The stone is cold beneath my fingers. Every morning, the same biting chill seeps through the cracks in my worn gloves. I haul buckets of water across the training grounds of the Kryndal royal barracks. My muscles, lean and overworked, scream with every step. But the physical pain is nothing. Mere background noise compared to the other pain, the one that devours me from within.
Hunger.
This isn't the hunger of an empty stomach. It's a living creature, a monster coiled in my gut that claws, bites, and screams without ever falling silent. It's my skill. My curse.
A mental window, one only I can see, floats in the corner of my vision. It is cruelly simple.
Name: Reinhardt Valdios
Level: 1
Experience: 2/100
Status: Starving (Severe)
HP: 25/30
MP: 5/5
Skill (Unique):
Devouring Hunger (Passive): An insatiable hunger constantly consumes your stamina and HP. Every calorie consumed is burned at an abnormal rate. The "Starving" status is permanent and intensifies over time. Temporary strength and agility bonuses can be unlocked in a critical hunger state, at the risk of losing control.
Level 1. Since the day I was born. Everyone starts at Level 1, but most children have already surpassed it by hunting rats or helping their parents. I, however, am stuck. My skill drains every bit of energy I absorb. Every point of experience earned working here is immediately consumed by this curse, simply to keep me alive.
I set the heavy buckets down near the horse trough. The simple effort leaves me breathless, black spots dancing before my eyes. The hunger intensifies, becoming a sharp pain, as if my insides are being twisted. I lean against the stone wall, just for a moment, to catch my breath.
"Look at that. The vermin is resting again."
The voice is sharp, dripping with an arrogant contempt that has become as familiar to me as my own pain. I don't need to turn around to know who it is. Caelan Burix. The youngest son of the Burix family, a line of respected Knights, though they are known more for their cruelty than their honor.
I straighten up immediately, my back rigid, my head bowed. It's the posture of survival here.
"My apologies, Sir Caelan. I was just catching my breath."
He approaches, the clatter of his training armor echoing on the cobblestones. He is only sixteen, but his aura is already that of a predator. The system shows it to me clearly. Level 12. A mountain compared to my own.
"Your breath?" He scoffs. "Trash like you doesn't even deserve the air you breathe. You should be thanking my family for letting you clean up their shit in exchange for a few scraps."
I don't reply. Silence is the only armor I possess. Any response would be a provocation.
He shoves my shoulder, a casual gesture for him, but enough to make me stumble. "I heard you come from some backwater village in the hills. They kicked you out, didn't they? Because you're useless. Just another mouth to feed that brings in nothing."
Every word is a stab wound. He's right. My village cast me out like a disease. My hunger was a burden they could no longer bear. Useless. That's the word they used.
"Go on, answer me, mutt. Tell me why they threw you away."
I clench my fists, my nails digging into my palms. The hunger screams, fueled by the shame. A dangerous heat rises within me. It's the effect of my skill in a critical state. A surge of illusory strength that whispers for me to fight back, to wipe that smug grin off his face.
But I know what would happen. He's Level 12. He would break me in two without breaking a sweat. And I would lose this job, this miserable job that is the only thing keeping me from starving to death in an alley.
I lower my head even further. "I was of no use to them, Sir."
My submission seems to satisfy him. He lets out a grunt of disdain. "At least you know your place. Now get out of my sight. Your stench disgusts me."
I give a clumsy bow and walk away as quickly as I can, my heart hammering in my chest. Shame is a second skin, hot and suffocating. I head toward the quartermaster to receive my pay for the morning's work.
The quartermaster, a fat man with a weary gaze, tosses me a piece of black bread, hard as a rock. That's it. This is what I endure Caelan and the others for. For this miserable piece of bread.
I find a secluded spot behind the stables, where the smell of manure masks the reek of noble arrogance. I sit on a bale of hay and stare at the bread in my hand. It's barely enough to quiet the monster in my stomach, but it's better than nothing.
I bring it to my mouth and tear at it with my teeth. The texture is rough, the taste nonexistent. But as the first bite reaches my stomach, a fraction of the pain subsides. It's a relief so intense it's almost ecstatic. For a few seconds, the monster falls silent, busy devouring the meager offering.
Status: Starving (Severe) → Starving
The change in status never lasts long. In an hour, the severe hunger will be back. I eat slowly, trying to make this brief moment of peace last.
That's when I see her.
She walks across the courtyard, and it's as if the sun itself decided to focus on a single point. She wears the white and gold armor of the Holy Knights, the elite of the elite. Her silver hair is tied back in a strict ponytail, and her face is one of severe, yet just, beauty.
Roxis Heart. Holy Knight, Level 45. One of the youngest ever to achieve the rank in the history of Kryndal.
Unlike the other nobles, she doesn't walk; she glides. Her aura is powerful, yet calm. Soothing. She doesn't look down on anyone. When her gaze meets that of a soldier or a servant, she offers a slight nod. A sign of acknowledgment.
She is everything Caelan Burix is not.
As she passes near my hiding spot, a small leather pouch tied to her belt comes loose and falls silently to the ground. She doesn't notice and continues on her way.
My heart stops. A part of me, the cowardly, hungry part, screams at me to stay hidden. To not get involved. Another part, the one that still remembers being a worthy human being, urges me to act.
Before I can even think, I'm on my feet. I pick up the pouch. It's heavy. I run toward her, my heart pounding wildly.
