It was crazy to think that Kyle's Predator's Being was some kind of benefit everyone would get at a later Realm.
He's always had this advantage.
'Yet, it makes too much sense. I mean, the company wouldn't want to invest too much into us. The chances of us succeeding are low, but if the chances can be improved a little bit by giving us a relatively cheap gift, it would be worth the investment.'
'Also, if the company can give these kinds of benefits to us, who's to say that not every powerful company can give these things to their employees? Either way, this thing would become common at some point anyway.'
'Stronger instincts and the ability to eat beasts and metals. I can somewhat see a connection there.'
'Speaking of, can't dwarves also eat beasts? They are also just humans… or are they?'
"Wait, I got an idea," Kyle said.
"Yes?" Sebastian asked.
"Dwarves and normal humans, right?" Kyle asked. "Dwarves can eat beasts, while humans can't."
"Yep, what about it?" Sebastian asked.
"Is it because humans can't eat beasts, or is it because the humans of this world can't eat beasts?" Kyle asked.
Sebastian quickly realized what Kyle was getting at.
"We need to test this!" he said.
The next moment, an Initial Ferocious Beast was pulled to Sebastian against its will and had its neck broken midair.
Then, one of the legs was ripped off as it floated over to Sebastian.
"You've never tried?" Kyle asked.
"Of course not," Sebastian said. "Everyone says that it would kill me."
"But back then, I was weak. Right now, I'm tens of times stronger than this beast, and I can conduct an experiment without endangering myself."
Kyle watched as Sebastian sniffed the leg.
"It doesn't smell that bad, actually," he said. "Well, down the hatch."
Then, Sebastian took a bite off the beast's leg and chewed.
Finally, he swallowed.
Silence.
"So?" Kyle asked.
"I dunno," Sebastian said. "It doesn't taste disgusting, but it also doesn't really taste like anything."
"I was talking about the Ether," Kyle said.
Sebastian shrugged. "There's barely any Ether in this thing. How am I supposed to tell? Well, at least I don't feel like I'm dying."
Then, a lightning bolt came out of Sebastian, and moments later, a huge turtle floated over to him.
An Early Monster.
Once more, he tore a chunk off the turtle and threw it into his mouth.
He chewed for a while and swallowed.
"You know, this actually doesn't taste that bad," Sebastian said. "And I also don't feel bad. I think I could try with a stronger beast, but they are not very common. I think we would need to go to the Grand Ocean, but it would be dangerous."
Kyle got an idea and grimaced.
"What?" Sebastian asked, looking at Kyle.
"I got an idea, but…" Kyle said.
"What? Just tell me," Sebastian said.
"It's pretty gross," Kyle said.
"Yes?" Sebastian asked.
Kyle pulled out one of his fingers and pointed at Sebastian's mouth. "I can test if your mouth breaks down Ether like mine by… well…"
Sebastian realized what Kyle's idea was and looked at Kyle's finger with disgust.
"How about you just cut it off and throw it over?" Sebastian asked.
"That also works," Kyle said as he tore his finger off and threw it over.
Sebastian looked at the finger like it was a piece of dogshit.
"This is for science," he said.
Then, he put the cut-off finger in his mouth and kept it clamped between his teeth without actually chewing it.
Two seconds later, he spat the finger out again.
"Well, that confirms it," he said. "I just received some Ether, and I feel fucking dirty."
"So, you can actually eat beasts?" Kyle asked.
"Seems like it," Sebastian said. "Why did nobody tell me?! I don't even need an Ether Essence to advance! I could've just eaten a bunch of Monsters or something!"
"That makes sense that it would work for you," Kyle said. "After all, you're not from this world. You're from Earth, and your body was changed."
"I think that basically confirms it," Kyle added. "Humans and dwarves used to be the same species, but sometime down the line, they diverged. Dwarves lost access to the other Aspects of Power, but in exchange, they retained their ability to consume beasts and got stronger bodies."
"The other humans retained access to everything but lost the ability to consume beasts."
"That makes no sense," Sebastian said. "That sounds like a purely detrimental mutation. That's usually not how evolution works. There must be some kind of upside."
Kyle scratched the back of his head.
Sebastian was right. It really didn't make a lot of sense.
But then, he remembered something.
"What about Chihuahuas?" he asked.
Sebastian's eyes widened. "You think this is the result of selective breeding?"
"Or just a law," Kyle said. "What if some arbitrary rule forbade ancient humans from eating beast meat, and after following that rule for long enough, they simply became… allergic to it or something. "
Sebastian scratched his chin. "That doesn't sound completely unreasonable."
Then, he snorted. "Only Nobody Transcendents, rituals that make it impossible to become Transcendents are the standard, humans can't eat beasts."
"It's almost like someone actively tried to make this world as weak as possible."
At that moment, the two of them looked into each other's eyes with realization.
Was that actually the case?
Did someone try to make this world extremely weak?
But that must have happened over thousands of years to achieve this effect!
The two of them simultaneously glanced in the direction of where the Duchess of Twilight resided.
"Speaking of," Sebastian transmitted nervously. "Logically, she has never left this world and was born into it, right? So, how does she know all of this stuff about future Realms, the Cult of Final Fate's true power, and how Transcendents are categorized in power?"
Meanwhile, Kyle remembered the warning feeling he had received when he tried to ask if she was the Overseer.
"Let's not speak about this," Kyle transmitted.
Sebastian nodded nervously.
Yet, even when they didn't talk, they knew the truth.
The current Overseer wasn't born into this world.
She must have come from a higher-ranked one.
And more importantly…
She was here for a mission.
Why had they been sent here?
The company that sent the two of them had something to gain out of replacing the current Overseer.
Yet, if they actually owned the current Overseer, why would they need a new one?
Unless…
The current Overseer worked for a rival company that had a different goal.
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