My SSS-Rank Gluttony Talent: I Can Evolve Limitlessly-Chapter 48: More

Normally, Hart would have been happy to see that arrogant NPC get what was coming to him. The man had been a pain just seconds ago, refusing to accept his bargain all because of a health potion.

However, instead of feeling satisfaction, he felt pure horror at his present predicament.

Cold sweat rolled down his back, and his instincts screamed at him to run... as fast as possible.

And then—

Riley turned to him.

The smoke around the monster pulsed, its glowing eyes narrowing as it gaze locked on Hart.

Growl...

A deep, guttural growl vibrated from Riley’s throat, and he took one step towards Hart.

The latter felt his stomach twist, the ground beneath his feet vibrating from that one step alone.

"N–No," he mumbled, breath catching in his throat.

Almost without thinking, he pulled out his bow, fingers fumbling as he drew an arrow from his quiver and nocked it onto the string.

"D–Don’t come any closer!" he barked, though his voice cracked mid-sentence. "S–Stay back!"

But his hands wouldn’t stop trembling. His fingers felt like jelly wrapped around the string, refusing to obey his command. His tongue was dry, and his chest tight.

He tried to pull the string back, tried to aim.

But...

His hands was trembling so much he couldn’t even release the arrow.

Riley growled again—louder this time.

And then, in a single, angry swipe, he swung a massive clawed hand toward Hart.

He wasn’t even close enough to make contact. But it didn’t matter.

FWWOOOOM!

The air itself exploded outward.

A violent gust of wind, unleashed from just the swipe alone, crashed into Hart like a speeding truck.

"GAHH—!"

He was launched backward, limbs flailing uselessly as the world spun into a blur.

His body smashed through the air like a ragdoll and slammed into a nearby shopfront.

CRAAAASH!

The wooden stall shattered on impact—and just like that—

Hart’s body burst into tiny white particles, vanishing from existence before he even touched the ground.

A collective gasp rang out from the remaining players.

"D–Did you see that?"

"He just... disintegrated!"

"He was one-shot!"

They weren’t wrong.

Hart didn’t even land a scratch on the monster—he was gone in a blink.

Dead before his arrow could fly.

Panic rippled through the square like a virus.

Terror rooted them in place, as realisation settled deeper within their minds.

They weren’t just dealing with a rogue boss.

This was something else entirely.

A creature that could eliminate players with a single swipe—without even touching them. It was nothing short of insane!

The worst part about it was that they couldn’t see any name or level floating above the boss.

All they could see was a thick red tab, showing three bold questions marks.

And then—

"Get a grip, damn it!" a voice rang out through the crowd.

All heads turned to the sound.

A young man with sharp features and spiked red hair stepped forward from the stunned mob. He wore a bronze-plated chestpiece, and a long sword hung at his hip.

He gritted his teeth and snarled at the monster.

"We don’t need to be afraid of that thing!" he yelled, raising his blade. "It’s just some boss monster or glitch or whatever! We outnumber it a hundred to one!"

Swoosh!

And with a furious cry, he charged forward, flames igniting along the length of his sword.

"EAT THIS, MONSTER!"

FWOOOOOOSH!

His sword blazed with fire, glowing a brilliant crimson as he leapt into the air, angling his strike directly at Riley’s chest.

A few nearby players gasped in awe, hope flickering in their eyes.

But the moment the blade came into contact with the thick smoke swirling around Riley—

It stopped instantly, like a car slamming into a giant wall.

The flames around the blade weakened, and before long, the fire fizzled out.

The sword didn’t even touch Riley’s body, or rather, it couldn’t.

The thick, protective shroud from the smoke halted its momentum entirely, leaving Riley completely unharmed.

"Wh–What the hell?" the red-haired player muttered, eyes going wide in shock.

He struggled, trying to force the blade deeper, to break through the barrier.

But it was useless.

The smoke didn’t even ripple, and it was almost like stabbing into a black hole.

And then—

SNARL!!

Riley’s eyes flashed red.

With an annoyed grunt, he raised his clawed hand and casually swiped sideways.

SHNK!

In a blur of motion, the red-haired player’s head separated from his body.

His eyes widened in horror, the expression frozen in his last moment of realization.

Both his body and head disintegrated instantly into shining particles.

The crowd stood frozen. freewebnσvel.cøm

No one dared move, or even breathe, feeling like their lives would end if they did so.

And at the center of it all, Riley stood tall—his eyes glowing ominously.

"...More..." he growled again, voice deep and distorted, like a demon whispering through broken glass.

"...I need more..."

And then—

He turned toward the rest.

The crowd instinctively stepped back, panic exploding in their veins.

The silence shattered.

"R–RUN!"

"IT’S COMING!!"

And just like that, the village descended into utter chaos.

Eveyeone turned around and started running for their lives, both players and NPCs.

In between the chaos, the village guards charged through the crowds, arranging themselves in front of Riley.

Their faces were pale as they stared at the beast before them, but their eyes still flashed with determination.

"STOP RIGHT THERE, MONSTER!" One of them shouted shouted, taking a step towards the beast.

He was built like a boulder, his thick brown armor clanking with every step. In his hands were a pair of steel swords, their sharp edges gleaming slightly.

"What in the hell is this...?" he muttered under his breath. "How the hell did a monster manage to enter the village...?"

Never in his life had he heard of something like this happening, in fact, it shouldn’t be possible.

Monsters shouldn’t be able to come into the village; that was one of the oldest mechanics of this world.

They could move from one monster area to another, which was only common among isolated monsters, but entering the village itself was a different matter.

The ’villages’ were meant to be akin to safe zones within the novice continent, which was why they didn’t bother to properly guard the four entrances despite them leading to different monster areas.

The captain’s gaze briefly shifted from the beast to a player running like his life depended on it, and he hissed under his breath.

’Those players... running like chickens, cowards! I’m sure they’re related to what’s happening... i never liked them from the start.’ he mumbled inwardly, frowning.

He then turned back to the strange monster, and the frown on his face deepened.

"Don’t let his appearance make you falter... charge!!!" he shouted, pointing a blade at Riley.

The soldiers roared and rushed forward.

Growl!

Riley growled, his gaze flicking towards them. His red eyes glowed even brighter, and the edges of his lips curled up slightly.

"...Food." he mumbled, his voice hollow and distorted.

Then, with a crack of his jaw, Riley’s mouth began to open.

It stretched twice as wide as it did before, making him look even more monstrous.

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

An enormous vortex exploded from his throat, a swirling, howling force so intense it warped the air itself.