Magister Insanity

"Goddamn instructor!"

The curse slipped out before I could stop it. Inevitable, really.

My whole body ached from head to toe, the lingering, painful gift of the last lesson. Apparently, Instructor Joel was the energetic type, the kind who got carried away once the blood started pumping.

But still… wasn't that a little too much for a mere student?!

At least I'd gained something from the ordeal. More precisely, I'd discovered one of the Soul Devouring Shadow's abilities. During Survival class, the instructor had ambushed me the instant I walked through the door, striking when my guard was lowest. Even so, I'd managed to evade his cowardly sneak attack and then dodged the barrage that followed.

Mind you, there was a massive chasm between Sleepless and Enlightened. A man like Waking Joel could crush a hundred of me without breaking a sweat. Yet somehow, I'd avoided every strike.

Well… almost. The bastard still caught me with a final cheap shot.

Damn it. I actually fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book! Just thinking about it made my blood boil, but I forced myself to stay calm.

After all, I was sitting in the cafeteria. Drawing intention to myself would not be ideal.

'Hmm... It seems like the shadow and I can share a sense. Or was it something like that? Maybe it is just something that increases my awareness. Either way, I'll call it Sense strengthening for the meantime until proper analysis.'

Perhaps I hadn't given it too much thought, but right now I couldn't think too much. My stomach growled so loudly it drowned out everything else. Concentration was impossible.

Thankfully, when I arrived at the cafeteria, it was nearly empty, making it easy to weave my way through.

Wasting no time, I stacked my tray with twice my usual portion and tore into it with uncharacteristic zeal. The first spread vanished in moments, yet even as I swallowed the final bite, my stomach growled in protest as though demanding more.

Clicking my tongue, I stood up and approached the counter then said "Seconds please!"

The cafeteria staffer raised a brow at my empty tray but didn't comment, quickly piling another generous portion onto it.

"Thanks," I muttered, grabbing it before anyone else could notice my ravenous state.

Sliding back into my seat, I wolfed down the food again, this time even faster. It was as if something inside me had been hollowed out. No matter how much I stuffed into my mouth, the relentless hunger clawed at me mercilessly.

By now, the Sleepless in the cafeteria must have noticed. My ears caught the faint hiss of whispers, their gazes pressing against my back like a thousand invisible pins. I tried to ignore them, but it was impossible to pretend their stares weren't there.

Still, I kept eating. Bite after bite, until my stomach bulged painfully, threatening to rebel. The pressure rose in my throat, warning that if I forced down one more mouthful, I might lose everything in a single wretched heave.

Yet even then, my gut howled, demanding more.

Frustration surged. I gritted my teeth, shoving another bite past my lips.

'Why?'

Another bite.

'Just… why?'

My vision shook tremendously.

'Why am I still hungry?'

Rising to my feet for what must have been the eighth time, I cleared the table and returned for more. The staffer handed me another serving, which was more larger than the last, but it made no difference. The hunger remained.

I frowned uneasily

'What's happening to me?'

It made no sense. I had eaten more than any normal human could dream of, enough to shame a glutton, enough to make even a lycanthrope envious. Yet no matter how much I devoured, the gnawing emptiness in my gut only deepened.

Could it be…

Goosebumps raced along my arms.

Summoning the runes visible only to me, I scrolled downward until my gaze settled on the curses section.

First Sequence Curse: [Sin of Gluttony]

Curse Description: [Your shadow bears an unrelenting hunger. Feed it to suppress its berserk state, or you will perish.]

Shadow Hunger: [25%]

So that was it.

A weary, almost incredulous smile tugged at my lips as I stared at the absurd runes.

This insatiable hunger gnawing at my stomach… it had all been because of the shadow.

And worse, somehow, I was feeling it too.

My eyes drifted uncontrollably, landing on the stark warning: [Feed it to suppress its berserk state, or you will perish.]

'Oh shit… this is bad.'

The situation was far more serious than I'd imagined. I no longer even felt hunger in the usual sense. Eating ordinary food wouldn't quell it, so it was meaningless. To feed the shadow was the only thing that mattered.

Did this even make sense? How could a connection like this exist between human and shadow?

The truth was, I didn't know. All I could tell was that I was bound to this shadow through a link far deeper than some form of witchcraft. No, it was more than that. It was natural, intimate and more importantly, unbreakable.

My eyes flicked to another section: Legacy.

Legacy: [Shadowborne]

Legacy Rank: Divine

Legacy Description: [You have inherited the shadow of a fallen god. Once, this omniscient deity stood at the pinnacle of all things and everything was part of its being. But the other gods grew wary and struck it down, casting 'him' from the heavens into the abyss. They could not, however, destroy its shadow. Now, that shadow has fused with you, reborn through darkness, a fragment of divinity made your own.]

