A blue flame began to form on the surface of the crystal. Celis looked satisfied, but after that he had to eat food that he didn't know would taste good or not.
The heat from the magic fire felt like ordinary fire. However, there was something different—this fire was an eternal flame that would burn for a very long time as long as there was a mana supply.
Celis began to take a chunk of meat that he had cut from the ogre's body. This is horrible, he thought.
The dizziness in his head grew worse. He endured it even though it felt very uncomfortable.
Now he cut it again into smaller pieces so it could cook more evenly. Not forgetting, he also took a bone from the ogre corpse as a tool to help with grilling.
The pieces of meat were then skewered using that bone. After they were neatly arranged, Celis could finally grill them without burning his own hands.
The blue flame began to dance, burning the meat that slowly cooked. Celis only stared at it in silence, without saying a single word.
The aroma started to be smelled, but it smelled more like burning rubber—far from the deliciousness of grilled meat with spice seasoning.
The brownish pieces showed signs of being cooked. Steam rose from their surface, while the fat dripped slowly.
The grilling time had passed. Now Celis stared at the result.
Its appearance was bad, unappealing, plus its unpleasant aroma made him realize that this was not decent food.
---
Eating something like this? This is truly a nightmare from everything I've been through.
I hesitate to put this thing into my body. However, there is no other choice except to starve to death.
So… I have to eat it.
That tough meat I bit into with great difficulty. It was very hard to get a part that could be chewed properly.
"Huks!"
Cih! This is even worse than dog food.
It tastes like stale garbage—more like rusty iron with a piercing bitter taste.
This is the worst food I've ever gotten. But there is no choice but to eat it, or I will starve to death.
Some time passed just trying to swallow that "garbage." My stomach was indeed filled, but my tongue would never forget how bad it tasted.
I just need to find a way out of this hell.
This is ruins… a place that must be filled with treasures sought by explorers. Meanwhile, I only rely on determination to keep moving forward, without enough knowledge about this world.
I stood up. My stomach felt nauseous, but at least there was no dangerous reaction from what I ate earlier—only the taste was terrible.
This journey will become increasingly difficult as time goes on. If I encounter monsters again, I will fight. I take this step to sharpen my intuition and abilities.
Moreover, I have great power. However, its use cannot be done carelessly.
Alright…
It's time to hurry.
I passed through several corridors illuminated by magic stones, while avoiding dark areas without light.
If I think about it again, I spent a lot of energy when using that mystical spear. Maybe it's better if I look for another weapon.
Besides, there are still many things I don't know about that object.
"Grawfhh!"
I heard a small roar—a sound that felt familiar. Wasn't that like the horrible dogs from before?
I traced the direction of the sound carefully, making sure every step I took.
Sure enough… a pack of ferocious wolves. However, there was no leader visible that could control them.
I thought this would be very easy.
I summoned the black spear.
…
Damn, it didn't even respond to my call. It must have some kind of consciousness.
It's better to finish it my way rather than complain without results.
I planned to do a surprise attack that could kill several wolves at once. The exact number right now was ten, but I hated seeing their ugly appearance.
I activated low-level magic, whether it would work or not. This was just my experiment in controlling mana.
I had supportive magic before. With a little change, I hoped I could turn it into a stronger ability.
I took a deep breath.
My magic was already active.
My body felt many times lighter.
I took a step, then emerged from behind the wall. My hand that I had strengthened was about to grab their skulls.
They looked surprised that there would be a surprise attack. Their alertness increased, but two of them were already too late.
I had already grabbed two heads. With all my strength, my fingers crushed their skulls.
"Hyaa!"
I managed to shatter their skulls, blood spurting until it splashed onto my face.
This is too crazy. For some reason I started to like fighting.
I threw away the two blood-covered corpses in my hands. The warmth on my hands made my human instincts feel disgusted. I never thought that I was actually a timid kid.
The remaining wolves growled, their saliva dripping onto the floor.
Those wolves thought they were facing a dangerous enemy.
However, I also just realized that the name of this monster is blood wolf.
Who would have thought there would be foreign knowledge entering my head again. Just give me labyrinth knowledge and it will be done.
It's also impossible for what I do to be made easy.
While I was lost in my own thoughts, there was an ambush from the side. But my reflex was faster than its attack.
I shifted my body, my hand grabbing one of the wolf's legs. The other hand I used to crush the monster's skull.
"Three have fallen. Time for the finishing."
It's better to finish them all at once rather than waste energy.
It would be very difficult to eliminate them without the ability I had used before.
However, I once saw that skill descriptions are not limited to certain rules—in other words, I could learn skills that possibly have no limits from a weapon.
But there was no weapon in my hand. Using fists also wouldn't give any guarantee.
However, I had a weird idea. What if I got an ability from a magic crystal? This Swallowing Shadow skill is also very mysterious.
Rather than thinking too much, I'll just do it.
I immediately ran to the wall and forcibly pulled out the lighting crystal.
I gripped the crystal tightly. I imagined a destructive ability from my fist.
Sure enough, the crystal in my hand disappeared.
In his head there was a voice that sounded like a computer assistant.
[Swallowing Shadow has responded.
The Gacha System has given a satisfying result.
- Combination Punch successfully learned]
I successfully mastered the ability with good luck.
Alright, I will use this ability as best as I can.
I advanced, increasing my reach.
I leaped into their group and slammed my fist covered in orange-colored aura.
BOOM!
I managed to destroy them with a single punch. I never thought that its destructive power could create a hole this big.
In addition, this attack burdened my body. It felt like it made the muscles in every part of my body ache.
I also couldn't use this carelessly.
I will also use it as best as I can.