Berserk of Gluttony (Light Novel) Vol. 1 Read online

  Table of Contents

  Color Gallery

  Title Page

  Copyrights and Credits

  Table of Contents Page

  Chapter 1: The Forsaken

  Chapter 2: From the Darkness Comes Gluttony

  Chapter 3: Skill Study

  Chapter 4: The Greed of the Black Sword

  Chapter 5: Eat All the Things

  Chapter 6: Behind the House of Hart

  Chapter 7: Drowning in Hunger

  Chapter 8: Starvation Boost

  Chapter 9: A Feast

  Chapter 10: The First Level

  Chapter 11: A Brief Respite

  Chapter 12: Rumors at the Bar

  Chapter 13: The Roxy Inspection

  Chapter 14: The Corpse That Lurks on Moonlit Nights

  Chapter 15: The Marked Girl

  Chapter 16: To Pluck and to Eat

  Chapter 17: The Deranged Dog Howl

  Chapter 18: Gluttony of Gluttonies

  Chapter 19: A Greedy Way to Go

  Chapter 20: An Oath, a Promise

  Chapter 21: At the Crossroads

  Chapter 22: Bright Blue Skies

  Chapter 23: What Must Be Done

  Chapter 24: The Second Level

  Chapter 25: Departures

  Side Story: Of Roxy and Fate

  Afterword

  Creator Profiles

  Newsletter

  Chapter 1:

  The Forsaken

  I N THIS WORLD , there existed the concept of “levels.”

  All living creatures started at Level 1 and leveled up by collecting Spheres, earned by defeating the monsters that ran rampant through the land. However, these monsters were incredibly dangerous, and not just anyone could defeat them.

  People capable of taking down monsters were called “adventurers”—men and women who wielded powerful attack skills. “Skills” were unique, special gifts from the gods awarded at the time of one’s birth. Everybody had at least one, and they lived by the use of its power. Thus, those with strong skills were those chosen by the gods. That was what my dad taught me before he died.

  My skill was Gluttony. As a skill, it was nothing but a problem, because all it meant was that I was eternally hungry. In the village where I was born, they called me a deadbeat and bullied me because of it.

  In this world, I was unnecessary. I was one of the forsaken.

  My dad had been my protector, but when illness took him, the village drove me out on account of my useless skill. I ended up in the Kingdom of Seifort. At the time, my heart was full of hope. I was certain there’d be something I could do in a city so big.

  But I couldn’t find a decent job, so I ended up working for daily wages as a castle gatekeeper. It was grueling work standing guard through rain, wind, and snow. On top of that, the pay was abysmal.

  Truthfully, gatekeeping wasn’t the work of commoners; it was supposed to be carried out by the kingdom’s holy knights. However, because gatekeeping was considered “3D”—dirty, difficult, and dangerous—high-ranking knights often hired day laborers to work in their stead.

  “Hey, gatekeeper! You better not be slacking off on your shift, you hear me?”

  The young trio of holy knights grinned, striding toward me in their glorious armor. They were the three siblings of Vlerick, one of Seifort’s five esteemed families. They were also my bosses. The one who spoke to me was Rafale, the eldest. The tall figure to his right was his younger brother, Hado. Behind them was Memil, their sister and the youngest of the three. Each was an outstanding holy knight in their own right, and the sight of their purple-haired heads sent chills everywhere they went.

  Among adventurers, holy knights were masters of special skills imbued with holy attributes. Moreover, the title of “holy knight” was an honor bestowed upon only those of the highest status. With their powerful skills, blessed by divinity, holy knights could fight the strongest monsters and reach the highest levels. In this world, when the powerful rose in level, their status and renown rose as well. Compared to peasants like myself, holy knights were on an entirely different plane of existence. This meant that angering them was inevitably dangerous.

  “Yes, Lord Rafale Vlerick,” I said.

  Rafale disgusted me. I couldn’t stand him. I knelt and bowed before him all the same.

  “Here’s your daily wages.”

