Chapter 46 - Weird Appetite

"What did I just do?" I asked nobody in a trembling voice.

I look at my hands that covered in blood. Long sharp nails grow on each of my fingers. Additionally, I felt my canine getting longer, it makes my mouth feel uncomfortable.

The blood on my hands became a symbol of the inhuman behavior I had just committed.

I looked back at Big Mole's corpse. Shredded pink meat and puddles of fresh blood.

A few seconds passed and something moved inside my stomach. A moment later, I vomited the meat I had just eaten.

"Hoek!"

A puddle of flesh and blood was created. The pool is so disgusting. Spontaneously, I decided to stay away from it as far as possible.

I was silent and froze. For some time, I tried to process what happened. And when I understood that I eat the corpse of a monster, I move my body. I picked up bleed fair and my gloves. After that, I left all the madness that was in there.

"..."

Time passes... And now, I'm sitting under a tree.

"..."

I tried to clean the blood on my hands using water without saying anything. My hands were trembling from the shock I got after knowing what had happened.

How can I eat the raw meat of a monster, just like that!?

After realizing I was doing that inhumane behavior, I couldn't say or think about anything.

Now, more importantly, I have to wash my hands clean of blood. I also need to adjust my breath to calm myself.

"Hu… haa..."

Time passed and my hands finally become clean. My breathing returned to normal and my heart calmed down. But my mind... My mind is still a mess and confused.

"Was this inhuman behavior are the side effect of the Unique Skill, Heart of Monsters?"

I think the answer is yes. I couldn't figure out any other reason that could urge me to eat raw meat.

Fox-kin has no instinct or necessity to eat raw meat. Of course, I'm not crazy. And, I'm sure, the experiments that jerks do to my body have nothing to do with things like this. The jerk only cared about how he could satisfy his lust to the fullest.

So yes, I'm sure this inhumane thing is the side effect of the Unique Skill, Heart of Monsters.

"Can I control this side effect?"

The answer to that question is not that I can or cannot, but rather I must.

I must be able to control the side effect of this Unique Skill or I will have a bad end.

Eating monster corpses is one thing that cannot be shown to others. If someone else saw it, I would probably be considered an anomaly. And there is one worst possibility that I will be considered a monster or a follower of evil.

I'll be tied to a wooden cross and then I will be burned alive like a Witch!

That was scary and I probably make an overestimated conclusion. But, it doesn't hurt to think about the worst-case scenario, right? If I have such thoughts, I can be careful in acting forward.

"First was the Slime and now this thing!?"

My day was so bad!

"I can't handle this much longer! I'm going home now!"

I packed my things and opened a simple map of mine. Knowing where I should go, I walked towards the edge of the forest but for a moment later to stop remembered the Quest I took when I saw the red circle that was the clue to where the Redibri Berry grew! I have to collect that medicinal plant. With a heavy heart, I visited another Gathering Spot.

I don't want to see Big Mole's corpse.

"I can get into trouble if I don't complete this Quest!"

Halfway through the journey, I saw the Skill I got from Big Mole.

[Heat Perception] [Passive]

[+ Sensing, seeing, and distinguishing the heat that is in the surrounding area.

+ Detection range as far as 30 m.

+ Each time this Skill rises by one Level, the Skill's ability will become stronger and the Skill's detection range will increase by 15 m.]

This skill is quite unique.

Thanks to this Skill ability, I was able to feel the heat created by monsters and beasts. Since it hasn't been tested yet, I don't know if this Skill also works on humans.

Furthermore, this skill also allows me to accurately estimate the distance of a heat I sense from where I stand.

With this skill, I was able to find the monsters that were in hiding. And better yet, I don't need to be afraid of the ambushes of the monsters.

"Certainly, this skill will be one that will always save me."

I arrived at the Gathering Spot and quickly, I collected the Redibri Berry I needed. In the end, I managed to collect ten bundles of Redibri Berry and one small bag of fruit.

Now, since the Quest I took was already completed, it was time for me to return to the city.

I want to clear my head by sleeping.

Oh!! What's this? My ears twitched as I sense a strange thing in the distance approaching me.

I concentrated and... I finally know.

It was an effect of the Heat Perception. Thanks to it, I was able to tell that three monsters were approaching me quickly.

Make a quick decision, I ran towards the edge of the forest as fast as I can. Given the event that happened after I killed Big Mole, I didn't want to fight with the monsters that approached me.

I'm afraid I'll eat the monsters' meat while their meat is still raw.

Such inhumane things should not be done.

Other than that reason, the fact that the monsters approached me became proof, they were strong enough to hunt down a human.

Those two reasons made me choose to run away. I'm not sure I can fight well when my body and mind are exhausted.

I wanted to avoid the fight and reality didn't grant my wish. A monster caught up with me.

The running speed of a monster couldn't be underestimated!

"WOFF!"

A monster or rather a wolf monster jumped from behind a tree. His mouth was wide open, ready to bite my leg.

I was surprised by the ambush and I tried to dodge. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough. The wolf managed to bite my leg.

I lost my balance and fell.

The fierce wolf pulled my leg. Luckily, since I was wearing a Leg Guard, the monster's teeth didn't tear my skin apart. But, the bite was strong enough to prevent me from escaping easily. The monster also didn't want to let me struggle to stand up.

The wolf looked at me sharply. And I recognized it as a Varg, a dark green furry wolf with long canine teeth and a bushy furry tail.

As Ellis said, Varg hunts in groups. Therefore, I will be trapped in a dangerous situation if I don't stand up right away!

The other two Vargs are going to bite my neck off!

"Grr!"

Varg growled and it had no intention of taking my foot off. Therefore, I attacked it with my spear.

I want to stab it in the head!

However, it was a pity, the monster chose to dodge. It made my attack tear the skin that wrapped around its left rib.

The opportunity was created when Varg stepped away from me. I stood up as soon as possible and instantly prepared myself for a fight as the monster ran up to me.

Varg jumped in to attack me. On the other hand, I swung my spear horizontally.

Duag!

I managed to hit Varg in the stomach. As a result, the wolf was thrown for several meters.

The wolf did not fall. The monster was still full of energy.

Varg ran up to me again. I swung my spear intending to tear Varg's stomach. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to land my attack.

I made a mistake in calculating my attacking range. That mistake made me smash Varg's head using my spear pole. And fortunately, my attack was strong enough to knock down the Varg.

The moment Varg fell, I poured my energy into my arm. A moment later, "[Red Piercing]"

Splat!

A red light-lined spear pierced Varg's head.

The monster died.

Fresh blood flowed after I pulled out bleed fair.

I don't want to eat raw meat again. And I don't want to fight with the other two monsters that are currently approaching me quickly. Because of those things, I ran away.

But… before I manage to go far enough, the smell of Varg's blood stimulates my appetite. The smell erodes my mind instantly. That delicious smell of blood stopped my steps.

Then.... My consciousness became thin and faint.