The moment the surge reached its peak, I knew. This feeling—this gnawing, consuming hunger—was unmistakable.
The same ability. The same curse. The same damned power I carried before my regression.
My body convulsed as the energy twisted through me. My already thin frame began to distort—muscles tightening, veins bulging, skin stretching taut over bone. It felt as though something primal was clawing its way out from inside me.
My reflection in the polished pillar would've looked monstrous—eyes sunken, breath ragged, body trembling with a hunger that wasn't for food.
It was Essentia.
I could feel it—my skin, my flesh, even the marrow in my bones—devouring the stray threads of energy in the air. Every wisp of power left behind by the fading monster core was pulled toward me like moths to flame. I didn't circulate Essentia like other humans did.
My body couldn't refine or store it.
But it ate it.
Every bit of it was consumed, broken down, and forced into my flesh to rebuild what was weak. My skin itched as if thousands of ants crawled beneath it; my bones creaked as they grew denser, heavier. My stomach churned violently, as though a beast inside me was roaring for more.
A deep, trembling warmth spread from my gut—a familiar pulse of greed that I'd once hated, now somehow… comforting. My entire body shook, trembling like an addict desperate for another drop of power, but the monster core was already gone—its last embers swallowed whole.
The silence that followed was deafening. I gasped for air, chest heaving, sweat rolling down my temple. Then, slowly, the hunger subsided—leaving behind only exhaustion and a strange sense of peace.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Ha… haha…"
Even in this new life, I still ended up with the same cursed ability.
Straightening my back, I took a slow, steady breath and glanced toward the heavy doors of the chamber. My legs felt weak, but I could stand. My vision sharpened again; my body felt heavier, sturdier, alive.
"I'm awake," I murmured to myself.
And for the first time in this new life, I truly meant it.
With a faint grin tugging at my lips, I pushed the door open and stepped out.
I was fully awakened.
When I stepped out of the chamber, the first thing I saw was Elara and the bishop waiting for me.
The bishop still wore that same practiced smile—one that didn't reach his eyes. His round face gleamed with sweat despite the cool air of the church. Elara stood behind him, posture perfect, her gaze steady but curious.
'Really,' I thought dryly. 'Does this man have nothing better to do than curry favor from my family? No—more precisely, from the Count behind me.'
Only I knew the truth of where I stood in that family's hierarchy.
The bishop clasped his hands together, leaning slightly forward.
"How was it, Sir Kael?" he asked in his oily, polite tone. "How did your awakening go?"
I could already see the expectation in his eyes—he thought he knew the answer. Probably imagined me walking out pale and defeated, like failed noble brat who couldn't awaken.
Elara, too, took an eager step forward, her usual mask of indifference cracking just enough to show curiosity.
I met both their gazes and said calmly, "It went well. I awakened my ability."
Silence.
Then the bishop's smile froze. "Y-you… awakened?"
There it is—the real face. The disbelief, the panic, the attempt to mask it all behind a twitching grin.
Even Elara's composure faltered; her pupils trembled, lips parting in quiet astonishment. She looked at me like I'd just performed a miracle—or committed a blasphemy.
It was understandable. Everyone knew I didn't have a shred of Essentia in my body. For years, I'd been branded a cripple, incapable of awakening.
And yet here I was.
Even I hadn't expected it to happen this smoothly. In my past life, before regression, an eccentric old scholar had once obsessed over my strange constitution—called it an anomaly.
Essentia, after all, was life itself. The energy that flowed through every living being, allowing them to strengthen, to evolve, to break their limits. The more Essentia your body could hold, the greater your potential.
That was common sense across the entire continent.
But my body… defied that logic.
It didn't hold Essentia. It devoured it. Every particle I consumed—from food, drink, or air—wasn't refined or circulated. It was eaten, broken down, and used to strengthen my flesh and bones directly.
A curse and a blessing in equal measure. A power that couldn't be refined—but could never truly be exhausted.
I took a slow breath, watching the bishop's round face contort between awe and confusion.
"Yes," I said softly, almost as if to reassure him, "I've awakened."
Seeing their faces frozen in disbelief, I knew explaining myself was pointless.
"Shall we verify it then?" I asked, my voice steady. "Let's check the details of my ability."
If they wouldn't believe my words, then proof would do the talking.
The bishop blinked rapidly before nodding, still looking as though his mind hadn't caught up with reality. "O-of course… yes, of course. This way, Sir Kael."
He led me back toward the main hall where the statue of Goddess Gaya stood tall, her stone eyes gazing down in serene judgment. The scent of incense lingered thick in the air, mingling with the echo of our footsteps.
"Bring the Status Scroll and the Appraisal Stone," the bishop commanded.
Two attendants immediately hurried away and soon returned—one carrying an aged scroll of pale hide, likely made from treated goat leather, and the other hefting a block of black stone that was nearly a meter tall. Despite its weight, the priest carried it as though it were light as wood—clearly a man with a strengthening ability.
The bishop gestured for me to stand before it. "Please, Sir Kael."
Without hesitation, he reached into his robes and drew a small silver knife. I arched an eyebrow.
'The hell? Does this guy carry that around all the time?'
He handed it to me without explanation, and with an amused smirk, I made a shallow cut across my finger. A single drop of blood slid down and landed on the surface of the black stone.
Instantly, ancient runes flared to life—lines of blue light carving themselves into the stone's surface like veins under skin. They pulsed, alive and hypnotic, filling the air with a faint hum that vibrated through my bones.
The attendants spread the scroll open and pressed it gently against the stone's glowing surface.
Hissss—
A faint sound, like hot metal plunged into water, filled the chamber. The glow faded as the runes transferred themselves, burning faint inscriptions onto the empty scroll.
The bishop took the parchment carefully, his hands trembling slightly. His expression was unreadable at first, eyes scanning each line again and again. Then his brows furrowed. His lips parted in disbelief.
Elara leaned closer, her curiosity turning into open astonishment.
Finally, the bishop spoke, voice wavering though he tried to maintain composure.
"Sir Kael… the record confirms it. You have awakened a unique ability—one never before documented."
He swallowed hard. "The name of the ability is Instinctive Devourer, Tier One. No further information is available."
The air seemed to grow heavier with those words.
Elara's eyes darted toward me.
I, on the other hand, only exhaled quietly and looked at the glowing scroll.
As expected.
The cursed gift that had once been my greatest burden.
****