The familiar stench of the sewers is almost comforting. It is the scent of my sanctuary, of my rebirth chamber. I move through the tunnels with absolute ease, my body remembering every turn, every slick patch. I am no longer an intruder in this subterranean kingdom. I am a part of it.
I reach my training cavern. It is as I left it: empty, silent, secluded. The floor is still marked by the thousands of steps and strikes I practiced here. This is where I will be reborn or die.
I empty the contents of my sack onto the floor. The pile of Soul Ore glows with a ghostly blue light, casting dancing shadows on the cavern walls. The air crackles with the energy it emits. This is the fuel for my transformation.
I sit cross-legged before the pile of stones, my back straight. I take several deep breaths, calming my racing heart. The Codex of Primordial Evolution was clear. The ritual is not physical. It is an internal battle. A confrontation with the very nature of my skill.
The ritual has three stages.
First, the absorption of raw energy. I must consume the essence of the ore, not to sate my hunger, but to overload my body, to push it beyond its limits.
Second, the confrontation. The excess energy will awaken the primordial consciousness of Gluttony. I will have to face it on a mental plane, not as an enemy to be destroyed, but as a wild beast to be tamed.
Third, the pact. If I can subdue it, I will have to forge a new agreement with it. I will no longer be its slave, tormented by a passive hunger. I will become its master, able to wield its power actively, at will.
I pick up a first fragment of Soul Ore. It is cold and vibrant. I close my eyes and bring it to my mouth.
I do not chew it. I activate my skill, commanding my hunger to devour it. The stone disintegrates on my tongue, transforming into a flood of pure, icy energy that pours into my stomach. It is like swallowing a frozen star.
An intense pain radiates through my entire body. It is too much energy, too pure. My system is not used to this. I tremble uncontrollably, my teeth chattering.
But I continue.
I take another fragment. Then another. Each piece is a new wave of agony. I am no longer feeding. I am poisoning myself with power.
HP: 65/65 → 50/65 → 35/65
Status: Normal → Overcharged (Painful)
My body begins to reject the energy. Arcs of blue mana crackle across my skin. The pile of ore has shrunk by half. I must go on.
I take a final handful of stones and absorb them all at once. The explosion of energy is so violent it throws me backward. My vision blurs. The physical world fades away.
This is the second stage. The confrontation.
I am no longer in the cavern. I am in a black, infinite void. Before me, a presence materializes. It is my hunger. Gluttony.
It does not have the form of a monster. It has the form of a spiral of pure darkness, a black galaxy that absorbs all light. At its center, a single, red, hungry eye stares at me. It is the eye of absolute predation, the embodiment of the desire to consume.
A voice that is not a voice, but a sensation, echoes in the void.
MORE.
It is the only word it knows. The only concept it understands.
I am terrified. This is the force that lives within me, that has kept me alive and that threatens to consume me. I am an ant before a supernova. How am I supposed to tame this?
It moves toward me, not by floating, but by devouring the space between us. I feel its will assault me, an overwhelming mental pressure. It wants to take control. The excess energy I have absorbed has awakened it, and it wants to use that power to become the sole consciousness in my body.
GIVE.
I cannot fight it. It's like trying to punch a black hole. I must use the Guardian's lesson. Understanding. Balance.
I do not resist its pressure. I accept it. I welcome it.
"You want more?" I project my thought toward it. "I will give you more. I will give you the entire world to devour. But not like this. Not by consuming me."
The spiral stops, surprised by my lack of resistance. The red eye stares at me with a new intensity.
"You are just a blind hunger," I continue, my mental voice growing stronger. "You content yourself with what is within reach. Rats, monsters, fragments of power. It is pathetic. Together, we can have so much more."
MORE, it repeats, but this time, there is a note of curiosity in its hunger.
"I will be your eyes and your hands," I offer. "I will be your intelligence. I will guide you to the richest feasts, to the greatest powers. I will not just feed you creatures. I will feed you skills, magic, legends. In return, you will no longer be a passive curse. You will become my weapon. You will answer my commands. Your hunger will be mine."
This is the third stage. The pact.
The red eye probes me, searching for any trace of a lie, any weakness. It sees my determination, my ambition, my own hunger. It sees in me a partner, not just a meal.
PROVE IT, its will resonates.
The spiral of darkness envelops me. I am no longer talking to it. I am inside it. I am confronted with the very essence of hunger. A desire so pure and so powerful it threatens to dissolve my own consciousness.
I do not struggle. I focus on a single image. A single target. The embodiment of my future ambition. The peak of the food chain I want to climb.
The image of a god, sitting on a throne of stars.
And I project a single thought, not my own, but its, amplified by my will: WE WILL HAVE MORE.
The spiral of darkness vibrates, then recedes. The agreement is sealed. It has recognized my hunger as worthy of guiding it.
I am violently thrown back into my body.
I wake up screaming. The pain is unimaginable. My body, my soul, everything is being rewritten. The energy of the ore, now guided by my unified will with my skill, is rampaging through me, restructuring my very being.
A new interface, more complex, more detailed, burns in my vision.
PRIMORDIAL SKILL EVOLUTION COMPLETE.
[Devouring Hunger (Passive)] → [Gluttony (Active/Passive) Lvl. 1]
New abilities unlocked:
[Devour (Active)]: Allows you to actively consume the essence of a target (corpse, object, spell). The type and amount of power absorbed depends on the target. Variable MP cost.
[Analyze (Active)]: By focusing on a target, you can obtain detailed information about its skills, weaknesses, and essence. Cost: 1 MP.
[Assimilation (Passive)]: You now have a small chance to permanently assimilate and replicate the skills of creatures you devour. The chance increases with the power and compatibility of the target.
I lie on the cold floor, trembling, exhausted, but triumphant. The hunger is no longer a pain. It is a silent reservoir of power, awaiting my command. I have tamed it.
I slowly get to my feet. I look at the pile of Soul Ore. It has shrunk by more than half. I didn't just use its energy. I devoured it.
I focus on a remaining fragment and use my new skill. Analyze.
Item: Soul Ore (Raw)
Essence: Spiritual, Pure.
Absorption Potential: High. Can be used to restore MP, strengthen enchantments, or as a catalyst for mana rituals.
I can see the world differently now. I can see its substance.
I smile. A real smile, wide and full of teeth.
The rat has learned not just to endure its hunger. It has learned to hunt. The wolf has learned not just to hunt. It has learned to dominate.
Now, it is time to learn to devour the world.