Shai awoke within thick, musky water that oozed a terrifying aura of corruption, sending shivers down her spine. The weight of the disgusting fluid drained her strength, she had to summon every ounce of strength and grit to free herself from its confining suffocation.
Shai barely managed to get out of the malevolent vision, narrowly avoiding corruption. She wasn't going to tempt fate any further, staying in the corrupted essence pool. Even if she might be able to get super strong she just drank a little of it.
Gathering her remaining energy, she flicked her tail with all her might, forcing herself to leap away from the viscous essence and onto the safety of the rim. Just as she was about to let out a sigh of relief, her eyes locked on a colossal creature in front of her. Her comfort was soon replaced by a worrying sense of despair.
[Basilisk - ??? Lvl 119]
Holyfucking mother of Jesus! Shai didn't question where the notification came to be, but she noticed she had become surprisingly good at discerning aura. Far better than what her [Predatory Instinct (D)] let her. But it wasn't time for that.
The Basilisk rested like a small mountain, coiled beside the corrupting pool of essence. Its skin gleamed with a glossy, matted texture. It had no carapace, but it looked harder than any boulder Shai had ever laid eyes on. The only reason it wasn't in the pool was probably that its body expanded larger than the pool itself, though it wasn't hard to guess the creature was turned. The jet-black aura it oozed was evident enough.
Even though it rested with its eyes closed, the abomination emanated a thick stench of power and corruption, resembling what Shai witnessed in her vision of the plagued land.
Sensing the imminent danger, Shai swiftly surveyed her surroundings--left, right, up, down--and slithered away without sparing another glance at the colossal Twisted creature.
Thankfully, the basilisk's mere presence deterred other creatures from approaching the pool, no matter how alluring the corrupt essence was to their insatiable greed and evolution, leaving Shai an easier way out.
Dozens of bones and decomposing corpses were strewn along the way. Shai's blood ran colder on the discovery, but she couldn't stop. To halt her crawl was to tempt fate. She's been through a lot today, she wasn't going to borrow more trouble if she could help it.
For half an hour, Shai crept onward, her sole objective was to distance herself from the contaminated pool and the twisted dwellers around it. Exhausted and ravenous, she finally rested in a narrow crack within the walls, offering a temporary hideout from the surrounding dangers.
Shai let out an exasperated hiss and reflected on the harrowing experience she just endured. While she couldn't comprehend the nature of the threat she encountered--not completely--it was unmistakably a fate worse than death if she were to give in.
There were worse fates than being a little snake, or even dead. Getting corrupted and losing your will and mind to insane hunger and power seemed to be at the top of the list.
Overwhelmed by weariness and hunger, Shai retrieved whatever was in her inventory and devoured it without batting an eye.
After replenishing her strength, Shai accessed her system page. Her pupils widened like saucers as she gazed upon the shocking changes.
____________
[Shai]
Rank: Foundation (F)
Path: Favoured Hatchling Lvl 9
Laws: Concept of Hunger (Early)
Mark: Fatemarked. Blessed by Kismet (Lesser). Predator.
Attributes:
Primary Attribute:
- Physique: 19
- Mind: 23 (+20%)
- Soul: 31
- Recovery: 24 (+10%)
Special Attributes:
- Insight: 2
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
- Evolution: 0
- Fortune: 9
Unallocated points: 0
Aspect:
Golden Eyes (A) | Poison Affinity (D) | Essence Eater (B)
Skills[8/8]:
Advanced Meditation (E) - 5% | Predatory Instinct (D) - 9% | Arcane Shot (D) - 13% | Essence Weaving (E) - 4% | Pain Resistance (E) - 49% | Force Shield (E) - 12% | Empower (E) - 19% | Mental Corrosion Resistance (D) - 67%
Boon:
Inventory | Lingual Comprehension
Remark:
I was only a Level 1 Hatchling, but now I'm hungry...
[System Log] [Active Quest]
_____________
Shai opened [System Log] immediately to see what warranted such a shift in her status.
Dozens of unusual red system windows flooded her vision instantly.
[You have burned 1 point of Fortune.]
[You have burned 1 point of Fortune.]
