As the soldiers led Raze toward the nurse room,he kept his head low, lost in thought about what had happened moments ago. 'My body…it moved on its own. I couldn't even control it.'
A dull ache of guilt stirred in his chest. The memory of Saren's pained expression replayed over and over. He tried to push it away, to remind himself of what Saren had done to him first but deep down, Raze knew both of them had gone too far.Even if it was just a fight, they'd crossed a line.
Then, without warning, a sharp pain flared in his stomach.
[-2 HP]
[Your hunger continues to grow]
[14/100 HP]
He flinched slightly, his steps faltering. The hunger inside him was worsening. An unbearable, primal ache gnawing at his core. He could feel something deep within his mind shifting, as if a darker instinct was slowly taking hold.
'What's happening to me?! System?' Raze shouted in his head. 'System?!'
The system response came immediately.
[You must eat the flesh of any living creature to restore your hp and fully regain your regeneration.]
Raze's eyes widened, panic flashing through them before he forced his face back to normal, hoping the soldiers wouldn't notice.
'What do you mean I have to eat the flesh of a living creature?!' he retorted silently. 'Are you crazy system?!'
[Regeneration will remain disabled until flesh is consumed]
[You will continue to lose 2 Hp every hour until you eat a living creature flesh]
Raze clenched his fists, trying to stay composed as he walked. The soldiers ahead of him didn't notice a thing, they kept their pace steady, chatting quietly among themselves.
He tried to reason with himself, 'Maybe the system is just exaggerating…maybe I can eat regular food and trick the system.'
[Warning: Refusal will result in HP depletion.]
The test flashed again, but this time it lingered longer than usual, as if the system was forcing him to acknowledge it.
Raze gritted his teeth and looked away from the screen, his thoughts were spiraling. 'What kind of system even is this?' he wondered. 'Why does it sound more like a curse than a gift?'
The soldiers finally stopped in front of the nurse room's door. One of them knocked twice before opening it.
"Bring him in," a nurse said from inside.
Raze took a quiet breath, forcing himself to focus. He had to act normal for now. Whatever this hunger was he'd deal with it later.
The nurse guided Raze to a bed near the back of the room. She began checking his vitals, examining his arms. She frowned slightly. "You were in a sparring match, right?" she asked, scanning him from head to toe.
Raze nodded weakly. "Yeah."
Her brows furrowed deeper, in confusion. "Strange… your vitals are stable but you look like you got thrown across the platform. Let me heal you."
She placed a hand on his shoulder and a green aura enveloped her hands, and Raze could feel a warm feeling throughout his body. His battered body healed but his hp stayed the same.
"I'll keep you here for a few hours, just in case. It's protocol."
Raze forced a small nod. "Understood."
The nurse jotted something down on her tablet before moving onto another patient, leaving Raze sitting upright on the bed. The moment she turned away, Raze clenched his jaw, as he felt another sharp pain in his stomach.
Minutes turned to hours. Every tick of the clock on the wall made his body feel heavier.
[-2 HP]
[HP: 12 / 100]
He swallowed hard, holding his stomach as it twisted violently. The nurse passed by again, glancing at his way.
"You look a little pale," she said, "are you okay?"
"Yeah…I'm fine," Raze replied quietly, his voice dry.
A few hours passed by.
[-2 HP]
[-2 HP]
[-2 HP]
[-2 HP]
[HP: 4 / 100]
By the time the clock hit six, the nurse finally walked over.
"Alright, you're clear to go. Just take it easy for the rest of the evening."
Raze forced another smile and nodded. "Thanks."
As soon as he stepped outside, the hunger had become unbearable. His stomach growled so hard it felt like something inside was trying to crawl out.
Raze looked left and right, checking to see if there's any nearby students or soldiers before making a decision. He decided to go look for a nearby forest before curfew.
Raze moved quickly through the quiet academy corridors, his footsteps echoing off the polished floors. Most of the students had either returned to their dorms or were still finishing up their evening routines, leaving the halls almost empty.
