Wait, what?! Maggots?! That's when Josh felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He fell forward, his gut constricting. How was he supposed to deal with this?!…
What kind of perverse curse was this? It felt as if someone was gouging his belly out piece by piece. Whatever was in there began absorbing the ambient mana at a crazy rate. He could even see it getting sucked with his naked eye!
Then he felt the wriggling. He tried using his mana manipulation, but it wasn't his mana that was the problem. He tried leaving the lake, but the water had become a prison as it enveloped him.
His regeneration ability ensured that the torture didn't stop. He felt his flesh be devoured and regrow at an unbelievable rate. Would this ever end?!
But then, suddenly, his stomach rumbled. Fighting had made him hungry, and there was food. He heard a sharp screech coming from inside him, but it quickly stopped as he felt a warm current invade his body.
Feeling myself becoming stronger always was a source of joy. But, an even greater source of joy was reminiscing about them. I would limit myself for I had a goal to accomplish, but a man is not a machine. Remembering's one past is necessary to be able to look forward to the future. It gave me the resolve to keep going, no matter what.
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