Mortal Ability: Endless Hunger
[Ding!]
[No.777 System Activated]
'Eh?! Huh?' Anos raised an eyebrow as he heard a mechanical voice reverberate within his mind.
'Isn't this a bit too late?' he thought as a blue virtual screen suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.
Had the system awakened sooner. perhaps I might not have perished at the hands of that ninja in my previous life—or the brutal deaths in the others.' His heart quivered in recollection, body shivering at the torture he had suffered.
"Anos, what's happening?!" Celestia Ruth cried out as her son's thin frame shook within her arms.
[Do you want to bind the system with your soul?]
[Y/N]
Anos tightened his small fists, glancing at his mother's furrowed face.
'She's panicking…' He thought, before shaking his head and concentrating once more on the screen's warm light.
[Do you wish to bind the system with your soul?]
'Yes. I accept.'
[Confirmed]
[Processing…]
[1%.49%.69%]
[Error??? Detected]
[Failed to bind…]
'What?! Error? Failed?!' Anos blinked, his heart dropping.
[Three Souls Detected. Finding solution…]
'Three souls…' His gaze weakened. He had perished and been reincarnated three times consecutively.
[.]
[Solution discovered: Merge three souls into one.]
[Do you wish to merge your souls?]
[Y/N]
'Yes.'
A hollow void within him suddenly filled as heat dispersed through his chest.
[Processing…]
[1%.70%.100%]
[Creating Enhanced System Mode]
'Something's changing… but I can't tell what.'
[No.777 System Successfully Bound]
[You now possess three inherent abilities:]
• Imitation Spiral Eye
• Divine Light of Healing
• Endless Hunger
[Ding!]
[Due to circumstances, Imitation Spiral Eye and Divine Light of Healing are locked until the host is four years old.]
'Ah… alright,' Anos breathed internally. 'Three abilities, and two are locked… Figures. And Endless Hunger? That name says too much…'
'System,' he barked. A screen flickered back into existence.
[Yes, host.]
'Can I give you a name?'
[You may, host.]
'Then… Zara.'
[Renaming System.]
[System name changed: Zara]
'Okay, Zara. What do your functions look like?'
The screen changed, showing four options:
[1. Status]
[2. Map]
[3. Quest]
[4. Fusion]
'Quest and Fusion…?' Anos scowled.
[Quest: Created according to host's circumstances or wish. Rewards system points and extra rewards. Quests can be accepted or refused at will.]
[Fusion: A new specialty in Enhanced Mode. Merge techniques, skills, items, bloodlines, etc., by burning system points.]
'Not bad. Better than I thought.'
'Open my status.'
[Name: Anos (Fourth Life)]
[Age: 3 months]
[Title: Reincarnator]
[Martial Spirit: Not yet awakened]
[Innate Abilities: Imitation Spiral Eye, Divine Light of Healing, Endless Hunger]
'Reincarnator, you say…' Bitter curves formed on his lips. Memories of his past deaths tormented him.
[Title: Reincarnator]
[Type: Passive]
[Grade: Rare]
[Description: A person who has gone through successive rounds of death and reincarnation.]
[Effect: Luck +25%]
Twitch.
Anos's mouth twitched. 'Increase luck? That's a bloody joke. All of my lives ended in a terrible manner. This title is mockery.'
He sighed once more.
Celestia Ruth, sitting quietly by his side, asked, "Are you hungry?"
"Mama?" Anos nodded automatically—then froze, wondering that he had answered too hastily.
She sat down in a nearby chair, untightening her clothes. Anos's eyes opened wide.
'Ah… even after three months, it's still… glorious.' His mind whirled as she led him to her chest.
'Hungry—?! Why do I suddenly feel so hungry?!'
[Mortal Ability: Endless Hunger Activated]
[Ability Description: Through the consumption of souls, the user is able to acquire skills and abilities of the victim. In return, the host experiences unstoppable hunger, only alleviated by continuous feeding of souls.
[Since low grade, hunger and absorption are reduced.]
'…What a horrid ability.'
Celestia Ruth shivered slightly. 'Strange… although it's only a bit, my spirit energy is losing out to Anos.'
She concentrated her senses, monitoring his state.
'The energy nourishes his body—but disappears the instant it enters his stomach. It's as if his body is a bottomless void.'
"His stomach… is like an endless hole," she murmured.
Anos released a small burp, the glow in his eyes fading as the hunger receded.
'Finally.'
The two locked gazes, then Celestia Ruth chuckled softly at his adorable expression.
'We're already far enough from Soul Haven,' she thought.
Maybe… we can live here for some years.'
She looked around the small house. "Home," she murmured. "This house will do for us, won't it?"
Anos smiled faintly.
Celestia Ruth smiled brightly, stroking his cheek. "That's my son.