"Lady Heart!" My voice is hoarse, unused to speaking so loudly.
She turns, surprised. Her eyes, a deep blue, land on me. There's no trace of contempt in her gaze. Only curiosity.
I reach her, out of breath, and hold out the pouch, my head bowed. "You... you dropped this."
She looks at the pouch, then at my face. A faint smile touches her lips. "Oh. Thank you so much. I didn't even notice."
She takes the pouch, and as she does, her fingers brush against mine. A warm current flows through my body. It's the first time anyone has touched me without violence in years.
"What is your name?" she asks in a soft voice.
"Reinhardt, My Lady. Reinhardt Valdios."
"Reinhardt." She repeats my name as if it matters. "Thank you again, Reinhardt. That was an honest thing to do."
She reaches into the pouch and pulls out a small silver coin. It's more than I make in a week.
"Here, for your honesty."
I take a step back, shaking my head. "No, My Lady. I can't. It was the right thing to do."
Accepting money for it feels... wrong. Her simple thanks was worth more than all the coin in the kingdom.
Her smile widens. She puts the coin away. "Very well. But at least let me give you this." She then pulls a bright red apple from the pouch. "You look hungry."
My eyes widen. The apple seems unreal. Perfect. Its sweet scent reaches my nostrils, and the monster in my stomach awakens with renewed fury.
I swallow hard. "Thank you... My Lady."
I take the apple with trembling hands. Its skin is smooth and cool. It is a treasure.
"It's nothing. Keep up the good work, Reinhardt."
With those words, she gives me one last nod and walks away, leaving a warmth-filled silence in her wake.
I stand there, motionless, the apple in my hand. A fruit. A simple fruit. But to me, it's a symbol. Proof that there is still kindness left in this rotten world.
I return to my hiding spot, my heart light. I sit down and gaze at the apple. I don't want to eat it right away. I want to preserve this feeling, this warmth she left inside me.
"Well, well. Looks like the mutt got a treat."
Caelan's voice sends a chill down my spine. He's there, leaning against the stable wall, his arms crossed. Two of his friends, just as arrogant as he is, stand beside him. They saw me.
"That was the Holy Knight Heart, wasn't it?" Caelan continues, approaching slowly. "She takes pity on the most pathetic creatures. It's her greatest weakness."
I get to my feet, hiding the apple behind my back. My heart is pounding, but this time, it's not from fear. It's rage. A protective rage for this small gift.
"Give it to me," Caelan orders, holding out his hand.
"It's mine," I whisper, my voice trembling.
He bursts out laughing. "Yours? Nothing is yours, vermin. All you have is what we, your betters, allow you to have. An object so perfect isn't meant for a filthy mouth like yours."
He takes a step forward. Instinct screams at me to run. But my feet are rooted to the spot. This apple... it's more than just a fruit. It's the respect Roxis Heart showed me. It's proof that I'm worth something.
I can't give it to him.
"I refuse, Sir," I say, my voice gaining firmness.
His smile vanishes. "What?"
"I refuse."
The word hangs in the air, heavy with consequences. His friends exchange a look of cruel amusement.
Caelan steps closer until his face is inches from mine. His breath smells of spiced wine. "You chose the wrong day to play brave, trash."
His fist flies without warning. I don't even have time to see the blow coming. A searing pain explodes in my jaw. I'm thrown to the ground, my head hitting the dirt hard. The apple rolls from my hand.
The world spins. The taste of blood fills my mouth.
HP: 25/30 → 18/30
Caelan picks up the apple. He looks at it, then at me, sprawled at his feet. "You see? You're nothing. You possess what I allow you to possess."
He bites into the apple with a sickening, juicy crunch. The sound rings in my head like a hammer blow. He is eating my hope.
"Delicious," he says, chewing loudly. "A shame you'll never get to taste it."
He throws the half-eaten core into the mud, right next to my face. Then, he spits on me.
"Crawl, mutt. It's all you're good for."
He and his friends walk away laughing, leaving me alone in the filth and humiliation.
I lie there for a long time, my body aching, but it's my soul that's bleeding. Tears mix with the blood on my cheek. The hunger returns, stronger, more vicious than ever, fed by my despair.
Status: Starving → Starving (Critical)
A dangerous heat pulses through my veins. The system alerts me.
Devouring Hunger: Temporary bonus activated.
Strength: +5
Agility: +3
Warning: Risk of losing control. Duration: 5 minutes.
I grit my teeth, fighting the animalistic instinct screaming at me to get up, to chase them, to bite them, to devour them. I can't. I'm too weak. Not yet.
Slowly, painfully, I push myself up. I ignore the pain in my jaw. My gaze falls on the soiled apple core, abandoned in the mud.
With a trembling hand, I pick it up. I wipe off the dirt as best I can. And without hesitation, I bring it to my mouth and eat what's left. The taste of dirt, blood, and sweet apple mixes on my tongue. It is the taste of my life. The taste of shame.
I chew and swallow, each bite a silent vow.
One day, I will no longer crawl.
One day, I will be the one who devours.
One day, I will take everything from them.
I look toward the castle, where the banners of the Holy Knights flutter in the wind. The image of Roxis Heart, of her kind smile, is superimposed over the sneering face of Caelan Burix.
The hunger rumbles. But for the first time, it's no longer just a curse. It's a promise. The promise of a future where I will never be hungry again.