Gainz

'Well...at least now I know I know when I am in the timeline...'

I allowed my body to finally collapse in a dark dinky corner of Babel's bottom floor, ignoring the UNHOLY FUCKING NOISE emitted by overeager adventurers pouring into the dungeon like a swarm of buzzing flies.

There were more than twice as many compared to yesterday, and they made even this massive, 2-kilometer-wide circular room feel cramped.

I didn't know the exact reason for that, but I could bet the skin on my back that it was due to the Loki Familia's dive. 

And what a dive it was.

Back on the third floor, right when I finally called it a day and started marching toward the surface...

If the concept of luck existed in this world, mine was most likely completely spent since I was happily walking along and came face to face with a literal army.

An army led by a child, a dwarf, and a knife-eared green-haired woman. 

I managed not to stare as I contemplated turning back to where I came from at that moment, but in the end, I wagered that some Neanderthal-looking man suddenly running away from them would be both more eye-catching and memorable than a simple Amazon fanboy just minding his own business.

I didn't even glance at the caravan as I passed by them and thankfully they didn't seem to give a fuck about me either, even if some of them might have seen my back.

And what a back it was...probably.

I couldn't see my handiwork since I didn't have a mirror but after my shirt disintegrated, I had to find a way to hide my lack of a Falna...so I got creative. 

Suffice it to say I would probably have died of sepsis and/or blood loss had I been on Earth...

"Gotta celebrate the small wins..." I whispered as I continued to watch a veritable flood of people descending into the Dungeon's gaping maw.

It was clear they considered it a good day to dive.

Maybe they could descend to lower floors without getting swarmed by hordes of monsters now that the floors were being cleaned up? 

I didn't know and frankly, I didn't care, as I was far, far too tired to take advantage of this. 

My body was impossibly sore, my back was unbearably itchy from the self-mutilation I had inflicted on myself and I also had a killer headache which was most likely the result of the fight or flight response I'd been abusing for so long.

'After all, the adrenaline pumping through my veins increased my blood pressure which in turn led to stretching and swelling of the vessel walls in my brain, which in turn...ah who gives a fuck.'

Medical knowledge was cool and all, helping people understand the insane mechanisms powering the human body...on Earth, that was. 

Here, in this fucked up world that ran on dreams and prayers most likely, people could eat gods-damned monster corpses and bypass EVERYTHING I knew about how biology worked.

And through people, I, of course, meant me, myself, and I.

I could heal myself by eating corpses...somehow.

Initially, I thought that my not getting tired even after a dozen fights, coupled with my scratches disappearing over time was the result of my growing Endurance, but that wasn't the case...at all.

I learned that when I watched a deep, bleeding gash on my chest (which was the farewell gift of Kobold No.6) close up in real time as I feasted upon the flesh of the same kobold...only to stop healing the moment I stopped eating. 

So yeah, I was somehow entering a state of insanely increased cellular division when I was eating, or new cells appeared from literal nothingness because FUCK YOU, THAT'S HOW MAGIC WORKS.

The effects were limited, unfortunately, as I was sure a severed artery would still kill me even while I was eating.

Fatigue was still accumulating and I still felt the need to sleep. 

There was also the question of whether I would be able to regrow digits and limbs, but I wasn't keen on trying only for it to turn out that no, I can't fucking regrow the hand I just cut off.

'Maybe the tip of my pinkie...'

Either way, I was not complaining about the results, just my lack of understanding of the process.

Because the results were amazing.

This aspect of Fenrir's Hunger had allowed me to spend...at least twelve hours wandering through the first three floors, slaughtering each and every monster I came across like they stole my car and killed my dog.

Kill-eat-repeat was my three-step program till I reached omnipotence in this world, and holy shit was it effective.

I focused inwardly, flexing my soul muscles, or their closest equivalent as I both felt and saw all the relevant progress I had made.

Name:?????? 

Level: 1 (4.2%) 

Skills: (5) 

Basic Abilities:

Power: 31-48 (I) 

Endurance: 27-53 (I) 

Dexterity: 34-61 (I) 

Agility: 25-43 (I) 

Magic: 4-127 (H) 

.

This was absolutely unfair. 

I was completely cheating.

And I loved it.

'Undoubtedly, my progress would slow down exponentially as I grow stronger...but what if I eat stronger monsters?'

'And what about my Magic? Eating stronger and purer monster cores could technically raise it to the brim, even at higher levels...I should probably make learning some spells a priority.'

Even as I lay sprawled on Babel's stone floor ignored by everyone, with my body shredded and half-conscious, I felt a fire raging in my chest.

It wasn't just the searing pain of my wounds—it was a hunger, a primal craving for power and self-improvement that burned hotter than the fiercest flame.

And it had nothing to do with my skill.

This was my own desire.

My own reason for existing, the one I had chosen for myself long before being transmigrated to this world...

I felt my eyelids growing heavier, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on me like a leaden blanket, pulling me deeper into the abyss of sleep.

Each breath became a struggle, each heartbeat a distant echo, as the need to surrender to slumber grew ever more irresistible.

I allowed myself to fall asleep.

I dreamed of my past life...

∞

My family was the epitome of the middle class.

My parents were caring.

I wasn't bullied at school or anything like that.

I wasn't too dumb or exceedingly smart.

I didn't look bad nor was I very handsome.

I had some friends.

I even had a dog.

Overall, I was a very ordinary kid. But that's neither here nor there.

No no no, my REAL life began when I realized I didn't HAVE to be that way.

That I could be whatever I wanted.

That true greatness is EARNED, not given, and it can only be earned through sweat blood, and tears.

I used to like anime and through that, I started reading manga and then manhua, and then novels.

You know, the weeb staircase.

And then I found it.

A gem unlike any other.

A masterpiece beyond my wildest dreams...

It shattered the shackles that were already encroaching on my mind...

It allowed me to understand...

That wealth is merely a hoarding addiction.

That the attention we seek shall fade all the same.

What men and women? It's merely primal desires.

Reputation? It's merely bullshit people spew about you, carrying the stench of depravity.

I saw an ordinary man challenge talent, tradition, luck, and even fate itself with only perseverance, wit, and ruthlessness as his weapons.

I saw a man climbing out of the ordinary abyss with nothing but hard work and dedication.

I saw him fight with all his being for what he wanted, and I realized...

....What am I compared to that? I have no purpose, no will, no strength.

Why can't I be like that?

And the answer was simple. I could. But I had to be prepared to pay the price.

That was the day I was born anew.

The day I realized that my time was limited.

The day I decided to chase my dreams.

Through countless hours I have strengthened my will.

I learned as much as I physically could.

I trained to exhaustion.

I read all the books on self-improvement I could find.

I learned to understand and manipulate people.

I learned how to think like a winner and how to learn from loss. 

Sure, I burned out countless times and I relapsed into my bad habits way more than I thought I would. I failed again...and again...and again.

But that was all right...

I understood long ago that the only difference between winners and losers...is that winners get back up.

Fast forward a few years and I'm in med school, wanting to learn how the human body works to know to to prolong my life as much as possible and then...

*Poof*