My SSS-Rank Gluttony Talent: I Can Evolve Limitlessly
Chapter 79: Killer… Unidentified

Chapter 79: Killer... Unidentified

Riley’s gaze remained on the thick, dark liquid still oozing from the corner of the man’s mouth, and his face twisted into a frown.

[The village chief has been killed! Killer... unidentified!]

[The village chief has...]

A notification appeared in front of Riley, blinking countless times before vanishing.

It wasn’t just him, the same notification appeared before every other player within the game, shocking everyone who saw it.

The whole village was shaken, and many players and even NPCs were wondering what had just happened.

The one who was the most surprised was Riley, his eyes blinking in disbelief as he read through the notification.

’Killed unidentified?’ he mumbled inwardly, clenching his fists.

Though he wasn’t the one who killed the village chief, he hadn’t expected the system to recognise the killer as ’unidentified.’

Never before had he experienced anything like this, not even in his past life.

He turned back to the dead body of the chief, most especially the black pool of blood around his head.

’Black blood...’ he thought, eyes narrowing slightly. ’How familiar.’

His brows furrowed, as he tried remembering just where he had come across something like this in his past life.

"...Yeah," he muttered under his breath, eyes widening slightly. "It was from him."

At some point in his past life—years after the world had completely fallen into chaos—one player had returned from the depths of the enemy’s territory.

He had been quite a powerful player, working alongside Terry and fighting against the demon in any way he could.

However, he suddenly vanished without a trace, only to reappear a few months later, already working under the Demon Lord.

Everyone had assumed he betrayed humanity, and for a few more years, they continued to believe so.

It wasn’t until much later that the man reappeared, confessing that he’d infiltrated the demon army to learn more about their workings and weaknesses.

He had planned on revealing everything he had learnt to help overturn the war.

However, just as he began to speak, black blood spurted out from his mouth.

No one understood what was happening. Even the most powerful healers were rendered helpless.

He continued coughing, his body trembling violently before he eventually died.

Riley had been there. Not as a commander or anything important. Just another fighter—just another body among thousands.

But he remembered the way the silence fell over the entire camp that day. How that one death had plunged humanity deeper into despair.

Dozens of people, feeling like there was no hope anymore decided to commit suicide following the incident.

Even the few humans who were still alive had already lost hope, feeling like that was nothing they could do anymore.

And now... seeing that same black blood pouring from the village chief’s mouth... Riley felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him.

’That’s supposed to happen... four years from now.’ he thought darkly, his fingers tightening around his dagger.

But the world was already changing, mainly due to his actions.

So many threads were unravelling earlier than they should.

He clenched his jaw.

This only meant he was right. The chief was connected to the demons in one way or another, and they certainly planned to use the novice village to further their evil plans.

More importantly, there was also the man he mentioned before he died.

Riley couldn’t help but wonder who that was, and how he was related to this matter.

He felt like whoever that man was, he was the one behind the chief’s death.

However, the strangest part was that even the system said he was ’unidentified’... meaning not even the system knew who this person was.

He had expected to at least get a clue from that notification, but unfortunately, it seemed things were a lot more complicated than he expected.

There were too many questions and no answers yet. But Riley knew one thing for certain.

He couldn’t afford to relax, not even for a second.

’The novice village, that’s where all the new players first spawn. If the demons plan on doing something to it... it certainly wouldn’t be good.’ he thought, placing his daggers back in their sheath.

’Killer unidentified... a person not even the system knows about. Are they a player, or an NPC?’ he thought, the frown on his face deepening in confusion.

’Could it be, that the demons can somehow... influence the system?’ he thought, his expression darkening immediately.

Though it could be that he was just being paranoid, the fact that the system couldn’t bring the name of whoever killed the chief meant a lot.

It may not mean much to the other players currently, but to him, it meant a lot more than just a bunch of words.

’I hope it’s not what I’m thinking... I just hope so.’ he thought, glancing back at the dead chief.

"What do I do with his body now... should I just consume it?" he muttered, a strange glint flashing across his eyes.

Despite his usual eagerness to devour powerful prey, the sight of the black blood made him hesitate a little.

