"So, what should I call you? Rude Voice? Alien? Or maybe a spirit trying to possess me?"
"In your world, we are called the Outsiders."
"Oh. So you're famous around here? How come I've never heard of you before?"
"There are many things you don't know about this world… because you lived in a village isolated from everything."
"Do you have a story you want to share with me?"
(No response.)
"Fine. Stay silent then, you stalker."
"What do you mean by tha—"
"Nothing."
Mohin stood up and began packing his things to leave the forest. But as he approached the bear-like beast, he started to feel… strange. Voices began to echo in his head.
He heard whispers:
"Absorb it.". "Consume it."
"Devour it."
"Put your hands on it."
"Put your hands on the corpse."
Mohin's hand moved toward the bear involuntarily.
"Mohin, what are you doing?"
Mohin replied in a dazed voice, "I must absorb it."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
He was semi-conscious, unaware of what was truly happening. His bright red hair began to darken. The light in his eyes faded.
Mohin started to mutter, "Power… I want power."
As he repeated the word coldly, he placed his hands firmly on the corpse of the bear.
The Second Night
Mohin woke up to find himself lying in the center of a massive crater—500 meters wide.
All the trees in the area were gone, making him wonder what kind of battle had happened here.
"You're finally awake. May I ask you something, Mohin? Are you truly human?"
"…Why do you say that?"
"This crater—you created it."
"W-what?!"
"I can feel your soul clearly, so I'm certain. You were unconscious at the time."
"What happened? All I remember is hearing a voice… I can't recall what it was saying."
"You absorbed the bear's skill. Do you know what that means? It means your potential has no limits."
"I'm sorry—I don't understand what you're saying."
"You can't see your own skills without a special device. But I can see them. Strangely, I still can't see your innate talent."
"So you're saying the skill I stole from the bear caused all this?"
"Not exactly. It was the same skill… but much stronger. It's a passive ability, so it's always active—you don't even need to learn how to use it."
"What's its rank?"
"The skill is called Beast Strength. It's ranked B. It greatly enhances the user's power."
Mohin walked to another area and punched the ground with all his might. This time, the crater formed was only 25 meters wide—far smaller than the one from before.
He wondered, Why was the skill so much stronger when I was unconscious?
"Mohin, the Beast Strength skill is extremely powerful, despite being ranked B. The bear-like monster you took it from could even defeat some rank-A beasts."
Mohin smiled and said:
"Now the real fun begins."