**Chapter Five: Rank Mutation**
With arms that seemed far too long for my small stature, I swung my trusty machete and cleaved through the small monkey-like magical beast that had leaped at me from the treetops.
The sweet scent of blood scattered through the air, and the forest fell silent. The monkeys that had been observing me from the high branches seemed to realize they had chosen the wrong target, letting out strange cries before vanishing into the depths of the woods with astonishing agility.
My body moved with an ease I had grown accustomed to. I felt the life force extinguish through the machete, and a profound sense of satisfaction filled my soul. At first, I thought this feeling was merely a reaction to the limitations I had faced in my previous life, but it seemed to be something more.
Lord, who had been standing behind me with his arms crossed, cast a glance at the monkey’s lifeless body before turning back to me.
“End, have you… grown stronger?”
“……”
I stood silently, as I had not received an order to respond.
Months had passed since I became a Corpse Eater. I had fully adapted to my agile body and, thanks to my daily hunts of the forest’s magical beasts, I had learned to anticipate their movements to some extent. Initially, I had exerted so much power that I nearly broke my own body, but now I could hunt beasts while holding back. Lord had been healing me less frequently.
I made it a point to avoid making him feel any discomfort since our first battle, but it was undeniable that combat had become easier. If nothing had changed, I would have no idea what Lord might do, making it difficult to adjust.
Moving freely was exhilarating. Running, jumping, learning—everything was enjoyable. Above all else—living was delightful. While I had not yet achieved complete freedom and remained in a precarious situation, I had grown accustomed to my existence as an undead over the past few months and was relishing this state.
“Hmm… still a Corpse Eater, are you? You’ve already gathered a considerable number of deaths. It wouldn’t be strange if you had transformed into a Shiki by now…”
As Lord approached me, he gently prodded my arm and body with his bony fingers, and I received his touch with an impassive expression.
Having acquired educational materials over the past few months, I had gained a wealth of knowledge about the undead compared to my previous life.
Lord’s library had been an ideal learning environment. I had taken several books from there to the morgue, hiding them in the drawers of a shelf that no one ever opened, and had been reading them little by little. However, most of the texts were written in languages I couldn’t comprehend, so my understanding was limited, but I had managed to grasp some basic knowledge.
Unlike living beings, undead do not grow over time, but they can strengthen their existence and undergo mutation by gathering the negative energy that arises at the moment of death. This meant that even those who had already died were not merely stagnant in time.
In the texts, this phenomenon was referred to as “Rank Mutation.”
The first book I discovered mentioned that undead are the result of a curse cast by a necromancer. I was now a being animated by a corpse that had been transformed by necromancy.
Moreover, this curse contained a system for evolution. The Corpse Eater, revived by the necromancer’s malevolent curse, could acquire a new self by gathering negative energy in accordance with its master’s commands, thus becoming a more powerful undead. The Corpse Eater was merely the starting point.
Lord, who was always engrossed in research and rarely left his room even during meals, took me hunting every night without fail, likely to accumulate my negative energy and transform me into a more powerful undead.
It seemed I had a predecessor. The previous Corpse Eater, who had similarly accumulated deaths at Lord’s hands, had transformed into a Shiki and ventured out to hunt without Lord, only to be devoured by the forest’s magical beasts. That was why Lord always stayed close to me.
With his dimly glowing eyes, Lord gazed up at me with a shadowy expression and tilted his head.
“Is the emergence of your self-awareness delayed…? Well, that’s fine. There are no issues at present.”
Indeed, there were no problems. I had not been discovered. I could still maintain this state for a little while longer.
Although Lord was a powerful mage, he was not experienced enough with the undead to see through my act. It was only natural, as a true Corpse Eater was said to possess no self-awareness. He never questioned my actions.
Hunting with Lord was incredibly convenient for me. It allowed me to safely enhance my strength. If my self-awareness were to be discovered, Lord would alter his commands. At the very least, he would likely give orders that would prevent me from harming myself.
