Chapter 5 – The First Kill
"Your talent?" Sam asked quietly, his voice carrying more weight than curiosity.
Serena's eyes flickered between her trembling hands and the scorched carcass sprawled on the floor. The smell of burnt fur hung heavy in the air.
"Yeah… I think so," she whispered, still unsure of her own words.
"I see…" Sam murmured. His gaze shifted to the wolf's lifeless form as he crouched to pick up his knife. He remembered the words etched under her talent — Born in flame. Now, you command its heart. It made sense now.
He approached the fallen beast cautiously. It was still breathing—barely. A faint whimper escaped its throat. Sam hesitated for a heartbeat, then his jaw tightened. There was no room for hesitation anymore.
Wench.
The blade sank into the wolf's neck, hot blood spraying across his hand. The heat of it made his skin sting.
Wench. Wench.
Two more thrusts, and the creature went still. Its last breath rattled wetly before silence reclaimed the room.
Sam stood over the corpse, panting. Blood streaked his forearm, his shirt, even a few drops across his cheek. But his mind wasn't on that—because in that moment, a faint chime echoed in his head.
DING!
You have killed your first beast. Absorb its core to progress further.
Serena's voice came softly from behind him.
"Is it dead?"
Sam blinked, the glow of the message fading from his vision. "Yeah," he said finally, turning to her. Then his expression hardened. "I told you to run. Why'd you come back?"
She looked down, shoulders curling in. "I was going to… but then I heard the table shatter, and—"
"But still—" Sam exhaled sharply, wiping his bloody hand on his pants. "You never listen."
"Hey! I saved your life, remember?" she shot back, a mixture of pride and lingering fear in her tone. "If I hadn't come back, you'd be—" Her voice faltered, tears threatening to spill.
Sam sighed and stepped closer, drawing her into a light embrace. "Okay. Okay." He touched her hair, a throwback gesture from when she was little. "I'm sorry, alright?"
"Sniff… sniff… you big dummy."
He offered a soft smile, holding her until her breathing steadied again. When she finally pulled away, her eyes fell on the wolf's corpse.
"What do we do with the body now?"
Sam followed her gaze. The body was a mangled mess of muscle and fur, blood pooling beneath it. He crouched, deep in thought, then summoned his panel with a thought.
Lines of light flickered into being before his eyes.
Talent: Devour (SSS/UNIQUE)
Description: you have awakened the embodiment of consumption. Through devouring, you may obtain skills, attributes, abilities, talents and more from others. Absorb what you devour, become what you absorb. (I changed the description of the talent.)
He stretched his hand toward the corpse, focusing his will. Nothing happened.
Again. Nothing.
He tried shouting, muttering, even whispering the word devour, but the air remained still.
Serena watched from the side, arms folded. "Maybe you're doing it wrong."
"Oh really? Got a better idea?"
"Well," she hesitated, "mine just… happened, I guess."
"That's not helpful."
After a long silence, he sighed and grabbed his knife again. The system mentioned a core—so he decided to search for it.
It wasn't easy. The smell, the texture, the sounds—it all made his stomach churn. Serena turned away more than once, retching into her sleeve. But after several long, grim minutes, Sam found something glinting faintly inside the wolf's skull.
A small white crystal, no larger than his fingernail.
"So this is a beast core…" he murmured, holding it up to the flickering light.
Serena peeked, curiosity outweighing disgust. "What's that?"
"It's the core," Sam said, eyes still fixed on it. "We are supposed to absorb it to grow stronger."
"How do you know?"
"I got a notification from the system when the wolf died."
"What? Why didn't I?" she asked, frowning.
"Maybe because I killed it," he said with a shrug.
"That's not fair! I helped too!"
Sam chuckled faintly and offered the core. "Here. you can have it."
Though curious, Serena hesitated, before shaking her head. "No. You keep it. I'll take the next one."
"Alright."
He nodded and turned back to the corpse—or what was left of it. The sight made something cold twist in his stomach, but his curiosity burned hotter. He held the core in one hand and focused his will again, calling upon his talent.
This time, he also tried to rouse the strange energy he could feel in his body—mana. He felt it do something as the already minuscule presence he felt from it disappeared. His one mana was used up and the effect was immediate.
Whoosh.
A dark mist burst from his arm—thick, ink-black, it moved like it was alive. It slithered through the air and wrapped around the corpse like a shadow made solid.
The room dimmed. The air turned heavy.
Then, just as suddenly, the darkness retracted—flowing back into Sam's arm and vanishing completely.
So did the wolf.
Only a trace of its blood remained on the floor.
Sam staggered as warmth flooded his veins. His muscles trembled, his breathing quickened, and a raw, wild energy surged through every nerve. He felt his strength spike—his body shift.
The feeling was intoxicating. Addictive.
When it finally settled, he opened his eyes to a glowing message before him:
You have received:
Strength +2 | Agility +1 | Mana +1
He flexed his hand, feeling the new strength ripple beneath his skin. So this is what it feels like to grow stronger…
Any lingering doubts vanished in that moment.
But before he could speak, Serena's startled gasp drew his attention. She wasn't looking at him—she was staring behind him.
A low rumble echoed from the rift.
Thud. Thud.