Caelum stepped over the corpses, savoring the sound of their dying struggles. He crouched near the largest spider, the one that had mocked him earlier. Its many legs twitched weakly, ichor spilling across the roots.
"How does it feel to be helpless, huh?" he whispered, his grin sharp. "Bad, right?"
The spider rasped out a distorted noise, nothing but pain.
"Figures. Hahaha."
He stood tall, letting them squirm until the last tremor faded. Then silence. The forest smelled of blood and death. Caelum licked his lips.
"Just in time for breakfast. I'm tired of eating those Aetnum anyway."
He strode toward one of the fallen beasts and pressed his hand against its thick carapace. The hide resisted his pull. Irritated, he braced and tore, but the spider's skin wouldn't yield. His brow twitched.
"Tch. Fine. Let's try something else."
Without thinking, he leaned down and bit. His teeth sank in effortlessly, sliding through the flesh as though it had been waiting for him.
"Oh." The sound escaped his lips—surprised, almost pleased.
And then he dug in.
Warm, rich blood flooded his mouth, metallic and strangely sweet. The meat was dense but tender once pierced, juices spilling across his tongue. He ripped and chewed with abandon, his jaw working like a predator that had finally been given its rightful prey.
By the time he swallowed the first heavy mouthful, something snapped inside him.
Ecstasy.
His eyes widened, glimmering with a dangerous light. He laughed, crimson dripping down his chin.
"Hah…! Forget what I said about your meat tasting bad. Hell—if I don't eat this every day, I might go insane!"
He devoured madly, tearing through the spider's insides, but not a drop went to waste. Every line of ichor, every slab of meat, he licked clean, sucking marrow from shattered joints, drinking blood that seeped into the soil. He was no longer a boy eating—he was a starving beast, reclaiming what belonged to him.
Halfway through the feast, a strange heat welled inside his chest. At first he ignored it, brushing it off as a wound he'd overlooked in battle. But the burning didn't fade. It spread, hotter, sharper, until his body trembled from the force.
"Gh—!" He clutched his chest, groaning through clenched teeth. "G-Guide…! What the hell is this?!"
The voice came, calm and resonant in his mind.
"Remember, last heir: our power comes from what we consume. The greater the prey compared to you, the greater the strength you'll gain. The rest—the gifts, the awakenings—are only side benefits. Especially now, as this is your first time devouring a beast stronger than yourself, the gains will be immense. A second time, a third, a fourth… the effect will diminish. But at this rate, you may awaken another gift."
And then, silence.
Caelum gritted his teeth. The fire inside him raged, but he could feel it wasn't destroying him—it was reshaping him. Burning away his old self, reforging bone, muscle, sinew, spirit. His breath hitched, half pain, half elation.
When the sensation began to subside, he collapsed onto the forest floor, lying beside the spider husks. Sweat ran down his face, mixing with the blood that coated his lips.
"Thankfully I killed them all before eating," he muttered between heavy breaths. "Otherwise… I'd be sitting duck right now."
But just as he relaxed, something else struck him. His eyes shot wide as he clutched his chest again.
"My… my core?!" His voice cracked. "WAIT—MY CORE BROKE?!"
Panic surged—only to vanish in the next moment.
A soothing wave spread through his entire being. He quickly forced himself upright, shutting his eyes to peer inward.
His core… was no longer white.
It had turned black. Not just black—but a devouring abyss, a hole in existence itself. It pulled at everything around it, hungrily swallowing every shred of energy offered.
"This… this is…" His breath quickened. "I advanced… to Stage Five?!"
Even without the elves' method, cultivation stages were universal. Every race had them, only differing in how early or easily they awakened. To reach Stage Five this fast…
No wonder the strong races ruled. Their bloodlines allowed them to grasp such heights with ease.
He laughed breathlessly. But before he could even finish celebrating, a final crack tore through his being.
A voice echoed once more:
"Congratulations, last heir. You have awakened a gift."
His body trembled. The weight of power, raw and intoxicating, filled him from head to toe.
And this time, he didn't bother hiding his joy. He threw his head back and laughed.
"Hahaha! HAHAHA! I'm getting addicted to this feeling~!"