'One shot kill!' Riley thought, his eyes shining with excitement.
The other spiked rats froze up for a few seconds, staring at the dead body of their comrades in confusion.
However, they quickly got over the shock, staring at Riley with fury.
Scree!!
They all screeched in unison, charging at him in anger.
'Yeah come on, come on and become my food!' Riley thought, swiftly pulling out his daggers.
*
A few minutes later…
"Hah…" Riley sighed, staring at the four spiked rats corpses littering the ground around him.
With that, he had finally completed the quest given to him by the farmer.
All he had to do was claim their fangs and deliver them back to him as evidence of him completing his mission.
But for now, he had only one thing to do… and that was to eat to his heart desires.
He walked towards the first rat, licking his lips as he crouched beside it.
His mouth suddenly opened wide, and within seconds, all parts of the monster's corpse were sucked into it, bit by bit until nothing was left.
The metallic taste of the rat's blood filled his mouth, but he couldn't care less, simply wiping them off with his hand.
"Next." He muttered, moving unto the next rat.
He dropped to his knees again, repeating the same thing until nothing was left of its corpse also.
By the time he reached the third rat, he was already panting. Not from exhaustion, but exhilaration.
His fingers trembled slightly, not from fatigue, but from anticipation.
He hungrily devoured the last corpse with even more fervour, the taste a bit sweeter for some reason.
"Haha… haha…" He chuckled lowly, eyes half-lidded as familiar notifications flooded his vision.
[You have devoured: Spiked Rat]
[You have devoured: Spiked Rat]
[You have devoured: Spiked Rat]
[Acquired: Strength +2.3, Agility +2.8, Endurance +1.2, Vitality +1.6, Mana +1.8]
Riley chuckled again, the sound deeper this time, rough and low, almost feral.
"Hah… nice haul."
He dropped onto his backside, sighing heavily as he leaned against a nearby fence post.
He closed his eyes, briefly enjoying the feeling of raw power flowing through his limbs.
It sweet taste of their flesh was all too amazing… exhilarating, yet beneath the satisfaction… there was something else.
Grrr!
His stomach growled.
Riley opened his eyes, frowning. He looked down, pressing a hand to his abdomen. He had just eaten three entire monsters. That should've left him bloated, nauseous, or at least full.
But no. His stomach rumbled again, louder this time.
"Come on…?" He muttered, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
If anything, his hunger seemed to have gotten even worse, clawing away at his insides without mercy.
'This… this is the warning I saw about the talent, isn't it?' He thought grimly.
He clenched a fist, trying to steady his breathing. But it was no use.
His senses suddenly became sharper, and he could heat ever creak of the wooden fence behind him.
Every blade of grass that bent in the wind… and the heartbeats of the rats still running around the farm.
'More prey…' He thought, his mouth watering before he even realised. 'So… much food.'
Riley's eyes glowed faintly, the pupils narrowing. His mouth twitched. His heartbeat quickened.
He stood up slowly, his daggers trembling in his hands—not from fear, but the sheer force of restraint. His legs moved a step forward before he forced himself to stop.
'No… I can't,' He thought.
But the hunger urged him on. 'More. Eat more. Become stronger. Devour them all.'
The thoughts weren't his. At least, they didn't feel like his. They came from something else—something inside him.
His hands shook harder now. Sweat dripped from his temple. His throat ached with desire, and his stomach coiled like a serpent.
He could smell them now too. The scent of raw mana-laced flesh. The spiked rats were diseased, twisted by whatever corrupted this world, but they smelled like a banquet.
Riley took another step.
Then stopped.
"No," He muttered.
He squeezed his eyes shut, clutching the dagger in his hand until his knuckles turned white. His breath came in short gasps. His whole body trembled.
He didn't know why, but he felt like if he lost control now… he might lose himself forever.
"Control your power," He whispered. "Don't let it control you."
He gritted his teeth. The hunger snarled in his belly, furious. It wanted blood. It wanted bones. But Riley stood his ground.
He stayed there, breathing slowly. Gradually, the pressure in his gut eased—not completely, but enough.
The red haze behind his eyes dimmed. His pulse slowed, and he let out a low exhale, shuddering.
He had resisted it, albeit barely.
'Price I have to pay.' He chuckled.
Then—
rustle… rustle…
His eyes snapped open. His instincts kicked in immediately, sharpening like a blade. He twisted around, stretching a hand towards the bush the sound came from.
Swoosh!
Immediately, a sharp brown spike shot out from his palm, stabbing into the grasses almost instantly.
"Ahhh!" A terrified shout immediately echoed from the bush, and a tall, burly man leapt out of it, shivering in fear.
"I knew it." Riley said, walking towards the man with a frown on his face.
"Why are you here… Burus?" He said, looking down at the farmer.
"I-I…" Burus' replied, scratching the back of his head nervously.
The frown on Riley's face deepened, realising he hadn't noticed the farmer's presence until now.
'That means he saw me… consume those monsters.' He thought, narrowing his eyes at the farmer.
Burus shivered once again, waving his hands repeatedly at Riley.
"I didn't see anything, I promise… all I saw was just… nothing… nothing at all…" He kept stuttering, but his words sounded anything but believable.
"Hmm…" Riley muttered, a sharp glint flashing across his eyes.
A wicked idea popped up in his mind, and his lips slowly curled into a smirk.
'Maybe… this situation isn't so bad after all.' He thought.
[Farmer Burus is scared of your power!]
[Your Relationship with the farmer has been affected!]
[Relationship with "Burus Cornhead" has shifted: Neutral —> Respected!]