As you would expect from children of the earth, titans are pretty modest beings. An entire family shares only one bedroom where they all eat, sleep and pray to the elders who came before.

Groupistic by design, they make sure not to stand out from the rest. They wear the same uniforms associated with their class or job. As ‘everyday’ common clothes, they wear beige garments, usually knitted out of old sacks. This of course changes to black robes when they attend the tribes’ hunts or rituals.

Katsumi had nowhere to go now. She didn’t leave the coliseum with the rest, but rather went back to the private corridors. One fact was very clear: if she doesn’t make her escape now, Madonna is going to kill her somehow. Whether tomorrow in a fair battle or tonight while Katsumi is asleep, it really doesn’t matter. As long as she’s in the same building as that woman, her life is in danger.

Coming across the larder from before, she decided to spend the night in there. Even with all the healing she experienced, her brain was running out of fuel and she felt exhausted like never before.

She took a few sacks of potatoes and built a bed out of them. It wasn’t the comfiest, but that didn’t bother Kats. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and went to sleep.

Silence.

More silence.

Iron being dragged through the corridor.

The door opening.

– Huh?

Katsumi opened her eyes to see the right-hand woman of Gladiolus stand menacingly in the doorframe. She wore the same heavy iron gown as before.

– Oh, it’s just you. There’s a sack of cabbage you could build a sofa out of. Come, make yourself comfortable.

Katsumi closed her eyes and tried going back to sleep, but the tall titan grabbed her arm and lifted her off the ground. Hurrying as fast as she could, she wasted no time and went for the door straight away, dragging Katsumi’s exhausted body behind herself.

– Whoa-whoa-whoa! Where are we going?

The titan ran without giving answering her question. Reaching the end of the corridor, she kicked down a door and dragged Katsumi into a large kitchen.

It wasn’t nearly as fancy as any of the other rooms. The walls were made out of muddy bricks, a huge furnace occupied one side of the room and the desks were made out of what appeared to be rotting wood. Small kettles, bowls and cauldrons hung from the ceiling, clanking as they bumped into each other. The floor was dirty from the spilled out flour and… something red.

Kats felt a strange contrast observing the simple wooden tools and knives. Come to think of it, this entire underground base felt like an amusement park instead of what actually was a bunch of terrorists’ headquarters.

The lady let go of her, but kept her right arm held out. She muttered something Katsumi couldn’t hear, just observe as her mouth moved.

Suddenly, a bubble popped up in her eye.

/// Warning! ///

Area not suitable for user’s skill level.

Current Skill Level: 4.

Recommended Skill Level: 25

– Hey! Heyeyey, ‘Miss Iron Maiden Lady’, what did you just do?

A blue portal opened above the titan’s head with fiery crackling coming from the other side. A long steel handle descended right to her hand, followed by the head of a giant war hammer. It was the size of Katsumi’s entire torso, maybe a little bigger.

– W-Wait! – Katsumi trembled at the sight of the deadly iron. – I don’t know what you want from me, b-but you really don’t need that to…

The titan swung the massive hammer around and Katsumi could feel being dragged along the weapon’s course. The massive head of the hammer was probably the same weight as the truck that hit Katsumi, flying with an equally high speed.

It went straight through the wall, shaking the ground as it punched a hole right through the muddy brick.

– Huh?

There was something hidden there. Katsumi approached the curious hole and tucked her head inside. An endless darkness greeted her from downwards and upwards, kindly followed up by a strong wind hitting her right in the face.

– Ouch… Is this a food elevator or something?

The titan did not answer but instead threw her hammer away, immediately disintegrating it into air, and then reached into the hole. She tapped around, blindly searching for something very important.

This was the first time Katsumi got so close to the lady’s head. She could only see her black lips as the shield-helmet hid the remainder of her face. Curious, Kats raised her hand and waved where she thought the titan’s eyes might be. As soon as she did that, the titan grabbed her wrist and pulled it aside.

– Oh, I didn’t know you… uh… sorry.

The titan’s hands met something. She pulled out a rope, connected to the wall on both ends of the endless darkness. Pulling it made something creak at the bottom of the void, getting louder as she pulled again and again.

Soon enough, a small box appeared, packed with foods ranging from simple fruits to well-cooked beef. Based on its lukewarm aura, it’s been sitting there for quite a while.

– Let guess, this thing leads to the surface, out of this shithole. You want me to get in there and wait while you pull me up. Pretty smart. My only question is, why are you helping me escape?

The titan took out the goods and threw them aside. Plates and glasses shattered as they hit the ground. Although fearful someone might hear their grand escape, Katsumi feared intervening with the titan’s plans even more. She stayed quiet.

The inside of the elevator was just big enough for Kats to fit. The wind gushing out from under and the creaking of metal weren’t reassuring for her safety, but either she overcomes her fear of heights or gets assassinated in her sleep.

Taking a deep breath, she watched as her partner in crime took hold of the rope.

– Isn’t it weird how after all of this, nobody came to check up on the noise? I mean, this place probably has multiple chefs, right? Where are they?

The titan gazed at her for a few seconds as if she was contemplating her thoughts. Close to her was a small cauldron. She kicked and rolled it front of Kats, showing the deformed body forced in there, rolled up into a spiral like a snail’s house.

The titan proudly smiled before pulling on the rope, which moved the elevator upwards. Darkness engulfed the little space and only the sound of creaking remained, screaming after every pull.

Katsumi couldn’t move from fear. The thought of falling down was nothing compared to the horrific sight she just witnessed.

– What… she killed them? She killed her own people and hid their bodies? But why? And why is she helping me? God damn it, if only there was a way to get her to talk…

Darkness. A chill wind. An itch on her back she just couldn’t reach.

– Why didn’t I gain a level after killing that dude? Uh… let’s see… system! Show me my class!

/// Battlecook/Cook ///

A chef on the battlefield, a warrior in the kitchen. This masterful cook buffs himself and his allies to gain powerful effects from all things one might consume. Specializations allow this class to focus on either the deeper magic of ingredients or the act of devouring.

– Oh my, that sounds way cooler than breaking skulls with a simple pot! When do I get to specialize?

/// Specialization ///

Requires: Level 10.

– Damn, that’s not something I’ll achieve anytime soon. Let’s see, what should I ask... hm… hehe… hey system! Am I cute?

/// Would you like to access your active status effects? ///

– That’s not what I asked, but why not?

/// Active Status Effects ///

–> Well-fed ( 2h 16m 32s )

–> Tired ( Exhausted in 1h )

–> Soul Digestion ( 3 in queue )

– I get the first two, but what’s the last one? Hey, system! Show me this ‘Soul Digestion’ thing!

/// Soul Digestion ///

After devouring one’s soul, the user gains significant powers for a short period of time. Effects may vary based on the target’s previous experiences, alignment and the overall quality of the soul. After a certain amount of time passes, these powers transform into weaker, but permanent passive abilities.

– Damn, this shit is complicated. And the good part only lasts for a few hours. Ugh, I hate it! Why give me cool effects if they turn shit after an hour or two? Just imagine all the fun stuff I could’ve done with my powerful sweating and screaming! I was so close to mastering it! But wait… the soul of Nasturtium… when I consumed it, I got cursed and earned no cool abilities. Then why are there three souls in queue? W-Wait… don’t tell me…

/// Curse of Silver-blade ///

User cannot damage foe whose blood she bears.

Becomes a permanent passive ability in ( 6d 23h 14m 03s ).