As the system notifications kept flashing, Raze ignored them, too consumed by the raw hunger still twisting inside him. When it finally subsided, he collapsed onto the ground, his chest rising and falling, hands trembling uncontrollably.
He stared at his blood-stained palms, his breath uneven.
"Sorry, deer," he whispered. "It was either my life or yours."
The words hung in the cool air. The sight before him , the lifeless body, the dark stains splattered across his uniform made him feel guilty.
He hadn't wanted this. He didn't want to kill anything. But the hunger… it had stripped away all thought, all restraint, until instinct was the only thing left.
Now, as reason returned, new worries crept in. He glanced down at himself , he noticed that his sleeves, his collar, even his face were streaked with blood. If anyone saw him like this, there'd be questions he couldn't answer.
Raze tilted his head upward. The sun was gone; the forest bathed in silver moonlight.
"Damn it," he muttered. "I've been out here for over an hour already."
Raze took a deep breath, trying to calm down. His heartbeat was still erratic, the taste of iron clinging to his tongue. He forced himself to focus and called out to the system.
"Status screen."
[User: Raze Zaden]
[Race: Half-ling]
[Level: 4]
[Exp: 0/800]
[HP: 100/100]
[Strength: 16]
[Agility: 19]
[Stamina: 16]
[Endurance: 15]
[New Skill Unlocked: Flesh Bank]
He blinked, staring at the numbers for a moment. His health was fully restored, and he could feel it too.
But what caught his attention was the new skill.
[Flesh Bank Lv.1]
[Stores up to 10 kg of flesh to restore HP or stamina; auto-activates in emergencies when HP is below 10.]
[Flesh Bank is currently full]
"Stores flesh?" Raze muttered, his expression twisting slightly. "That's… messed up."
Still, deep down, a part of him knew it was useful — a safety net. The memory of nearly dying from hunger flashed in his mind, and the thought of that happening again made his chest tighten.
He shook his head, closing the system screen. "No point thinking about it now," he whispered, looking down at the deer one last time.
Raze exhaled slowly and glanced down at himself, checking his uniform again.
"Great," he muttered. "Now I look like a murderer."
He stood and moved toward a nearby stream he'd heard while chasing the deer. When he found it, he crouched by the edge, dipping his hands into the cold water. The stream was cold but it helped calm him down a bit. He washed away the blood from his arms, his face, and finally tried scrubbing his uniform the best he could. The smell of blood still lingered.
After a while, he stared at his reflection rippling in the stream. The boy who looked back at him didn't feel like the same one who'd walked out of the academy earlier. His eyes seemed sharper… colder.
"I didn't even hesitate," he whispered under his breath. "Is this what I'm becoming?"
He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to clear his mind.
When he finally stood, the sky had grown darker. The moonlight filtered through the branches, guiding him as he made his way back toward the academy. He moved quickly, careful not to make any noise that might attract attention. Every rustle of leaves or distant sounds made him pause for a second, scanning the shadows before moving again.
By the time he reached the academy's walls, the lights from the dorm windows were already glowing in the distance. He checked the time on his wristwatch. 8:40 PM. Just in time.
He slipped through one of the side entrances students often used to sneak in late. After a while of walking through the halls, he finally made it back to his dorm.
As soon as he entered, he saw Felix sitting on the edge of his bed, Liam already asleep, and Beatrix laying down staring up at the ceiling.
Felix glanced up looking at Raze.
"Where were you, Raze?" Felix asked. "Liam, Beatrix, and I, were looking for you after the combined training. We thought we'd see you at the nursing room but you weren't there."
"I... was at the nurse's room for a bit," Raze replied after a moment.
"She let me go, but I just needed some air. Thought I'd walk around before curfew."
Felix tilted his head slightly, studying him in silence. "You walked around for hours?"
"I lost track of time," Raze said quickly, forcing a small laugh. "Guess I needed it after getting tossed around all day."
Beatrix turned her head on the pillow, her eyes half-lidded but curious. "You do realize how reckless that was, right? If a soldier caught you wandering off, you'd be doing laps till sunrise."
"Yeah, I know," Raze said, scratching the back of his head. "I made sure not to go too far."
Felix leaned back slightly, his expression unreadable. "You sure you're okay though? I saw a glimpse of what happened during your fight. You took a brutal hit before that… comeback of yours."
Raze met his gaze briefly, then looked away. "Yeah, I'm fine. Guess I got lucky."
Felix hummed quietly, "Lucky, huh? Sure."
Beatrix finally rolled onto her side, yawning. "Well, at least you're back. Try not to vanish again. We've had enough surprises for one week."
Raze nodded, "Yeah…got it."
He headed towards the bathroom to wash off the dried sweat and faint traces of blood that were hidden beneath his sleeve.
After showering and putting on fresh clothes he went to lay down on his bed.