Berserk of Gluttony (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Starvation Boost 

I RAN DOWN the main street of the Holy Knight District and arrived at the large gate that separated that district from the others. In my current state of starvation, my five senses were sharpened to an unbelievable degree. I realized that though it was the dead of night, I could see as though it were the middle of the day. 

My sense of smell was also heightened, and I could identify delicious opportunities by their scent. At the gate were two guards, and the one on the right was in better shape and seemed tastier. I used Identify to confirm my suspicions, and I was right; the more luscious guard had the better stats and skills. 

In other words, I could identify a person with powerful stats and skills by their mouthwatering scent. It seemed that, in its hunger for souls, Gluttony gave my basic physical abilities a boost. However, it was excruciating. The hunger came in surges that left me reeling. 

I needed to get through the gate quickly without the guards stopping me. Fortunately, I had a travel pass because I was now a servant of the Hart family. Travel passes were a rule; whether you were coming or going, you had to show yours to the guard at the gate to get by. If you lost the pass, the guards wouldn’t let you through. 

“Don’t mind me,” I said, smiling politely as I neared the guards. “Just out for a moonlight stroll.” 

I tried my best not to look suspicious. After all, it was the middle of the night, and I was trying to leave the Holy Knight District. However, as I pulled out my travel pass to show the guard, he recoiled and took a step backward. 

“Ah!” 

His face contorted in fear as he stared at me, and his partner was no different. Upon facing me to see what was going on, he reacted in exactly the same way. It was all incredibly awkward, so I waved my travel pass at them and rushed through the gate to the Merchant District as rapidly as I could. 

“When those guards looked into your eyes,” said Greed, “they felt like little frogs caught by the glare of a snake. Your red eyes carry a predator’s power. Anyone with lower stats will be paralyzed in fear. You see, when Gluttony starves, this temporary boost makes souls easier to eat.” 

“Do you think they’ll suspect anything? The guards back there?” 

“It was likely the first time they’d seen such a thing as you. All they know is that someone terrifying came by, but they are less than aware of what happened. If you have lost your red eyes by the time you return, they’ll imagine you were a bad dream, or perhaps a figment of their tired minds. But if you show them your worry in your body language, then they will suspect you of foul play.” 

There was logic to Greed’s words. We strode through the Merchant District, where I noticed a sweet scent in the air. It was a most delectable fragrance. Giving in to temptation, I took a detour and followed the scent into a side street, searching through the shadows for its source. 

At the end of one of those distant streets, I spotted three figures in black hooded robes. I tried to use Identify to analyze them, but they were too far out of range. Then I saw one of their faces in a sliver of moonlight. 

My breath caught. 

What are they doing here at this hour? 

But there was no mistaking it. I would’ve recognized those poisonous features anywhere. Rafale. That meant the taller hooded figure was Hado, and the smaller one was their younger sister, Memil. None of them noticed me as they headed inside one of the Merchant District’s most high-end shops. 

It was the kind of prestigious place that only high-ranking people like holy knights could enter. I watched from the shadows as another group in black hooded robes went in. I knew from their ambrosial scent that they were also holy knights. I had an increasingly bad feeling. 

What kind of meeting were they holding in the middle of the night? Whatever it was, if they needed to hide it from public view, then I didn’t think it could be anything good. I kept watch over the shop for a time, but I couldn’t tell what was happening inside because all the curtains were shut. 

Besides, I was starving. My stomach rumbled with that other hunger. I burned with curiosity, but I had other reasons for being out tonight, and those reasons would not wait. It was unfortunate, but my hunger was getting even worse. 

I turned and left the alleyway. 

*** 

The large gate leading out of the Merchant District was a pale reflection of itself at night. The usually bustling street was enveloped in silence, empty of the horses and carts that filled it. In their place, a group of adventurers had gathered. 

A glance at their equipment told me everything; these were seasoned veterans. Their ranks and stats were much higher than the adventurers I had seen on my first goblin hunt. I felt it in the weight of their auras. 

“They’re here for the night hunt,” said Greed. “The moon is bright tonight, which means improved visibility. On top of that, monsters have to sleep, too. That means adventurers can kill large numbers of the same monster type while they slumber without incurring as much hate as during the day.” 

“Ah, I see.” 

Greed’s explanations were ever helpful. No ordinary adventurer went hunting at night, but for the experienced and skilled, night hunts were an effective way to make a lot of money. 

When I tried to cut past the group, a scruffy adventurer caught sight of me. 

“Hey, you,” he said. “I haven’t seen you before. You seriously hunting in that armor?” 

“Yes.” 

The man’s laughter echoed down the street. Clearly, he didn’t care who might be trying to sleep. 

“Guys, listen to this. We’ve got a real hopeless case over here!” 

I didn’t want to draw attention to myself, but I was now surrounded by a group of hardened adventurers, grinning down at me as though I were nothing. 

“You must be pretty strong, coming down all cool and casual dressed like that.” 

The words said one thing, but the tone of his voice said another. He was making fun of me. He may as well have said what he was clearly thinking: What’s a piece of garbage like you doing in a place like this? 

“What level are you?” he said. “Go on, tell us. Promise we won’t laugh.” 

“Get out of my way,” I said. “I’m in a hurry.” 

I ignored them and left. My hunger was at its limit, but none of the adventurers even flinched at my red eyes. I didn’t need to bother with Identify to know what that meant; their stats were higher than mine. 

As I left the gate, the adventurers called out to me from afar. 

“You hear that? If he can’t say his level, must mean it’s low! Rookies like that always bite off more than they can chew!” 

“You think maybe he wanted to join our party? You think that was it?” 

“Probably. Not even in his dreams!” 

“Hey, garbage boy! Come back. Maybe if you’re lucky some party will take pity on you and let you carry their equipment!” 

“Not us, though!” 

“You said it! Ha ha!” 

They could say whatever they liked. Thanks to Gluttony, I couldn’t join a party even if I wanted. So I would do things my way, and I would become stronger than all of them.