Chapter 68: Delicacy
The squirrel ran inside the room where it had burrowed treasure to hoard for itself. There was a pile of gold and silver jewelry in the corner of the room that glistened in the dim light.
The squirrel was going to bargain its life in exchange for the jewelry inside this burrow. It was about to turn around and face Hugh when it felt a tight, crushing grip on its tail.
This sent shivers down the squirrel's spine and made it dear for its life. It knew who had a grip on its tail, and before it could turn around and look, it saw the world tumble.
Hugh had caught the squirrel's tail and used it to throw the squirrel on the ground like he did the eagle. He was merciless in his attacks, and he continued to barrage the squirrel on the floor.
He ignored the pile of treasures in the corner of the room and just continued to beat up the squirrel. The squirrel could feel its bones broken down like Hugh wanted it to be crushed down into a powder.
Its legs and arms were crushed, leaving the squirrel incapacitated on the ground as Hugh released his grip on the squirrel's tail.
Its tail was relatively unbroken and was just crushed at the end hue to Hugh's grip. The squirrel had fear in its eyes as it dragged its body away from Hugh using its tail.
The squirrel looked directly into Hugh's eyes and gestured its head towards the pile of treasures in the corner of the room. It was like it was telling Hugh to take the treasure for himself in exchange for mercy.
Hugh did not even spare a glance towards the treasures as he raised his hand and pierced it towards the squirrel's heart.
Hugh's fist traveled towards the squirrel's chest, penetrated through the flesh, and continued towards the heart.
Just as it was about to pierce through the squirrel's beating heart, Hugh heard a notification in his mind.
'Estimated time remaining: 0 sec.'
Hugh's transformation came to a close, and his power was quickly sapped out of his body. His chiseled muscles deflated until they were gone with just skin and bones left.
His white hair slowly turned darker and darker until it became black, and his sharp jaw only accentuated his sunken face.
From a fit and healthy body, Hugh turned into a malnourished teen that exuded no power and was just a shell of his previous strength.
Hugh's hands could not penetrate the squirrel's hands any longer and stopped just before it hit the heart. The squirrel was shocked to see how Hugh became weak to the point that he could not feel his presence any longer.
The overbearing and all-powerful aura that he exuded was gone like the wind. It had noticed that Hugh's hand was still lodged inside its chest, unable to advance any further.
The squirrel thought it would die, but it seemed that Hugh could not finish the job. It gathered all the strength in its jaws and opened it wide.
With Hugh's hand still stuck in the squirrel's chest, it took this opportunity to bite off Hugh's head.
Hugh could feel the hunger in his stomach as it tried to burn through his organs. His mind was hazy, and all he could think about was food.
Then, he smelled something in the air; he followed this scent until he looked at where his hand was stuck. The squirrel's blood had awakened his hunger, and he was now craving for some squirrel meat.
Hugh gathered all the strength in his body to rip out his hand from the squirrel's chest, gripping a handful of flesh and blood from the squirrel.
Hugh did not hesitate any longer as he put it in his mouth, just in time for the squirrel's jaw to bite off his head. Hugh did not seem to notice the looming threat above his head as he continued to savor the squirrel's blood and meat.
The blood was like a refreshing cup of water in a dry desert, filling his whole body with coolness and prosperity. It had felt like he had not eaten for centuries, and this blood was the first thing he drank after the fasting.
The squirrel's toothy jaws bit down on Hugh's skull with all the force it could muster. Hugh no longer had the strong appearance he once had, so the squirrel was confident in killing Hugh with one blow.
As the squirrel's teeth hit Hugh's head, it felt a strong resistance from Hugh's head that made the squirrel's teeth ache.
The squirrel was confused because it thought that it could penetrate through Hugh's skull. When the squirrel looked down, it saw a silver and brown liquid protect Hugh's head from its teeth.
Hugh had subconsciously protected himself while he enjoyed the blood from the squirrel. He could feel a force squeezing his head, but he did not give it any heed.
The blood and meat that he tasted were more important to him. Like a crazed animal, he was not satisfied with just a bit of taste; he needed more, much, much more.
He looked at the blood pooling on the ground and saw that it came from the squirrel's chest. It was like finding the holy grail of food.
He found a place where he could get more of the delicious food that he had tasted. He did not tarry any longer as he plunged his hand into the squirrel's injury.
*TWIIIII!!!!!!*
The squirrel screamed in pain as its injury got worse. It could not move its body and could only try to bite down harder on Hugh's head, but it was no use.
The squirrel could only endure as it felt a squeeze on its heart. Hugh had grasped the most important organ of the squirrel and squeezed it with his hands.
He did not have any armor on his hands, but the squirrel's heart did not have any defensive capabilities, so it was quickly crushed.
*TWwii*
The squirrel let out one final scream of pain until it finally lost all the strength in its body and fell to the ground. Hugh held the heart in his hands and observed it with curiosity.
This is the thing that decides if a creature lives or dies. It was such a vital organ, yet Hugh could only think of one thing; what does a squirrel's heart taste like?
He did not hold back his curiosity as he took a bite out of the heart. Blood spilled out of the heart and stained Hugh's face, making him look like a psycho.
The heart was the most savory part of anything he had ever eaten. It was a myriad of tastes that he could not explain. It felt like he had gone through multiple years back in time with just a bite out of the squirrel's heart.
It was a strange feeling like he was experiencing a different life in just a split second, and then it was gone.
He did not think more about this feeling as he was craving more meat. The heart took three full bites to fill it due to its size, but Hugh still felt like it was not enough.
He looked at the carcass of the dead squirrel, and his hunger problem was solved. He started to rip apart the squirrel but by bit and consume it into his stomach.
As he ate the squirrel, his body fat started to come back to his body, blowing him up until he was back at his obese state. He also regained his sanity, but he continued to eat the squirrel until it was completely done.
There was nothing left of the squirrel, and the only evidence it died here was the blood on the ground.
Hugh laid on the ground as he felt satisfied from the feast that he had just eaten. It was indeed a different feeling to eat a delicacy such as the giant squirrel.
If he had the chance to eat that kind of meal again, he would do it. It was too delicious to pass up, but he did not know if he could defeat a giant squirrel again.
He was only able to defeat the squirrel with his transformation, but he should not always rely on it to solve his problems.
He sat up on the ground and looked at the pile of treasures the squirrel left behind.