Beast Devourer: I Grow Stronger by Eating Monsters

Not much.

He had extremely durable material.

Tendons capable of storing tension.

A magical sensory organ.

Damaged remains of Blood Furnace.

But none of those things solved a complex mechanism on their own.

He tried imagining a bow.

FORGE reacted.

”Design detected: Composite Bow”

User understanding: Moderate

Compatible structural materials detected.

Obsidian Carapace: Poor flexural compatibility

Tyrant Tendon Bundle: High compatibility

Potential construction: Possible

Expected performance: Superior to conventional Common-grade bow

Special Trait integration: None

Recommendation: Conventional artisan assistance.

Raven frowned.

Again.

”You really don’t want to make anything simple.”

The Authority didn’t answer.

He tried a crossbow.

Similar result.

He could use the Tyrant Tendons to increase draw strength, but it was still something a competent craftsman could build.

Then he understood.

FORGE wasn’t a workshop.

It was a bridge.

Between an idea that normally couldn’t exist and materials capable of making it work.

That reduced the possibilities enormously.

It also made them much more interesting.

Raven stared at his hands.

Kinetic Acceleration.

Ember Spark.

Burst Step.

Stonehide.

Predatory Regeneration.

Each solved a function.

Movement.

Ignition.

Defense.

Recovery.

But Skills integrated into his body couldn’t be placed directly inside an object.

He needed another source.

Which meant that if he ever found a creature with an ability perfect for a weapon, he would have to choose.

DEVOUR.

Or:

HARVEST.

Raven started thinking about the cannibal leader.

Kinetic Acceleration.

Mana Heart.

He had eaten that organ.

The Skill was his now.

But if he’d preserved the heart...

FORGE might have been able to use it.

Probably.

The thought made Raven look at the new Authority differently.

A human Skill could become a component.

That was dangerous.

Very.

And not only for monsters.

A family could build its power around a Bloodline.

A fighter could spend an entire lifetime developing a Skill.

Raven could kill the owner, preserve the correct structure, and potentially turn that ability into a tool.

Veyr’s aristocracy probably wouldn’t appreciate the innovation.

Future problem.

First, he needed to figure out what tool actually meant.

They returned to the upper camp near noon.

Valeria needed to rest before traveling.

Raven needed to eat.

A lot.

Predatory Regeneration had continued working, and his appetite was absurd.

He ate two portions of meat, bread, cheese, dried fruit, and part of the supplies belonging to one of the Orbrecht men who was no longer around to object.

Valeria watched him for a while.

”Are you going to leave anything for the rest of us?”

Raven looked at the table.

”Yes.”

”How considerate.”

”Regeneration needs nutrients.”

”That explains a lot.”

”We should also increase how much food we buy.”

Valeria smiled.

”’We.’”

Raven stopped.

Looked at his plate.

Then at her.

”I buy my own.”

”Too late. You said it.”

”It was grammatical.”

”It sounded dangerously close to teamwork.”

”Don’t ruin my food.”

Valeria looked far too satisfied.

Raven finished eating and pulled out a sheet of paper.

Then another.

He’d found ink and quills among Cassian’s belongings.

He started drawing.

He wasn’t an artist.

Didn’t need to be.

Lines.

Sections.

Relationships between components.

Valeria waited several minutes before asking:

”What is that?”

Raven didn’t look up.

”A test.”

”Looks like a tool.”

”It is.”

”For what?”

”Killing things from farther away.”

Valeria moved her chair closer.

Raven didn’t hide the paper.

There was nothing on it yet that she could use.

”A crossbow?”

”No.”

”It doesn’t have a string.”

”Correct.”

”Then what propels the projectile?”

Raven set down the quill.

That was exactly the question.

On Earth, the answer was chemical.

Here, he didn’t have modern gunpowder, industrial facilities, or standardized materials.

Understanding the general principle behind a firearm didn’t mean he could reconstruct an entire technological chain using medieval tools and magic.

FORGE wasn’t going to invent it for him either.

Raven thought about Ember Spark.

Ignition.

Kinetic Acceleration.

Propulsion.

Mana.

The logic was beginning to appear.

He didn’t need to reproduce Earth exactly.

He needed to reproduce the function.

Valeria studied the drawing.

”That’s a tube.”

”Part of one.”

”Extremely revolutionary.”

Raven looked at her.

”Do you want to go back to resting?”

”Not particularly.”

”Then let me think.”

She rested her chin on one hand.

”Continue, tube engineer.”

Raven decided to ignore her.

He drew a projectile.

Chamber.

Travel path.

Conceptual activation system.

No exact dimensions.

No materials yet.

Only functions.

A vessel capable of containing pressure or energy.

Something that propelled the projectile.

Something that initiated that release.

A channel durable enough to direct it.

A system capable of repeating the process.

The Authority appeared.

”Incomplete design detected.”

Object classification: Unknown ranged weapon

User mechanical understanding: Partial

Functional requirements detected:

— Projectile containment

— Directed acceleration

— Structural resistance

— Controlled activation

— Repetition mechanism

Current compatible components: INSUFFICIENT

Raven smiled.

Valeria saw the expression.

”What?”

”It recognized it.”

”As what?”

”It doesn’t know yet.”

”That sounds less impressive than you think.”

Raven continued.

He tried defining Kinetic Acceleration as a functional requirement.

Not the Skill integrated into his body.

The concept.

Desired function: High-speed projectile acceleration

Potential compatibility detected.

Suitable external Skill/Trait source required.

Examples unavailable.

Host Skill ”Kinetic Acceleration” demonstrates functional precedent.

Host Skill cannot be copied.

That was enough.

FORGE knew the function was possible.

Raven needed another source of Kinetic Acceleration.

Or something equivalent.

Then he added Ember Spark as an example for ignition.

Desired function: Controlled ignition / activation

Multiple magical solutions theoretically compatible.

External functional source required.

Valeria read his expression.

”You’re looking for monsters again.”

”Not yet.”

”That’s exactly the face you make when you’re deciding which part of something you want to eat.”

”This time, I don’t want to eat it.”

She went still.

”That sounds worse.”

Raven looked up.

”FORGE can use Traits I preserve.”

Valeria took a moment to understand.

”Inside objects?”

”Seems that way.”

”Permanently?”

”I don’t know.”

”A Skill inside a weapon?”

”If I find compatible material, an appropriate biological source, and understand the mechanism well enough.”

Valeria stopped joking.

Now she was looking at the drawing differently.

”That’s not normal crafting.”

”No.”

”Artificers can create magical effects through runes, cores, and enchantments, but integrating a biological Trait while preserving its function...”

Raven watched her.

”Rare?”

”I’m not sure rare is the word. Monster weapons exist that preserve natural properties. Bows made from magical tendons. Dragonbone swords. Scale armor. But those use the characteristics of the material itself. Not a complete Skill deliberately separated from one structure and integrated into another.”

Interesting.

FORGE might be more abnormal than it first appeared.