Riley dashed through the dense underbrush, each step precise, light, and swift.
The forest air brushed past his cheeks, cool and humid, laced with the scent of moss and bark.
But the world didn't intend to let him pass so easily.
Without warning, something launched toward him from the side—fast and low.
His instincts kicked in.
He sidestepped swiftly, the creature missing him by inches as it sailed past in a blur.
Thump!
It landed and skittered on the grass, claws dragging into the earth to regain momentum.
Riley halted and turned sharply, his eyes narrowing.
A large rat, easily the size of a small dog, stood crouched a few feet away.
Its hunched body was covered in coarse, patchy fur, but what stood out most were the short, jagged brown spikes protruding from its back and sides like natural armor.
Its neck, however, was smooth and pale, devoid of the defensive spines. The white patch ran from just beneath its jawline to the start of its chest, like a vulnerable strip begging to be targeted.
The creature croaked at him, baring its teeth—a low, guttural sound that was more menacing than anything its size should've been able to make. Its beady brown eyes locked onto his, full of hostility.
'A Spiked Rat…' Riley thought, his brows furrowing slightly.
Above the rat's head, a translucent tab floated:
[Spiked Rat]
[Level: 1]
[H/P: 30]
[Description: Ordinary rats who mutated due to the influence of mana.]
Riley squinted slightly.
As expected, there were no attributes displayed on its stats window.
That was the way things were during the early stages of the game.
In order to scan the attributes of monsters or even other people, one would need to possess the [Inspect], or [Appraisal] skill, which were quite rare.
Still, he didn't need those now.
He already knew everything he needed.
From his past life, he remembered the Spiked Rats well.
They were a staple nuisance in the forested beginner zones.
Despite being only level 1, they were considered troublesome mobs because of how fast and strong they were compared to others in the same bracket.
Each Spiked Rat had about seven points in agility, and their strength floated somewhere between four and five points.
Which was enough to overwhelm most fresh players—especially the ones who hadn't allocated their points properly or weren't used to fighting yet.
But Riley wasn't an average player.
He had eight agility—slightly more than the rat—and he knew exactly how to exploit their weakness.
The neck.
The white, spike-less patch.
"Come on then…" he muttered, spinning one of his daggers in his hand.
Shriek!
The Spiked Rat suddenly shrieked, its legs kicking forward as it charged again.
Its small head dipped low, and sharp, yellow fangs gleamed in the sunlight as its mouth opened wide.
But Riley didn't flinch.
"Stealth," He whispered.
A cold ripple spread across his body. His figure dimmed, the world around him brightening slightly as if he had stepped out of sync with it.
It wasn't full invisibility, but to the untrained eye—and definitely to a level 1 mutated rat—he had practically disappeared.
The rat paused, its eyes darting left and right. It halted mid-charge, confused by its prey suddenly vanishing.
But before he realised, it was already too late, as Riley was already beside it.
He moved in a blur, his steps nearly soundless, and with a smooth, practiced motion, he dragged his dagger across the creature's exposed white neck.
Schk!
The blade sliced cleanly through.
A spray of dark red blood burst out, followed by a sharp screech as the rat spasmed violently.
It stumbled forward, trying to retaliate, but its legs gave way almost immediately.
-21!
A red notification appeared above the rat, and its H/P immediately dropped.
But Riley didn't wait to see how much of its H/P remained before slashing at the neck again, finishing what he started.
The rat collapsed with a final twitch.
[+20 EXP]
[Item Drop: Rat Fang(common) x1]
Riley stood over the creature's body, breathing steadily.
He swiped a hand through the air, collecting the drop.
'I didn't expect to get a drop on my first kill.' He thought, staring at the small, yellow fang on his palm.
He simply pocketed it, since he didn't have any storage bag to keep the item.
Though Rat fang was only a common drop, he should still be able to get some cash by selling it to an alchemist.
He then turned back to the dead rat beside him, and his face twisted into a slight frown.
'Now, how the hell am I supposed to use gluttony?' He thought, scratching his hair with a wry smile on his face.
A part of him couldn't help but wonder if he had to… eat the dead body, since the nature of the skill was for him to 'consume.'
He wasn't sure what to expect. He'd whispered the words instinctively, a wild guess more than anything.
"Activate Gluttony," he muttered again, placing his hand on the creature's rough back.
Then it hit him.
HUUNNGGHH…!
A vicious hunger surged from deep within him—raw, primal, and unrelenting.
His stomach twisted violently, and his vision blurred for a split second.
It felt like something inside him had snapped, like a beast that had been asleep was suddenly wide awake, snarling and starving.
Riley clutched at his stomach, gasping.
"What the hell…?"
But then his gaze drifted back to the corpse.
It didn't look so grotesque anymore.
The blood. The torn flesh. The twisted limbs. It wasn't repulsive—it was appetizing.
Before he even realized what he was doing, his body was already moving.
His lips parted, breath shallow.
Then—he opened his mouth wide, unnaturally wide, almost twice wider than any normal human should have been able to.
FWOOOOSH!
A powerful vacuum burst forth from deep within his throat. It wasn't just suction—it was like a vortex of pure consumption had awakened in his gullet, and the body of the rat didn't stand a chance.
Bones cracked. Flesh tore. The rat's remains lifted off the ground and were dragged into Riley's mouth like dust into a hurricane.
It lasted less than five seconds.
Then, silence.
Nothing was left on the ground. No bones. No fur. No organs. Only a few drops of blood remained, soaking gently into the dirt beneath.
Riley's eyes widened as the sensation faded.
He reached up, rubbing his mouth almost in disbelief.
But when he looked back at his hand, he found his fingers smeared with something sticky—dark red, almost black.
'Blood…?' He mumbled to himself,
There was a faint tang clinging to the back of his throat. Metallic. Rich. Not entirely unpleasant.
No, actually…
He swallowed, and his lips parted slightly.
It tasted… good.
Exciting, even. It was a taste that awakened something far more dangerous than curiosity.
The hunger had dulled—but only slightly.
He could still feel it gnawing at his insides like a rabid animal, unsatisfied with just one meal.
A chime rang in his ears, and a faint glow blinked across his vision.
[Strength +1]
[Agility +1.4]
[Endurance +0.6]
[Vitality +0.6]
[Mana +0.4]
But Riley barely noticed.
His hands drifted down to his abdomen, fingers pressing against the soft fabric of his shirt as if expecting something to burst from within.
"…So this is how it feels…" He mumbled, voice hoarse. "To use Gluttony…"
He swallowed again, but the taste still lingered. A wicked aftertaste that scratched at the back of his tongue and made his molars itch.
His stomach growled—loudly—and his teeth clenched.
It was painful. Not sharp pain, but a twisting, writhing pressure. Like his own gut was eating itself from the inside out.
"More…"
His breathing grew heavier.
He needed more. The hunger wouldn't let him be.
Suddenly—SKREEEEE!
A shriek rang out from the trees.
Then another.
And another.
Riley's head slowly turned toward the sound, his eyes sharpening.
Three more spiked rats slithered out from the brush, each one slightly smaller than the one he had devoured, but all of them snarling, their beady eyes locked on him.
Their quills rustled as they advanced, hissing through sharp teeth.
But instead of fear… Riley smiled.
His heart beat faster—not with panic, but with joy.
His eyes lit up, and a crazed glint shimmered behind them.
"Finally…" he breathed.
"More food."