Chapter 10

After being kicked out by Tal, I felt peckish so found a deer to snack on. In the meantime, I wondered how to spend this free day: I would have usually spent the day hunting and eating and sleeping but ever since learning that I shared my body with another soul (which I had named Mute on account of his lack of words), I didn't know if that was the best way to spend my time anymore.

Actually, to hell with it - Mute had been with me since the start, and he had never complained about me lounging before (although I guess he didn't really complain about anything) so I didn't see why he would start now.

I went to my slightly damp but comfortably warm den and spent the next few hours sleeping. Waking up as the sun was rising, I left the den and hunted a few more deers to bulk up and maybe gain the Ravenous perk.

During this, I idly thought about my relationship with Mute. Until now, I had believed I had been a human who had become a bear but from what Tal said, it instead sounded like I was just a bear who shared a body with a human soul which, in turn, allowed me to become so intelligent and skilled in magic.

Besides that, Mute shared simple knowledge of things with me (such as names and descriptions), occasionally going further and directly putting forward his opinions as well (such as when he displayed the images of trolls with his accompanying disdain). All in all, he was the perfect companion, and while I was curious about his memories, I decided I would push back if Tal ever tried to dive any further as I didn't want to lose him.

On the topic, Tal was an interesting troll to say the least. Even though she was annoying, she had healed me several times now, seemingly going through considerable effort to do so. Besides, she was helping me crack into Mute's memories. Still, I wondered how someone had locked her in that prison in the first place as she couldn't leave even though she knew where the exit was. There was no doubt they had done it because she had annoyed them; I snickered as I imagined her dumping all her points in the annoyingness attribute.

Just then, a brown bear slightly smaller than me dashed into vision and crouched down into a challenging stance while growling. I looked at it blankly for a few moments before shaking my head and moving aside - I wanted an easy day today as yesterday's fight with the cockatrice had drained my battlelust for the time being. Despite my gracious move, the brown bear stepped after me, its rumble growing lower and louder.

I turned around and snarled, mana extensions appearing from my bared fangs. I could now see alarm and hesitation in the bear's pebble eyes, but it was too late as I remembered that to evolve into a Demonic Bear, I would have to kill and eat four more of my kin. With my increased arcana, I created longer claws than previously possible and they dug into its flesh as I attacked, pulling it apart with ease, its resistance feeling half-hearted compared to what I had faced from the rockskin armadillo and cockatrice.

Coming to a close a few seconds later, I picked it apart with my teeth.

The Vampiric Brown Bear evolution conditions had been to kill 50 enemies and suck their blood, but I had gained the perk through burning the blood inside my mouth using mana - so similar but not the exact same. Since the Ravenous Brown Bear evolution conditions were to eat 50kg of Brown Bear meat, maybe the way to gain the perk was to eat this meat while circulating mana, or perhaps to eat more than 50kg.

Either way, I kept eating the bear, eventually stopping my mana circulation as it seemed to have no effect. Even as I became full, I kept going until I felt I would explode from the inside.

[Sufficient food consumed relative to stomach size. You have gained 10 points in Constitution, lost 3 in Agility, and gained the Ravenous perk.]

What… why had it taken 3 points away from my agility?

[Level 16 (4903/5000)

Race: Brown Bear (tier 2) - 343 kg

Class: unlocks at level 20

Mana: 31/50 ( recovery rate: 0.30 per minute)

Strength: 23

Agility: 16

Constitution: 46

Endurance: 15

Perception: 10

Arcana: 6

Luck: 6

Perks: Great sense of smell, Bear's regeneration, Exceptional Arcane talent, Bloodsucker, Ravenous]

I guess I could always boost my speed using strengthening magic on my muscles, although that wouldn't be sustainable in a longer fight because of how much mana it drained. Sighing, I resigned to the fact I would have to spend my next few attribute points on agility to regain the speed I was comfortable with. Bah, this perk better be worth it.

[Ravenous: this individual will grow hungry quicker, and will be more afflicted by hunger. They can also grow considerably larger than their natural limit.]

Apart from being able to become a bigger bear than otherwise, all it did was constantly cause hunger - not a very good perk. I wondered if it was possible to get rid of perks. Although, then again, I remembered the Bloodsucker perk said sucking blood could sate my hunger, so maybe it wasn't all bad? Either way, I decided to ask Tal about it afterwards.

Deciding it was time for another quick nap, I tried to go back to the den but realised I was too bloated to do so. Figuring it would be fine to stay here, I drifted to sleep on the spot, waking up as the sun was going down with my nose perking up and down, sniffing at the air.

Opening my eyes, there was a plate of food in front of me. Besides the various berries I recognised and the honey drizzled on top, there were also soft, sweet circles toasted brown which made up the base layer.

Realising I was in a dream, I shook my head in grief to break it, unable to stand this torture of looking but no touching. But the dream didn't break, no matter how vigorously I shook my head, and I began to consider the alternative. Could it be? They smelled so delicious, so real! Could it truly be?