I Can Devour Monsters' SSS Talents

Lian woke up with a vague headache.

At first, he could see nothing but darkness.

The ceiling was so close that when he tried to raise his head, his forehead hit the hard and moist surface above him. The surrounding space was too tight for him to sit up fully, so he had to turn his body slightly to the side and keep his head down.

The smell of wet soil and moss was in the air.

The faint sound of water dripping from somewhere deep in the crack could be heard, and a cold breeze was entering through the narrow opening.

Lian breathed quietly a few times.

In the first moments, the pain behind his eyes intensified. As if the echo and pressure of Warrior’s Madness were still in his skull, pressing like a heavy ring around his mind.

But the headache gradually faded, and his eyes adjusted to the darkness.

Ravian was sitting near the crack’s entrance.

He held his spear on his knee and was watching the outside through the strands of moss that hid the entrance. His sitting posture and sharp ears showed that even while resting, he remained fully alert.

Sera was leaning against the root wall a few steps away.

Her eyes were closed, but her breathing was too light for deep sleep. A fresh cloth was wrapped around her wounded shoulder, and a dark stain of blood could be seen on it.

Nemi was curled up in a corner.

She had pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her tail around her body. Her head rested on her arms, and unlike her sister, she seemed to be truly asleep.

Lian moved a little, and the sound of his clothes rubbing against the soil made Ravian immediately turn his head.

His hand unconsciously tightened on his spear, but when he saw Lian was awake, the tension left his face for a moment.

”Finally awake.” His voice was quiet so as not to suddenly wake his two sisters.

”Where are we?” Lian turned his neck slightly and looked again at the tight space around him. At first glance, it didn’t seem to be the same place where he had passed out.

Ravian turned his head toward the outside.

”The same place we were. We only moved a few dozen meters from the battlefield.” He pointed with the tip of his spear to the wall behind him.

”I found this empty crack between the roots. The entrance is narrow, and the smell of blood doesn’t reach inside much. It was safer for resting than the open space.”

Lian nodded, then placed his palm on the ground and carefully checked his body.

There was no sharp pain in his ribcage. The ribs that had been broken in the battle were healed again.

He opened and closed the fingers of his right hand. The bones that had been crushed during the final strike moved without any restriction.

He flexed his shin. The torn muscles and cracked bone were completely repaired.

Even the scars from where the Parasite Threads had entered his blood had disappeared.

The flow of mana in his body was also calm, complete, and dense. Full, normal, and exactly as expected.

He had Leveled Up.

Every Level increase completely restored his body; wounds, fractures, poisons, and physical exhaustion could not withstand the wave of recovery from Leveling Up.

This was not the first time he had experienced such a thing.

But the difference between his body’s condition before losing consciousness and now was still strange.

A few hours ago, he was one step away from death. Now, not even a scratch remained on his skin.

Lian opened a brief panel.

[Level: 18]

[Physical Condition: Healthy]

”Are you all okay? How long did I sleep?” He closed the panel and looked at Ravian.

The sound of movement came from beside the wall. Sera opened her eyes and raised her head slightly.

”A few hours. Probably four or five hours.” Ravian answered and then looked at his sisters.

”We’re fine too. We redressed Sera’s wound. The spores’ effect on Nemi is almost gone too.”

”But you were more like a dead person than someone sleeping.” Sera said with a tired but calm tone.

Lian looked at her and scratched his head. He himself remembered his condition. After that battle, such a thing was normal.

A quiet sound came from the corner of the crack. Nemi had woken up. She raised her head and looked at Lian with still sleepy eyes.

”Let’s just run away next time, okay?” Sera sighed and added.

”Let’s just hope there is no next time.” Lian smiled.

For a few moments, a heavy silence formed. The memory of the battle was still too fresh.

The black threads, the dark eyes of the ants, the Queen’s massive body, and the last moment when the Parasite Thread almost reached Lian’s heart.

He also knew that the distance between victory and becoming the parasite’s new host was no more than a few seconds.

The silence was broken by a completely different sound.

