[DING! Congratulations on the first successful evolution.]
1. New sin (Gluttony) and special skill [SWALLOW] acquired.
2. Constitution boosted by 10%
3. Detection of Hollows and Halflings of lower grades.
4. Kill countdown reset from 24 hours to 48 hours.
5. Partial awakening of Hollow bloodline.
1. Reduced sensitivity to pain.
2. (Locked)
3. (Locked)
4. (Locked)
5. (Locked)
[Requirements for next evolution ]
1. Kill 1000 humans. [0/1000]
2. Kill 20 halflings. [0/20]
The more I read, the happier I became, so many bonuses just for ending the feeble lives of those who once looked down on me.
The feeling of growing stronger through revenge was truly intoxicating.
Unfortunately for me though, the trial had ended with the sun returning back to the sky.
Scrolling through the messages which had come at the end of the trial, I eventually saw the list.
And right there on the top, as number 1, sat my name.
Frederick West.
With 500 plus mosquito kills.
Most of them coming from the gas explosion.
But it could have been more.
There was also a reward for placing in the top 100.
A fugly looking key which asked me to use my skill while holding it.
I did, and a 2 hour timer replaced it.
Bored, I decided to try my skills and see if their effects had improved.
First, my BERSERK skill.
Activating it through thought, I felt a rush of energy flow through my limbs.
Clearly, my Hollow physique was more attuned to the skill.
If before, I felt an increase of 20% in my physicality, now I felt a 25% increase on top of the 10% I got from evolving.
To top it off, I felt a slight heat radiate from my incomplete stump and my heart.
Clearly all I was missing was a pair of wings and a long tail to become a full fledged demon.
Deactivating the skill and returning my vision from the sea of red, I thought about activating my new skill.
SWALLOW.
Growl!!
My stomach sang, and with it a miniature black hole appeared in my right palm.
This time my vision didn't change, but my nose and mouth did.
My nose picked up an aroma which seemed to be a blend of all the sweet and spicy dishes in the world.
My mouth on the other hand started salivating, my teeth feeling like they were growing longer and needed to eat something.
Following my nose I came upon a half dead man with red puncture wounds on him, definitely the work of the mosquitoes.
Staring at his lost eyes, I brought my mobile black hole down on his head, watching as it generated a suction force that covered his whole body before it eventually vanished, taking away my hunger with it.
A small boost in my physicality once more as the 25% increase turned 27%.
'Interesting skill. Too bad it made me feel hungry when I activated it. But at least it helps me track down people.'
Deciding to rest a bit, I laid down on my latest victim's bed and shut my eyes.
Two hours passed in the blink of an eye as I felt my refreshed body facing a larger version of my black hole, the portal which led to the BLOODSUCKERS SWARM.
Jumping in and experiencing darkness for a short time, I appeared in a dark place with someone else.
Approaching the figure I was able to make put some feminine features, familiar ones, and so just to be sure, I called out.
"Cara. Cara is that you. It's me your brother."
Quickly I hugged her, sobbing my heart out.
Clearly she wasn't expecting this, her shaken voice as she mentioned my name told me.
"F-Frederick, I'm so sorry for leaving you behind. I wanted to come back for you but Brian wouldn't let me. He even threatened to relocate if i brought you back. Please forgive your helpless older sister."
"O- Oh it's alright sis, I forgive you. In fact I have to thank you. If not for you abandoning me, this would have never happened."
Trying to keep the surprises flowing, I forced my hardened nails through her back, right up to her heart.
The pain in her eyes served as atonement for her sins, and with a final twist of my hand, she died.
Using SWALLOW with my hand still inside her corpse, I watched as a powerful suction force erupted from within her, pulling in all her innards, skin and bones like a vortex before eventually the black hole shut down.
Potent energy rushed through my body.
Clearly the boost gotten from a top 100 individual like my sister was different from that given by a man who barely survived.
11%.
That's how much I would quantify the increase I got by absorbing my sister.
Plus the number of halflings I'd have to kill to be able to evolve had increased from 0 to 1.
Which means my sister was a halflings.
A step away from becoming a Hollow like myself.
Unfortunately the other man's boost had faded away by the time I woke up.
So if I activated BERSERK in addition to the 11% boost my sister gave me as a parting gift, I would gain approximately a 36% boost to my new physique.
Struggling to do the not so basic math of my power boosts, I heard a splash and followed the sound looking for a much welcome distraction.
A young girl and someone dressed in all black, probably a man judging by the frame.
I studied them for a while, trying to see if any of them were halflings or had the skills BERSERK or SWALLOW, since I needed to kill 200 each of such skill holders to be able to unlock new aspects of the said skills.
Not that I wouldn't kill them if they didn't have the skills I wanted, it's just that they wouldn't be as much of a priority.
As I continued to watch their antics, I saw a hulking green monster emerge from the swamp.
My senses kept tickling me, just like they did earlier when I saw my sister, before I killed her of course.
A halfling.
That's what my senses were screaming.
Seen enough, I went back into the deep part of the cave, burst a few eggs and commenced my plan.
Evolved mutated mosquitoes chased me as I ran to the trio, putting up an act of a helpless child.
The Halfling easily killed them, his eye turning pink as he did so.
Then came the talk I had with them as I managed to get their special skills, all except for the black clothed man.
Eventually I was discovered, and so I quickly killed the Halfling with BERSERK, before using SWALLOW on him, moving my boost from 36% to 42%, even though the rush of energy was more than my sister's.
It seems that the more boosts I get, the harder it was to increase the percentage boost I got.
Informing them of where I saw a bunch of mosquitoes gathered earlier, I waved them goodbye and walked back to the cave.
Leaving behind a simple message.
I'll be watching.
[End of POV]