Dayal felt a strange hunger in his stomach. It wasn't a hunger for food; it was a hunger for power. The System screen was still glowing in front of him.
[New Quest: Survival of the Fittest]
Objective: Kill and Devour one Spirit Rat in the Back Mountains.
Reward: 50 XP and a Random Skill Book.
Penalty for Failure: Loss of 2 years of life.
Dayal gasped. The penalty was scary, but he had no choice. To stay Level 1, he needed to move. He ran toward the dark forest behind the sect. This was a place where "trash" disciples usually died, but Dayal's eyes were filled with determination.
Soon, he heard a scratching sound. A Spirit Rat, the size of a small dog with glowing red eyes, jumped out of the bushes. It hissed at Dayal.
In the past, Dayal would have run away. But today, he gripped a heavy stone from the ground.
[Ding! Target: Common Stone. Devour?]
"Yes!" Dayal whispered.
The stone vanished.
[Ding! Devoured Stone. Your skin hardness has increased by 1%.]
The Spirit Rat lunged at his throat. Dayal didn't dodge. He blocked the rat with his arm. Clang! It felt like the rat's teeth hit a hard rock instead of soft skin.
"My turn!" Dayal shouted. He grabbed the rat's neck with both hands and slammed it against a tree. The rat squeaked and fell still.
[Target: Spirit Rat (Level 1) is dead. Do you wish to Devour?]
"Devour everything!"
Black mist came out of Dayal's shadow and wrapped around the rat. In seconds, the rat disappeared, leaving only a small white light. The light entered Dayal's chest.
[Ding! Devoured Spirit Rat. Gained 50 XP!]
[Level Up! You are now Level 2.]
[Quest Completed! Reward: Skill Book 'Iron Grip' received.]
Suddenly, a memory of a martial art technique entered Dayal's mind. He looked at his hands; they felt twice as strong as before.
But his celebration was cut short. He heard footsteps.
"Who is there?" a voice shouted. It was one of the senior disciples from earlier, the one who had kicked him. He was patrolling the forest.
Dayal hid behind a large tree. His heart was racing. If they saw him at Level 2 so quickly, they would suspect something was wrong.
[Warning: Powerful Presence detected. Host is advised to stay hidden or Devour more to survive.]
Dayal looked at a pile of discarded rusted swords nearby. A cold light flashed in his eyes. If he devoured those swords, how strong would he become?
He wasn't the victim anymore. He was the Devourer.