[You have...]
...
[2 Insight Point consumed.]
[1 Evolution Point consumed.]
[1 Evolution Point consumed.]
...
[1 Evolution Point consumed.]
[Congratulations! You have learned the resistance ability, Mental Corrosion Resistance (D).]
Only then did Shai realise that she had expended a staggering total of 7 points of insight, 9 points of Fortune and all of Evolution, somehow. Perhaps more, considering the 3 unallocated points had been consumed as well. This better be worth it.
[Your Golden Eyes enforces Mental Corrosion Resistance]
...
[You have resisted the Corruption of Feast.]
Staring in horror at the messages concerning Mental Corrosion Resistance, Shai struggled to comprehend the magnitude of terror she had faced. This was easily something beyond her grasp, yet she accomplished it somehow.
But that wasn't all to the notifications.
[Congratulations! You have comprehended the Concept of Hunger.]
[Congratulations! You have awakened the Hunger Aspect: Essence Eater (B)]
[All Evolutions Points have been consumed.]
[Congratulations! You have completed the quest: Unveil the Secret of the Land.]
[You're eligible to receive Insight of Concealment.]
[Accept | Decline]
Shai's mouth remained hung open for a few seconds, unable to process everything at once. She allowed herself a moment to let all her accomplishments sink in.
System Grandpa had tasked her with a quest titled "Unveil the Secret of the Land" with minimal information. Shai had initially dismissed it, thinking it was far beyond her capabilities. Yet, by a twist of fate, she stumbled upon the secret almost accidentally, almost getting herself corrupted or dead in the process.
Wait, I seemed to have gotten some essence-eating ability, but without getting corrupted? Shai felt the deep hunger gnawing at her stomach. Is there a catch to this ability?
[Essence Eater (B):
Law Aspect. The mastery and capacity of this aspect correlate to the Concept of Hunger.
Nothing is indigestible, nothing is unsavoury. Essence Eater comes straight from the Spark of Hunger. This ability will let the user directly devour foreign primal essence or convoluted spirit products, by creating a suction force. It can also replenish the user's energy pool, providing instances of devoured primal essence.
+10% Efficiency to Recovery.]
Hmm, there is no mention of corruption in the description. That means I'm safe, right?
Shai got back to the promised rewards, which might be a godsend in such a treacherous dungeon. Unfortunately, she no longer had a skill slot open for it.
With her mind settled, Shai revisited the notifications, mulling over her newfound gains once more.
Her [Golden Eyes] had finally awakened, and at the right time no less, when her very life was threatened. Shai couldn't hold her delight to find it was an A-grade aspect.
Shai knew there were a few things unusual in her life--yes, other than being a freaking snake--[Golden Eyes] was one of them. And it looks like she could finally get a better idea about it.
[Golden Eyes (A)
Inherited Aspect. The user is unable to display the full capability of the aspect without the Law of Light.
Nothing remains concealed from the Golden Eyes if you look at the right place. Golden Eyes enhances all perception and cognition-based capabilities. Through discerning the aura of any being or object, the Golden Eyes enables the user to read the records of the object or being.
+20 Efficiency to Mind.]
Well, this aspect certainly made [Predatory Instinct (D)] obsolete. This also explained why she could read the level of the horrifying Basilisk, which made skills like [Identification] obsolete. Good thing, she didn't take it.
[Mental Corrosion Resistance (D)] would be invaluable, if she were to fight the hunger. It was inevitable that she would encounter those twisted creatures again—whether she liked it or not.
Her attention lingered on the tab of [Concept of Hunger]. Apparently, it was a law--whatever that meant. It gave her that powerful aspect which would make her life either easy or a living hell as she interpreted it.
She could not tell if it let her resist corruption. On the contrary, she found herself hungrier than ever. But Shai could still resist...
Aside from feeling rattled and shell-shocked, Shai bore no physical wounds, much to her relief. She was a little loony, to begin with, but she was sure a couple of hours of meditation would help settle her mind. Thus, Shai entered a state of meditation, emptying her mind of everything.
Once her mind had found its calm, Shai mulled over all her experiences since hatching.