I see this as an absolute win

My skill, Fenrir's Hunger, all but demanded that I consume the meat of my prey if I wanted to steal one of their traits.

It was hard to explain it, the metaphysical bundle of laws chiseled on my soul that it was.

I could feel its presence, understood its purpose, and had a general idea of how it worked, but asking me about the principles on which it functioned was like asking a random TikTok user about the app's software.

That being said, I knew, or at least I thought I knew some of its rules.

It wasn't enough to eat part of a monster's flesh to absorb its essence, as shown by the fact that the Hunger only started working the moment EVERYTHING had been consumed. I didn't know how my skill prevented the monster corpses from turning into dust during my meal, but I was grateful nonetheless.

Eating the magic stone of an already dead monster was something on my to-do list as well, but I had this feeling that told me it wouldn't do the trick. That my skill wouldn't activate if the flesh and the magic stone weren't both consumed in their entirety.

'I would have to try it to know for sure, and I would do it eventually, but now...'

*Crunch*

I shattered Goblin No.3's magic stone between my molars, feeling the mana it contained rushing through my body.

Then I waited, watching the puddle on the stone floor slowly expand as blood flowed out of the goblin's already still body.

What I wanted to see was what would happen after I ate the magic stone of a monster before it disintegrated, when it was technically still "alive".

So I watched patiently.

one second...

two seconds...

three...

.

Only after thirty seconds, when I was prepared to accept that this experiment turned out to be a failure...the goblin's skin fissured like a spider's web.

Its form began to disintegrate, its flesh crumbling into shimmering powder. Starting from its extremities, the edges of its body fragmented, breaking apart like brittle clay. The dissolution spread inward, consuming its entire body, and leaving behind only a pile of dust as proof that it ever existed.

I closed my eyes, allowing my consciousness to drift inward, toward the core of my being.

And then...

"..."

...nothing happened...

"..."

It appeared that the only result was a mild increase in the time it probably took for the body to dissolve naturally...

"..."

My sigh must have echoed all the way to the surface...

"It wasn't like I had high expectations in the first place but...the whole thing was so god-damned dramatic... A final "Fuck You" from Goblin No.3, huh? He might not have hurt me physically, but he sure as hell found a way to waste my time..." I couldn't help but mutter as I prepared to walk away.

I thought about going down a level, and checking out what the second floor had to offer since I was itching to take down another few Kobolds.

'Even the goblins could still be interesting if more of them spawned at the same time...wait, where is this breeze coming from?'

My copium session had to be put on hold as I glanced back and saw a small whirlwind of shimmering dust headed straight toward me.

"What in the name of fuck is..."

My stupid thoughts promptly froze as I felt my soul stirring the moment my skin made contact with the floating dust.

A visceral feeling gripped my chest as a searing heat spread through my veins, igniting the Hunger deep within me. It transcended mere physical need and all but demanded to be sated at any cost, even if said cost was me running headfirst into the first herd of higher-leveled monsters I saw.

With each breath, even as the monster dust seemed to dissolve into my body, the Hunger intensified, a relentless gnawing that attempted to consume my thoughts. 

But I refused to bend the knee.

I refused to be a slave to my own fucking skill.

And so, I waged war against my instincts, prepared to break one of my fucking legs if I saw it take a single step forward without my express command.

Because choosing one's actions and beliefs was the last damn human freedom, and I'd be damned if I gave it up so easily...

∞

∞

Goblins consumed until skill awakening: 2/10

A small white text appeared in the corner of my eye after approximately 96 seconds but was momentarily ignored.

∞

∞

Slowly, after exactly 300 seconds, like the ebbing tide retreating from the shore, the hunger began to subside. From a raging inferno, it became a mere flicker within the depths of my soul.

It was as if a heavy veil had been lifted from my mind, allowing me to regain complete control of my body. 

I glanced down at the deep, bleeding gouges in my palms, a result of my claws digging into flesh as I clenched my fists way too tightly during my schizophrenic panic attack...

'Hunger attack?...'

Either way, I didn't regret it, as raw pain was a good anchor for one's thoughts. It was either this or a broken leg, so I wasn't complaining.

Complaining wouldn't change the situation, after all, so instead I chose to think.

Without allowing my perspective to be tainted by personal feelings, I pushed away all unnecessary thoughts as I analyzed.

'I suspected that some mental effects were to be expected with the way the skill works, and taking a shortcut had unexpected results...Recalling the text I saw earlier, it seems like the experiment was successful in absorbing essence faster than it would be possible for me to consume monster flesh by eating...but as a side effect, the simulated hunger that allows me to consume monster innards without batting an eyelid seemed to have erupted all at once as well, and due to the lack of flesh in the immediate vicinity, my mind was almost overwhelmed with hunger...But what if I had a monster already prepared...'

And so my mind pondered on the workings of my skill, even as my feet carried me ever deeper into the labyrinthine depths of the Dungeon...