Beyond Human: The Experiment Who Became a Monster

CHAPTER 8: Strange Hunger

Azrael turned his attention to the wound, watching closely as blood steadily trickled from the gash. Then, something incredible happened.

Within seconds, the wound began to close. The bleeding gradually stopped as the exposed flesh pulled together. He felt a strange tingling sensation beneath his skin as the damaged tissues knitted themselves back together, leaving no trace of the injury.

Only after witnessing it with his own eyes did Azrael finally accept that he truly possessed regenerative abilities. However, a new thought suddenly crossed his mind.

If I can heal wounds this quickly, does that mean I can regenerate lost limbs as well?

His gaze instinctively fell on his fingers. For a brief moment, he considered cutting one off to test his theory. However, he quickly dismissed the idea.

Although his experience in the facility had made him far less sensitive to pain, he wasn't a masochist who derived pleasure from mutilating himself just to satisfy his curiosity.

Just as he was about to leave, his eyes caught sight of an emerald-green stone embedded deep within the wolf's skull. It was only partially visible through the hole left behind by his lightning attack, which had pierced straight through the beast's skull.

"Beast core..."

Although Azrael had never seen one up close before, he recognized it immediately as he had heard about them countless times in the past.

Every magical beast possessed a beast core, usually located deep within its skull. It contained the beast's accumulated cultivation and bloodline essence, as well as its savage instincts and bestial nature. This made consuming one directly extremely dangerous for humans, as the beast's residual instincts could corrupt their minds, potentially driving them insane or even turning them into mindless beasts.

Despite the dangers of direct consumption, beast cores had numerous uses. They could be used to power magical formations, forge weapons, and serve as materials for various other applications. Their value depended largely on the strength of the beast they came from, as well as the purity and grade of its bloodline.

Azrael's eyes lit up slightly.

Although he had no intention of consuming it, the beast core was still valuable. He could exchange it for something useful if he managed to leave the forest.

With that in mind, he reached towards the exposed core. However, the instant his fingers made contact with it, an inexplicable hunger welled up within him.

Devour it!

A powerful urge suddenly surged through his very being, compelling him to consume the emerald stone.

Azrael instinctively withdrew his hand and took a step back from the corpse, trying to shake off the strange sensation. However, the more he resisted, the stronger the hunger became.

It wasn't an ordinary craving. It felt as though something deep within his very soul was yearning for the beast core, desperately demanding that he devour it. Before he even realized what he was doing, Azrael found himself approaching the wolf's corpse once more.

He crouched beside it and reached into the hole in its skull, carefully extracting the emerald-green core before holding it in his palm.

He could feel the powerful surge of energy that pulsed within the core as he held it in his palms, causing the strange hunger within him to intensify, growing almost unbearable.

He tried to throw the core away, but to his horror, his hand refused to obey. Instead of letting go, his arm slowly began to rise, bringing the emerald-green stone closer to his face.

Before he could do anything, the core suddenly slipped into his mouth and went straight down his throat.

The next instant, an intense wave of heat erupted in his stomach, spreading through his body. It felt as though his innards had been set ablaze.

Then, something strange began to happen.

His fingers slowly elongated, their tips transforming into sharp claws, while patches of pitch-black scales emerged across the back of his hand and extended along his forearm.

Azrael stared at his hands in disbelief, completely at a loss as to what was happening to his body.

At the same time, a thin layer of violet energy began to emanate from his body, swirling around his figure in strange, fleeting patterns.

However, the entire transformation lasted only a brief moment before his body returned to normal. The burning sensation quickly subsided, the black scales retreated beneath his skin, and his elongated fingers gradually returned to their original shape.

Yet Azrael couldn't shake off the feeling that he had become stronger. His muscles felt denser and more powerful, as though every fibre of his body had been reinforced.

Just then—

ROOOAAARRR!

Azrael was still staring at his hands, trying to make sense of what had just happened, when a thunderous roar suddenly reverberated throughout the forest, interrupting his thoughts.

THOOM! THOOM! THOOM!

Heavy footsteps echoed through the forest, growing louder with each passing moment. Azrael immediately turned towards the source of the sound, only to feel the ground trembling beneath his feet.

The surrounding trees began to shake violently. Some were uprooted entirely, while others snapped and crashed to the ground as something enormous forced its way through the forest, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Even from a distance, the terrifying aura emanating from the approaching beast was enough to make Azrael realize that he stood absolutely no chance against it, despite having single-handedly managed to kill the gray-furred wolf.

Realizing that the creature was drawing closer and heading in his direction, Azrael's expression changed drastically. Without waiting to see what was approaching, he immediately picked a random direction and bolted.

Black lightning flickered around his body, greatly increasing his speed as he raced through the forest. However, no matter how fast he ran, the approaching beast seemed to be getting closer with every passing moment.

Even after changing directions multiple times, the beast remained firmly on his trail. It was only then that it dawned on him that he was most likely its intended target.

But why?

What could such a terrifying beast possibly want with someone as scrawny and weak as him? It made absolutely no sense.

Unfortunately, the reality unfolding before him suggested otherwise.