After filling his stomach, Ozul appraised himself and realized his HP went from 21 to 87. "Eating must replenish health points," he thought gleefully. The other Umbras were still eating and fighting over the remaining scraps; Ozul glanced around to ensure his safety then analyzed his new level up.
He had killed three rats and became level 2 increasing his Dexterity, Strength, Wisdom, and Intelligence stats by three points each. Despite the pain from his injuries, he felt stronger, and his thoughts seemed clearer. It was a surreal experience that felt unnatural in his human mind. He had three skill points to assign from his level up. He hesitated, finally placing them into Dexterity. It was his highest stat besides intelligence and would make him faster in battle.
After placing the points Ozul felt pride welling up inside him. He killed half of the rats and leveled up, taking his first step at embracing his new life. Ozul flew over and appraised the other Umbras. None of them had leveled up, but three of them had gained experience. The Umbras consumed every piece of the rats from the fur to the bones. The only remnants were the green blood stains strewn across the dungeon floor.
Once the feast was over Ozul continued following the Umbra pack. To his surprise, they didn't head back to the original cavern, but went deeper into the tunnel system. Before long they came to a large cave with several dozen Umbras in it. He could see three openings close to the ceiling that could provide protection from light if the illuminating vegetation emerged. The hunting party quickly dispersed to roam the cavern and rest. Ozul took this time to appraise his surroundings. He didn't mind being in a new section of the cave and was still in high spirts from his first level up. Ozul repeatedly used his appraisal skill on the passing Umbras, quickly glancing over their stats and looking for any information or unique skills. He glanced over to appraise another of his kin, and a droplet of water from the ceiling fell on him. Momentarily distracted, Ozul accidentally appraised the walls of the cavern.
Dungeon: An underground labyrinth with a high concentration of mana. Typically broken up in layers with stronger monsters inhabiting deeper floors.
Stunned, Ozul used appraise on another wall of the cavern and got the same message. He felt overjoyed and mentally kicked himself for not appraising the cave sooner.
"I need to appraise everything I pass from now on," he thought. The dungeon description reminded him of a fantasy novel he once read. The protagonist of the story killed monsters in dungeons to increase his power. Ozul was concerned about meeting human adventurers who might try to kill him before he could communicate.
"Not everything in this world is like fantasy novels," he admonished himself. "The humans I'll hopefully meet aren't destined to kill me." Looking around the cavern Ozul wondered how deep in the dungeon he was. Even if he were next to the surface he couldn't escape. If slight illumination is enough to disintegrate an Umbra, then sunlight would absolutely kill one. Sighing, Ozul began searching the cave for anything new to appraise. He soon discovered a small pool of clear blue water. Appraising it, a new message appeared.
Water: Infused with mana and is circulated throughout the dungeon to provide nourishment.
"Provides nourishment!" he thought while moving his face to the water's surface. Ozul didn't feel thirsty, but he was curious to see if he could drink the water rather than be forced to hunt. Afterall, he couldn't assume that his new body needed both water and food like a human.
As he pressed his mouth to the water's surface, something appalling appeared. Ozul screamed which sounded like a loud snarl echoing around the cavern. "What is that?" he thought. There was a face in the water unlike anything he had ever seen. The mouth was long and stretched from cheek to cheek with misshapen sharp fangs protruding from it. The eyes were huge and pure white with no pupils or irises. They were circular and held the expression of a deranged asylum patient. It had no nose, ears, or hair but a charcoal black head with moving smokey edges. Shocked, Ozul floated above the pool for quite some time, denying his own reflection.
"Why am I so messed up looking?" he thought. His heart sank while staring at his hideous face. Ozul closely observed other Umbras and had assumed he looked the same. His typical kin had small eyes and a mouth that would entirely disappear when closed. They constantly held an expression of being lost or concerned and were sad to see. Rather than the horrifying face staring back at him. With no arms or hands to feel his body Ozul couldn't have guessed that he looked so haunting. Floating above the water his emotions switched from shock to despondence.
"So not only am I a monster but I am also terrifying… I won't be able blend in with the other Umbras and if I was a human, I'd run away from a creature like this. Damn… That God really didn't do me any favors…"