Grrr!

His stomach growled, but he ignored it, only staring at the corpse before him.

He felt the body was now corrupted, due to whatever the demons did to the man.

However, his mouth still salivated at the thought of devouring it, his nose twitching slightly.

His fingers curled slightly.

Still, a small thought crept up at the back of his mind.

"Am I really any different though?" he muttered, letting out a light chuckle.

He tilted his head, lips curving upward into a cold smirk.

"No," he muttered. "I suppose not."

He glanced at the puddle of black blood again.

"It doesn’t matter how the body dies..." he said quietly. "All I have to do is eat them... and get stronger."

There was no point in pretending otherwise.

He was no longer human, and strength should be his main focus from now on.

His mouth opened wide, stretching past human limits, his jaw unhinging like a beast from the depths.

A thick, monstrous suction burst from the centre of his throat.

FWOOSH!

The chief’s body rose off the ground, piece by piece rapidly ripped apart, flying into Riley’s mouth.

A few drops of the black blood stained his lips as it flew inside, but he didn’t flinch.

In less than a second, the chief was gone.

Riley sealed his jaw shut with a snap, letting out a low exhale.

He turned his gaze toward the bodies still scattered across the throne room, and his eyes narrowed.

’As long as I don’t devour a body that’s far stronger than me... I shouldn’t lose control,’ he thought, calmly licking his lips.

He crouched.

Then opened his mouth again.

Fwoosh!

The suction resumed.

One by one, the guards’ bodies were drawn into his mouth—snatched from the ground and pulled into the gaping maw of gluttony.

The rich, metallic taste filled his tongue, and the familiar sensation of power coursed through his veins.

Not even the corpses of the two guards outside were spared, and he made sure nothing was left.

"Haa..." he exhaled, glancing at the countless tabs floating across his eyes.

[Level 16 human warrior killed!]

[+170EXP]

[Level 15 human warrior killed!]

[+170EXP]

[...]

[...]

[...]

[You have devoured: Village Chief]

[Acquired: Strength +31.1, Agility +37.4, Endurance +30.2, Vitality +52, Mana +40.3, Skill: Rock Body (C-rank)]

[You have devoured: Human Warrior]

[Acquired: Strength +20.3, Agility +25.7, Endurance +24.3, Vitality +20.1, Mana +18.5, Skill: Speed Boost(D-rank)]

[...]

[...]

The level-up notifications had been there for a while, but his focus was on the ones about the bodies he just devoured.

’Two new skills, not bad.’ he thought, glancing back at the other attendants in the castle.

After what they had just witnessed, they were all shivering in fear.

There were seven of them in total, some hugging themselves as they sobbed, not daring to glance at Riley.

Riley stared at them for a few seconds, before raising a hand, pointing it at a group hugging themselves.

Fwoosh!

A medium-sized fireball materialised above his hand, flames swirling violently around it.

’Well... here we go again.’ he thought, clicking his tongue.

*

A few seconds passed.

Drip!

Drip!

The soft sound of blood dripping to the ground echoed in the room, breaking the silence which previously existed.

Riley turned towards a small wooden door on the right side of the castle, walking towards it, with one of his daggers in his hands.

The blade of the dagger was stained in blood, a few drops dripping down to the floor.

Behind him, the corpses of the attendants littered the ground like discarded dolls, eyes still wide with terror.

The flesh of some was still sizzling, crackling under the heat of the flames he had conjured earlier.

The charred stench of cooked flesh hung thick in the air, mixing with the overwhelming scent of blood and smoke.

The others... had their throats sliced clean through. Their blood had already pooled around their necks, soaking through their clothes and staining the floor beneath them.

Riley didn’t look back.

He merely exhaled softly, swiping the blood off his daggers.

"Now, all that’s left are the rewards," he muttered under his breath, sliding his dagger back into its sheath.

He then opened the door, walking into the room.

The room was a bit darker compared to the other one, but he didn’t care much.

He moved to a table at the side, where the rewards of killing the village boss were located, and his lips curled up.

There were three of them, each one valuable in its one right.