Growth

Ozul floated at the rear of the hunting party, frantically searching for a means to defeat the skeleton. "I need to end this fight quickly! The more Umbras killed the greater my disadvantage." Ozul felt fear taking root and doubted himself. The skeleton was stronger than the rats, and more intelligent than the slime. It was by far the most powerful enemy Ozul had faced. "I'm still smarter than this sack of bones. I can figure this out," thought Ozul. The Umbras were being pushed back, and it was only a matter of time before another was killed. "If I knock the skeleton over, it'll stop attacking and will give the other Umbras a chance to strike, but it's risky. I only have 57 HP, if he stabs me with his short sword I'll be killed."

Ozul grimaced while thinking of a way to avoid both of the skeleton's weapons. "If I use the other Umbra as a distraction, I'll hopefully get through." Before Ozul could consider anything else, a chance presented itself. An Umbra with several broken ribs dashed forward, dodged the bow, but was slashed and killed. Ozul used this distraction to launch himself at the skeleton's leg. He felt the leg snap in his mouth as he bit down, filling it with a dusty and sweet taste. The skeleton toppled to the ground and like a pack of vultures, the Umbras descended.

They bit into the skeleton, tearing limbs and splintering bones. It lashed out, swiping carelessly to protect itself from the onslaught of teeth. Ozul flew to the skull, dodging the sword, and employed his bite skill. Due to his increased skill level, Ozul's mouth completely encompassed the skull and pulverized it with a single bite. The skull smashed into pieces filling Ozul's mouth with surprisingly the best flavor since his reincarnation. The sweet flavor of the bones almost became buttery and savory as he chewed the shards. Ozul was delighted and shocked by the flavor.

He devoured bone after bone as he consumed the remains. Perhaps it was his horrendous face or the dangerous aura he unknowingly produced, but none of the Umbra stopped Ozul as he ate far more than his fair share.

"The yellowish sections taste a bit old and dusty, but this is delicious. I guess my standards for food have become pretty abysmal." Ozul did not realize that as he ate, he became increasingly large. The rat he previously consumed only partially replenished his HP. Now devouring this gluttonous portion of food, it not only replenished his HP, but created mass, thickening his bones and growing his wisp body.

Umbras do not possess stomachs and internal organs. It is somewhat a miracle, or curse, that they even have a sense of taste. Ingested food is immediately absorbed into the wisp body replenishing HP and then creating mass, growing the Umbra. Once sufficient mass has been accumulated, Umbras split apart. Duplicating themselves into a second, separate being. However, Ozul does not have this skill and as such continues to grow.

When the majority of the remains were gone, Ozul floated away feeling especially satisfied. The five remaining Umbras dashed to the scraps he left behind, greedily eating and occasionally biting at each other. "Why do the Umbra look smaller than before? Ozul thought. He peered around the passageway and noticed everything looked smaller. The stalactites that could usually provide cover were now tiny, compared to just minutes ago. The realization struck Ozul that he had grown exponentially since eating.

"I am now over four feet tall, and my body doesn't seem heavier. It's like all my muscles suddenly grew." He examined his body and felt confident in his new size, although he was partially uncomfortable from the sudden change. "I'll just have to adjust to this growth like I had to adapt to my new body." Feeling satisfied he used appraise on himself.

Species: Disturbed Umbra

Level: 3

Experience to next level: 66/100

Health: 100/100

Strength: 15

Dexterity: 33

Wisdom: 14

Intelligence: 176

Points to Assign: 3

Species Advantages: Darkness Immunity

Skills: Strong Bite level 2, Night Vision level 1, Appraisal max level

Titles: Blessed Reincarnation (Someone who a God has allowed to keep their memories from a previous life)

Curses: Your race was cursed by a god and will forever be extremely vulnerable to light.

"I leveled up from killing the skeleton! He must have given a lot of experience." The level up once again raised all of Ozul's stats by three and gave him an additional three points to assign. "This has been a very successful hunting trip. However, it was risky, if my bite skill hadn't broken the skeleton's leg, I may have died. The level 2 bite really saved my life. When I return to the cave, I'll level it up again." Ozul contemplated how to spend his assignable points and decided to place one into strength and two into dexterity. Making him overall faster and stronger.

The Umbras finished their meager meal of Ozul's leftovers and began flying back to the cavern. Ozul joined their ranks but felt misplaced and unwelcome. His enlarged body and unique complexion stood out and attracted attention. The other Umbra were expressionless, but Ozul sensed hostility from them. "It's because I ate too much. They didn't have enough to replenish their HP. Increasing my size was worth it, but I shouldn't be so greedy next time."

The hunting party arrived back at the cavern and Ozul started training his bite skill. He bit at the air while flying to quickly adjust to his new size. Ozul did not consider how he appeared to the other Umbras or how his actions concerned them. Umbras are a pack-oriented species, who rely on instinct to hunt and survive. They thought of Ozul as a deformed brother and didn't heed his presence. However, his strange behavior and size triggered their instincts. If a member of the pack cannot contribute by using their mass to duplicate, then they are defective. Unbeknownst to Ozul, sacrificing a defective Umbra is common.