[VotA] Chapter 9 - First Meal (Patreon)

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After a moment of dizziness, thoughts racing, Mark shook his head, stashed his daggers into his underpants, and climbed down the tree.

He approached the goblin’s corpse, kneeling beside it. Without hesitation, he picked up his dagger and drove it into the creature’s scrawny arm, dirtying himself with the monster’s stinky blood.

Mark’s body was already a mess. Caked in mud, dried blood, and filth. A little more wouldn’t make a difference.

He carved through the cold flesh with ease, the blade slicing smoothly despite his lack of experience. His strength, coordination, and heightened instincts made the task simple. 

Besides, the goblin was so malnourished that most of its body was skin and bone, its muscles barely defined beneath the green hide. The only real fat he found was in its cheeks.

Methodically, he continued. He snapped a few brittle bones, severed tendons, and stripped what little meat the goblin had. The iron tang of blood mixed with the acrid stench of mud and the rotten decay wafting through the Black Forest.

The smell hit him all at once, as his nose twitched and his throat tightened.

He gagged.

Suppressing a dry heave, he steadied himself, then placed a piece of raw goblin flesh into his mouth.

The taste was rancid, a mixture of iron, rot, and something foul that burned as it slid down his throat. The blood also carried a heat that spread through his mouth, down his throat, and into his stomach.

His body rejected it immediately. His stomach lurched, and his throat clenched. 

But he held it down, reached for another piece, and put it into his mouth.

His teeth tore through the meat, grinding it down. He focused only on the motion, ignoring the sensation, refusing to think.

After all, logically, he knew this kind of act would be considered inhuman. Barbaric, even. Goblins were humanoid, and some part of Raion’s memories told him people would call this cannibalism.

But Mark didn’t care about what people would call this.

Their opinion didn’t matter.

What mattered wasn’t what he ate. 

What mattered was the explosion. 

The one that should have killed whatever triggered his traps.

He swallowed the meat and grabbed another piece, forcing it down.

In less than five minutes, he had eaten everything he could. Blood smeared his mouth, dripping from his chin, as remaining scraps were left behind, his lack of butchering skill preventing him from removing skin and fat properly.

Only then did he let himself think again.

Should I go there? he thought, gripping his dagger.

Golden letters flickered into view.

For a brief moment, he thought the System might finally guide him toward an answer.

Instead, something unexpected happened.

[Skill Learned: Lesser Digestion (F)]

Frowning, Mark mentally clicked on it before the text could fade.

[Skill Learned: Lesser Digestion (F)] - After consuming their first prey, magical beasts adapt their metabolism, allowing them to digest lesser creatures.Effects: You can safely digest Grade (F) creatures.

The golden shimmer faded as Mark looked down at himself.

His hands were coated in filth and blood, but he was still as human as before.

I’m still me. His frown deepened. But maybe my traits influence my path a lot more than I thought.

Then, his scowl returned.

I gained this skill after eating a goblin, but after killing them, after fighting and setting off explosions, I got nothing?

Shaking his head, he stood up, flexing his fingers before stashing his daggers again.

His tongue ran across his lips. The aftertaste of blood lingered, but the dryness in his mouth and throat had faded.

Tastes like shit, but at least I don’t feel thirsty or hungry anymore.

Mark fell silent, staring ahead.

One foot pointed toward the distant hill, and the other toward the explosion site.

I’m just stalling.

A sigh escaped his lips. Then, with a sharp kick off the ground, he bolted.

His eyes went cold as he leaped toward a nearby tree. His enhanced strength sent him soaring higher than expected, and for a split second, he almost slammed into a branch.

Mark twisted midair, adjusting. His feet landed lightly on the wood. Without pause, he used the momentum, launching himself toward another branch.

He half expected the System to grant him a skill for it.

Nothing.

Figures. That would’ve been a bonus.

Moving swiftly, he cast a glance back.

Behind him, the shadowy silhouette of the hill faded into the night.

Ahead, rows of withered trees stretched endlessly, leading him toward his destination.

The place where he had first appeared.

The place where he had killed dozens of goblins.

The place where something had survived an explosion meant to turn anything in its range into splinters.

I need to see what state it's in.

His eyes gleamed with a dark, purplish hue.

