Cursed System-Chapter 127: Wolf in sheep clothing 2

RAGNA POV...

---

'What a tragic pity…

You really did come to the wrong person.'

The thought echoed lazily in my mind as a smile crept across my lips, slow and deliberate, like a blade being drawn inch by inch from its sheath. At that moment, there was no longer even a fragment of reason left in my gaze—whatever hesitation or morality I once possessed had long since evaporated, and my crimson eyes sank deep into shadow, heavy with intent.

'Did you truly believe I would be magnanimous enough to save you?'

I knew better than to act rashly. With the black steel Knights watching the battlefield like hawks, I couldn't afford to openly slaughter a vicious wolf without inviting suspicion.

But saving a comrade?

Ah… that was harmless. No one would question that.

I forced the cruel curve of my lips to fade, masking it beneath an innocent, almost earnest expression as I watched Noah stagger toward me, desperation written across every ragged breath he took. I stood still for a heartbeat longer, savoring the moment, before finally shifting my weight and beginning to move toward him—slowly at first, deliberately restrained.

The wolf, draped carefully in sheep's clothing.

Step by step, my pace increased.

My movements grew lighter, faster.

And soon, no matter how hard I tried, the smile refused to stay hidden.

It stretched wider.

[Your desire has been completely activated]

[Once the host's desire has been activated, any further changes will be irresistible]

I didn't even spare the notifications a glance.

Why would I?

My body was already moving, already responding, accelerating faster and faster as exhilaration flooded my veins.

Ahead of me, Marcus saw my smile.

"He's coming… he'll save me."

The relief was obvious on his face as he heaved out a shaky breath, his steps quickening, his hope reigniting just enough to push his battered body forward.

Then—

"Ohhhh! Noooo—!"

The scream ripped through the air as if reality itself had twisted against him.

In the next instant, a dead vicious wolf burst upward from beneath the sand, its jaws yawning impossibly wide as its sharp fangs clamped down viciously around Noah's leg. His forward momentum vanished, replaced by sheer terror as he crashed hard into the desert floor.

"H-How… how is this possible?!"

His mind went blank as his world collapsed around him. Sand filled his mouth, panic strangled his thoughts, and the only thing he could cling to—his last fragile thread of hope—was me, still running toward him.

But the wolf had no intention of granting him that mercy.

It dragged him backward relentlessly, teeth sinking down again and again, tearing into flesh as blood began to flow freely, soaking into the golden sand.

I felt irritation bloom inside my chest.

'Don't waste it.

Not a single drop.'

The anger that surged through me was the kind felt by a starving man watching food be trampled into filth. If that bastard wolf wasted even a little more blood, I'd be forced to kill it—and I despised unnecessary waste.

Unnoticed by anyone else, my gaze grew feverish, locked onto the sight of blood as I left the safety of the camp behind.

I couldn't restrain myself anymore.

I activated Dash.

[Dash has been activated]

[Time left before Dash deactivates]

[10]

The world vanished.

Sand and dust exploded outward as everything blurred, my body tearing through space as though the desert itself had been peeled away. It felt like flying—no, better than flying—as I appeared beside Noah in an instant, leaving nothing behind but a violent trail of dust.

Before he could even comprehend what was happening, I slammed into him with overwhelming force, knocking him free from the wolf's grasp as we rolled violently across the sand—over the edge of the terrain and straight into darkness.

We fell.

By the time we hit the ground, we were deep within a cavern carved from stone, vast and pitch-black.

Marcue groaned as he struggled to move, his voice shaking as confusion seeped into his relief.

"H-Hey… Ragna, thanks… but—what are you doing?"

The darkness swallowed his words. He couldn't see a thing. The cave was massive, hollow, and unnervingly silent. Then he felt it—a hot breath brushing against his neck.

Mine.

I didn't respond.

I couldn't hear him anymore.

My heartbeat thundered in my ears, fast, wild, intoxicating. Endorphins surged violently through my body, my veins burning as exhilaration consumed every thought. My body trembled, teetering on the brink of something euphoric and uncontrollable.

Blood rushed faster.

My heart pounded harder.

My eyelids quivered.

Then opened.

Crimson.

[Requirements to devour a cursed one have been met]

[Analyzing devourable percentage…]

[Devouring compatibility: 1% / 100%]

[Analysis complete: 99% / 100% can be devoured — excluding reproductive apparatus] 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

I barely acknowledged the notifications before lifting my gaze to the trembling figure in front of me.

My meal.

A suffocating sense of dread washed over Noah as he tried to rise—only to realize his body refused to obey, agony pinning him in place.

"Shhh… come closer," I murmured.

My hand shot out, gripping his neck roughly and dragging him toward me without resistance.

Without even realizing it, my final thought triggered another skill.

[Cursed Charm has been activated]

[Time left before Cursed Charm deactivates]

[0:9]

My crimson eyes flared brighter, more menacing, while my voice softened unnaturally, smooth and soothing to the ear.

Blood trickled down from Marcus's shoulder—likely from a wolf's claw—but I didn't care. I leaned in and licked it away, the taste intoxicating, rich and heady like the strongest alcohol, lingering blissfully on my tongue.

"What the—?" he gasped.

But it was too late.

Something brushed his neck.

His instincts dulled.

His resistance collapsed.

[0:2]

[Devouring a cursed one has now begun]

I opened my mouth.

My teeth elongated slowly, stretching into sharp, predatory fangs as they sank into his flesh, piercing deep as I drank greedily—blood and life flooding into me without restraint.

[HP: {150 / 42}]

Marcus froze in pure terror.

A faint blue shimmer flickered within his eyes, expanding and shrinking erratically as his body shuddered violently. He felt his flesh drying, his blood draining at an alarming speed, a numbing, tingling sensation spreading through him that shattered any remaining will to fight.

And I drank.

Hungrily.