  Rafale tossed a few copper coins at my feet. His siblings chuckled at the display of power.

  “Well, better hurry,” he said. “I don’t pay full rates to the lazy, you know.”

  He knew as well as I did: these wages were my life. I scurried to pick up the coins, but as I reached for the last one, Rafale stepped on my hand.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. Is that a hand? It’s so filthy, I couldn’t tell.”

  He bellowed with laughter as he crushed my hand beneath his foot. Oh, yes, so unintentional.

  “Don’t forget,” Rafale continued, “that useless cretins like you work because of us . You are replaceable. Do you understand? Or is the concept too difficult for a half-wit to fully comprehend?”

  “That’s right!” Hado said to me. “You’re slacking off. Gatekeeping is a job of great honor that you’re doing by our blessing. It used to be a volunteer position, but we’re paying you out of the goodness of our hearts. So show those copper coins more respect, gatekeeper.”

  “It really is just as my brothers say, you know,” said Memil. “Your mistakes become our problems. If you make a single one, we won’t let you off lightly.”

  This was their idea of education. They crushed me into place. They drilled my status into the very marrow of my bones; I was the tiniest and weakest of living creatures, and because of the Vlericks, I was allowed to keep living. Until I agreed with that, I wouldn’t be permitted to pick up the last coin. If I fought back, I could say goodbye to gatekeeping. And if they even thought I was resisting, it might be goodbye to life, too.

  These master-slave conversations had gone on for more than five years. But if I tried to quit, Rafale and his siblings would go crazy with rage. They’d find some groundless accusation to pin on me. That was who they were.

  I was full of an anger that had grown and simmered within me over five years. Being forced to obey enraged me, and I resented the powerlessness that left me unable to do anything but listen.

  Just then, my Gluttony awakened and let forth a rumble from my stomach. A menacing look crossed Rafale’s face, and he began berating me.

  “You wretched, loathsome mealworm. You’re not even worthy of a gatekeeping position. Are you trying to tell me we don’t give you enough to eat? Are you trying to cast shame upon the great Vlerick family?!”

  With that, Rafale kicked me in the stomach. Not using his full power, but it was still the kick of a holy knight. The difference between Rafale’s stats and mine was like the difference between the sun and a guttering candle. The shock felt as if the kick had forced my insides out. I writhed on the ground, heaving up my guts as I struggled to catch my breath.

  In the pulsing, dizzying blur of my wavering consciousness, a voice I recognized as Memil’s drifted to my ears.

  “Ew, how disgusting. He’s like a maggot.”

  “On your feet, gatekeeper! If you can’t do your job, you’ll make us look bad in front of the other holy knights.” Rafale placed his foot on my head. “I said, on your feet!”

  But it was impossible. The difference in our strength was too overwhelming. I couldn’t stand until Rafale lifted his foot. He knew that too, and he clearly enjoyed watching me struggle under his weight. He leaned down further. My head felt like it would split from the pain.

  “Rafale, stop that im
mediately! You’ll kill him. He’s one of the people you’re supposed to protect. Such behavior is unbecoming of a holy knight.”

  Rafale grunted. “Roxy Hart… So you’re next on duty today.”

  Roxy Hart was different from the other holy knights. She believed in protecting the weak from those who abused their strength, and her golden hair flapping in the wind was the very image of courage and valor.

  She had just saved me.

  The Harts were another of Seifort’s five esteemed families. They were well-known for upholding the values of honesty and justice. For that reason, the public adored Lady Roxy, and naturally I was among her many devotees.

  As Lady Roxy glared in their direction, Rafale, Hado, and Memil threw curses and left. But as they did, Rafale looked back at Lady Roxy with a defiant grin. I knew that look, and I knew that face. It was spiteful and vindictive. Rafale was no doubt already considering how to get his revenge for this humiliation.

  Roxy paid Rafale no mind. Instead, she took my hand, helped me to my feet, and wiped my bloodied forehead with her handkerchief.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yes,” I said. “It’s…it’s always like this. Thank you for helping me, Lady Roxy.”

