[Go for it!]
"DEVOUR!" Leon shouted, hoping that it would help him out.
And yet…
[Not enough, heh~]
But nothing happened, forcing Leon to dodge one of the stinger.
Yet… resulting in the other one scratching his cheek.
'Fuck…' he touched his cheek, blood pouring out from it, 'This didn't work like I expected it to… doesn't screaming in desperate situations means powering up?'
[Nuh uh, just focus!]
Leon, with no other choice, began to run away deeper inside the school.
[Focus on devouring your enemies]
As he ran, more [Giant Scorpions] appeared out of nowhere, following closely as they kept trying to pierce him.
[Focus on the feeling of devouring your opponents]
[Your hatred, your happiness, your sadness, none of them are anything in the face of the devourer]
[Unleash everything you have, and kill those bugs]
'…'
[NOW!]
"DEVOUR!" Leon thought as his body was surrounded with his aura more and more, avoiding the attacks of the scorpions as they grew in size.
And suddenly…
~FWISH, BOOM~
His body exploded with aura again, much like the first time it happened in the gymnasium.
There were around seven [Giant Scorpions] around him, and they all backed away seeing the aura, except for one, who jumped toward Leon.
"…!" his speed was way too low, meaning he couldn't possibly avoid this one.
And so…
[Come on, partner, you're just getting the gist of it!]
"FUCK THAT SHIT!"
[Now!]
Leon clenched his fists, his eyes ablaze with determination as the scorpion hurtled towards him. In that split second, he tapped into the power within him, channeling the essence of "Devour" with all his might.
And so… he punched the scorpion away.
~PUNCH, BAM~
The force of Leon's punch sent the giant scorpion flying across the hallway, crashing into the wall with a resounding thud and falling back to the ground, dead.
He stood there, panting heavily, his whole body pulsating with the crimson aura that surrounded him.
All the other scorpions had somehow already left, meaning he was alone with that dead thing.
And yet…
'How the fuck does that relate to devouring…?' Leon was confused.
Punching was cool, sure, and although he didn't have a fancy weapon like a sword or bow for now, he could still manage as he successfully awakened his talent.
But… something felt wrong.
[Congratulations!]
[You have completed the Quest "Awakening"!]
[You have obtained 3 stat points!]
[Assign them to whatever you like, or keep them in case you need them for later!]
'Alright…' Leon mumbled.
Leon nodded, feeling proud he somehow found the way to survive this, and he almost wanted to agree with Toji: being but in life or death situations might actually be a good trigger.
Well… two thirds of the students had died already because of that (and Akira), but oh well.
Leon advanced toward the next hallway, which forced him to pass the dead [Giant Scorpion], the carcass lying on its back, its disgusting 'legs' facing the ceiling.
But the moment he tried to pass it…
[Hey, where are you going, partner?!]
Leon's body suddenly stopped moving, and an intense urge washed over him.
The urge… to eat that thing.
[You already know what to do! It's in the class name!]
Leon backtracked for a few steps, and faced the [Giant Scorpion], his red eyes and pupils looking down at the monster.
[EAT IT! EAT IT! EAT IT!]
It wasn't even about EGO asking for him to do it.
His body… was literally ordering him to do that.
Before he even realized it, Leon was already crouched down, his arms reaching for the body of the scorpion.
And…
[DEVOUR IT!]
His eyes flickered with a newfound determination, and his hands wrapped around the dead creature, with a roar, he brought it towards his mouth, his crimson aura pulsating around him.
As Leon sank his teeth into the scorpion's body, he felt an indescribable sensation wash over him.
It was a disgusting sight, and most would probably insult Leon for doing that.
But…
"DEVOUR!" he activated his skill as he bit off one of the scorpion's legs.
And suddenly…
~FWISH, BOOM~
An explosion occurred right beside Leon, and…
[Hah~, it does feel better to be there,] he heard the very same voice he was hearing all this time right beside him.
And so, as he looked to his right, he saw… a flame.
It had a crimson color with round edges and a constantly erupting top, similar to a candle. It was about the size of his palm, with white eyes and a smile on its mouth.
[Hey!] The ball of fire spoke.
'What the actual fuck?' Leon looked at it with the most confused look he ever gave in his life, still chewing on the scorpion's leg.
[The name's EGO, EGO the Devourer, partner!]
'This is…'
[Yes! I am the one you were speaking to!] EGO was floating in the air, and spanned around Leon to showcase its ability to freely move.
"What's your purpose?" Leon calmed down and asked, and suddenly, EGO stopped moving, approaching Leon's face, yet somehow even though it was only a few centimeters away, the fire didn't burn.
[My goal is to devour and get stronger, just like you.] EGO lost its smile, then it looked at the dead scorpion, [For now, you can check my status window, for I am a part of you.]
Leon somehow felt like all of this was normal, maybe since EGO had been residing inside of him and talking to him since the beginning?
"EGO status window," he mumbled randomly, and surprisingly it did work.
---
[Name: EGO]
[Status: Devourer]
[Level: 0]
[Souls (Experience): 0/1]
---
[Skills:]
>Devour
---
'Huh…' there was no denying it anymore, that thing was real, and although its status window was much smaller than Leon's since it didn't have any sort of attributes, it still felt overwhelming.
[Feed me! And I will grow stronger, partner!]
'How…?'
[…] EGO's expression turned neutral, then he alternated between looking at the panel and Leon himself, [Are you stupid? Can't you see the huge 'Experience' part?]
"…"
[Feed me souls!]
'How?'
[You have to order me to use 'Devour' on the scorpion!]
Was it because EGO had been inside of him that he suddenly had that urge to devour that monster? Or was it just that once he bit a monster, his desire to eat it disappeared suddenly.
"Well, I guess I have nothing to lose…"
[GO! GO!]
"EGO!" Leon pointed at the scorpion, "Use 'Devour'!"