After eating the large amount of meat left behind by the wild beasts, the three of them start mediating. They actually use a certain incantation that Daniel learned from his former world; it came from an ancient totem that the researchers had translated.
He realises just how many mysteries his former world carries. To think that both the knowledge and mysterious items that he had brought with him would greatly affect his life in this world, he definitely underestimated the influence of his former world.
He was sent inside his soul after finally entering the empty state. Looking around, he can see that the two items in his soul are still present.
His eyes widen because he can see that the other item, the black hole one, is very active at the moment, absorbing some sort of energy that spreads throughout his soul, but he does not know what it is.
'F*ck! I must know it! ' He roars inwardly before focusing on the sensation. Every time the black hole transmits the energy back to him, he is shocked to discover that he can see through his entire inner body with just his mind.
He then sees four miniature black holes inside his body: one in his stomach, one in his heart, and two in his lungs. Each beat of his heart would activate the black holes.
They spread a pure energy that increases his strength, purifies his blood, increases his physical traits, and unlocks something deep within him. He still does not know what it is, but his instinct is telling him that this is what's happening.
"Daniel, Daniel!" He was snapped back to the physical realm. He turns to see that his two friends have cleaned up and are now ready to find a perfect spot to spend the night.
"F*ck! I did not think that I was meditating that long; let's go!" He hurriedly stood up and did not feel his body tingling. The two looked at him enviously. Every time they meditated, it would leave quite a strain in their lower bodies, causing their legs to be pins and needles.
"I heard that there are other kinds of beast monsters that are active at night, but they are more dangerous than most beast monsters that appear during the day." He warns them as they go and climb one of the broken buildings with the help of a rope.
"Do you think that this building is able to hold us for the night?" Richard asks nervously. The buildings and other infrastructure are already old and broken, and with his size, he is the most likely to be the one to fall.
"Do not worry, this building might be on the verge of crumbling down, but it is just like that; it is still able to stand tall for at least another decade or two." Daniel pats the back of his friend; this always happens every time they climb.
"Hey, do you really think that we are going to be safe staying inside this place?" Bryan asks after they safely enter the building.
"I do not know, but one thing is for sure: we are much safer here than outside." He points at a certain spot, and when his two friends look in the direction of where he was pointing, their expressions change.
A pack of dogs with sharp teeth are prowling in the night; they are searching for their target. In their bodies were patterns that only belong to beast monsters; there are seven of them, making his two friends shiver in fear.
"With my skill, I identified the weakest one of them, a level six of the Iron Rank." Hearing this, his two friends suck in a cold, deep breath.
"Take cover; they tracked our scent." He whispers to them; fortunately, their scent seemed to disappear from the edge of the building. They entered the broken lower floor, but they did not find anything.
They left hunting other prey. Daniel and his group are now exercising. The amount of meat they had eaten was just too much. After meditation, they felt bottled up, so they decided to train their bodies.
'Hmm? My body is feeling a bit uncomfortable.' He frowns as he tries to make a chopping motion, but it feels different to him somehow.
"It seems that my strength has increased so much that I am having a hard time controlling it." He mumbles to himself before doing tai chi. The soft motion, together with the heavy strain from his breathing, causes his body to reflexively tremble.
"Sh*t! You are already abnormal, and now with your changes, you have become so strong!" Bryan grumbles as he feels left behind; in fact, Richard is also feeling the same thing.
Daniel focuses on his mind, and a trail of information appears in front of him.
'As expected.' Looking at his current status, he realises just how powerful his ability (devour) truly is.
Name: Daniel Hall
Level: Iron Rank Level 6
Age: 16
Gender: Male
Skill: Identification? (Rank ???)
Ability: Devour, Evolution
Beasts: None
He levelled up twice just by eating the meat of wild beasts. He cannot help but think about what would happen to him if he ate the meat of a beast monster.
The next day, the three immediately set off; their target was still the spiked-tailed rats and wind roaches, but the two did not know that Daniel was feeling a bit daring and thinking of hunting the bull that chased after him yesterday.
"The explosion continues to ring throughout the night; do you think that those mercenaries are still searching for that illusive pregnant beast monster?" Bryan asks. He is no longer anxious to get a beast monster egg now that he knows he is currently lacking in talent.
"I think so. I just hope that we do not encounter them; not only do they outnumber us, but they also have high-level Iron Rankers in their midst," Daniel said.
"Not to mention that Bronze Ranker!" Bryan screams.
"I do not think that he would lower himself in making a move against us; those true rankers are aloof." Daniel knows that true rankers, people who have stepped into Bronze Rank and formed their cores based on their occupation, often look down on Iron Rankers.
"Hey, why do you think that Bronze Ranker would hunt that pregnant beast monster? Since he already has an occupation, obtaining a beast monster egg would be useless for him," Bryan asks.
"That is a foolish question; he might not be able to use it for himself, but this does not mean that it is useless to him." Richard looks at his friend with a helpless expression; sometimes he cannot believe his stupidity.
"F*ck you! I am just asking a question: why are you so aggressive?" Bryan shouts with a red face.
"Shut up! Can you hear that!?" Daniel's instinct is screaming at him right now. Without hesitation, he grabs his two friends and makes a run for it. He does not know what they are facing, but he will not risk it.
CHIP! CHIP! Chipping noises start to spread, and the ground then trembles. Daniel was running with all he had, so he got his back on the scene, but his two friends see what was happening, and their faces turn pale.
A tide of rats is now coming out of the ground and running everywhere. What is worse is that there are not only wild beasts like big rats and burrowing rats but even wild beast monsters such as spiked-tailed rats and disease-carrying biter rats.
"F*ck! It is a beast tide! Thousands of them!" Richard screams, seeing the rats coming out of the ground, trying to destroy everything around them.
"Sh*t! There are Bronze Rank amongst them!" Bryan screams, seeing multiple rats that exude different types of auras that are clearly stronger than the majority.
BADUMP! BADUMP! Once again, Daniel's heartbeat starts to beat in an erratic manner as his veins bulge and his muscles heat up. Suddenly, their speed increases exponentially, leaving the rats chasing them behind to eat their dust.
BAM! He was unable to control his body, and the three of them crashed into a building. Their bodies were thrown everywhere, causing dust to spread. None of them are injured, but they are hurting.
"We need to leave! We need to warn the guards in the city!" Daniel immediately roars, the expression of the two changes, especially Bryan. The last beast tide was what caused their family to nearly become slaves.
If not for Daniel's help, his mother and sister would have been sent into brothels to be trained as prostitutes, while he would be sent as a manual labour slave. His dad would be killed since his current condition makes him useless to slave traders, having his body parts sold to the black market.
"I will try to buy as much time as possible! Richard, go and inform the guards. Bryan, I want you to help me snipe any rats that get closer to this place!" Daniel roars before running outside and starts searching for something.