'The shadow has fused with me?' I thought, unease coiling in my chest. 'I see how it is now. So when the Murmur mentioned legacy evolution, did it also mean an overall evolution? No… this is probably the result of the legacy evolution itself.'

Still, it felt unnatural. A being reborn through the darkness, through the shadows of its former shell.

Shadowborne.

Doesn't this mean… I'm no longer human? Was this akin to a vampire transformation, forcing me to adapt to a new way of life along with a new method of sustenance?

"…?!"

An uncanny realization flashing through my mind.

Slowly, my gaze drifted upward.

†

Name: Sonny Crow

Mythic Code: Black Solace

Rank: Dreamless

Origin Sea: —

Echoes: [Survivors' Shroud], [Silver Casull], [Jingle Bell]

Traits: [Photographic Memory], [Spark of Divinity], [Starless].

†

This was information that I already knew but nevertheless, skimmed through them one more time:

Trait: [Photographic Memory]

Trait Description: [You can instantly recall anything you have seen or read with great clarity.]

Trait: [Spark of Divinity]

Trait Description: [Though only a mere spark, faint traces of divinity radiate from your soul. You have merged with a fragment of the divine and in turn, become a fragment of divinity yourself. Monsters and misfortune are drawn to you.]

Trait: [Starless]

Trait Description: [As a being of darkness, your presence is muted and silent. You move with an unnatural fluidity and possess accelerated recovery when shrouded in darkness.]

My traits were more or less unchanged. Though [Spark of Divinity] and [Sunless] confirmed what I had already begun to suspect, my attention was drawn elsewhere.

Origin Sea: [—]

As expected, nothing was displayed in the Origin Sea section. Once, something had been there. Back when my rank was Dormant, it had shown itself clearly. But after conquering my First Phrase through… unconventional means, the display had shifted. Now, instead of Dormant, it was simply blank.

What did that mean?

At the time, I had brushed it aside, unaware of its significance. But now, as I stared at that empty space, a cold terror gripped my chest.

Just then, Instructor Joel's words resurfaced in my mind, replaying themselves as though mocking me.

「 The Origin Sea is the deepest foundation of your being. It operates beyond the body, soul, and psyche. It is the most fundamental 'you.' Lose it, and you cease to exist in the truest, most absolute sense. 」

The words echoed in my mind like a hammer striking steel.

「 Lose it… and you cease to exist. 」

A wave of realization crashed over me all at once.

Everything suddenly clicked. The curse [Sin of Gluttony] was simple in concept but absolutely terrifying in consequence: I had to feed the Soul Devouring Shadow to survive.

But why? Why would I perish if I failed to do so?

The answer was chillingly straightforward.

Normally, an Origin Sea served as the anchor that kept the body, soul, and mind aligned. Without it, a living existence had no source or natural "center of gravity" for their existence. Even before unsuspecting people were dragged into the Silver Void by the Murmur, their Origin Sea lay hidden deep within, unawakened, hence the term "Dormant."

But I no longer possessed one.

Most likely, it had been consumed by the Soul Devouring Shadow after the forbidden ritual. And now… the shadow had become my anchor in its place.

'Damnit! I really have to kill people, is that it? Shit!'

The full horror of my situation crystallized, pressing down on me like a mountain. I was no longer human. In truth, I couldn't even call myself a proper living being anymore.

To survive, I had to feed my shadow with souls.

I considered another possibility. For example, hunting demonic beasts and harvesting their essence. Under normal circumstances, that would have been a welcome alternative. I could avoid staining my hands with human blood. But reality was never that merciful.

Monsters didn't have Souls.

They were nothing more than vessels of concentrated Void Essence, given shape and flesh. Inside their bodies lay a demonic core, endlessly drawing in reishi from the world around them. But that wasn't the whole truth. According to the Book of Monsters and Demons, there were two main kinds of demonic beasts in the Void: the Veythrak, creatures once living but twisted by the Spire's corruption, and the Chorveth, abominations birthed directly from raw void essence.

Simply put, killing living souls had become an inevitability.

As I sat alone in the cafeteria, sinking deeper into despair, a faint movement caught my eye.

The shadow.

It wasn't drawing attention to itself, just shifting subtly, as if to avoid alarming me. Its form wavered, then it gestured faintly toward its chest, as though trying to convey a message.

I narrowed my eyes, trying to translate the silent signal.

Was it telling me to endure? To hold firm? Not to panic?

That seemed to be the case.

Interpreting its intent as best I could, my vision cleared. I drew in a slow, steady breath and forced my heart to calm.

'That's right. It's far too early to fall into despair. I am the same person who endured the horrors of the Forbidden Isle. If I could survive that nightmare, then I can survive this as well.'

My gaze swept the cafeteria. Everyone else carried on as though nothing was wrong — the laughing, the chatting, the blissfully ignorant of the terrors lurking just beyond their fragile world.

Unknowingly, a cold gleam flickered in my eyes.