He barely spared a glance at the patrol drones hovering near the ceilings, calculating the paths they usually followed. 'I just need to be back before curfew.'
The gates of the academy loomed ahead. Raze pushed them open, the cool evening air rushing to greet him. Beyond the academy's walls, the landscape stretched out into rolling fields and dense patches of forest. His eyes scanned the horizon, settling on a line of trees that looked dense enough to hide small game.
[Quest Received: Hunt for food]
[Reward: 100 Exp]
Raze barely acknowledged the system and began jogging toward the forest, the faint crunch of leaves and grass underfoot marking his progress
He kept his movements controlled but didn't bother hiding them. He had plenty of time before curfew start, but not plenty of time before his hp decreased by 2 again.
Once inside the forest, the air smelled fresher. Shadows moved between the trees as the sun began to set, and Raze could hear the faint rustling of small animals.
He crouched low, letting his senses guide him. Then, a rabbit, unaware of his presence, hopped across the forest floor, looking for a place to rest before nightfall.
Raze exhaled slowly, 'Just a little closer.'
He lunged at the rabbit stretching out his hand to catch it but the rabbit was faster than he anticipated. Just as he was about to grab onto it, it slipped through his fingers, hopping away in a hurry.
"Damn it," Raze muttered under his breath, frustration creeping in.
"Trying to catch something small will just be wasting time I don't have!" he shouted to himself in frustration and desperation. He then narrowed his eyes.
"Then I need something larger to kill."
Without overthinking, Raze began sprinting deeper into the forest. His movements were fluid and predatory, as he scanned for anything larger. A deer, a boar, something that could satisfy his hunger and the system demand.
The fading light cast long shadows between the trees, making it harder to see or track movement but then his eyes began to adjust and give off a faint blue glow, allowing him to see in the dark.
Raze didn't question it as he was focused on only getting food to satisfy his hunger.
Branches snapped under his foot as he ran. 'I don't care how far I have to go. I just need to survive.'
Somewhere ahead, a rustle caught his attention. A larger shape shifted among the trees. Raze slowed down his pace slightly. 'Finally…prey.'
He spotted a deer grazing quietly ahead, its large brown eyes unaware of the danger approaching. Raze slowed down to a halt and crouched low, careful not to mae a sound.
'Just one step…just one step closer…'
But then a twig broke under his foot, loud enough for the deer to hear, The deer's ears twitched, and in an instant, it bolted.
"Damn it!" Raze growled instinctively, the sound leaving his throat before he could stop it. Hunger roared in his chest and he surged forward, chasing the deer with every ounce of speed he could muster.
His mind raced. 'Wait…I leveled up!'
He summoned the status screen and added all three stat points into agility in desperation.
[Agility increased by 3 points.]
[Agility: 19]
Raze felt his speed increase instantly. Now he wasn't the one losing drastically in speed. He was actually keeping up somewhat. And then he remembered something else. Piercing Slash. His hands began to swirl with black-and-white energy illuminating the shadows that were now beginning to darken the forest as the sun continued to set.
He took a deep breath aiming carefully as the deer weaved through the trees with surprising agility. 'This has to work…' he thought.
After a while Raze finally shot out the slash.
[Piercing Slash activated.]
The slash surged forward like a blade of living shadow, catching up and cutting cleaning into the deer's flank. The animal let out a sharp cry, stumbling to the ground.
Raze didn't hesitate. When he was close, he leapt onto it, gripping the deer firmly. The world around him seemed to slow. With a swift punch to its head, he ended its life with no hesitation. It's his life or the deer's life and he's obviously going to choose his life over the deer.
His instincts took over and he began eating his meal.
[HP restoring]
[First hunt completed]
[100 Exp awarded]
[First time killing deer +100 Exp]
[400/400 Exp]
[You are now level 4]
[New Skill: Flesh Bank]