A Starved Young Man

Bagwis was ripped from his peaceful slumber by a rough shake to the shoulder.

"For how long are you planning to sleep? It's already noon," Alab's voice growled, sounding both annoyed and amused.

Bagwis groaned, his eyelids still heavy with exhaustion. His bloodshot eyes and dark circles painted a picture of someone who had just stumbled out of a bar after an all-nighter. He blinked sluggishly, trying to remember where he was. Right—the camp. The night. The sundial. And, of course, the cursed artifact gnawing at his mana core like a rabid animal.

"If I didn't know any better," Alab said, crossing his arms, "I'd think you were the one who stayed up all night guarding the tent."

Bagwis rubbed his eyes and gave a half-hearted yawn. "I'm a growing man, Alab. I need my sleep. Can't grow tall in just a few hours, y'know." He flashed a cheeky grin, though it looked more like a grimace, considering how wrecked he felt.

Alab, ever the practical one, simply nodded. "Fair enough," he muttered. In his mind, Bagwis' logic made sense. Growth needed rest. Besides, Alab wasn't one to question someone's sleep schedule. Not like he cared, anyway.

What Alab didn't know was that Bagwis was far from refreshed. Every ounce of energy he had was being sucked dry, constantly feeding the hungry beast that was the corrupted mana now squatting in his core. If this kept up, Bagwis wasn't sure how long he'd last without completely collapsing. He needed energy, and he needed it now. Which meant only one thing...

"What's for lunch?" Bagwis asked, trying to sound casual as his stomach rumbled loud enough to startle birds in the nearby trees.

"I caught a deer earlier. Grilled it, nothing fancy," Alab replied, pointing to a well-roasted deer on a spit by the fire.

The sight of the perfectly charred meat sent Bagwis into a primal frenzy. His eyes glazed over with hunger, and drool began to drip from the corners of his mouth. It was as if he hadn't eaten in days, though in reality, it was barely a night. The black hole in his gut demanded fuel, and all of it.

"Can I have all of it?" Bagwis asked with zero shame, already inching toward the meal like a predator stalking its prey.

Alab, who had already eaten, shrugged. "Go ahead. There's plenty."

Bagwis didn't need to be told twice. In an instant, he lunged at the grilled deer like a wild beast. He tore into it, ripping off chunks of meat with his teeth, chewing and swallowing with such intensity that it would make a pack of wolves look civilized in comparison.

His hands were covered in grease, and his face became a mess of food, but he didn't care. The hunger—the void called his stomach—was all that mattered.

Alab watched in mild disbelief as Bagwis devoured the entire deer in minutes, gnawing the bones clean, then going so far as to suck the marrow out of them. When there was literally nothing left—no meat, no fat, not even a scrap of tendon—Bagwis finally sat back, a satisfied grin on his face. Though, despite his impressive feat of gluttony, he still looked like he could eat a whole other deer if given the chance.

Alab raised an eyebrow. "You eat like you haven't seen food in weeks."

Bagwis wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, still licking his lips. "Probably because I am a starving human. What do you expect?"

"Right," Alab muttered, shaking his head as he started cleaning up their campsite. "A starved human. That must explain why your stomach acts like a black hole."

Bagwis let out a weak chuckle, but internally, he was barely holding it together. Despite having just inhaled an entire deer, he still felt the drain on his energy. The corrupted mana was relentless, always gnawing at his strength. Food helped, but only temporarily. I need a better way to sustain myself, or else I won't be able to keep this up in the long run once I get my hands on multiple artifacts.

Still, food was enough for now. He couldn't let Alab see through the cracks in his facade. Not yet.

Once they had packed up the remains of their camp, Bagwis and Alab resumed their journey toward Balintara.

The road was relatively peaceful, and Bagwis found himself lost in thought, mulling over the strange new power he had gained from the sundial. It was still risky, and he had to be careful how he used it, but the ability to project an aura of strength was already proving to be a valuable trick.

The only problem was that the more artifacts he consumed, the worse the lethargy would become. The price of power, was a gnawing hunger that no amount of food could truly sate.

After a few hours of walking, the towering gates of Balintara came into view. The city of Mana and Iron loomed ahead, its walls high and imposing, built from enchanted steel that shimmered faintly in the daylight. The hustle and bustle of adventurers and merchants swarmed the entrance like bees to a hive, each one with their own agenda.

"We're here," Alab said, his voice steady as always.

Bagwis nodded, trying to muster the energy to look excited. He was tired, sure, but this was a big moment. Getting his adventurer's license was the first step toward building his guild, and despite the lethargy, the dream still flickered brightly in his heart.

They made their way through the crowd, heading straight for the Adventurer's Agency. The building was grand and imposing, filled with clerks, registration officers, and adventurers of all ranks, from green novices to seasoned veterans.

Bagwis could feel the weight of their gazes as they entered. To them, he was just another hopeful youth, looking to make a name for himself. But if they knew what he had just done the night before...

Bagwis couldn't help but smirk.

"Time to get your adventurer's license," Alab said, leading him towards the registration desk.

As they approached, Bagwis rolled his shoulders and straightened his posture, letting the illusion of power wash over him. He could see the way some of the adventurers glanced his way, their eyes widening slightly as they sensed the aura around him.

He grinned inwardly. The first step to being strong was making everyone believe you were strong.

As they stood at the desk, a stern-looking clerk glanced up, barely interested. "Name?" she asked, her quill poised above the parchment.

"Bagwis Sitan," he said confidently, puffing his chest out a bit more than necessary.

The clerk scribbled down his name, then looked him over, her eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to scrutinize him. "Age, rank and mana type?"

"18, Haraya and can I leave the last one blank?"

Alab lightly glanced at Bagwis' words. Was this kid at adept level like me? I wouldn't have known.

"Yes, you can choose to make your mana type anonymous but you'd have to pay and extra fee."

"That's no problem."

"Are you sure that you're at adept level? Because we do double check power levels in case you hadn't known."

"Very sure," Bagwis replied with an innocent looking smile befitting an ignorant youth, still projecting his aura of strength. He could practically feel the doubt melting off her face as the illusion worked its magic.

"Alright," she muttered, not wanting to argue. "First you'll need to pass the basic assessment then we'll give you a trial quest that you must finish within a certain time span only then can we issue you your license. Do you have any guild affiliations yet?"

"Not yet," Bagwis said.

The clerk waved him off toward the training grounds, where he would need to demonstrate his abilities. Alab, had already went back to being calm and collected, followed behind.

"You sure kept the fact that you were an adept level tightly hidden," Alab noted as they walked.

Bagwis grinned, "I don't really go around telling people that since I'm weaker than most Haraya's." Probably because he wasn't truly one.

Alab just raised an eyebrow. "Nonsense. A Haraya is a Haraya, you should own up to it. I rarely meet someone as young as you who's already at your level."

"Ha ha ha." Bagwis chuckled, but deep down, he knew that this was going to be more than just a show.

If he wanted to pull this off, he'd need every ounce of cunning and wit he could muster. But hey, what's the point of living if you can't bluff your way to greatness?

As they entered the assessment grounds, Bagwis stretched out his arms and smiled. Time to deceive some people.