Lian’s stomach growled loudly. He looked down for a moment, then turned his gaze among the three Lacerians.

”Aren’t you hungry?”

Before anyone could answer, a similar sound came from Nemi’s direction.

Her stomach also made a clear sound.

Nemi immediately lowered her head and wrapped her tail tighter around her legs.

Sera gave a very faint smile.

”What does your species eat?”

”Almost everything.” Ravian said without hesitation and listed a few items with his hand.

”Meat, fruit, edible roots, some mushrooms, insect eggs. Only poisonous foods might be heavy for our bodies.”

Lian thought for a moment, then reached into his storage space. Four metal cans appeared one after another in the tight space.

Then a few rectangular packages of dry bread, two packages of biscuits, and several bottles of water.

Upon seeing the cans, Nemi moved forward a little. She picked one up and examined it curiously from different angles, touching the metal surface with her fingertip.

”There’s food inside this?”

Lian picked up another can.

”Yeah.”

”How do you open it?” Ravian asked hesitantly.

Lian placed his finger under the metal ring on top of the can and pulled it. The short sound of the can’s lid opening echoed in the crack’s space.

The smell of cooked meat and spices immediately filled the air.

Nemi’s eyes widened slightly. Her stomach made another sound.

”Try it.” Lian handed the can to her.

Nemi first took a small piece cautiously. She smelled it. Then put it in her mouth.

For a few seconds, she chewed quietly, then without saying anything, she took a larger piece.

Sera smiled upon seeing her reaction.

But Ravian was still cautious. He opened a can of beans, tasted a little, and waited a few moments; as if he wanted to make sure his body would not react strangely.

Then his eating speed noticeably increased.

Lian opened a can of fish for himself and placed some dry bread next to it.

In that dark crack, without fire, proper dishes, or even enough space to sit, the food was simpler than it would normally be worth paying attention to.

But after days of running, wounds, poisonous spores, and a battle that could have killed them all, that cold, canned food tasted different.

Nemi ate almost the entire can of meat and then looked at the empty can with a bit of embarrassment.

”Eat this too.” Lian handed her a package of biscuits.

”Does this have meat too?” She took the package.

”No.”

”Then what is it?”

”It’s sweet.”

Nemi tried one. A few seconds later, she kept the rest of the package near herself.

”How do these foods not spoil?” Sera asked while examining the can of fish.

Lian took a sip of water.

”They’re sealed inside containers, and they’re prepared in a way that keeps them fresh for a long time.”

Sera looked at the can.

”How long?”

”Some for a few years.”

The three Lacerians looked at him at the same time, and Ravian lifted the can slightly to get a better look.

”A few years?”

”As long as they’re sealed.” Lian nodded.

Sera examined the metal surface again, clear curiosity visible in her gaze.

In a tribe where food storage probably depended on hunting, drying meat, and knowing forest plants, food that could last for years without spoiling was more than just a convenience.

It could save many people’s lives in winter, during sieges, or on long journeys.

But she didn’t ask more questions for now.

After finishing the food, Lian put the empty cans back into his storage space so their smell wouldn’t attract predators.

”Did you rest during these few hours?”

”More or less.” Ravian shrugged and pointed to Sera and Nemi.

”One of us was always watching the entrance. First me, then Sera, and Nemi slept more.”

Nemi wanted to object, but a sudden yawn cut her off.

”She was the most affected by the spores.”

”Good. So we can slowly start heading toward your tribe.” Lian nodded and looked toward the crack’s entrance.

”How much farther?”

Ravian calculated the route in his mind for a few moments.

”With our current condition and the speed we can move at, if we don’t have to go around, we should reach it within two days.”

”Two days... not bad.” Lian placed his hand on the ground and moved forward a little.

”I’ll check the outside. When I’m sure it’s safe, I’ll call you.”

Ravian nodded, and Lian passed through the narrow entrance.

He pushed aside the moss strands and came out of the crack. The green light of the forest hit his eyes for a moment.

Then the scene of the battlefield appeared before him.