, the young man's pale face flushed, his eyelids twitched, and then a sound of breathing emerged. The supposedly deceased young man abruptly opened his eyes.
"I... I'm not dead?" The young man's gaze was bewildered as he murmured to himself.
Before he could recover, a piercing headache struck him, making him writhe in pain on the bed.
"Welcome to the Endless Devouring System!"
A strange voice echoed in his mind, and simultaneously, memories that didn't belong to him flooded his consciousness.
Indeed, he used to be Ryan, a mediocre firefighter on Earth. Unfortunately, on his first day as a firefighter, he sacrificed himself to save a little girl.
Reflecting on this, Ryan couldn't help but mock himself inwardly."What luck! I become a firefighter and kick the bucket on the first day!"
Fortunately, he seemed to have come back to life, but the world around him was no longer Earth!
It seemed like he had experienced a resurrection through someone else's body!
"This guy is also named Ryan? Ryan Caesar? Caesar family?"
Numerous memories about the original owner of this body flashed through his mind, and gradually, Ryan's expression turned serious.
Observing the environment with leaking holes everywhere, Ryan couldn't help but curse in his heart.
"This is outrageous!"
The downfall of their once-prosperous Caesar family was due to all the elders sacrificing themselves on the battlefield in the northern icy plains. However, the nobles of the Empire shamelessly seized the opportunity to plunder everything from the Caesar family, even resorting to killing them all.
"These bastards deserve to die!" Ryan clenched his fists, his gaze ice-cold.
Suddenly, a small figure rushed into his arms, interrupting his thoughts.
"Brother! You're okay! This is too good to be true! Don't leave Alice alone..." The fragile figure in his arms sobbed.
Watching his sister's tearful eyes, Ryan's eyes were filled with tenderness.
She was now his only family in this unfamiliar world!
"Alright, don't cry. Brother won't leave you alone anymore!" Ryan gently patted Alice's small head.
"Don't lie to me!"
"I promise!"
...
After a while, the raging storm outside gradually subsided, the dark clouds dispersed, and a radiant and faintly blue moon hung high in the sky, exuding a sacred aura.
Perhaps from crying for a long time, combined with the prolonged fear, Alice had fallen into a deep sleep in Ryan's arms.
Carefully placing his sister on the bed, Ryan stood up and walked outside.
"A magical world, huh?" Looking at the peculiar crescent moon in the sky, Ryan pondered.
According to the memories in his mind, this was a world filled with mage. In this realm, the concept of might makes right was deeply ingrained; the weak were considered sinful, like ants that could be crushed by the powerful at any moment.
The demise of the Caesar family was a bloody example of this!
In this world, magicians were categorized into nine major realms, each with ten levels, totaling 99 levels! The realms were Magic Apprentice 1-9, Primary Mage 10-19, Intermediate Mage 20-29, Advanced Mage 30-39, First Order Grand Mage 40-49, Second Order Grand Mage 50-59, Third Order Grand Mage 60-69, King-rank Magus 70-79, Emperor-rank Magus 80-89, and Supreme magus 90-99.
Moreover, mage could be further divided into various types, such as magic berserkers skilled in melee combat, magic pharmacists specializing in healing, magic craftsmen excelling in forging, and magic users adept at using various magic arrays in battle.
Legend had it that Lester, the namer of the Lester Continent, was once a magic supreme proficient in using magic arrays. Tens of thousands of years ago, he transcended constraints and ascended to the divine realm.
According to ancient records, such powerful beings could reshape mountains and rivers with a wave of their hand, drain rivers, summon storms, and possess god-like abilities!
Even a 60th-level Third Order Grand Mage, like the Emperor of the Aispa Empire, could obliterate everything within a one-kilometer radius with a single full-power strike!
The strongest in the Caesar family was Ryan's grandfather, Arthur Huxterius Caesar, a 58th-level Second Order Grand Mage Warrior!
What mysteries lay within the northern icy plains battlefield that could claim the lives of even Second Order Mages?
Ryan shook his head, feeling the futility of pondering such questions in his current powerless state.
Thus, Ryan's thoughts shifted, and he summoned the mysterious system that accompanied him to this world—the Endless Devouring System.
Subsequently, a semi-transparent light screen, visible only to Ryan, appeared before him.
The screen displayed a set of data:
Ryan Caesar
Age: 18
Level: 19
Point Balance: 0
Lottery Function: Available
Universal Shop: Not open yet (System upgrade required, 10,000 points needed for the next level)
Backpack: Beginner's Welcome Package
Skills: Basic Devouring (Limited to energy crystals consumption only)
Outstanding Swift Swordsmanship (Proficiency 15%)
"Beginner's Welcome Package? Well, system, you're indeed my thoughtful baby!"
