Gasp!
Keal found himself engrossed in absolute darkness.
For starters, he could feel neither his legs nor his arms.
There was no scent, and he could not hear anything as well.
His world was as though he was simply passing through it.
'Something isn't right here.'
While he could not smell or speak, he could still feel his body temperature constantly going through the roof.
Every part of his body felt as though it was on fire, and yet, it was weirdly comforting.
'That voice just now, it did say I reincarnated. Wait, don't tell me.'
Keal tried to open his eyes, but instead of seeing pictures and colors, he was seeing heat waves.
With this sight, he was able to tell he was inside a small cave, right on top of a rock at the very back.
'What the hell? I can't walk or speak. Dude, what am I even doing in a cave?'
[The system welcomes you to your new world.]
'A system.'
The blue screen played in front of him.
[The system is willing to answer any questions you have.]
'Isn't that great? Then again, I have read a lot of novels to know how this works.' He cleared his throat. 'Before showing me my stats, tell me, what did I reincarnate as?'
[Current species: Korv.]
[Korv is a new species created by the god of creation. They are essentially made of a special kind of flame that digests other creatures in order to grow. They are also created as a source of energy for mana stone substitute.]
'You mean to tell me, I was reincarnated as a replacement for a battery?'
If Keal could express his anger by kicking the wall, he would.
Other than the fact he could not walk or speak, how could he have chosen to reincarnate as such a creature?
He made sure to pick the golden card; there was no way it could be a bad option. Unless the goddess tricked him somehow.
'That reminds me, didn't I wish for the goddess to reincarnate with me as my slave?'
[That is correct.]
[The whereabouts of the goddess are currently unknown.]
Sigh.
'I got duped again. Could life get any worse?'
[Your current condition is critical.]
[Mobility is restricted, and defenses are insufficient. You need to prepare yourself for difficulties and attacks.]
[Would you like me to bring out your stats?]
'Yes.'
[Current stats.]
Species: Korv
True name: The Hidden Master
Skill(s):
Aspect skills: [Devour]
Attribute skills: Heat Senses
Traits: None
Keal stared at the screen for a while. The three distinct sections of the skill category quickly caught his attention. Surely, there had to be something to help with his miserable condition.
'System, what is the aspect skill Devour?'
[The aspect skill Devour allows you to absorb other creatures you have killed with your unique flames and grow indefinitely.]
'Oh, is that so…'
His eyes began scanning the surroundings for anything he could use as a test subject.
But since he couldn't move, his options were limited.
Down the path, he could see a couple of creatures walking around the place; he could not tell exactly what they were, but from their heat signatures, they were probably no bigger than a human thumb.
And they were fast too, moving from one location to the other.
Keal had no choice but to wait, in hopes that one of those creatures would wander toward his side and he would be able to absorb them.
It took quite a long time until finally one of the creatures managed to get to his side.
'Easy…'
Keal remained motionless, enabling the creature to approach sufficiently and then ascend the stone where Keal was.
'Now! Absorb!!!'
He yelled with all his might.
Like that, he felt it—a huge surge of energy escaping his body and wrapping around the creature next to him.
The creature tried to fight it, but alas, it fell, its entire body turning into dust for the energy to swallow whole and push right into Keal's body.
[Essence absorption completed.]
[You have obtained a new trait.]
[Insect Legs.]
[This allows you to move around with six legs, strong enough to support your whole body.]
'That is sick; you didn't tell me I could gain something like this too.'
[You can gain skills, aspect skills, and attribute skills depending on the rank and substance of the creature you devour.]
'Oh, and what would I gain if I go over there and devour the rest of this guy's family? Just asking.'
[Chances of the skill Devour and the trait Insect Legs will be increased.]
'Sorry, little ones, but I need to evolve. The circle of life can be a bitch.'
As though he had always had it, Keal extended the insect legs from his body and then slowly began to descend from the rock.
His vision was not the best and was only useful for spotting other living creatures; as such, he kept slamming into small rocks and even almost fell into a pit one time.
Still, he managed to survive against all odds.
Using his newly acquired legs, he tailed the creatures, who he ended up knowing as Jick ants from the system.
Apparently, these were the workers, and they were hunting for food to bring back to the colony.
That was exactly what Keal was looking for.
He waited for the worker ants to gather all the food they needed, and when they began to head to their colony, Keal followed.
At that point, he launched his assault.
"Absorb!!! Hahaha!!!"
He entered the nest, using his unknown energy to kill every single ant he came across, devouring them whole before moving to the next.
In a matter of a couple of minutes, Keal had killed an entire colony of over 200 ants.
[Mass mana absorption has been allocated.]
[The trait skill Insect Legs has evolved into Spike Legs.]
[The aspect skill Devour has evolved into Ultimate Devourer.]
[A huge amount of mana was gathered.]
[You have gained a new aspect skill.]
[Mana Sense.]