My SSS-Rank Gluttony Talent: I Can Evolve Limitlessly-Chapter 49: Vortex of destruction

Chunks of the earth were rapidly torn from the grounds, flung into his gaping maw like meteors being pulled into a black hole.

The guards froze.

The ground beneath them trembled violently.

"Wh–What the hell—"

But before the captain could finish the thought, one of the guards screamed as his body lifted off the ground—his feet dangling uselessly.

"NOOOOO—!"

His body spiraled through the air, shrieking all the way, before vanishing into Riley’s mouth.

Just like that, he was gone, leaving nothing behind but the echo of his dying scream.

The others barely had time to react.

"Grab something—anything!"

They tried, their hands reaching out for the ground, the edges of stores... or anything they could find at all, but it was no use.

The pull was too strong.

One by one, the guards were ripped into the air, legs flailing, weapons flying from their grips.

Each of them vanished down Riley’s throat, swallowed like mere snacks. Their voices were drowned by the roar of the vortex, as if even their cries weren’t worth preserving.

More dirt and stone were pulled up and torn into his mouth, massive craters forming beneath where the guards once stood.

And then, it spread.

The shops lining the square began to shudder violently. Roof tiles rapidly broke apart, flying like paper into Riley’s mouth.

And then—

WHOOSH!

A whole shop exploded inward, collapsing into itself before being sucked into Riley’s mouth like it weighed nothing.

The ground split open.

More NPCs screamed as they tried to run, but there was no escape.

A large number of them was sucked in, their bodies twisting and stretching as they vanished into the ’vortex’.

The unfortunate players caught in between quickly evaporated into tiny white particles, dying due to the intense suction pressure.

Then after a few more seconds, Riley’s mouth slowly closed, and a loud belch echoed across the square.

Grrr!!

A loud growl suddenly echoed in the air, coming from his stomach.

"Need... more..." he mumbled, tightly clutching his abdomen.

The few players who had managed to escape being sucked into Riley’s mouth stood frozen, their eyes wide at the destruction left behind.

The once-bustling village center had been utterly destroyed.

Most of the shops and buildings around had collapsed, sucked into Riley’s mouth.

The ground was cracked, with deep craters scattered across its surface.

At the center of it all remained Riley... the beast who had caused all these destruction.

His clawed hand clutched his abdomen, and he kept growling in frustration.

Growl!

The players watching felt their legs tremble.

The moment that second growl reached their ears—

They turned and bolted.

Meanwhile, on a rooftop a safe distance away from the chaos was a figure standing with his arms crossed.

His pitch black eyes were locked on the monstrous figure meters away, his sleek brown hair fluttering gently in the wind, stopping just short of his neck.

He had a sharp jawline, well-defined features, and a small, neatly trimmed moustache that framed his lips.

He was donned in a dark blue armor, which had thin silver lines running across the chest plate and the sides. Each piece of his armour was rare grade, standing out easily among others.

In his hands was a long red staff, with a small red orb embedded at the tip.

Beside him stood a beautiful young woman with dark brown hair cascading down to her back.

Her skin was pale and flawless, her eyes almond-shaped and focused as she stared at the chaos below.

She was also donned in good quality light armour, and a pair of short swords hung at her sides.

"Should we go, brother?" she asked, chuckling slightly. "I wonder what kind of rewards we’ll get if we kill it."

Around them, ten other players stood scattered across the rooftop, each of them clad in uncommon and rare-grade equipment.

Some had swords strapped to their backs, others held bows and magic staffs, and a few of them had terrifying monsters standing by their side.

The name of the man standing in front of them was Yano—leader of one of the strongest player guilds in the game: The Noble Lions.

The woman beside him was Yira—his younger sister, and co-leader of the guild.

"It looks quite strong Yira... but if we attack together, we have a chance." Yano said, clicking his tongue.

Yira smirked.

"Yes, that’s for sure," she replied, tilting her head toward her brother. "It seems to be targeting mainly NPCs. All we have to do is break through that smoke. I’m sure we can do that."

The players behind them nodded in agreement, eyes shining.

Most of their attention wasn’t on Riley—but on Yira.

Admiring her beauty, confidence, and even the sound of her voice.

She had long since learned how to use that to her advantage.

Yano hissed and stepped forward, resting the bottom of his staff against the roof.

"Hmph," he muttered. "I’ll show that idiot... why he should have joined my guild."

His gaze didn’t leave Riley.

The monstrous figure below had started to shift again, slowly turning toward the northern part of the village—toward the last batch of fleeing NPCs.

Yano’s grip on the staff tightened.

"Whatever that thing is... it’s not invincible," he said, raising his voice just enough for the others to hear. "It’s still just a monster, one we can defeat!"

"Exactly," Yira added, a gleam in her eye. "It might block normal attacks, but there’s no such thing as an absolute defense. We break it, or we go around it."

Yano’s smirk returned.

"Let’s show these bums the strength of our guild!"

He raised his staff, and the red orb at the tip blazed brightly.

"All units—form two lines!" he barked, voice cutting through the tension like a general on a battlefield.

The players around him quickly fell into formation, disciplined and practiced.

These weren’t noobs, and this wasn’t the first time they were grouping up to take down a more powerful monster.

Yano’s expression hardened.

"No unnecessary talking. Let’s move!"

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

With those words, the group charged ahead, dashing towards Riley at rapid speed.

Yano led the charge with his staff raised high, the red orb at its tip pulsing with power.

"Now!" he suddenly barked.

Instantly, the group behind him reacted in unison.

Each player, except from Yira, pulled out a small, thin dagger, slicing cleanly across their wrists with practiced precision.

Red lines blossomed across their arms, and blood immediately poured out from the fresh wounds.

But it didn’t fall.

The blood, instead of dripping uselessly to the ground, floated upward—twisting and writhing like tendrils of smoke—then surged forward, racing past their owners and toward the front of the formation.

All of it flowed toward Yano.

A dark crimson mist began to swirl around him as the blood gathered above his staff, spinning faster and faster until it compacted into a single massive orb of pure, glowing blood.

It hovered just above the tip of his weapon, vibrating with terrifying power.

This was the power of his S-rank talent—Blood Control.

A rare and deadly ability that gave Yano full command over any blood within a ten-meter radius.

So long as it was fresh, he could bend it to his will—form it, weaponize it, and even keep it alive with mana.