For a brief moment, Raze saw faint hazes of black and white energy at the corner of his vision like smoke drifting where smoke shouldn't be.
The moment he blinked. It was gone.
He looked down and could see a dagger still buried in his stomach, blood sliding down its blade and dripping onto the floor. The sting barely registered as his focus was elsewhere.
Jason had taken a few steps back, his eyes wide, lip parted like he wanted to speak but couldn't decide what to say. He lifted his hand slightly, as if trying to show it wasn't intentional.
Raze wasn't buying that act. He took a step forward, and began walking towards Jason.
Jason tensed up and instinctively stepped back. The confidence he had earlier now was cracked.
"So you want to play games," Raze said quietly, his voice steady but sharp. "Then it's only fair that I make you shed blood in return."
As Jason heard these words, he couldn't help but feel a shiver go down his spine. The intense gaze and the way Raze was moving.
Everything felt different about him. He didn't act like the average typical boy with no awakening.
'Why am I… shivering? He's only a level one…' Jason thought.
Jason took another step back, his heartbeat growing louder in his ears.
Raze raised his hand, black and white energy flickering faintly again, barely visible, but enough to raise the hairs on Jason's neck.
He had never seen anything like it.
A system notification chimed in Raze's head.
[Warning: Piercing Slash is about to be instinctively activated.]
[Skill activated. Piercing Sla—]
Raze's eyes widened.
He hadn't tried to use a skill. His body had moved on its own. His arm was already halfway through the motion, black-and-white energy coiling around it like rising smoke.
Before he could stop himself, Ray appeared between them.
His hand clamped around Raze's wrist, stopping the motion cold. The air around them snapped, the leftover energy scattering like sparks.
A hand caught Raze's wrist.
"That's enough."
Ray stood in front of him.
Raze blinked. The faint black-and-white haze around his hand dissolved instantly.
Ray's grip tightened just slightly, grounding Raze back into reality.
Jason let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He stumbled backward, his hand trembling as he stared at Raze like he had just seen something he wasn't supposed to.
The rest of the class didn't notice. They were still busy in their own drills, their own clashes. No eyes were on them.
Ray looked at the dagger in Raze's stomach, then at the one lodged in his collarbone, and finally at Jason.
His expression didn't change.
"Training is not an excuse to attempt to maim your classmates," Ray said.
Jason's mouth opened. "I-It was an accident, instructor. I swear—"
Ray cut him off immediately.
"I saw your stance. I saw your intent. Next time you throw something like that, you'll be facing me."
Jason fell silent, shoulders shaking slightly.
Ray then turned back to Raze.
He released Raze's wrist slowly, his eyes
studying him for a second longer than usual.
"You should get yourself checked up at the doctor's office."
Raze nodded his head. "Alright."
Ray stepped aside, gesturing toward the exit. "Go. Don't make me repeat myself."
Raze turned and walked exited the dojo. With each step, he felt the dagger wounds pull at his movement.
By the time he reached the hallway, the sounds of combat drills faded behind him. Nearly all the students were still in class, leaving the halls eerily empty.
Only then did he register how warm his uniform felt around his stomach and shoulder.
As he continued walking, he felt it.
His body was healing.
A familiar screen appeared in front of him.
[HP: 83/100]
Raze glanced down. The wounds had mostly closed, skin knitting together unnaturally fast but the daggers were still lodged inside him. The healing had stopped around the metal, unable to push it out.
The same applied to his shoulder.
At least he still had his gauntlets on. If he needed to pull them out quickly, the agility boost would help.
Raze clenched his jaw.
'Piercing Slash almost activated on its own…'
The system remained silent. No explanation. No clarification.
He stopped in front of the infirmary, staring at the door.
What would he even say?
There was no excuse that explained wounds closing on their own. No lie convincing enough to cover that.
After a moment, he turned away and headed toward the nearest bathroom.
Once inside, he locked the door and took a steady breath.
"This is going to hurt."
He gripped both daggers and pulled them out in one motion.
Pain tore through him, sharp and immediate. He bit down hard, trying to not scream.
Blood spilled but only for a second.
The wounds began sealing almost instantly.
Then the system chimed.
[Your hunger grows.]
[Your hunger grows.]
[Healing paused.]
[-2 HP per hour until flesh is consumed.]
During his fight with Saren, his body had healed far worse injuries. Back then, he assumed the hunger only kicked in after extreme healing.
But yesterday's warning and this proved him wrong.
As if responding to his confusion, another message appeared.
[Flesh must be consumed once every two days.]
[Healing requires energy.]
[That energy is obtained from flesh.]
[Each instance of regeneration consumes stored reserves.]
So that was it.
Every time he healed, he was burning through what he'd eaten before.
"…So you finally decide to explain things," he muttered. "Guess it's time to use the flesh bank for the first time."
[Skill Activated: Flesh Bank.]
Suddenly, Raze could feel something go down his throat and into his stomach. Then almost instantly he felt warm soothing energy pulsing through his veins. His wounds began to heal quickly.
Once the healing finished, the system chimed again.
[HP: 100 / 100]
[Flesh Remaining: 8 / 10 kg]
Raze looked at his reflection in the mirror. His wounds were gone, but the blood stains on his uniform remained.
His gaze dropped to the daggers still in his hands.
[Basic Tier Beast Weapon]
[Zilc Dagger]
[Agility +4]
[Defense +1]
He glanced down at his gauntlets next.
"I might as well keep these beast weapons," he muttered.
Raze left the bathroom and headed back to his dorm. Once inside, he changed out of his bloodstained uniform and into a fresh one.
After that, he pulled the daggers from his pockets and slid them beneath his mattress, careful to keep them out of sight. He placed the gauntlets under the bed as well, pushing them into the farthest corner.
"Even if this counts as stealing…" Raze said quietly, "I'll need them for the portal outing. Besides, basic-tier beast weapons aren't worth much to the military."
Once he was done, he stepped back out into the hallway.
Most students were still in class. The academy was unusually quiet.
Taking a short walk wouldn't hurt.
He had barely gone a few steps when voices drifted toward him from around the corner.
"Damn it," Jason muttered. "Why did I react like that to a level one…"
Another voice answered—Michael, one of Jason's friends.
Michael let out a short laugh. "Relax. He doesn't even have an awakening. You could probably beat him like it's a walk in the park."
Raze slowed his steps.
He followed the voices.
The moment he rounded the corner and spotted them, a familiar chime echoed in his head.
[New Quest Detected.]
[Defeat the two students: Jason and Michael.]