“What?”

  “You'll need all the stats you can get. You need to eat them within an hour of death to gain the benefits.”

  “I don't think I can,” my stomach growled even as I said the words.

  “Then you will die trying to kill and eat your friends,” Guide's words were like a slap to my face.

  He was right, and I hated him for it. I reached down and grabbed the body. I closed my eyes as I bit down. My new form's sense of taste must have been designed to keep me eating, because they were delicious. As in, best food I've ever tasted delicious. An indescribable sweetness.

  You have devoured Level 10 Xorian Guide. Their highest stat was Vitality. Your base Vitality has increased by 4 points. Bonus stats from eating a Xorian Guide of a higher level than yourself. All stats increased by 1. You have no class to gain experience, so none is as yet rewarded.

  One fewer point this time. Diminishing returns. I caught myself absentmindedly licking the blue blood off my fingers and quickly tried to wipe my fingers clean, discovering that my work clothes had shredded with my transformation. Great. Just great.

  “The System doesn’t want me to know what the last skill is, which means it’s likely the one that I should take. But it recommended this class!”

  “The System is mysterious in its machinations,” the third Guide said.

  “It’s being manipulative!” I shouted.

  “Is it working?” Guide asked.

  “It is, and I hate it! Fine!” I picked the Hypocrite Revolutionary class. The description of my newest skill popped up.

  Eat the Rich. Uncommon. You gain additional experience when you eat anything of a higher level than yourself. You no longer gain any experience from eating creatures equal to or less than your level. Any consumption related skills have an increased effect when used on beings of a higher level than yourself. The higher the level disparity, the greater the effect.

  “Oh wow,” I whispered. “That is phenomenal. And two steps above Inferior already? Nice.”

  “Praise the All-Devourer!” Guide 3 also whispered.

  “Please stop that.”

  “I will do no such thing.” Guide shouted the previous phrase this time.

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  “ALRIGHT! FINE! I get it. What is the next thing we need to do before this damned tutorial begins?”

  “You need to choose your starting equipment.” Guide 3 waved their hand and the table lit up with several rows and columns of buttons.

  “I wonder what the System will try to push me to take this time,” I mumbled.

  “This time there are no recommended items, but as before, you only have a few minutes to make your choices.”

  “How many things can I choose?”

  “Three different items.”

  There were twelve choices. Time to drill it down.

  Hand to Hand Weapon, Ranged Weapon, Melee Weapon, Light Armor, Heavy Armor, Shield, Boots, Ring, Amulet, Book, Tool, Cloak.

  “Will the armor be able to fit my new form?” I asked.

  “All chosen items will be able to be used by your current race and class.”

  Alrighty, now I just needed to figure out what I wanted. A ranged weapon may not be the most useful especially if my enemy isn’t killed outright. As much as I wasn’t very keen on it, I would need to be up close and personal to more easily consume my foes. I stood and moved to the wall, testing my punches. I cracked the brick. My strength was twice what it had started as, and I could feel the difference.

  I looked at my hands, unmarred by the brick. My twenty fingers ended in thick, sharp claws for rending. Same for my toes, only three elongated digits per foot, which meant they too could be used as weapons. So, not boots either. A shield would just get in the way of my claws. A cloak would likely be shredded accidentally or get annoying during combat.

  “What does the book button mean? Just a general book?”

  “It will provide a useful book, sometimes a spellbook or a book of lore.”

  “What kind of tools can it create?” I asked.

  “Again, something you can use, perhaps even one useful in discovering a profession.”

  “Can you tell me anything more about the tutorial, such as what we should be expecting?”

  “No. You have one minute left.”

  “Shit.” I had removed enough to make the decisions easier. I pressed my three choices, then inspected each item as I donned them.

  Amulet of Holding. Common. This amulet allows you to store a number of items relative to your Strength stat. Current Capacity: 400 kg.

  As I put the amulet around my neck, I felt it lock into place and, when I focused on it, I could see a pop-up that listed what items were stored there. It currently read ‘Empty.’

  Razorclaw Gauntlets. Inferior. Made from the hands of the razorclaw, these gauntlets allow you to extend and retract long claws from the tops of your hands at will. While the claws are extended, you deal 5% more melee slashing damage.

  The dark red gloves slipped perfectly over my two upper hands, and I closed them into fists. Two curved blades one meter long extended from each gauntlet. As I opened my hands, the blades retracted. Useful indeed.

  Steeltusk Leathers. Light Armor. Inferior. Made from the tough leathers and smelted tusks of the steeltusk bears, this armor allows for full freedom of movement while providing minor protection against attacks.

  As I held up the dark leather with grey metal studs, I noticed it didn’t have a zipper or clasps or any other means of dismantling it. Instead, a system window appeared asking if I wanted to equip it. I chose yes and it instantly went from my hands to being on my body. As I tried to move, I felt no resistance to my movement. I tapped my claws against the floor, starting to get a bit more excited about the prospects of testing my new gear.

  Guide stood and nodded appreciatively, “Your choices made, your time with me is almost at an end. You have five more minutes to ask any final questions.”

  I licked my lips. “Do you have any snacks?”

  Guide 3 gave me a weird smile before moving to the door. “I’ll bring more Guides.”