After the girl disappeared into the night, Vayu's legs gave out as his knees buckled and his body collapsed onto the dirt. He had been barely standing for the last few minutes, but he refused to look weak in front of her—so he held himself upright until she was out of sight. Now, with no one watching, his strength drained like water from a cracked pot.
"Status window…" he muttered.
This time, when the blue screen appeared, he didn't treat it like a strange thing. He forced himself to read every word on it carefully. And then—his eyes widened as he read his skill Devourer, Whatever you eat, you can use 10% of its power, "so I can eat anything and gain 10% of their power" he muttered to himself.
It didn't say how much he needed to eat, even a tiny piece… or even a drop of blood should suffice right. His gaze shifted to the unconscious fox-man lying in the dirt and his eyes shined as he got a idea, without hesitation Vayu picked up a broken shard from the shattered sword and jabbed it into the fox-man's arm, he had to hit 3 times before a small bead of blood welled up. Vayu quickly pressed a trembling finger against it and touched it to his tongue.
Nothing changed.
But new text formed under the Devourer skill.
Kitsune — Fox Shapeshifter.
Curious, Vayu whispered the word.
"Kitsune…"
Instantly—wild, powerful energy surged through him and with this energy came a lot of pain as his bones shifted. His skin grew orange hair and his facial bones reshaped. Nails sprouted out from his fingers, his senses sharpened, his heartbeat deepened, he blinked—and saw the world through the eyes of a predator, he could see everything crystal clear even in the dark night. Vayu had transformed into the fox-man, he looked at his hands and legs with astonishment. His stats changed, each increased by exactly ten percent of the fox-man's original power. The body felt strange and foreign at the same time but when he moved, he moved very smoothly and above all he felt powerful as if the nature was giving him energy.
Then the voice returned, cold and mechanical
You have defeated someone stronger than yourself.
You have used your skill for the first time.
New feature unlocked: EXP.
A new line appeared:
EXP (Level 1): 0 / 1000
And below it was written
New Skill: Memory Devourer — You can devour a small portion of someone's memory and the victim will forgets that memory.
Vayu's eyes flashed again as a new idea came to his mind. He reached the fox man ready to erase the memory because he knew the moment he wakes up he will find Vayu and kill him because Vayu had helped the prey escape his grasp, so erasing the fox-man's memory was a must. Vayu kneeled beside him, pressed his fingers gently against the fox-man's temple, and activated the new skill. A faint blue mist seeped from the fox-man's head into Vayu's fingers. Every time he used the skill he could erase one hour of the fox man's memory. But Vayu's mana was low and the cost for using the skill was 2 mana per use. Vayu had 3 mana, and his recovery was slow, it took fifteen minutes for the skill to recharge each time. For nearly two hours, Vayu sat in silence, consuming pieces of memory.
As he devoured them, visions filled his mind:
—The battleground
—The rules
—The crowds
—The fox-man's technique
—His strength
—His weaknesses
Vayu devoured every memory from the moment the fox man won the duel in battle arena… to the moment he fainted and took some general information of the city he was in. When he was done his whole body was covered in sweat. The sun was about to rise, at that moment he saw the fox-man's body twitch, Vayu without a second thought slided inside the opening, as he fell the black quickly formed a cushion and Vayu landed smoothly inside. Vayu was inside again, he felt alone, he felt empty and rest of all he felt hungry.
With nothing to eat, he lay down on the warm, pulsing surface of the black liquid. It wrapped around him gently and as Vayu drifted into sleep, the moment he slept, the liquid stirred. It crawled up his body in thin tendrils, seeping into every wound, drinking away the pain. His broken bones tightened his bruises dissolved, his torn muscles stitched back together.
When Vayu woke up, it was night again. He had no idea how many hours—perhaps how many days—had passed, but every wound on his body had healed and the gnawing hunger he felt earlier was gone. Vayu walked towards the opening again and without him jumping the liquid beneath him lifted his body with a gentle push, guiding him towards the opening above. He crawled out of the hole, his eyes adjusting as he looked towards the pale crescent moon hanging in the sky. The last time he had fought, there had been no moonlight at all, so at least one night, maybe two, had passed after he had slept.
