Starvation Boost

I RAN DOWN the main street of the Holy Knight District and arrived at the large

gate that separated that district from the others. In my current state of

starvation, my five senses were sharpened to an unbelievable degree. I realized

that though it was the dead of night, I could see as though it were the middle of

the day.

My sense of smell was also heightened, and I could identify delicious

opportunities by their scent. At the gate were two guards, and the one on the

right was in better shape and seemed tastier. I used Identify to confirm my

suspicions, and I was right; the more luscious guard had the better stats and

skills.

In other words, I could identify a person with powerful stats and skills by their

mouthwatering scent. It seemed that, in its hunger for souls, Gluttony gave my

basic physical abilities a boost. However, it was excruciating. The hunger came

in surges that left me reeling.

I needed to get through the gate quickly without the guards stopping me.

Fortunately, I had a travel pass because I was now a servant of the Hart family.

Travel passes were a rule; whether you were coming or going, you had to show

yours to the guard at the gate to get by. If you lost the pass, the guards

wouldn't let you through.

"Don't mind me," I said, smiling politely as I neared the guards. "Just out for a

moonlight stroll."

I tried my best not to look suspicious. After all, it was the middle of the night,

and I was trying to leave the Holy Knight District. However, as I pulled out my

travel pass to show the guard, he recoiled and took a step backward.

"Ah!"

His face contorted in fear as he stared at me, and his partner was no different.

Upon facing me to see what was going on, he reacted in exactly the same way.

It was all incredibly awkward, so I waved my travel pass at them and rushed

through the gate to the Merchant District as rapidly as I could.

"When those guards looked into your eyes," said Greed, "they felt like little

frogs caught by the glare of a snake. Your red eyes carry a predator's power.

Anyone with lower stats will be paralyzed in fear. You see, when Gluttony

starves, this temporary boost makes souls easier to eat."

"Do you think they'll suspect anything? The guards back there?"

"It was likely the first time they'd seen such a thing as you. All they know is

that someone terrifying came by, but they are less than aware of what

happened. If you have lost your red eyes by the time you return, they'll imagine

you were a bad dream, or perhaps a figment of their tired minds. But if you

show them your worry in your body language, then they will suspect you of foul

play."

There was logic to Greed's words. We strode through the Merchant District,

where I noticed a sweet scent in the air. It was a most delectable fragrance.

Giving in to temptation, I took a detour and followed the scent into a side

street, searching through the shadows for its source.

At the end of one of those distant streets, I spotted three figures in black

hooded robes. I tried to use Identify to analyze them, but they were too far out

of range. Then I saw one of their faces in a sliver of moonlight.

My breath caught.

What are they doing here at this hour?

But there was no mistaking it. I would've recognized those poisonous features

anywhere. Rafale. That meant the taller hooded figure was Hado, and the

smaller one was their younger sister, Memil. None of them noticed me as they

headed inside one of the Merchant District's most high-end shops.

It was the kind of prestigious place that only high-ranking people like holy

knights could enter. I watched from the shadows as another group in black

hooded robes went in. I knew from their ambrosial scent that they were also

holy knights. I had an increasingly bad feeling.

What kind of meeting were they holding in the middle of the night? Whatever

it was, if they needed to hide it from public view, then I didn't think it could be

anything good. I kept watch over the shop for a time, but I couldn't tell what

was happening inside because all the curtains were shut.

Besides, I was starving. My stomach rumbled with that other hunger. I burned

with curiosity, but I had other reasons for being out tonight, and those reasons

would not wait. It was unfortunate, but my hunger was getting even worse.

I turned and left the alleyway.

***

The large gate leading out of the Merchant District was a pale reflection of

itself at night. The usually bustling street was enveloped in silence, empty of the

horses and carts that filled it. In their place, a group of adventurers had

gathered.

A glance at their equipment told me everything; these were seasoned

veterans. Their ranks and stats were much higher than the adventurers I had

seen on my first goblin hunt. I felt it in the weight of their auras.

"They're here for the night hunt," said Greed. "The moon is bright tonight,

which means improved visibility. On top of that, monsters have to sleep, too.

That means adventurers can kill large numbers of the same monster type while

they slumber without incurring as much hate as during the day."

"Ah, I see."

Greed's explanations were ever helpful. No ordinary adventurer went hunting

at night, but for the experienced and skilled, night hunts were an effective way

to make a lot of money.

When I tried to cut past the group, a scruffy adventurer caught sight of me.

"Hey, you," he said. "I haven't seen you before. You seriously hunting in that

armor?"

"Yes."

The man's laughter echoed down the street. Clearly, he didn't care who might

be trying to sleep.

"Guys, listen to this. We've got a real hopeless case over here!"

I didn't want to draw attention to myself, but I was now surrounded by a

group of hardened adventurers, grinning down at me as though I were nothing.

"You must be pretty strong, coming down all cool and casual dressed like

that."

The words said one thing, but the tone of his voice said another. He was

making fun of me. He may as well have said what he was clearly thinking:

What's a piece of garbage like you doing in a place like this?

"What level are you?" he said. "Go on, tell us. Promise we won't laugh."

"Get out of my way," I said. "I'm in a hurry."

I ignored them and left. My hunger was at its limit, but none of the

adventurers even flinched at my red eyes. I didn't need to bother with Identify

to know what that meant; their stats were higher than mine.

As I left the gate, the adventurers called out to me from afar.

"You hear that? If he can't say his level, must mean it's low! Rookies like that

always bite off more than they can chew!"

"You think maybe he wanted to join our party? You think that was it?"

"Probably. Not even in his dreams!"

"Hey, garbage boy! Come back. Maybe if you're lucky some party will take

pity on you and let you carry their equipment!"

"Not us, though!"

"You said it! Ha ha!"

They could say whatever they liked. Thanks to Gluttony, I couldn't join a party

even if I wanted. So I would do things my way, and I would become stronger

than all of them.