4 Metal

Little by little, Hugh gnawed on the steel foot of the desk. His hunger once again intensified allowing him to bite faster and with more force. His sole focus was on taking a bite out of it but the taste of the metal was driving him crazy. It was like it was teasing him and luring him in to eat more.

After countless bites into the metal, Hugh finally took out a huge part of the metal and started to chew it. He could feel the sharp edges of the metal scraping against his mouth but that only made it more delicious. It was like spicy foods that were painful but gave more excitement to the food.

He savored every feeling he got while tasting the metal until he swallowed it. It was like his whole body was nourished with a cold feeling. It was instantly being dissolved in his stomach. He could feel the acid devouring the metal and distributing it throughout his whole body.

He got a notification in his head.

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DAILY MISSIONS:

Eat 10 types of wood (0/10)

Eat 10 types of metals (1/10)

Eat 30,000 kcal (0/30,000)

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He finally got started in completing his daily missions but he was still far away from completing them. He needed more materials and he needed a way to eat them more efficiently.

He looked around but nothing gave him what he needed. Most of the materials that made up this house were some kind of stones and minerals. If only that was the mission then he would have at least completed a third of his mission for today.

He still turned his head around the room, thinking that he missed something and a light gleamed that caught his attention. His computer. Should he eat this? It was surely made with all kinds of metal but is it worth it? He remembered when he worked a part-time job online just to buy all the parts needed to complete his computer.

He then looked down at the keyboard and saw his phone. This was a phone that had years behind it with all the cracks and bubbles on the screen. He had gotten this as a gift from his parents when he got valedictorian when he was in his first year of high school. This phone was already due for a replacement since his parents promised him a new one after graduating and enrolling at Wolrath Academy.

Eating this phone would be the most cost-efficient thing to do since phones were made up of many different types of metals such as gold, lithium, copper, and many more. After walking around his room in a loop and debating with himself for a while, he decided to eat his phone.

He only took one bite and the phone was broken in half. It was like one of his favorite chocolate wafers that he frequently bought at the convenience store a few steps from his house. One bite was all it took to get Hugh hooked on eating his phone whole.

++++++++++++++

DAILY MISSIONS:

Eat 10 types of wood (0/10)

Eat 10 types of metals (10/10)

Eat 30,000 kcal (0/30,000)

++++++++++++++

Looks like even eating a little bit of the metals worked. He succeeded in completing a third of his tasks, but there was one thing he didn't take into account. His hunger. As if he was a hungry man on a desert that was presented with food, Hugh immediately went for his computer. He didn't think and just ate every part of his prized electronic. The wires were not spared and were slurped into his stomach like an Italian-made spaghetti sprinkled with parmesan cheese at the top. Hugh would even argue that the wires were streets ahead of the spaghetti.

He didn't stop there and immediately went downstairs and started gnawing on the microwave, on the refrigerator, his tv, the air conditioner, and everything that had electricity flowing on it. As a cherry on top, Hugh had the lightbulbs as dessert. He finally felt satisfied.

Unlike before when he ate until he was full, he didn't feel drowsy or tired. He was feeling even more energized than before. Adrenaline was flowing through his body and all he could think about was to go outside and hunt for more exotic foods, and that's what he did. He strolled outside and headed for the park.

Trees could not be seen laying around the streets, there were only preserved at one place and that was at their local park. He had long strides as he passed through the streets and there was even a slight skip in his step. He was elated at the new experience he had and the possibilities it could harbor.

He passed by the convenience store, an auto shop with hovercars parked within, and there was a blacksmith's store that showcased different weapons and armors. Most of the display were shiny and was easily getting people's attention. Numerous people went in and out of the store with gleaming smiles all around. He could even see his previous schoolmates picking and choosing new armors and weapons that complimented their newly found Desire.

He felt in a good mood so he changed his course and entered the blacksmith. As soon as he entered the room, he could see all kinds of metals indigenous to Earth and some exotic metals from other planets. It was like going to a candy store, he had all these choices laid out in front of him. Too bad he's only window whopping.

Different sections of the store had different types of wares. Immediately on his left was dazzling swords of all colors and sizes. One was made of ruby, one was made of scales, and the one most expensive had a glass cover on it which was a sword lined with gold and an actual flame on the edge.

It costs a whopping 1,000 gold coins. That's 100,000 silver coins or 10,000,000 bronze coins! If he had that kind of money he would have been able to buy a Desire pill.

"You have a mighty eye dear customer! This righteous flame sword is on sale right now! Only 1,000 gold coins!"

A clerk with a dark suit and neatly gelled hair came up to him and tried to sell Hugh the flaming sword. If he had the money, then yeah, he would have bought this sword to know what it tasted like, but before he could even refuse, an arrogant tone came to stop him.

"HA!! Don't bother with this guy. He's poor and he couldn't even afford a Desire pill. Not to mention he had an F-class rating."

Hugh and the clerk turned to the person who just insulted Hugh. He immediately recognized it to be one of his classmates. This guy had spiky hair and black eyeliner which Hugh was sure that he spent all morning doing. He always saw this guy beside Aric and they would terrorize him every day of his life. Hugh only had bad impressions of Bart.

As soon as the clerk heard what Bart said, the look of praise and smiles became a furrowed eyebrow and a frown of disgust. The clerk immediately scurried away in search of a new more promising customer. Seeing the result, Bart had a look of triumph and ridicule. His chin was so high that Hugh was worried for his neck.

With nothing left to do here in the blacksmith, Hugh turned around and left the place. It looked like his life still hadn't changed from before and he was still the butt of the joke. Hugh shook his head quickly in an attempt to clear his head. Reminiscing is not what he should do right now. He went on his way to the park with a much more grounded step and a little bit heavy demeanor. The situation earlier clearly affected him.

Before he could even step foot in the direction of the park, he suddenly bumped into a large man. This guy had a black tank top that showcased his huge physique. This guy was fat but muscles could also be seen underneath it making him look more powerful.

Hugh looked up at the man who just had a stern face and unchanging demeanor. It was very clear he didn't want Hugh to pass. This situation was familiar. Hugh looked back and sure enough, Bart was there with a wide grin wearing his new armor set. The red armor looked dazzling in the sun.

"Why don't we talk the alley?"

He was outnumbered, there was nothing he could do except comply. Of course, he could have used his Desire but he didn't want to do it in public. If it was before, he would have just taken the hits and endured it the best he can until they find it boring. But now, he had a Desire. He could fight back.