One by one, I devoured the remaining Dart Sparrow corpses.
The flavour was burnt and bitter, their flesh half-charred from my flames—but that didn't matter. I tore through skin and sinew, bones crunching in my jaws as I swallowed them down. The pain in my body faded more and more with each bite. My healing wasn't just physical; I could feel something deeper shifting inside me. A ripple of power surged through my limbs, fast and sharp.
By the time I'd finished the last bird, the system responded.
[You have devoured a Dart Sparrow x4:
AGI +12
New skill acquired: (Speed Boost – Level 1)
Acquired: 2x F-rank monster essences]
I paused, breath steady now. The pain in my chest had dulled to a manageable throb. My wounds had mostly sealed, and I could move without the same struggle. But what really drew my attention was the change I felt internally—lighter, sharper, like my entire body had been tuned up.
The new notification pulsed in the corner of my vision.
---
[Profile]
Name: Knox Wilder
Title: Early Riser
Job: None
Talent: Devour (SSS)
HP: 54/90
MP: 9/20
STR: 20
VIT: 9
INT: 2
AGI: 34
Skills: (Flame Coat lvl 6),(Flame Claws lvl 1), (Speed Boost lvl 1)]
---
[Skill: Speed Boost (Level 1)]
Description: Boosts the user's Agility by 20%.
Mana Consumption: 3 MP / Minute
I read over it twice, grinning as the reality settled in. With 34 AGI, activating this would raise it to over 40. That wasn't just fast—that was monstrous. Combined with my reflexes and flame abilities, I could tear through enemies like never before.
Unfortunately, I could already feel that strange ceiling—the instinctive sense that the Dart Sparrows had no more stats left to offer me. Whatever Devour took from them, it had already been consumed. Their stats, their essence… that was it.
I looked at the pile of bones and feathers left behind, blackened and useless. I considered taking something for materials, maybe feathers or bones for tools—but it wasn't worth it. None of it was valuable enough to carry.
So I left it all behind.
The feathers. The blood. The silence.
Turning away from the battlefield, I began walking deeper into the forest.
The trees grew denser with each step, the canopy above thickening, filtering the sunlight into a dull green haze. The air was still—no birds, no insects, not even wind. But I didn't feel fear anymore.
I felt ready.
With flames in my blood, speed in my legs, and hunger still stirring in my gut…
It was time to see what else this forest was hiding.
As I walked deeper into the forest, the silence began to fade. A soft, steady sound reached my ears. It was quiet, but easy to notice in such a still place—a gentle trickling, like flowing water. Curious, I turned toward the noise and began to follow it, stepping carefully over roots and around thick trees.
After a few minutes of walking, I found it.
A small pond sat in a clearing, surrounded by mossy stones and twisted roots. A narrow stream flowed into it from between some rocks, feeding the pond with clean, clear water. But something was strange.
The water glowed.
It wasn't bright, but there was a faint blue light coming from it, like the pond was holding magic. The glow pulsed slowly, and the moment I saw it, I felt something strange pulling at me. Not physically—but deep inside. It was calling me.
I stepped closer.
My instincts told me to drink. I tried to stop myself. Something about it felt unnatural, but my body didn't listen. I dropped to my knees at the water's edge, leaned in, and plunged my face straight into the pond. The water was cold, but it felt amazing. Without thinking, I started drinking fast.
[You drank Spirit Water: INT +1]
It was light and smooth, like drinking liquid energy. It slid down my throat easily.
[You drank Spirit Water: INT +1]
A rush moved through my mind. My thoughts felt clearer, sharper, like something had opened.
[You drank Spirit Water: INT +1]
I kept going, unable to stop myself.
[You drank Spirit Water: INT +1]
The more I drank, the better I felt.
[You drank Spirit Water: INT +1]
But then something changed.
A pressure started building in my chest. My vision blurred for a second, and a strange heat began to spread through my body. I blinked, trying to shake it off, but it only got worse.
[You are entering Mana Overload from overconsumption of Spirit Water]
I gasped and pulled away from the water, falling backward onto the ground. My arms shook as I tried to catch myself. My mana was surging like crazy, completely out of control. I felt it pushing against the inside of my skin, like it was trying to burst out.
My breathing became heavy, and a dull ache spread through my head. The boost in intelligence was great, but I had clearly gone too far. I clutched my chest and gritted my teeth.
Something was happening to me—and it wasn't over yet.
I didn't know if I was going to pass out… evolve… or explode.
I tried to scream, but no sound came out. My mouth opened, but it was like the air itself had been stolen. The heat inside my chest kept rising, burning hotter and hotter until it felt like my ribs would crack open. Every breath I took was sharp and painful, but the fire inside wouldn't stop. It spread through my body like wildfire.
I dropped to the ground, clutching my chest with shaking hands. The pain was unbearable, a crushing weight pressing down on me from the inside. I started to roll, desperate to find relief, but nothing helped. The burning didn't fade—it only grew stronger.
My vision blurred, colors bleeding at the edges. I could barely focus, barely think. All I could feel was the relentless heat and the pounding in my head.
Slowly, my body twisted and rolled closer to the glowing pond. The same water I had just drank was now drawing me in like a magnet. Even in the middle of the pain, something inside me was pulled toward it, a strange force I couldn't resist.
And then—without warning—
Plop.
I fell face-first into the water.
The cold hit me instantly, shocking my skin and cooling the fire burning inside. The pond's glow surrounded me, soft and soothing. I gasped, my mouth breaking the surface as I sucked in a sharp breath.
The water was unlike anything I'd felt before. It seemed to soak into my skin, seeping deep inside, washing away some of the heat and pain. My chest still ached, but the pressure began to ease. The burning wasn't gone completely, but it no longer felt like it would tear me apart.
I floated there for a moment, eyes wide open, staring up at the dark canopy of trees above. My body was weak, but my mind was clearer. But that didn't last long as my mind was drawn towards the myriad of system notifications.
[You have consumed Spirit Water: INT +1]
[You have consumed Spirit Water: INT +1]
[You talent Devour (SSS) is reacting to the spirit water]
[You have exited Mana Overload]
[You have acquired the skill Magic Sense]
[You have acquired the title Mana Born]