Chapter 42

Rain took a huge slavering bite from the boar’s side, gulping it down eagerly. He had been getting hungrier and hungrier, the dual pressure of being wounded and time passing since his last major meal making him increasingly ravenous so the relief of devouring the boar was immense.

It wasn’t the first boar. Using Lyra’s power they had baited and drawn out over a dozen green-furred fungi boars, piling up each kill until Rain had a small hill of pork waiting for him. He hadn’t waited on ceremony, once they’d checked the cavern was empty he had instantly leapt upon the delicious mound, indulgently gorging himself. He was hungry enough that he didn’t even stop for a moment between eating, letting the intense backed up feeling of coming growth build up inside of him, edging the release by continuing to stuff more and more meat into his underfed maw.

The pile of boars rapidly disappeared, warm blood spilling across the icy grass as he fed, steam rolling off it in thick foggy waves. Lyra blinked as the mist rolled over her, it didn’t stop her from looking away though, the sight of such a monstrous primal endless hunger stunning her, making her feel faint and weak at the knees. She understood Rain ate a lot, but actually seeing such an incredible amount of mass disappear inside of him so quickly was a sight to behold.

Rain gorged on the boar until there was nothing left but a slick layer of steaming blood across the frosty grass. He leaned back and belched, curling his digits as the delicious feeling of growing larger and stronger rolled through his body, he arched his back in pleasure, his claws scrabbling across the ground, leaving furrows in the dirt. Oh gods how he had missed this! He needed more! More! He let out an involuntary groan as his joints popped, adjusting to their new size, his limbs lengthening, muscle swelling. He grunted as Opal made a flying leap on top of him and hugged at his torso as his ribs creaked outward, his chest and pecs broadening, his feet shifting across the ground, kicking instinctively.

“Beeger! Yess!” whimpered the Goblin as she rolled and humped her hips against his abdomen.

At last, the final bit of growth was done and he slumped back breathing hard, a faint glowing satisfied feeling filling his body, like an after sex glow without the sex.

Lyra stared at the pair with big round eyes.

“C-could you grow f-forever? Eat forever?” She swallowed dryly. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to this,” she said queasily.

“Don’t worry, it becomes the new terrifying normal after a while,” said Red beside her, his tone flat, that of someone who was long jaded by the sight.

“How could this ever be normal!”

Rain checked his body over, Opal still hanging off him, and was pleased to see his remaining minor wounds and cuts were shrinking and healing. Still some ways to go but he was rapidly returning to full physical health.

He glanced up at the sheep girl. His gaze made her flinch.

“You killed these boars you know, all of them, you held the knife and stabbed them until they died while I held them down, so why do you feel that way about me eating them?”

“I- I know I did! That’s not the problem! ... I’m a leveler, I’ve always had to hunt monsters to level up, it’s always been this way. When I was a low leveler desperate to find a way to make ends meet and not be stuck as a bottom feeder I managed to scrape together enough money to get cheaply power leveled. It ... it was rough, only two of us made it back alive, I had to kill so many monsters just to survive. I’m used to killing monsters...”

“Then there’s no problem.”

“There is! You’re eating them!”

“What would happen if a leveler had come across them and killed these boars? They might cook one part of one of them, or hack off some valuable part, but most of the time they’d wastefully leave the rest to rot. I’m actually making use of what’s left behind. It’s a good thing.”

“That- that’s different! You’re- It’s just different okay! Levelers don’t eat everything!”

“Good thing I’m not a leveler then.” He grinned at her, showing his bloody teeth.

The sheep girl shuddered.

“Tell me, what level are you now?” said Rain looking over her trembling body.

“I- I was level fourteen, after k-killing that first boar monster I became level fifteen, I don’t know how many more I’d have to kill to reach level sixteen, it feels like a lot, levelers need to kill more monsters or more powerful monsters as they level up, we need that much more experience.”

“Did you get anything for level fifteen?”

The sheep girl hesitated then nodded her head. “Leveling doesn’t always give something, but I got a climbing Skill, so I can rescue people who have fallen down ravines or something...”

“How lame!” sneered Opal.

“It’s not lame! Gosh!”

“Mm, no it’s pretty lame.”

Lyra glared at the Goblin, uncertain if she was just trying to annoy her, she was pretty sure it was the latter, but her pride still stung.

“Just watch this!”

The sheep girl turned to the nearest tree. She looked up at it. It was a fairly barren winter tree with a few branches high up. It was a bit more of a challenge than she had been anticipating. She furrowed her brow and glanced back at the Goblin. Opal was looking at her, a mocking smile pulling at the corner of her lips.

Lyra curled her hands into fists. She wasn’t going to let that Goblin laugh at her, she was just a stupid little Goblin! Lyra was a leveler!

She drew in a breath, readying herself, then brought the Skill to the forefront of her mind and triggered it. Energy flooded through her body and she leapt at the tree, her hooves digging into the bark with ease, her fingers somehow finding unnoticeable crevices that gave just enough grip to let her swiftly ascend the tree. She popped up on top of one of the larger branches sticking from the trunk, wobbling from a moment before getting her balance. She looked down smugly at the Goblin who was staring up at her in disbelief. Then she noticed just how far from the ground she was. She gripped the tree trunk extra hard as blood drained from her face.