Defiance of the Fall - Chapter 45: Monkey Captain

The age of darkness has arrived.

In humanity’s final war against the Demon Lord, the strongest heroes fell—not by the enemy’s hand, but by their own, twisted into madness by a cruel illusion. Betrayal. Bloodshed. Despair… and then, silence.Only one person remained: Riley—the weakest warrior of them all. Powerless. Ignored. Forgotten.But he saw through the Demon Lord’s deception. The tyrant was on the brink of death—so weak even a fly could’ve finished him off.And Riley did just that, drawing every last ounce of strength to bite off the demon’s head.Victory? Not quite. A final, desperate strike from the Demon Lord pierced him from behind, killing him instantly.But fate wasn’t done with him yet.Riley awoke ten years in the past—when the online game [Apocalypse] was launched. Before demons descended. Before monsters overran the world.And this time, he wasn’t starting from nothing. He had a decade of experience—and a second chance.Even more shocking, he didn’t awaken his old D-rank Strength Boost talent. This time, he received something far more terrifying: an SSS-Rank Gluttony talent!He could now devour anything—monsters, items, talents, even traits—and gain their power.Ding![You have devoured: Iron Fang Wolf][Acquired: +4 Strength, +2 Agility, Skill: Bite (F-rank)][You have devoured: Goblin ShamanAcquired: +8 Intelligence, Skill: Mana Bolt (E-rank), Talent: Minor Spellcasting Efficiency][You have devoured: Flaming Salamander Drake][Acquired: +22 Endurance, Trait: Dragon’s Resilience, Skill: Flame Breath (C-rank)]Now, there is no demon, no god, no monster who will stand in his way. He will devour everything—and save the world.But the power of Gluttony was a double edged sword. If he wasn’t careful… he could be the one getting consumed.

Yeri was once a succubus, a powerful and irresistible seductress who fed on desire. Now reborn as a stunning young woman in the modern world, she must navigate the confusing collision of her human innocence and her demonic memories.One night, fate leads her into the path of Shin Keir, a dangerously magnetic and notorious CEO known for getting everything he wants—except peace. Their accidental encounter sparks an intense, uncontrollable passion, and a single night together changes everything.***Excerpt:The dream had returned.Same eerie forest. Same surreal woman in the crimson dress. But this time, the setting had changed slightly. She now stood at the edge of a cliff made of jagged, glowing red rocks that resembled oversized rubies.Scarlet butterflies floated around her like living embers.A thick fog blanketed the area like some forbidden realm between worlds.She turned to him, her smile soft, sweet—and somehow tragic.She was heartbreakingly beautiful, ethereal yet forlorn, like a love story written in fading ink.Shin had tried to call out, but the wind swallowed his voice. As he stepped forward, the woman mouthed something. He couldn't hear her.Then, in a horrifying instant, her body tilted, and she plummeted off the cliff.The despair that followed wasn't just a feeling—it was a full-body, soul-tearing scream that never made it past his throat.Without hesitation, Shin leapt after her.He awoke convulsing, drenched in cold sweat. His eyes gleamed with a strange madness, a devil struggling behind the polished CEO exterior.***Disclaimer- Places and characters are all works of fiction.