---
Darkness.
Rin wasn't unconscious. Not yet. But everything felt… distant.
The cold stone beneath his palms. The coppery scent of blood. The tremble in his legs.
It all faded beneath the weight of something else—a memory.
---
Flashback – The Boy Outside the Bakery
He had been six. Knees scraped, stomach hollow, lips cracked from wind and hunger.
Outside the small bakery on 4th Street, he watched the steam swirl behind the glass—watched loaves rise like clouds and cookies glow golden under warm lights.
He wasn't begging. He wasn't crying. He was just… watching.
A kind old woman walked out with a paper bag, paused, and wordlessly held it out.
Rin didn't speak. He only nodded—once, fast—and snatched it like a secret.
Behind a vending machine, he devoured the bread. Each bite burned his tongue, but he didn't stop.
It wasn't just food.
It was kindness.
It was life.
---
Years of Hunger
The world didn't get easier. His stomach didn't stay full.
He learned to make jokes first—laugh at himself before others could. He gave reviews of lunchboxes he didn't have, exaggerated his love for food until it became legend.
"Yo, Rin, what's today's snack update?"
"Emotional flavor. Bitter aftertaste. Five stars."
Everyone laughed. So he smiled.
But sometimes he looked at the real fighters—the Sealers—the ones with swords and flame and lightning—and he wondered...
What if he had been born special?
What if food wasn't just comfort?
What if it meant something?
---
Back to the Dungeon
The warmth of memory vanished.
The horned giant stood above him. Its obsidian blade was slick with blood—his blood.
Rin staggered, one hand pressed to the ragged wound in his gut.
Warm liquid dripped between his fingers. His vision swam.
The other students… gone. Safe. He had been the thirteenth.
The unlucky one.
His breath came in ragged gasps.
"…Of course," he rasped. "I miss lunch… and this is how I go."
His knees hit the floor.
He blinked up at the monster. "Go on then. I'm sure I taste like disappointment."
The boss stepped forward.
Rin's fingers twitched.
Not in fear. In frustration.
This wasn't fair.
He hadn't done anything great. Hadn't become a Sealer. Hadn't saved anyone.
He'd just been hungry.
---
Final Thoughts
"I just… wanted to matter."
Blood pooled beneath him. He looked down at his shaking hands.
"My whole life… I chased food like it could fill the hole in me."
He smiled through the tears now spilling freely.
"But it was never about food, was it?"
His voice grew faint, but steady.
"It was about feeling full. Feeling seen. Feeling like I was… enough."
Silence.
"…I loved every bite. Even the sad ones."
---
The Awakening
DING.
A sharp chime cut through the silence.
Something flickered in the air. A glowing rectangle hovered in front of his fading eyes.
> [FOOD SYSTEM BOOTING…]
User: Rin Katou
Status: Critical
Soul resonance: 97%
Core trait: Devourer of Moments
Analyzing emotional imprint...
Compatibility confirmed. System installing.
> "To hunger is to evolve. To taste is to live."
> [Skill Unlocked: BITE BACK – Level 1]
"Turn hunger into power. Consume. Survive. Remember."
Rin's eyes widened weakly.
"…Hah…"
And then—everything went black.
---
To Be Continued…
---