The silence in the sewers is profound, broken only by the dripping of filthy water and the dull thud of my own heart. For the first time in my life, the monster in my gut is silent. Sated. The feeling is so foreign it's almost destabilizing. No scratching, no twisting, no howling void. Just... calm.
Name: Reinhardt Valdios
Level: 1
Experience: 27/100
Status: Normal
HP: 21/30
MP: 5/5
Buff: Agility +1 (Duration: 58 minutes)
The word "Normal" glows in my vision like a sacred text. The pain in my leg is still sharp, a deep tear reminding me how close I came to death, but my body feels... whole. The energy from the monster core flows within me, a subtle warmth pushing back the damp chill of the tunnels.
I can't stop now. This feeling of fullness, this agility buff... it's an opportunity I might never get again. 27 experience points. I need 73 more to reach Level 2. Three more Shadow Rats. The thought is terrifying. But the thought of returning to my old life is even more so.
I tear a strip of fabric from my already tattered shirt and tie it tightly around my injured thigh. The pressure is painful, but it slows the bleeding. I lean on my iron pipe, now serving as a makeshift cane, and start moving again, deeper into the darkness.
The agility buff is noticeable. My movements are smoother, less clumsy. My senses feel sharper. I can hear the smallest sounds—the distant scrape of claws on stone, the shift of water in an adjacent channel. I am no longer just prey wandering blindly. I am a hunter.
I spot the second Shadow Rat before it sees me. It's gnawing on something indefinable in an alcove. This time, no frontal assault. I've learned.
I hug the wall, the silence of my footsteps surprising even myself. It's Level 2, like the first. But now, I know what to expect. I position myself behind a stone pillar, my heart beating a steady, controlled rhythm. The cold rage is still there, but it's no longer blind. It is a tool.
When the monster raises its head, sniffing the air, I step out from my hiding place. Not charging, but walking. The sound of my steps in a puddle alerts it. It turns, hisses, and prepares to pounce.
I wait. I let it come to me. The moment it leaps, I don't dive to the side. I take a single step back, just enough for its claws to slash through the empty air before me. Its momentum carries it too far. For a split second, its flank is exposed.
I strike. The iron pipe comes down with a precision I didn't know I possessed. The blow is clean, powerful. I hear the crack of bone. The monster collapses without so much as a whimper.
You have defeated [Shadow Rat]!
25 XP
Experience: 27/100 → 52/100
It was... easy. Terrifyingly easy. The difference between panic and control is a chasm.
Without hesitation, I retrieve the monster core. I devour it. The same wave of power, the same blissful warmth. The pain in my leg dulls a little more.
You have consumed [Shadow Rat Core].
HP Restored: +8
HP: 21/30 → 29/30
Agility buff has been refreshed.
I'm almost fully healed. My hunger is still quieted. I feel powerful. Invincible. It's a dangerous feeling, I know. I'm still Level 1. Arrogance could get me killed.
I press on, more confident now. And that's when I make a mistake.
Turning into a wider corridor, I come across not one, but two Shadow Rats. They are guarding some kind of nest made of debris and bones. They spot me immediately.
Two pairs of red eyes lock onto me. A synchronized growl rises from them. My blood runs cold. One-on-one, I can win. But two?
They don't wait. They attack together, one from the left, one from the right, in a pincer tactic far too intelligent for mere rats. The panic I had managed to suppress threatens to resurface.
I back away hastily, looking for an advantage. The corridor is too wide. I can't force them into single file. My iron pipe suddenly feels very short and light.
The one on the left is faster. It leaps. I parry with my weapon, the impact jarring my arm to the shoulder. But while I'm occupied, the one on the right attacks low. Its fangs sink into my calf.
HP: 29/30 → 22/30
I scream in pain and frustration. I lash out with a vicious kick, sending the monster tumbling aside. But the first one is already charging again. I'm overwhelmed. I parry, dodge, retreat, but for every blow I avoid, another gets through. A claw slices open my arm.
HP: 22/30 → 17/30
I'm going to die. Invincibility was just an illusion. I'm just a stupid kid who wandered in too deep.
No. I refuse.
Rage takes over. A pure, primitive rage. My "Normal" status is a lie. Deep down, the hunger is still there, lurking, and it hates when its host is threatened.
I let out an inhuman scream and charge the nearest monster. I ignore the pain, ignore defense. I raise my pipe over my head and bring it down with all my strength. The Shadow Rat tries to dodge, but it's too late. The blow shatters its spine. It collapses, paralyzed.
But the second monster leaps onto my back. Its claws dig into my shoulders, its fangs searching for my neck. I'm thrown forward, the wind knocked out of me.
HP: 17/30 → 9/30
My condition is critical. I'm one hit from death.
As I fall, I roll, crushing the creature under my own weight. It lets out a muffled squeal. I twist around, straddle it, and strike. Once, twice, three times. I strike again and again in a blind frenzy, until the skull gives way with a wet crunch and the monster stops moving.
I remain there, on my knees, panting, covered in blood and sweat. Silence returns.
You have defeated [Shadow Rat]!
25 XP
You have defeated [Shadow Rat]!
25 XP
Experience: 52/100 → 102/100
EXPERIENCE SUFFICIENT. YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL 2!
A soft, warm light envelops me. It isn't a physical light, but a sensation. A wave of pure energy flows through every fiber of my being. My wounds partially close, the pain subsides. A new strength, a very real one this time, settles into my muscles. It is the most incredible feeling of my entire life.
Name: Reinhardt Valdios
Level: 2
Experience: 2/150
Status: Injured
HP: 9/40 → 25/40 (Level-Up Bonus)
MP: 5/10 → 10/10
Unallocated Stat Points: 5
Level 2. I did it. After all these years of stagnation, shame, and despair... I have finally progressed. Tears of relief and triumph stream down my cheeks, mixing with the blood.
I stay there for a long moment, savoring the victory. Then, methodically, I retrieve the two monster cores. I devour them one after the other. The power that floods me is more intense this time. My Level 2 body seems to absorb it better.
You have consumed [Shadow Rat Core] x2.
HP Restored: +15
HP: 25/40 → 40/40
Status: Injured → Normal
Agility buff refreshed.
My health is full. My body is reinvigorated. I look at my 5 unallocated stat points. After a brief hesitation, I place them where I need them most.
Strength: +3
Agility: +2
Dawn can't be far off. I have to go back up. I'm covered in blood and filth. If anyone sees me in this state, I won't be able to explain it.
I return to the surface, my heart light despite my exhaustion. The alley is still deserted. The cool night air has never felt so pure.
Sneaking back into the barracks is a tense ordeal, but my new agility helps. I reach the servant's quarters unseen. I wash myself as discreetly as possible at the water pump, the icy water stinging my cuts.
When I finally collapse onto the straw pallet that serves as my bed, the other servants are in a deep sleep. No one noticed I was gone.
From the outside, nothing has changed. I am still Reinhardt Valdios, the Level 1 orphan, the do-it-all vermin. But as I look at my status in the darkness, I see the truth.
I am Level 2. I have faced death and won. I have discovered the secret of my skill.
The monster in my gut is calm, sleeping. But I know it will wake up. It will be hungry again. Except now, I know what to feed it. And it won't be stale pieces of bread anymore.
Hunger was my cage. Now, it will be my key.