Chapter 15: The savage within

A wave of dizziness washed over Aiden as he rose to his feet. The fight had taken its toll, leaving his body a dull ache. But the wounds, thanks to his regeneration ability, were already healing, albeit slowly. He cast a glance at the boar, its lifeless form a stark reminder of the struggle. Blood oozed steadily from its severed artery, a crimson stain spreading across the forest floor. Aiden touched the warm blood, then hesitantly brought his finger to his lips.

His body, parched and hungry, instinctively urged him to drink. But a flicker of reason held him back. This wasn't a safe place to linger over the food.

A coldness had settled in his heart, a stark contrast to the empathy he once felt. This world, this fight, had already begun to change him in ways he couldn't fully grasp.

With a surge of determination, Aiden hoisted the boar onto his shoulder. It was heavy, but necessary. He set off towards the majestic tree, his haven in this dangerous place. Every rustle in the undergrowth sent shivers down his spine, his senses on high alert for any potential threat.

Along the way, he accessed his skill screen with a thought. The familiar blue panel flickered to life.

[Level: 3/10 (Life Force: 150/400)]

The numbers stared back at him, a stark reminder of how far he had to go. A pang of regret shot through him. He'd focused all his previous points on Vitality, relying on his remarkable regeneration ability to survive. It had served him well so far, but the fight with the boar had exposed a crucial weakness – lack of strength. The boar, despite being the same level, possessed far greater physical power.

Another puzzle gnawed at him. The Three-tailed Monkey, a mere Level 2 creature, had granted him 50 Life Force upon defeat. This Level 3 boar, however, had only yielded 60. Maybe, he thought, there were different classifications for these beasts. He vaguely recalled the Ichor being an 'Ancient Beast' – a much higher rank. Based on the Life Force received, he decided to categorize them himself – Common, Uncommon, and Ancient. It was a crude system, but it would have to do for now.

Finally, Aiden arrived at his temporary base. Relief washed over him as he reached the burrow beneath the majestic tree, thankfully without encountering any further threats. He slumped down in exhaustion, the weight of the boar and the day's events pressing down on him.

Earlier, he'd been concerned the majestic tree would snatch his hard-earned prey. Now, that seemed ridiculous. If the tree truly didn't possess intelligence, it wouldn't hesitate to take the prey, even if it didn't mean harming Aiden directly.

All he craved now was to sink his teeth into the meat and quench his burning thirst with the blood. Hunger gnawed at him with a ferocity he'd never experienced before.

Sure, people could survive without food or water for a day or two, especially if they weren't exerting themselves. But Aiden had been pushing his body to its limits since the moment he arrived – two days with nothing but a single little Ichor to show for it. The blood, especially, held a strange allure.

The problem was, he didn't know how to eat the meat. He'd only ever heard that fleshes are cooked over fire. But there was no fire here, no way he knew of to create one. Being blind from birth, fire was an abstract concept - intensely hot, yes, but beyond that, a mystery. His sister had explained some basic physics behind it, but the details remained hazy.

Even if he could muster the energy to create a fire, exhaustion gnawed at him, making clear thinking difficult. He remembered consuming the Ichor raw.

Moreover, he had the Regeneration ability to make up for any problems.

The thought of devouring boar wasn't particularly repulsive.

Aiden knelt beside the boar. Sightless, he perceived the boar not as a gruesome carcass, but as a series of shapes. The true disgust stemmed from the contrast – from a life filled with family and peace to this desperate act of survival.

He tried to tear open the boar's neck at the source of the blood, but the muscle was tough. However, he managed to rip away a small piece of softer skin. Cupping his hands together, he collected some of the oozing blood and brought it to his mouth, drinking it straight.

The first taste of blood surprised Aiden. It wasn't the cool, refreshing liquid he craved. Instead, it was warm, metallic, and oddly thick on his tongue. It should have quenched his thirst, but strangely, it did the opposite. It fanned the flames of hunger even brighter.

Driven by a primal urge he didn't understand, Aiden found himself tearing more flesh from the boar, desperate to reach the source of the blood. He drank with a ravenous thirst, gulping down the metallic liquid as if it were the sweetest nectar. The taste, though strange, filled his empty stomach with a phantom sense of satisfaction.

Aiden, fueled by a strange intoxication, flipped the boar over, positioning its neck directly in front of him. His mind, clouded by the metallic tang in his mouth and a growing sense of greed, wasn't fully aware of his actions. He used his hands, rough and calloused from the fight, to push the boar's snout and belly, stretching the neck further. It was a grotesque image, this once-proud creature now contorted into an offering.

The sight of the blood pulsing in the exposed artery triggered a primal instinct within him. Without conscious thought, he lowered his head and clamped his mouth onto the wound. He became a beast, his human thoughts replaced by a single, driving desire. His hands moved with a feral efficiency, pushing aside the boar's fur or anything that hampered his feeding.

Blood smeared his face, some of it dropped on the ground. He bit and tore at the flesh, his hunger a ravenous beast taking control. Each mouthful tasted not of fear or struggle, but of something dark and metallic, a strange euphoria replacing his earlier exhaustion.

If anyone were to see him now, their reaction wouldn't be anger or disgust – it would be unadulterated horror. The image of a human boy transformed into a blood-soaked beast, would be burned into their minds forever.

….