Chapter 3: Feast of the Damned

The Harbinger of Gluttony moved faster than expected.

Its shifting, amorphous body surged up the stairwell, clawed limbs materializing and vanishing as it crawled toward them. Its grotesque form pulsed with unnatural hunger, mouths forming at random intervals—some laughing, others screaming, all of them starving.

Ethan barely had time to react before the creature’s massive claw lashed out—

CRASH!

A chunk of the second-floor railing shattered as the boss slammed its limb down.

One of the players—a young man with glasses—was too slow to dodge. The creature’s hand engulfed him.

“W-wait! No—”

A grotesque mouth opened on its palm and clamped down, swallowing the player whole.

[Player #213 Eliminated.]

Then something worse happened.

[Harbinger of Gluttony has consumed a player. Its power increases.]

The creature’s form twisted, its flesh bulging, veins darkening. More eyes opened across its surface, twitching erratically.

It was getting stronger.

“Shit,” Ethan muttered. “We can’t let it feed!”

The tactical guy, Noah, reloaded his pistol. “Then we hit it with everything we’ve got.”

The Battle Begins

The survivors fanned out, forming a rough battle line.

The dagger girl, Ava, flipped her weapon in her grip, her stance low and predatory. “Aim for the eyes,” she said, her voice sharp.

Ethan nodded, gripping his Void Edge tightly.

The Harbinger moved, its body shifting, mouths splitting open to screech.

“M̵o̴r̷e̴.̸.̴.̶ M̴o̵r̸e̶.̷.̵.̴”

And then it charged.

Noah fired first—his bullets slammed into the creature’s eyes, causing them to burst in showers of black ichor. The boss screeched, stumbling slightly.

Ava struck next.

She moved like a shadow, her daggers flashing in quick, precise slashes. Each strike carved out an eye, but more kept forming, regenerating in seconds.

“Damn it,” she hissed. “It’s regenerating too fast.”

Ethan took his chance.

He dashed in, his Void Edge glowing.

The moment his blade connected—

The boss froze.

For a split second, its entire form distorted—like static on a broken screen.

Then—

A massive chunk of its body simply ceased to exist.

“Holy shit,” Noah whispered. “That sword—”

But the Harbinger wasn’t done.

It let out a deafening roar, the air around them vibrating violently.

[WARNING: Hunger Roar Activated – Players Stunned for 3 Seconds!]

Ethan’s body locked up.

Noah and Ava froze in place, their weapons raised but unmoving.

And the Harbinger struck.

It grabbed another player, a young woman who had been backing away in terror.

She didn’t even have time to scream before the creature’s jaws swallowed her whole.

[Player #089 Eliminated.]

Ethan’s rage boiled over.

As the stun wore off, he lunged forward, Void Edge crackling with energy.

His blade tore through the boss’s arm, severing it completely.

The Harbinger let out a distorted shriek, its severed limb disintegrating into nothingness.

It wasn’t regenerating this time.

Ethan’s weapon was the key.

“Focus on its limbs!” he shouted. “Cut them off, and it won’t regrow!”

Ava was the first to respond.

She vaulted over a wrecked clothing rack, her daggers slicing into the boss’s other arm. It screeched as the limb collapsed into static, vanishing completely.

Noah unloaded his clip into its torso, forcing it backward toward the railing.

Ethan saw an opening.

He leapt forward, raising the Void Edge.

With a single, devastating strike—

He plunged the blade deep into the boss’s chest.

The Harbinger convulsed, its body glitching, distorting, and finally—

Imploding.

Its entire form shrank inward, collapsing into itself before it simply ceased to exist.

The battle was over.

System Notification

[BOSS DEFEATED: Harbinger of Gluttony]

Players Rewarded: 300 EXP