Chapter 21: The Hunger That Isn't Mine
[ Congratulations, human. You have killed a First Order Awakened Beast: Ravenous Crystalline Stag-Rat ]
[ Primordial Essence successfully absorbed ]
[ Your existence becomes more solid ]
The effect was immediate. A massive flow of Primordial Essence flooded his body—not like an explosion, but like a deep, inevitable tide, filling every void, anchoring his existence, and rebuilding what had been broken.
[ Primordial Essence: 0 → 300 / 502 ]
The void within him diminished. The sensation of imminent death receded, but it didn't vanish completely. His abdomen was still bleeding, his muscles remained torn, and his body continued to be dangerously weak. Even so, he felt the difference. The Essence eased part of the crushing weight that pinned him to the ground. It was real. But it was too slow. His wounds needed something more immediate, something physical.
Another notification surfaced before his blurred eyes.
[ New Attribute Unlocked ]
Attribute: [ Adaptability ]
Description: [ You possess an uncommon adaptability. You can learn, adjust, and evolve more rapidly in response to dangers, damage, and new situations. ]
He didn't feel brute strength, but something different. A malleability in his very existence. As if he had become less rigid, less fragile. More capable of surviving pressures that would kill an ordinary man. Another notification appeared, deeper, more significant, vibrating at the base of his skull.
[ You have acquired an Arcane Rune ]
Arcane Rune: Crystal Protection
Absolute: Body
Description: [ Allows the user to consume Primordial Essence to generate crystalline formations directly over the body or wounds. The crystal can staunch bleeding, stabilize structural damage, and create a temporary protective layer. Efficiency and resistance depend on the amount of Essence invested and the condition of the user's body. ]
[ Do you wish to engrave the Rune into your body? ]
The understanding came instantly. He had seen this before. The creature had sealed its own wounds in that manner, turning weakness into armor. Now, he could do the same. Yukeli was about to accept, but he hesitated. His mind failed for an instant, as if he had forgotten something important. His consciousness flickered, and the darkness pressed against his vision once more. His body began to give way again. Blood continued to flow, warm and persistent, over the cold crystal ground.
He resisted the darkness. Something was wrong. With a Herculean effort, he turned his head. The fruits of the nearby bush were still there, glowing softly, as if watching him with invisible eyes. As if calling him by a name he did not yet know.
'Something is strange…'
But his body did not obey his caution. The instinct for biological survival was stronger than reason. He began to crawl. Each movement was pure agony. His abdomen pulsed in rhythmic pain, and the blood left a dark trail—a line of life and death across the crystal.
'I need to heal…'
Then a thought emerged. Natural. Convincing. A voice that had no sound, but held authority.
Yes. You need to. That is why you must feed. The Giver's Fruit will give you strength. And with strength, you can survive.
Yukeli froze for an instant, his hand extended in the air.
"The Giver's Fruit…?"
When had he learned that name? The thought felt like his own, perfectly integrated into his logic of survival. But at the same time, it was an invader. Even so, he did not resist. The desire was a tide too high to be contained. He reached for the bush and plucked a fruit. His hand trembled violently as he watched it, hypnotized by the soft glow emanating from its translucent skin.
Then, he bit.
The cold liquid spread through his mouth and slid down his throat like mercury. Soon after, heat rose in his chest. Weak, but undeniable. He swallowed. Then another fruit. And another.
[ Strength: 52 → 54 ]
[ Strength: 54 → 56 ]
[ Strength: 56 → 58 ]
[ Strength: 58 → 60 ]
Sitting against the bush, covered in blood and surrounded by crystal and death, Yukeli continued to eat. Each bite strengthened his body in a way that pure Essence could not. It made his breathing more stable, his muscles firmer, his skin more resilient.
[ Primordial Essence: 514 → 516 / 516 ]
The heat increased gradually, turning into a fever. His wounds began to close slowly, the flesh binding together in a crude manner, as if his body were being rebuilt from the inside by invisible, hurried hands. But something else grew alongside it. A necessity. A silent compulsion that drowned out any logical thought.
He continued. Time lost its meaning. The juice of the fruits now tasted like iron and raw power. Dozens of fruits disappeared as the numbers in his vision began to spin at an insane speed, jumping in blocks as power was forced into his veins.
[ Primordial Essence: 558 → 560 ]
[ Primordial Essence: 578 → 580 ]
[ Primordial Essence: 600 → 602 ]
Small spasms appeared in his muscles. A warning. A limit being pressed to the breaking point. But he did not stop. He could not stop.
[ Primordial Essence: 666 → 668 ]
[ Primordial Essence: 698 → 700 / 700 ]
Then the pain exploded. His muscles contracted violently, arching his back against the bush. His breath failed, caught in his dry throat. His body fell to its knees.
'Something is wrong…'
But his hand still moved, acting on its own, like a parasite seeking sustenance. Another fruit. Another bite. More pain. More power. The world around him began to vibrate.
[ Strength: 538 → 540 ]
[ Strength: 540 → 542 ]
[ Strength: 542 → 544 ]
[ Strength: 544 → 546 ]
[ Strength: 548 → 550 ]
[ Primordial Essence: 1000 / 1000 ]
An invisible barrier shattered inside him with the sound of splintering glass. A shock pulsed through his entire body, from his fingertips to the bones of his skull, followed by an overwhelming sensation of power and a cold, almost inhuman clarity.
[ Congratulations, human. You have reached the Intermediate Stage of the First Order ]
[ Your existence becomes more solid ]
Yukeli breathed deeply. The air felt denser now. His body was strong. Stronger than he ever imagined possible. But something was deeply wrong. Even healed, he still felt pain. A structural pain, at the very roots of his soul. As if his existence had been forced beyond its natural limits, stretched until it almost snapped.
Then he realized the horror of his situation.
The fruits. His hand began to move again toward the bush, reaching for another, even with his stomach burning. Terror surfaced. He was losing control of his own biology. The bush—the "Giver"—did not just want to heal him; it wanted to fill him until nothing of Yukeli remained.
With extreme effort, Yukeli accessed the system. His vision blurred as he searched desperately for the Arcane Runes he had ignored in the frenzy. Perhaps there was still a way to seal his own flesh and stop this forced hunger.