The rotting jaws of the Corpse Rat snapped shut just an inch from my face. Its putrid breath washed over my bare skull. I pushed upward with every ounce of desperate strength I possessed.
The splintered radius bone in my right hand pierced the soft tissue beneath the beast's lower jaw. Momentum carried the heavy creature forward. The impact slammed my ribcage against the unforgiving cavern floor. My fragile skeleton rattled violently against the stone.
[-1 HP]
My health dropped to five. I ignored the flashing crimson warning. I gripped my detached arm bone with both hands and shoved it deeper into the rat's throat. Hot, foul-smelling blood poured over my skeletal fingers. The thick liquid felt entirely unnatural against my dry bones.
The rat thrashed wildly in the dark. Its rear claws scraped loudly across my ribs as it tried to disembowel me. I tucked my legs inward to protect my core. I twisted the jagged bone shiv sharply to the right.
A sickening crunch echoed in the tight space. The tip of my makeshift weapon severed the creature's spinal cord. The heavy body went completely limp. The glowing red eyes slowly dimmed to a dull, lifeless gray.
I shoved the heavy corpse off my chest. I scrambled backward until my spine hit the cold cavern wall. I sat there in the oppressive darkness to process what just happened. I stared at my blood-soaked hands. I had just killed a monster using a piece of my own body.
The violent red glow of the system screen slowly faded. The familiar translucent blue light returned to my field of vision. New lines of text populated the floating rectangle.
[Target Defeated: Corpse Rat (Level 2)] [Experience gained: 10 XP] [Level Up Progress: 10/100]
Standard video game mechanics governed this reality. I understood experience points perfectly. Earning ten experience points meant I needed to kill nine more rats just to reach level two. That felt like a slow and highly dangerous grind.
However, the text did not stop there. A golden light began to pulse around the borders of the screen.
[The Bone Forger System is fully active.] [Host can now extract biological traits from defeated enemies.] [Host can fuse extracted traits into their own skeletal structure.] [Evolution paths will unlock upon gathering sufficient genetic material.]
I read the golden words multiple times. This new text offered a completely different path forward. I did not have to wait for arbitrary level increases to get stronger. I could steal the physical advantages of the creatures I killed immediately.
I looked at the dead Corpse Rat on the floor. It was a remarkably weak monster, yet it still possessed weapons far superior to my brittle bones. Its front incisors were as long as human fingers and naturally curved for tearing flesh.
I crawled back toward the dead beast. My broken left elbow scraped painfully against the uneven stone. I needed a reliable weapon immediately. My makeshift bone shiv was lodged firmly inside the rat's throat. Pulling it out might snap the brittle fragment entirely.
I reached out with my right hand and placed my bloody skeletal fingers directly onto the rat's skull.
The system screen chimed softly.
[Valid target detected.] [Analyzing biological structure...] [Extractable Traits Available:] [1. Serrated Incisors (Quality: Common)] [2. Putrid Fur (Quality: Trash)] [3. Tainted Meat (Quality: Trash)] [Please select a trait to extract.]
I mentally selected the first option. Fur and rotting meat were useless to my survival. I only needed a way to kill.
A strange sensation washed over my right hand. A cold, pulsing energy traveled down my forearm to pool in my fingertips. The dead rat began to glow with a sickly green light. The light concentrated intensely around its jawline.
The flesh of the rat began to dissolve into fine ash. The two massive front teeth detached themselves from the creature's skull. They floated upward into the air. The teeth glowed with that same green magical aura and hovered perfectly still right in front of my face.
[Extraction Successful.] [Serrated Incisors acquired.] [Host must initiate fusion within two minutes before the material degrades.]
I looked closely at my right hand. My fingers were thin and entirely unsuited for combat. I needed to turn this fragile hand into a lethal instrument.
I mentally commanded the system to fuse the hovering teeth to my right hand.
[Initiating Bone Fusion.] [Warning: The fusion process alters the host's fundamental structure. Severe discomfort is inevitable.]
The floating teeth shot forward instantly. They slammed directly into the knuckles of my index and middle fingers.
A jolt of intense agony flared in my mind. It felt like molten iron was being poured directly into my marrow. I opened my jaw in a silent scream. The green magical energy wrapped around my hand tightly to melt the calcium together.
I watched in horrifying fascination as my own bones softened. The rat's incisors shifted and fused seamlessly with my knuckles. The magical energy rapidly cooled. The pain vanished as quickly as it had arrived.
I lifted my hand up to the dim system light.
My right hand was completely transformed. Two curved, serrated bone blades now extended outward from my knuckles. They looked like terrifying biological brass knuckles. The new bone was slightly darker than my own skeleton. It looked dense and exceptionally lethal.
I swung my hand through the air. The bone blades let out a faint whistling sound. I brought my fist down hard onto the remaining half of the rat's skull. The serrated bone sliced through the dead creature's head like wet paper.
[Fusion Successful.] [New Weapon Acquired: Bone Claws (Common)] [Strength increased by 1.] [Current Strength: 3]
The sheer potential of this system crashed over me in waves. I could steal absolutely anything. Finding a monster with armored scales meant I could fuse them directly to my ribs. Finding a beast with toxic venom meant I could coat these very claws in deadly poison. The dungeon was not just a massive death trap anymore. It was an infinite armory waiting to be harvested.
I turned my attention back to my missing left forearm. The broken splintered end of my elbow still throbbed with a dull phantom ache. I needed a replacement arm as soon as possible. I could not survive the deeper levels with only one functional limb.
I knelt beside the ruined rat corpse to see if any leg bones were salvageable for a makeshift repair.
A high-pitched squeak echoed from the dark tunnel ahead.
I froze instantly.
Another sharp squeak answered from the shadows on my right.
The smell of the dead rat's blood was permeating the damp cavern air. These creatures were natural scavengers that hunted in large packs to take down wounded prey. I was a fragile, injured target bleeding magical energy. This made me the perfect meal for a hungry swarm.
Pairs of glowing red eyes began to materialize in the oppressive darkness. Two pairs emerged from a crack in the wall. Four more pairs appeared near the ceiling.
They crept out of the fissures in the rock. Several more crawled down the damp stalactites to block the only exit tunnel. I was completely surrounded by the rotting beasts.
A few minutes ago, this terrifying sight would have paralyzed me with fear. A few minutes ago, I was a defenseless pile of brittle bones trapped underneath a heavy rock.
Now, I slowly stood up. I raised my right hand and deliberately clenched my fist. The newly forged serrated bone claws gleamed in the faint blue light of my system screen.
I needed experience points. I also required more bone material to fix my broken left arm.
The largest rat in the pack let out a deafening hiss. It lunged forward into the dim light.
The hunt had officially begun.