Chapter 35 Hunger
35 Hunger n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
This time, Roth acted without hesitation, effortlessly lifting the human body with one hand and sinking his teeth into it. Keles observed closely as the human body dried up, and she sensed the mana around her moving, dark red liquid formed in Roth's teeth before being injected back into the human body. The body started to jerk and twitch.
With a proud look in his eyes, Roth released the human. Unlike the tiger, the revived human displayed a glimmer of intelligence in his eyes, looking around and taking in his surroundings. However, it didn't take long for him to descend into the same beast-like state as the tiger, frantically searching for something.
Keles was prepared for this and summoned a huge rabbit, tossing it toward the revived human. The human pounced on the rabbit and quickly drained it of its blood, regaining some semblance of consciousness as he looked around in confusion.
"Where am I? What was I doing?" he muttered, staring at the lifeless rabbit in his hands.
Keles silently observed as the revived human gradually became more aware of his surroundings. Suddenly, he shrieked and jumped back in fear as he laid eyes on Roth standing before him.
For some reason, after the human saw Roth, he started shaking and soon got on his knees with his head bowed. The smile on Roth's face grew wider; it seemed he enjoyed human behavior.
Roth looked at Keles and saw his mother's confused expression. "It fears and adores me," he explained. "It understands that I am its creator."
"Oh," was the only response Keles made as she walked closer to the revived human.
As she approached, the human attempted to raise his bowed head to look at Keles but quickly put it back down, as if he had seen something that shouldn't be seen. From the trembling figure of the human, it was evident that what he had glimpsed was enough to scare him.
"It's smart," Keles said to Roth as she stood before the trembling human.
"Of course," Roth replied, "since I got a glimpse of the humans. Apart from hunger, I felt like they will be of great importance to me. Now I understand why I hesitated transforming that first creature."
"I somehow knew the overall result would lead to disappointment, but when it came to this human, hesitation wasn't needed. I knew it would surprise me; surely my hunch was right," Keles said, reflecting on the situation.
"It is smarter than that first beast, even though it is weaker. I appreciate the intelligence it shows. Also, much isn't needed for it to grow stronger," Roth said with pride in his voice.
"Can it be left alone in the surface world?" Keles asked, concerned about the human's behavior.
"It will still feed on blood, but with its intelligence, if instructed right, it may stay clear of the humans, but?" Roth responded, hesitating slightly.
"But what?" Keles inquired, studying her son's expression.
"I understand, Mother, that you want to create more like him if it shows that it can live on the surface world without preying on humans," Roth explained.
"Yes, what are you getting at?" Keles questioned, curious about her son's hesitation.
"For some reason, I don't think I can create more like him," Roth finally revealed, with uncertainty in his voice.
Hearing that, Keles took a closer look at her son. "Is this also coming from how you instinctively know what to do?" she asked.
"Yes, after I bit him. I somehow knew that it can't be repeated again, not that I can't bite anymore, but any creature, whether humans or animals, bitten by me won't show the same intelligence this human before us shows," Roth explained.
"Then this experiment can also be said to be a failure," Keles said with a cold look in her eyes as she looked back at the human, who was still kneeling with a bowed head and started shaking again after feeling her gaze.
Roth seemed to know what his mother was about to do, so he hurriedly stepped in. "I can't create more like him, but he can create more like himself," he said.
"Huh?" Confusion was all over Keles' face as she regarded her son.
"I somehow, with my bite, gave him the power to create more of his own. While the process won't be the same as we did, somehow, I know that he is capable of turning others into beings like him," Roth explained.
Keles, now a bit more intrigued, looked back at the human who once again started shaking. "I want to see how he creates more of his own," she said with curiosity in her eyes.
The same thing occurred again, with dark smoke surrounding Keles and the human, and the next moment, they were no longer in her realm.
They appeared in a vast forest teeming with life forms. Keles released the human, who immediately set his sights on potential prey, seemingly forgetting the fear of the two beings behind him. With newfound vigor, he rushed out to hunt.
What happened next wasn't surprising to Keles and Roth, as the human appeared to be comparatively weaker in strength compared to the first transformed creature.
Undeterred, the human targeted a deer, attempting to tackle it. However, the forest's inhabitants were no longer ordinary creatures; they now had mana flowing through them. The deer easily evaded the human's attack, and then its horn started glowing as it ran into the dodging human, impaling him.
With a shake of its horn, the deer flung the impaled human aside before walking away nonchalantly. However, the human didn't stay down for long. Displaying surprising healing ability and ferocity, he quickly got up and rushed to tackle the unsuspecting deer, which had believed it had already won the encounter.
As soon as the deer was tackled, the human bit into the deer with great ferocity. The deer, showing surprising strength, tried to throw off the human, but he held on firmly, relentlessly sucking out its blood in hunger.
In a matter of moments, the deer started losing blood and strength rapidly until it turned into a dried carcass. The human slowly stood up, blood on his lips, and with naked eyes, they could witness his dried-up skin rapidly filling up and looking fresh again. Both Keles and Roth could feel the human growing stronger.
Their observations were proven right as every prey the human caught had its blood devoured. Even stronger prey couldn't escape his grasp after he demonstrated his terrifying healing ability. The human even managed to heal up after being torn in half by a bear, which took a bit longer but was still a remarkable feat, surprising both Roth and Keles.
As Keles continued to observe the human, she couldn't help but feel satisfied with what she saw. The human was now strong, intelligent, and most importantly, she could feel him becoming more attuned to death mana.
Finally, it was time for the last test. Roth located a human settlement, and Keles teleported the human to its location. Both Keles and Roth watched with anticipation as the human's now pale face transformed as soon as he laid his eyes on the humans. His eyes flickered with a mix of hunger and intelligence, and they knew this was the moment of truth.
As the human's canine-like teeth grew longer and its white eyes turned dark, it was on the verge of running off into the human settlement. However, Roth quickly intervened, firmly stating, "They are not to be touched."
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