Seeing the word "package," Ryan perked up and eagerly opened his backpack.
"Open the beginner's welcome package for me!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining a Level 60 Experience Card (ten minutes)!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining 100 points!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining Dragonheart Armor Set (Epic-grade), already placed in the system backpack. Please check!"
Seeing the sudden appearance of an Epic-grade armor set in the system backpack, Ryan's heart bloomed with joy.
Epic-grade! Just the sound of it implies greatness!
Without further ado, Ryan's thoughts stirred, and the Dragonheart Armor instantly adorned his body, exuding an unparalleled and majestic aura!
Dignified and domineering!
Looking at himself glittering in golden armor, resembling dragon scales, Ryan couldn't help but revel in satisfaction.
With this outfit, plus his irresistibly handsome face, could he not charm a group of beauties?
However, Ryan quickly dismissed this thought.
In this world of survival of the fittest, if he dared to flaunt this Epic-grade armor, he probably wouldn't survive a month!
There's an old saying:"A commoner may be without fault, but possessing a rare treasure invites trouble."
Ryan found himself lost in thought when a remarkable change caught his attention– his armor was visibly thinning at an observable rate, gradually covering every inch of his body, even his head.
The transformation resembled a pool of golden metallic liquid spreading across him.
After a while, the armor took shape, surprisingly becoming slowly transparent until it vanished entirely. It appeared as if he hadn't worn any armor at all!
This astonishing scene led Ryan to a sudden realization.
It was indeed an Epic-grade defensive gear, capable of freely changing its shape! With a mere shift in his thoughts, the armor seemed to vanish. In reality, it remained seamlessly integrated into him!
"Excellent! It seems like I've gained an extra life from now on!" Ryan expressed satisfaction as he touched the transparent armor on his body.
Then, Ryan shifted his gaze to the Level 60 Experience Card.
This is a magical card that, when used, instantly turns you into a Level 60 Tier-3 Grand Mage!
Unfortunately, its duration is only ten minutes, so it's best not to use it unless absolutely necessary. After all, it's currently his biggest trump card, and wasting it would be a pity!
Moreover, the power brought by the Experience Card ultimately doesn't belong to oneself; relying on it too much is not advisable.
It seems like he still needs to work hard to improve his own strength!
In contemplation, Ryan's gaze is locked onto the skill bar on the screen.
"I didn't expect the Caesar family's ancestral swordsmanship to only be at the Outstanding level! As for this basic Devouring skill... why doesn't it have a rating?" Ryan is puzzled.
The skills and equipment in this world are divided into five levels: ordinary (elementary), excellent (intermediate), outstanding (advanced), epic, and legendary.
Since this basic Devouring is a skill, it should have its own rating, right?
"Hey, system, did you encounter a bug? Why isn't there a rating displayed for this basic Devouring?" Ryan wonders.
"Host's question has been received! To the host, the basic Devouring is a skill of a higher level, far beyond the recognition of this world, so there's no need to display a rating. If the host wants more information, please upgrade the system!" The system responds coldly.
"A basic Devouring is a higher-level skill! Could it be a Divine level..." Ryan's eyes light up, and with a thought, he eagerly activates the basic Devouring skill.
In an instant, a dark vortex appears in front of Ryan, about the size of a fist.
The earth-shattering scene Ryan imagined did not occur, leaving him somewhat disappointed, even suspecting if the system was deceiving him.
"This is the aura of a Divine-level skill?" Ryan is speechless, reaching out to hold the vortex in front of him, examining it.
"Well... it looks like a black hole. Can this thing devour anything?" Ryan's gaze falls on a huge stone in the nearby thicket.
"Let's see how effective the basic Devouring skill is with you!" Ryan mutters, and the next moment, he hurls the vortex in his hand towards the giant stone.
In the moment of contact between the vortex and the stone, there is no intense collision sound. The giant stone turns into powder in the blink of an eye, then is completely devoured by the vortex.
During this process, Ryan clearly feels more than half of his magical power being drawn away, making his already weakened body even more exhausted.
"The power is decent, but it's a bit mana-intensive! I wonder what the effect of using basic Devouring in combat will be!" Ryan nods in satisfaction, and with a thought, he retrieves the vortex.
There are still 100 points waiting for Ryan to deal with.
The uses of these points are almost limitless. Besides buying items in the universal store within the system, they can be used to enhance personal combat power, increase skill proficiency, and even upgrade equipment ratings!
However, each upgrade operation requires at least 10000 points, and Ryan suddenly feels that the 100 points he has may not be enough.
"Let's enhance skill proficiency..." reluctantly, Ryan can only choose to spend 100 points to max out the proficiency of the Caesar family's ancestral swordsmanship.
After completing all of this, Ryan involuntarily yawns, dragging his tired body back into the house.