His body moved with ease, leaping between branches. The logical move would’ve been to rest; after all, he had barely recovered from his last fight, and he was rushing straight into an unknown situation.

But he didn’t feel tired.

Every time he leveled up, it was like waking up from a deep sleep. His body refreshed, his mind sharpened. Hunger and thirst remained, but exhaustion never lingered.

Mark didn’t understand the System’s mechanics, only that he was benefiting from most of them.

Besides, when he realized something had survived the explosion, a deeper concern had taken root, which only now he recognized.

I’m trapped in this forest.

Not in the same way he had been under the Demon Princess. Here, he could move, he could fight, he could think for himself.

But he was still trapped.

I don’t know when I’ll leave.

The Tutorial was the System’s way of preparing him for the so-called ‘New World.’ But neither the quests nor the notifications had given him a clear timeline.

There must be a trigger to leave here, I just need to discover it.

More importantly, the explosion gave him a piece of chilling information.

And until I leave, I will deal with things strong enough to survive that explosion.

His grip tightened as he landed on another branch, using the momentum to leap again. The bark cracked beneath his foot, breaking apart as he propelled himself forward.

If whatever triggered my traps is still in good shape, I need to hide. Learn more. Figure out the rules of this place.

His expression darkened.

But if it’s in bad condition…

His heartbeat quickened.

Then this is my best chance to kill it.

The trees thinned ahead as the signs of destruction came into view.

Mark landed on a sturdy branch, crouching as he scanned the scene below.

The ground was torn apart. Trees had been blasted away, some split in half, others uprooted entirely. A mixture of wood, dirt, and shattered roots lay scattered across the field of destruction.

Small bones, half-buried in the acidic mud, had been unearthed by the force of the explosion. They were corroded, brittle, a proof that creatures had died here long before Mark arrived.

He jumped down, crouching low as he moved carefully through the wreckage, noticing that the dust had long settled, and now, in the middle of the charred battlefield, illuminated faintly by starlight, wisps of smoke curled into the air.

Mark controlled his breathing, slidding his daggers out from his underpants, flipping them into a reverse grip, his footfalls silent as he moved forward.

Then, he saw it.

A hulking, car-sized figure lay at the edge of the explosion site. Its massive body heaved up and down, its breath slow.

Mark’s eyes narrowed.

He tried to focus, to sharpen his vision further.

I need to see more clearly.

Mana seeped into his eyes. First, it felt like a liquid flooding his vision. Then, it solidified, sinking into his irises.

It was almost like instinct that he didn’t know he had was taking control of his mana flow, showing him how to enhance his eyes with it.

Golden text flickered before him.

[Skill Learned: Demonic Night Gaze (F)]

[Mana Points: 480/480 → 380/480] 

And everything shifted.

The world took on a deep purple hue. The distant details remained blurred, but the creature could be seen clearly now.

It was a lizard.

A massive, hulking reptile, its scales cracked and charred. Burnt flesh clung to its body, but despite the wounds, an eerie energy pulsed around it.

A severed tail lay nearby, its flesh torn, burned, and bitten.

At the creature’s rear, another tail was already growing.

It’s regenerating.

Above its head, red text gleamed.

[Ashen Fang Lizard (E)]

Grade E?

But the System wasn’t done surprising him.

[Tutorial End Quests Unlocked]

[Black Forest (F) - Conclude an End Quest to Get an Exit Token]

[Entry Quest - Survive in the Black Forest for 7 Days: 0/7][Hard Quest - Kill 100 Monsters: 27/100][Hell Quest - Kill a Forest King (E): 0/1]- Status Goblin Chief (E): Alive- Status Cursed Rootwalker (E): Alive- Status Ashen Fang Lizard (E): Alive

Mark’s fingers curled around the hilts of his weapons.

As if sensing the shift in intent, the Ashen Fang Lizard stirred and opened its eyes.

Its glowing yellow gaze met Mark’s black eyes with purple slits.

And from deep within his soul, he felt a strong emotion demand his attention.

Not fear.

It was another feeling, almost absent from Raion’s memories and Mark’s previous experiences.

Pride.

His eyes gleamed with black and purple light.

I’ll kill this lowly spawn.

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