  “No need for thanks. We’re both gatekeepers. This is the least I can do. Anyway, your shift is over. I’ll take it from here.”

  I bowed deeply and passed Roxy my spear. It was adorned with a flag, upon which the royal family’s coat of arms was embroidered; this spear was the sign of the gatekeeper. Roxy took it with due gravitas. She treated even “3D” duties like this with respect and honor. It made her different from the other holy knights.

  It was this Roxy who took my hand in hers and spoke with a worried look. “If anything like this happens again, I…”

  “No, I can’t cause you any further trouble. I’ll be fine. Thank you.”

  Lady Roxy still wanted to say something, but I left before she could. I didn’t want her getting involved with the Vlerick family any more than she already was. There was no telling what underhanded tactics they’d use to get to her, and just imagining it sent me into a spiral of despair. I wanted Lady Roxy to forge ahead on her own path. I knew that whatever she ended up doing, it would be for the benefit of the people.

  I headed off to the local tavern to drown my sorrows. The moon was high in the sky by the time I arrived. Late nights were busy times for taverns. All manner of people—from merchants and travelers to harlots and the like—sat drinking until their faces went red.

  I took my usual spot at the counter, where the barkeep poured my usual wine without my saying a word. It was the cheapest wine available and horribly acidic. Its sole purpose was getting one drunk enough to forget one’s sorry lot.

  “Bread and soup, barkeep.”

  “You got it.”

  My dinner was hard rye bread that had been left out for too long, and tasteless soup made with vegetables left over from other dishes. I hadn’t tasted meat in at least five years, and the last time I’d done so, it was a sliver of jerky. I couldn’t even remember the aroma.

  Though my Gluttony skill meant I was always hungry, I didn’t have the money to satisfy my cravings. The best I could do was put off the hunger pangs by eating my food as slowly as possible. While I nibbled my bread and sipped my wine, the barkeep came over.

  “How’s the gatekeeping going?”

  “It’s rough.”

  “I see… Well, I’ll be praying that you don’t end up like the guy before you.”

  I didn’t reply. It was said that the gatekeeper the Vlerick family hired before I started had died of overwork. He hadn’t been too different from me—just another guy with barely a skill to his name. Over those relentless, punishing gatekeeping shifts, he became skinny and weak, and one day he simply collapsed and died like a puppet whose strings were cut.

  The guy had died still doing his duty. But when the Vlericks found him, they trod all over his corpse and called him useless. The barkeep said he’d seen it with his own eyes. He said that, even now, he couldn’t forget that tragic sight. It was burned into the very meat of his mind.

  So what’s going to happen to me…? I wondered.

  If Roxy hadn’t stepped in while Rafale “educated” me, I might’ve ended up as just another version of that awful story. I’d survived the day…but at this rate, my future didn’t look as though it would be a long one.

  Chapter 2:

  From the Darkness Comes Gluttony

  P LEASANTLY TIPSY off my glass of wine, I decided to check on Lady Roxy before heading back to the hovel I called home. After the incident with Rafale earlier, I was worried about her.

  Rafale was as sly as they came, but I didn’t think he would lash out right away. Still, I couldn’t get his cunning smile out of my head. I knew a weakling like me would be no help to Lady Roxy if anything happened, but I could at least provide her with a human shield.

  I followed the moonlit roads to a point from which I could see the castle gate. Lady Roxy stood resolute at her post. I heaved a great sigh of relief. I had worried over nothing, it seemed. My soul at ease, I wished her good luck from the bottom of my heart.

  As I made to leave, I spied a flock of shadows scrambling up the eastern castle wall. That area was a blind spot for anyone on guard duty, and it was only by coincidence that I spotted it from where I stood. Bandits. It had to be. I could think of no one else who would climb the walls to enter the castle in the middle of the night. I rushed down the street toward Lady Roxy.

  “Lady Roxy! Trouble!”

  “What’s wrong? Shouldn’t you be at home…?”

  “I went for a walk to clear my head! There’s a group of people scaling the east wall!”

