That Unique Monster Who Just Got the 'Consciousness' Passive Skill Chapter 18 To Starve

I woke up starving to death. My eyes were shut, but I was slowly coming back to my senses. Two sturdy hands were locked on my throat. They were tight on it. I could feel them going all around my collar. Slowly and painfully, I opened my eyes, letting out a childish moan. I was hurting all over. This ti, I wasn't poisoned. I just starved imnsely.

Getting fully aware of what happened, I inwardly cursed. If only I could just… not have to 'ensure survival'. Jumping from Receptacles to Receptacles would start to annoy before long, I thought. And all of it is due to the fact that the System made it mandatory on , the Player, to, for the present ti, always have a humanoid Receptacle on hand. Why, because 'dwelling' within such a (humanoid) Receptacle was apparently one of the conditions I had to fulfill for the Ga to go on—whatever that was.

What I could tell you was that, thankfully, in less than a week, I wouldn't have to be doing that anymore. Jumping from one Receptacle to the next, I an. That had to do with a certain 'Character's Creation' quest the System ntioned… but that story was for another ti.

For the ti being, what was important was that I just woke up as a certain Tiny Bro human boy. My forehead was bleeding a little, I rember I had to headbutt Tiny Bro when I subdued him. I coughed twice.

In front of , seemingly lying down with like a father gently wrapping his arms around his son while sleeping, was a middle-aged swordsman with dark hair. His eyes were shut too. Mine were shut seconds ago, but his would never open anyti soon.

I wasn't a son sleeping soundly with his father anyway. Getting the swordsman's hands off my throat, I stood up to a sitting position. "Argh," I groaned, "my stomach's on fire." The more I was woken up, the fiercer the sensation grew. The pain, I an. For how long had that body been starving? There was no way to know.

After a few minutes, I could tell it had been at least a week. Wrapping my arms around my ager stomach, I clutched it and wished for food. Without knowing it, tears even gathered in the corners of my eyes and dropped down my hollow cheeks. Life sure could be difficult with . Bending over to the ground, I prayed for it to stop, go away, and never bother again, but it only served to increase the pain I felt all over my feeble legs and arms.

With trembling limbs, I managed to get myself up barely. Glancing at the black swordsman, I shook my head. Back when I 'dwelled' in that guy, I had no idea how big he was. With this tiny body, I can see how massive the guy was. But anyway, was that important? I was famished, and I needed a way out of this. I didn't complain. Not yet. With a problem on my hands, my life had at least a little aning to it.

"Yeah. I need to nourish that up. And quickly," I nodded to myself. Otherwise, how else was I supposed to live, hm? Could the way I lived up till now be called 'living', however? Was it anyone else's routine? I didn't ntion it, but I was lost. It kind of frustrated , at tis. I know I usually was quick to be angry, but as I was starving right now, my frustration reached even higher heights.

But let's not think about my misery. Abiding by my motto: Let's just go on with the flow. Whatever direction I was taking didn't matter. There were just facts and I'd go along with them. The facts, at present, urged to go and eat sothing.

To devour sothing rather. A whole cow would do. And real food this ti. Not anything else. Not grass. Not leaves. Not dirt. I didn't even enjoy the taste of it anyway. On top of that, was it nourishing even a little? Hardly from what I recall. My forr stomach could testify to that.

"So I must eat."

The sun dawned in the East. It was still pretty much nightti. And I was starving. No need to worry, though. "I know where to find food," I stated, heavily trudging on out the back alley. The first steps were the most difficult. That famished body of mine was on the verge of collapsing, but I forced it on. Strengthening myself with mana, I found it was easier to move. Magical energy was a thing I didn't lack, thankfully.

It was quite hard to see in this darkness, too. Mana would have my problem fixed again, however. Mana Perception sure ca in handy.

Walking was tiring. The first steps were the most laborious ones, but I quickly grew used to my condition. My oh-so-poor condition. I spent ten minutes trudging along the darkness of dawn, and I arrived at the comrcial street. My old friend would surely… give food? "Crap. It's dark. Didn't he say 'not before noon' or sothing?" God, that realization ca hard on . There were barely a few people out there, working on laying out their stalls and stuff.

Having observed that, like a chanical robot, I lifelessly turned backward. And once again, I disappeared in the dark of this somber alley. I was looking forward to seeing, slling, touching, and tasting my good old cup of noodles. Hah, and that's funny enough.

As if making the mistake of coming here before the first lights weren't enough, I also made the mistake of realizing one sad thing. If I was no longer that friendly owner's favorite adventurer of the Guild, would he still feed ? Failing to recognize that, I still looked forward to eating so of Yum Yum Starry Spicy Magical Noodles. For now, my motto was still on. Let's just go on with the flow.

Go on with the flow? What other options to quench this insupportable sense of starving? I was back to my alley and my swordsman. "Here I co, then, lil' babies." Standing ready, I readied myself for the hunt. A rat responded to my call. Squeaking, it ran past in a flash. In my furry, I jumped at it and… no. I didn't jump at it, my legs wouldn't take up. All I did was grunt, bit my tongue, then pass out. I had no vigor at all.

When I woke up, who knows how many hours after, I was still in so much pain, but I lifted myself up on instinct. At once, I took off and headed to the friendly owner. After I got out of the back alley, the position of the sun told it was past noon. Phew. I was glad. Though I still was in a terrible condition to walk, I fought on, up till I reached the food stand.

You better not fail , old man! I thought. After a few minutes that felt like hours, at last, I arrived back at the sa place I ate so well the day before. What was more, I could see him. The sa old man, very stout and bald, a cheery smile on his face, a huge beard hanging at his neck, with that sa old white hachimaki headband wrapped up around his bald, shiny head. It was him, my savior. Promptly, I was presented in front of him. "You!" As he didn't have a client for the mont, he ceased all activity and turned to , pointing a jerky finger at . "You dare co back!" His hearty smile was gone, and he looked at with exasperation.

"Ha-ha-ha… Yup. again, old pal." I chuckled awkwardly, scratching my forehead. "Old man… B-Brighten up, why don't you… Where's your smile at—"

A strong hand was placed on my shoulder, yanking back. "Ow!" I turned backward, or rather was turned backward, and a young man glared daggers at . "You again, huh?"

"Do we… know each other…? Let go."

"I wish we didn't. Father, you know, he takes pity on you. Where are the other thugs? Your filthy brothers, eh? He fed you before… But how do you thank him? How did you thank us? You have so nerve coming back here." With the sa hands with which he grabbed my shoulders, he drove away further to the sidewalk.

We caught too many eyes, but now we were okay. And the young man in his twenties questioned more. He asked where were the others. He also said we never did a thing without us three. He talked to about how they, rchants, in these tis of difficulties and wars, struggled to put food on the table. How wrong was what my brothers and I did. And despite all of this, he explained his old man's weak heart drove him easily to tears and that because of that— "Say no more, young man."

"What!? 'Young man'!? Show so respect!"