What I needed was timing. My current movements were dictated by Lord’s curse. However, once the undead curse was cast, it would not be lifted even if the caster died.
“End, bring me that monkey’s corpse.”
As usual, I obeyed the command, grabbing the still-dripping arm of the lifeless body and following Lord. The strong scent of blood mixed with the odor of the beast filled the air. The rich aroma of the corpse was overpowering, and thick, black blood dripped from the deep, gaping wound.
I felt something hot writhing within my body.
—
Recently, I had been feeling hungry.
Hunger. This long-lost desire burned within me like an unbearable flame.
After being returned to the morgue as per Lord’s orders, I set my plan into motion.
It had been over a month since I first experienced this craving. The moment I felt that desire, I realized my existence had changed. Hunger, the need for sleep, the urge for intimacy—these three fundamental human desires were irrelevant to a Corpse Eater, but they were different for higher undead.
By that time, I had already acquired a certain level of knowledge about the undead, so I quickly understood that this craving was a result of “Rank Mutation.”
An evolution brought about by the countless lives I had taken. From a Corpse Eater (Freshman) to a being known as a Shiki (Ghoul). The hunger I felt was proof that I had transformed into a higher species. Unlike a Corpse Eater, a Shiki possessed a degree of self-awareness and intelligence comparable to that of a human infant.
My body would be strengthened by the accumulated negative energy, but it could be said that the most significant difference between a Corpse Eater and a Shiki was intelligence.
For someone like me, who originally possessed self-awareness and memories, the benefits were merely a slight enhancement of my physical form, and whether that outweighed the drawback of hunger was debatable. Yet, even if I had become weaker, I welcomed this change.
Hunger. It was a human emotion. While being a Corpse Eater had its conveniences, the value of regaining that desire was worth sacrificing convenience.
Just before I died, I had barely eaten anything. I hadn’t even felt hunger. I had lacked the capacity to feel it. Hunger was one of the things I had lost.
Suppressing the surge of emotions that accompanied my hunger, I shed my tattered clothes and stood naked, moving stealthily out of the morgue.
The food for a Shiki (Ghoul) was flesh. As the name suggested, it was corpses. The morgue was akin to a pantry for me in that regard. The stench of decay that would turn most away was nothing more than a fragrant aroma to me, now that I had become a monster. However, it would be unwise to dine there.
Just as I had felt no aversion to slaughtering magical beasts for the first time, I felt no repulsion toward consuming corpses. No, while I would prefer to avoid it as a human emotion, I had no hesitation if it meant survival. However, if the number of corpses, which were also research materials, diminished, even Lord, who was not overly cautious at this stage, would become suspicious.
I needed to think calmly. The feeling of hunger was almost unbearable, scorching my brain, and if I let my guard down, I would be tempted to sink my teeth into a nearby corpse. I had to satisfy this need before my instincts overpowered my reason.
I slipped past the patrolling Skeleton Knights and exited through the entrance. The moment I opened the door, a damp, warm breeze brushed against my cheek. Thick, dark blue clouds obscured the night sky.
As I stepped out of the entrance, a vast garden and gate spread out before me. In that garden, dozens of ferocious flesh-eating beasts (Fresh-Wild) stood on guard against any intruders. Most of them had been born in the forest and were pitiful creatures that had been slaughtered by me and my predecessors, only to be resurrected by Lord.
An undead Night Wolf caught my scent and turned its empty eye sockets toward me. Though it looked like the Night Wolves that roamed the forest, its gaze held an astonishing lack of emotion. The Night Wolf sniffed once, perhaps recognizing me as the Corpse Eater that always accompanied Lord, and then quickly moved away.
Its behavior was that of a mere puppet, following the commands written in the texts. Each time I saw it, I couldn’t help but feel grateful that I had not become like that. And I strongly realized that I could not allow myself to become that way in the future.
Feeling the night breeze, I approached the gate—a towering steel fence that stretched several meters high, built to encircle the estate.