Moving silently, he slipped through the shadows toward the city. Thanks to the fox-man's stolen memories, he knew the layout of the streets, the shortcuts and the blind spots appeared in his mind automatically as if he had lived his whole life here. He avoided areas with light, sticking to darkness where no one would notice the naked boy with his blackened skin. Soon he found an old inn. He entered from the back door, stepping into a washing area where clothes hung from lines and a wooden tub brimmed with cold water. Without hesitation, Vayu poured the water over himself, scrubbing his body with the harsh laundry soap until the black stains faded and his skin normal skin color was visible once more. He dried himself with a long sheet and searched through the hanging garments until he found a set that fit him— perfectly a simple shirt, trousers, and a rough cloak to hide his face.
Dressed at last, he stepped into the city streets. Fox-man's memories entered in his mind again, explaining the strange hierarchy of this land. First were the normal animals, they were kept as livestock, pets, or used for their hides. Then came the demonic beasts, creatures with intelligence, they were treated as normal humans and they roamed freely between streets, above them were shapeshifters, who were able to shift between their full beast form and a mixed form of half-human and half-beast and highest of all were those born with three shapes, human, beast, and hybrid. Anyone able to use all three forms was considered a Nobel.
Vayu was already a human and with his cloak pulled low over his face, most people simply assumed he was a young noble wandering on the streets. The idea of a human walking freely here was unthinkable, so no one questioned it. A cold gust cut through the night, making him shiver as he clutched the cloak tighter around himself. As he walked, a warm smell drifted towards, he smelled spices and food he had never tasted before. He followed the scent until he reached a large wooden house with no walls, only a roof supported by beams. People sat at long tables inside, eating and talking openly.
Vayu slipped into a seat, watching how others behaved. A man nearby raised his hand and said, "Get me today's special" The waiter smiled and hurried away. When another waiter approached Vayu's table, Vayu straightened his back, lifted his chin slightly, and said with arrogance in his voice "Bring me today's special"
The waiter instantly bowed "Yes, sir" he said before rushing off.
Moments later, three steaming dishes were placed before Vayu. He didn't know what they were except the rice which were fired with something, but after tasting each one, his eyes widened. The food was warm, rich, unbelievably delicious, the rice was fried with vegetables and was very tasty and the broth was made from fish and and the third dish was chicken which was fried. He started eating all of it quickly—and then paused. He remembered from the fox-man's memories that nothing in this place was free. Food required payment and by payment meant money.
Discreetly scanning the area, he observed how people settled their bills. First they asked for the bill, after paying the waiter, the waiter would go inside and come back to pick up the empty plates, customers left small amounts of silver or if they were rich sometimes they would leave 1 gold coin behind as tips. Nobles, especially, left generous tips. Vayu waited patiently. When a noble stood up to leave, Vayu saw the one gold coins left behind. As soon as the noble walked away, Vayu rose, walked calmly to the table, quickly pocketed the coins and returned to his seat.
Over the next hour, he repeated this smooth act several times. By the time he finished his meal, he had quietly collected nine silver coins and two gold coins. Feeling confident that he now understood the customs, Vayu raised a hand and called the waiter again.
"Hey" as the waiter turned towards him, Vayu said "Bring me the bill," in a steady and composed voice. The waiter returned quickly, wearing a polite smile. "Sir, your total comes to one gold coin and two silver coins"
Vayu nodded and reached into his pocket. He placed one gold coin and five silver coins on the table, deliberately adding extra. He wanted the waiter to see him as a rich costumer, so next time the waiter will remember him and he will be treated even nicely so the waiter could earn a better tip.
The waiter blinked in surprise, hesitating. "Sir… the bill is only one gold and two silver" he repeated gently, thinking Vayu had misheard or miscounted.
Vayu simply gestured toward the silver coins "The rest is for you."
A smile broke across the waiter's face, wider and more grateful than before. He bowed deeply and hurried inside, almost tripping in excitement to secure the coins. Vayu rose from his seat, pulling the cloak tighter around him and stepped out into the night. The streets were more colder and quieter now, lit only by weak lanterns and the pale crescent moon overhead. He wandered for a while, then silently slipped inside the shadows. Eventually, with nothing more to learn and the night growing deeper, he returned to the hidden alley behind the laboratory. He pushed aside the broken crates, lowered himself toward the familiar opening in the ground and crawled into the dark opening.
Waiting for the next day to arrive.