  “Are you certain?!”

  “Yes. I saw it with my own eyes!”

  I wasn’t sure Lady Roxy would believe me, but she looked me in the face and said, “I trust you. I’m heading over there now. Will you look after the gate while I’m gone?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  She passed me the gatekeeper’s spear.

  “Good luck, Lady Roxy,” I said.

  “Leave it to me.” Lady Roxy unsheathed a silver sword from her belt. “As long as I have this with me, I’ll be fine.”

  She sped off toward the eastern wall. Instantly, she disappeared into the darkness.

  Wow, those holy knights are fast .

  Then I heard the screams of the men inside. It was easy to imagine quick, gallant Lady Roxy cutting the bandits down one after another. Judging by their screams, the bandits had come in significant numbers. There were definitely more than two or three. Still, Lady Roxy was a holy knight. A group of lowly bandits couldn’t catch her off guard. Sure enough, the sounds of battle soon faded into silence.

  Just when I thought it was over, a lone man staggered out of the darkness toward me. As he drew closer, the moonlight brought his features into sharp relief. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of him.

  The bandit’s right arm had been cut off, and as he stumbled toward the gate where I stood, he tried desperately to stop the bleeding with his left hand. His face was pale, sickeningly white from blood loss.

  I gripped my spear. I wouldn’t let him get away. It didn’t matter that he was a dying human being; he was a thief, a violent criminal, and he needed to be stopped. If he escaped while I was covering for Lady Roxy, the blame would ultimately fall on her shoulders. I couldn’t let that happen. I had to kill him.

  He’s wounded, I thought. Even someone as weak as me should be able to handle this.

  Gritting my teeth, I thrust my spear with everything I had. It pierced the bandit’s heart. He gripped the spear with a wild, intense glare, then fell on his back in a horrific spray of blood. His arms and legs spasmed for a time, until finally his body stopped moving. There was no mistaking it. The bandit was dead.

  “I did it—I killed him. I…huh?!”

  I felt something flow into my body, followed by the echo of a meta
llic voice in my head.

  Gluttony skill activated. Stats increased: Vitality +120, Strength +150, Magic +100, Spirit +100, Agility +130. Skills added: Identify, Telepathy

  Stats increased? Skills added? What’s this voice? What’s going on?

  Then the most wonderful, glorious sensation—that of an eternally empty stomach truly filling for the first time. I’d never felt so satisfied in my life.

  While I was lost to this ecstasy, Lady Roxy returned to the gate. She took my hand and looked me over, checking for injuries.

  “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

  “Is he all right? He looks pale… Oh, I’m so worried!”

  What was that? I could hear Lady Roxy’s voice in my head. She wasn’t speaking, but somehow, her words swam into me.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “No, it’s nothing,” I said. “I’m fine.”

  “He’s fine! Thank the gods he’s okay.”

  Lady Roxy’s relief echoed through me again. When she released my hand, her voice faded. Were those…her thoughts? Was I reading her mind?

  Stranger things had happened…hadn’t they? Perhaps this was an aftereffect of the shock of battle. Perhaps I was simply imagining her voice. It wasn’t as though I could just go touching Lady Roxy again to make sure. She was a holy knight, after all.

  In any case, holy knights were phenomenal. In total, ten bandits had broken into the castle, and Lady Roxy took them all on by herself. I had taken care of the last straggler, but only because Lady Roxy left him pretty much at death’s door.

  The castle was safe, all thanks to her.

  “Lady Roxy, please,” I said. “I can’t take any credit for what happened here.”

  “Oh, but you must. You defeated one of the bandits, too.”

  I had a reason for avoiding official involvement: Rafale and his siblings. If they discovered that I’d helped another holy knight while I was meant to be on duty in service to their house, they’d go berserk. I had no idea what they’d do to me, but given how Rafale felt about Lady Roxy, I was certain I’d be in for an even harsher “education” session.

  “If Lord Rafale hears about this,” I said, “It’s not going to be good for me.”