It seemed that not only physical barriers but also magical wards had been set up, yet as one designated as a companion, I was unaffected.
The gate was secured with a massive lock and chain. Only Lord possessed the Key. Ignoring the entrance, I moved beside it, grasping the fence with both hands and effortlessly climbing over. In my previous life, I would have struggled to support my own weight with both hands, but now, with the negative energy I had gathered, it was a trivial task.
Reaching the pointed top, I gripped the spear-like tip and, using the momentum of a somersault, hurled my body outward. My vision spun as I descended, landing on all fours. I absorbed the numbing impact and slowly stood up. There was no hindrance to my movements, and unlike the body of ‘Corpse Eater,’ the body of ‘Shiki’ could regenerate from minor wounds. Initially tense, I now felt as relaxed as if I were going for a leisurely stroll.
Without hesitation, I stepped into the depths of the forest, enveloped in the whispering darkness. Unlike when I walked alongside Lord, I could now move at full speed on my own. Conversely, without Lord’s support, I was aware that there were no enemies left in this forest.
A cracking sound echoed from my right hand. My fingertips radiated heat, and my nails had risen and sharpened like knives.
This was one of Shiki’s abilities.
Concealing my elongated, heated claws with my left hand, I dashed through the shadows. The scent of beasts filled the air. The aroma of the wind sharpened my senses, igniting a fierce hunger that burned in my mind.
It didn’t take long to spot my target—a black mass peeking out from between the trees and tall grass. It stood around two meters tall. Likely a quadruped, it would tower over me if it stood on two legs. Yet, that shadow, massive enough to be two or three times my size, appeared to me as nothing more than prey.
I crouched low and sprinted forward. A thrill of joy coursed through me as my body moved freely, igniting my ravenous appetite. The wind rustled the underbrush, leaving behind the creaking cries of insects.
The creature seemed to sense my approach, turning to face me, but its bulk hindered any sudden movements in the densely wooded forest.
With all my strength, I launched myself into the air.
My head pointed down, legs up. The world spun around me. Just below, the black shadow turned back.
It had a coat of pitch-black fur, eyes as red as blood, and a body that was unmistakably muscular and powerful. A bear-like magical beast—Lord called it the Night Bear. Stronger than the Night Wolf, it was no mere cub.
But none of that mattered.
As I passed by, I stretched out my arm and unleashed my claws. The tips of my extended nails grazed its skull, barely breaking the surface of its thick fur. The resilient hide and sturdy skull yielded slightly, and crimson blood sprayed forth. The magical beast roared in fury. As I landed, I folded my body and slipped into the creature’s embrace.
I was no longer merely a moving corpse. In that instant, I had become a beast that surpassed the Night Bear. A cunning beast—an ogre.
The powerful scent of the beast ignited my hunger further. I thrust my claws with all my might into its heart. The armor of fur, muscle, and bone was easily pierced by Shiki’s strength and razor-like claws.
The massive body twitched violently, and its roar ceased in an instant. All that remained was the eerie silence of the forest. I savored the warmth of the blood coursing through me, the heat and satisfaction spreading throughout my body, as I withdrew my hand.
The sound of tearing blood vessels echoed. In my grasp remained the still-beating source of life—a heart too large to fully hold. The overwhelming scent of blood and death filled my senses, intensifying my appetite.
As I stepped back a few paces, the beast’s massive form collapsed to the ground. It was dead. Though lifeless, the heart I had extracted still pulsed with life, its feeble beats resonating within me.
A breath escaped my lips, as if I were intoxicated.
—How could I feel heat as an undead? I had no need for breath.
I lifted the glistening heart, savoring the moment, and let my tongue glide over it. Instantly, a jolt surged through me, piercing my very core. My body craved every taste, scent, and sensation. There was no sense of revulsion; this was something essential for me now.
Ah, I was no longer human. I recalled the countless times I had come to terms with this fact as an undead, and I sank my teeth into the jewel-like heart with fervor.