「Master of none.」
Tatsuya ran down the narrow stone hallway, his makeshift spear clutched tightly in his hands. His footsteps echoed against the damp walls, the air thick with humidity that clung to his skin. Every muscle in his body was tense, his focus entirely on the creature ahead of him.
A giant spider, the size of a bookshelf, scuttled across the walls and ceiling, moving in frantic, jerky patterns. Its amber eyes gleamed with malice every time it glanced back at him, its legs clicking against the stone as it darted away, still scarred from his earlier strikes.
This thing's smaller than the one in the courtyard, he thought, trying to keep pace. But it's still not going down easy.
His spear—a black rock knife tied to a wooden pole, crudely fashioned from the remains of a collapsed bookshelf—felt solid in his grip, though the crude weapon wasn't ideal for hunting creatures of this size.
The spider stopped abruptly, its legs twitching. Tatsuya's heart leaped as he skidded to a halt, breath catching in his throat. Shit. The spider was preparing for a final attack.
It whipped around, mandibles clicking, and before Tatsuya could react, it launched a ball of highly condensed acid straight at him.
Time slowed.
"Hell no!" he shouted, throwing himself into a slide as the acid whizzed past him, missing by inches. The sound of it slamming into the wall behind him was immediate—a sharp hiss as the stone sizzled and crumbled, melting away under the corrosive spit. He could smell the acrid, burning fumes as he rolled to his feet, his heart pounding.
That was way too close.
The spider was already gathering venom for another shot, its mandibles twitching violently, saliva dripping from its fangs. Tatsuya had no time to waste. He needed to act before it fired again.
Focusing on the moisture in the air, he raised his free hand, reaching for the droplets of humidity clinging to the walls and ceiling. He could feel the water gathering, slowly at first, condensing into a small ball the size of a basketball.
"Alright, you eight-legged bastard," he muttered under his breath, narrowing his eyes. "Let's see how you handle this."
The ball of water shot forward with a flick of his wrist, striking the spider square in its open mouth. A sharp hiss filled the hallway as the water mixed with the venom, creating a reaction that backfired spectacularly. The spider screeched in pain, its body convulsing violently as the acid ate away at its insides.
"Didn't see that coming, did you?" Tatsuya smirked, throwing his spear with all his strength.
The black rock knife pierced through the creature's skull with a wet crunch, embedding deep into its head. The spider twitched once before collapsing, its body convulsing in a final death spasm before going still.
Panting heavily, Tatsuya stood over the corpse, his hands trembling from the adrenaline. The hallway stank of acid and decay, making his stomach churn. He bent down and yanked the spear free from the spider's head with a sickening squelch.
It's over...
But something unsettling followed.
His stomach growled.
Tatsuya blinked, staring down at the lifeless spider. His mouth went dry, his chest tightening with a sudden, inexplicable feeling. Was that me? The thought was absurd. He hadn't eaten anything in days, but the sight of the spider's carcass... it was making his mouth water.
A wave of nausea hit him, followed by another loud growl. Saliva began pooling in his mouth. He wiped it away quickly, but the smell... the smell of the spider's body—it wasn't repulsive anymore.
It was... inviting.
"No," he whispered, backing away from the corpse. "No, no, no." His heart pounded, the panic rising in his throat. He tried to turn, tried to walk away, but his body refused to listen.
His vision blurred, and when he looked down at his hands, they were shaking uncontrollably. His eyes felt like they were burning, glowing red as the world around him shifted. The spear slipped from his grip, clattering to the floor as he staggered toward the spider's body, his movements jerky and unnatural.
The smell wasn't disgusting anymore—it was delicious.
"Spider?" His voice was barely audible. "No... this is... crab... look at all that juicy white meat... butter..."
His body moved on its own.
With a sickening crunch, he tore into the spider's shell, his hands ripping through the tough exoskeleton with ease. His fingers dug into the soft flesh beneath, pulling out chunks of meat. He shoved the pieces into his mouth, chewing greedily, slurping the juices as if they were the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted.
"Delicious! Amazing!" His voice was manic, a crazed mix of disbelief and horror. "The best meal I've ever had!"
He couldn't stop. Even as his mind screamed at him to stop, his body continued to devour the spider, tearing it apart piece by piece, the hunger overpowering every other instinct. It was only after he had consumed most of the creature that the horror of what he had done finally crashed down on him.
Twenty minutes later, Tatsuya curled up in a dark corner of the bookshelf room, his body shaking violently. He retched into the shadows, his stomach heaving as his mind struggled to comprehend what had just happened. Nearby, smaller spiders skittered away, repelled by the foul stench of his breath.
What the hell was that?
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. "Was I really that hungry?" His voice trembled. "Or... is it because I'm not human anymore?"
He glanced down at his hands, his fingers still stained with remnants of the spider's flesh. They looked paler than before—a sickly white, much more so than usual. His entire body felt different, stronger, more energized. But beneath the physical change, something else lingered—something far worse.
He clenched his fists, a dull sense of dread gnawing at the back of his mind. I'm losing myself...
But that wasn't the only thing that had changed. The power coursing through him, the mana—there was more of it now. His capacity had increased.
Whatever I ate... it made me stronger.
He wasn't sure if that thought was comforting or terrifying.
The next day, Tatsuya found himself standing in the midpoint chamber again, the ancient stone bath in front of him. The magic book lay open on the floor, its pages filled with intricate diagrams and notes on earth magic—specifically on how to use it for figure sculpting.
"I can fill the bath with water magic now, no problem," he muttered, staring down at the cracked stone basin. "But what's the point if the bath itself is broken?"
He closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath as he shifted his focus. Earth magic was different—much harder than water. Water responded to his will quickly, flowing and gathering easily. Earth, however, was stubborn. It resisted. He had to coax it, visualize it, and bend it to his command.
Come on... mend, damn it.
He pictured the cracks in the stone, imagined them sealing up, the bath restoring itself to its original form. But the earth didn't move, didn't respond. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he concentrated harder, his muscles tensing with the effort.
Finally, with a soft rumble, the stone began to shift. The cracks slowly sealed themselves, the bath mending piece by piece. It took longer than he expected, but when he opened his eyes, the bath was fully repaired.
"Yes!" Tatsuya's voice echoed through the chamber, a grin spreading across his face. "Finally!"
Without wasting time, he switched back to water magic, summoning a steady stream from his hand. The water poured into the bath, filling it quickly, the cool liquid shimmering under the dim light.
"This is it," he whispered, his voice filled with satisfaction. This is how it starts.
As soon as the bath was full, Tatsuya stripped off his ragged clothes and slipped into the water. The cool liquid washed over his skin, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he let out a long, contented sigh.
Finally... He sank deeper into the water, closing his eyes, letting the tension in his body melt away.
But even as the water soothed his aching muscles, the memory of what he had done to the spider gnawed at him. The hunger. The madness. The loss of control. It lingered at the back of his mind, a shadow that wouldn't let go.
I'm not human anymore.
The thought settled deep in his chest, cold and unforgiving.