Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: The Price of a Moment's Slumber
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Crunch. Crunch.
The sound of snapping bone filled the cave.
It was the visceral conclusion of my first true trial.
Victory in battle brings a surge of adrenaline.
But the spoils of war are what truly satisfy a survivor.
I stood as the sole winner of this life-and-death encounter.
The giant rat had finally fallen.
I had orchestrated its downfall with calculated movements.
I darted around the beast relentlessly.
I injected my venom at every single opportunity.
The toxin spread rapidly through its veins.
I forced the creature into constant, frantic activity.
Some might call these tactics cowardly.
But they are the reason I am still alive.
I remained relatively unscathed.
I sustained no major injuries.
In the hierarchy of winner and loser, the survivor takes all.
I staked my very life on this gamble.
I felt no hesitation now.
I decided to consume the rat's entire body.
I needed this fuel for my own growth.
"Sha, Shaa."
'Ugh... the flavor is absolutely horrific'.
'It is worse than my darkest nightmares'.
I had to force myself to keep eating.
Is it appropriate for a human to eat a rat?.
Such moral questions felt irrelevant now.
Nature dictates that snakes consume rats.
I am no longer a human.
I am a reptile.
This act is simply common sense.
I turned away from the remaining heap of meat.
I resolved never to taste such filth again.
I turned my attention to the Amrita.
It was my proper reward for victory.
Gulp.
"Shaa!"
'Kyah! This is the sensation I wanted'.
'A true masterpiece of recovery'.
The Amrita did not betray my hopes.
Extreme fatigue vanished into thin air.
An additional buff surged through my form.
I felt refreshed and revitalized.
I stretched my body to finalize my recovery.
Then, I opened the Hero's Gallery.
'Wait... what is happening here?'.
The intensity of the Gallery was overwhelming.
I reflexively closed it in shock.
It had been calm just before my fight.
Now, it had burst into total chaos.
I suspected people were worried about my survival.
But a fierce debate was raging.
They were arguing about my martial power.
Some recognized my potential.
Others viewed me as a mere weakling.
The Gallery was on the verge of splitting.
I had to prevent this collapse.
This community is my only connection to sanity.
I managed the situation with absolute dedication.
I monitored the Gallery for over ten days.
Specifically, ten days and five hours.
I steered the conversation to restore order.
I relied on a massive hoard of Amrita to stay awake.
I even resorted to self-inflicted pain.
'Success... the Gallery is clean at last'.
My long vigil was finally over.
Exhaustion finally claimed me.
I collapsed onto the cold floor.
Fatigue rushed back like a tidal wave.
...Kul.
I fell into a sleep so deep it felt like fainting.
I was unaware that a guest had arrived.
Thud. Thud.
"Meow."
I felt my body being shaken.
Something was striking my unconscious form.
I opened my eyes slowly.
I stared into sparkling blue eyes.
A well-fed white cat was looming over me.
I was too flustered to process this.
Then, I noticed it was munching on something familiar.
It was devouring a long, scaly object.
Pak.
"Shaa?!"
‘Ouch?!’
A sharp pain on my head snapped me out of it.
The cat had just slapped me for staring.
I looked down at the end of my body.
I realized with horror that my tail was missing.
It had been severed while I slept.
The white cat was casually chewing on my own flesh.
"Myamyung~."
Is this creature seriously eating my tail right in front of me?!.