[Scanning attributes…]
The familiar glowing notification flickered into existence before Riley's eyes. He exhaled a sharp breath, shoulders dropping in resignation.
"This again," he muttered under his breath, clicking his tongue.
He knew what was coming. Or rather, he knew the result he got in his past life.
In his previous life, this part had been burned into his memory with pain and disappointment.
The dreadful talent awakening, which crushed almost all his hopes of ever succeeding in the game.
He'd been helpless then, a clueless fool dropped into the jaws of a world that had no mercy for the weak.
But now?
Now, he had knowledge. No matter what cursed talent he received, he wouldn't squander his second chance.
He'd wring every drop of potential out of it, fight tooth and nail for every scrap of power. He'd survive. He had to survive.
[Attributes Scan Complete!]
[Beginning Talent Awakening…]
[Beginning Talent Awakening…]
[Beginning Talent Awakening…]
Riley's eyes narrowed, a sharp frown spreading across his face.
"What the…?"
Normally, the awakening process only triggered the notification once.
A single [Beginning Talent Awakening…] followed by the display of the awakened talent's name and rank.
It was standard for every player, regardless of their attribute scores or class affinity.
So why was it repeating? Again and again, the same line flashing in front of his eyes, layered over itself like some bugged-out hologram.
[Beginning Talent Awakening…]
[Beginning Talent Awakening…]
[Beginning Talent Awakening…]
Riley clenched his fists.
He knew what talent he had awakened in his past life. A miserable, worthless ability that did nothing but remind him of how cruel the system could be.
D-rank Strength Boost.
The so-called "boost" only gave him a ten percent increase to his strength.
In exchange, it devoured a staggering eighty percent of his mana reserves—mana he needed for skills, movement techniques, anything.
Worse, it had a twelve-hour cooldown, which made it useless in nearly every battle that mattered.
He could count the number of times it had helped him on one hand… and the number of times it had nearly gotten him killed on the other.
He'd cursed that talent every day of his life. Every time a monster tore through his shield, or a teammate was too slow to save him, or a more gifted player surpassed him with ease.
He had hated that talent with every fiber of his being.
Now, the glitching notifications made him wonder if history was repeating again… or if something new was happening.
The flickering stopped.
Then, three large, glaring red notifications burst into existence.
[ERROR!]
[ERROR!]
[ERROR!]
Riley's eyes widened.
"What…?" he whispered.
His heart thudded in his chest. He took a step back, breath quickening. This was not normal. Not by a long shot.
He heard the news of how dozens of others went through the awakening process in his past life, and none of them—not one—had ever triggered an error during the talent scan.
The notifications vanished as quickly as they appeared.
[Beginning Talent Awakening…]
A cold lump formed in Riley's throat. His eyes locked onto the next string of words.
[Talent Awakening Complete]
[Unique SSS-level Talent Gluttony Awakened!]
Riley's jaw dropped. His lips parted, but no words came out.
He blinked once. Then again. Then rubbed his eyes with both hands, hard enough to sting.
"What…?" he mumbled.
He stared at the notification, then leaned in closer, squinting like his vision had failed him.
Perhaps this was an hallucination, maybe this was a trick, or a prank, or some hidden tutorial trap designed to bait foolish players into false hope.
But the letters didn't change. They glowed with that same radiant hue, unwavering and firm.
"Gluttony… SSS-level…" he whispered, voice barely above a breath.
He counted the letters on instinct.
"One… two… three… SSS-level… an SSS-level talent?!"
His voice rose to a yell, echoing off the empty white walls of the space he stood in.
In his past life, only a handful of people in the entire world had awakened SS-level talents.
They were considered gods among men—walking legends who shaped the future of humanity with their mere presence.
Most of them were chosen by nations, courted by elite guilds, surrounded by fame, fortune, and endless resources.
They were practically untouchable.
There were six known talent levels in his past life, and they ranged from D to SS in terms of how powerful they were.
However, he had never heard about anyone having an SSS-rank talent, not even Terry, the strongest hero of humanity.
And now… he had one?
He staggered back a step, heart pounding.
'Gluttony talent…' He mumbled inwardly.
He didn't recognize the name.
Due to the terrible talent he awakened in his past life, he had spent quite some time studying talents.
He did this to somewhat console himself and always imagined himself awakening a more useful talent.
However, he had never heard anything about a talent of gluttony.
His mind buzzed with a thousand questions, but there was no time to answer them.
[Talent Details: Gluttony (Unique SSS)]
[Description: You have awakened the embodiment of consumption. Through Gluttony, you may consume skills, abilities, attributes and even the talents of others. Absorb what you devour. Become what you consume.]
[Effect 1: Absorption — By consuming a creature, you can gain 20% of its attributes. You also have a 20% chance of absorbing one of the creature's skill or trait.]
[Effect 2: Hunger — Your hunger will never be satiated.]
[Warning: Gluttony will grow stronger the more you use it, but so too will the hunger.]
[Warning: Hunger must be managed. Failing to control it may result in… consequences.]
[Effect 3: Evolution — Whenever you consume a creature, you gain evolution points. Evolution points can be used to evolve the talent when it reaches a certain amount.]
Riley couldn't breathe.
He skimmed over the lines again, eyes scanning furiously for anything he might have misunderstood.
But no.
It was all real.
He wasn't dreaming.
This wasn't some cruel trick of the gods or bug in the system. This was real. This was his.
His fingers trembled as he raised them to his face, barely able to believe what he was seeing.
He had a talent that let him devour and absorb the powers of others.
That meant he could quickly rise to power, and might even be able to grow stronger infinitely.
It sounded absurd, as the talent was overpowered beyond belief.
And yet… it was his.
Riley let out a shaky breath, still stunned. "What… the hell?"
Another notification chimed.
[Please confirm your starting profession.]