That sudden Portrayal System notification in Adrian Vale's head made him freeze for a split second.
Portrayal Sync +0.1%.
Eating Divine Domain creatures… also boosted Sync?
That was new.
Still—0.1% was basically pocket change.
Adrian didn't dwell on it. Right now, filling his stomach was the only priority.
Ever since becoming a half-ghoul, he didn't know why—but he was always hungry.
Human food could keep him moving, barely.
But it never made him feel full, and it tasted like chewing wax.
The Portrayal System's chime didn't interrupt his feast.
Adrian kept devouring the Greenback Croc with storm-like brutality, tearing and swallowing with a ferocity that didn't look human.
Not long after—
The Portrayal System chimed again.
[Detected: Host is feeding, matches Ken Kaneki. Portrayal Sync increased — 0.1%.]
"…?"
Now Adrian was genuinely stunned.
Another +0.1%?
Did that mean—
every time he consumed a portion of fresh flesh, it counted as "matching" and raised Sync?
He'd eaten less than half the croc so far.
If his guess was right…
How much would he gain if he finished the entire thing?
Adrian's eyes sharpened.
No hesitation.
He shifted into a faster rhythm—his so-called Tempest Devour: Second Form, accelerating the slaughter-like pace of his eating.
On I'm Watching the Divine Domain, the panel fell into an awkward silence.
There was no way around it—
Adrian's eating was simply too horrifying to comment on.
Sienna Blake forced a strained smile, clearly fighting nausea.
"H-heh… Adrian… Adrian really is… uh… very… unique in his tastes…"
Captain Cole frowned.
"In the wild, you can't be picky—food is food. But raw meat from unknown wildlife is still risky. It's better to cook it thoroughly… like Raven Shaw is doing. Eating it raw carries serious danger."
Dr. Hart nodded quickly.
"I'm not a specialist either, but most wild creatures carry parasites, bacteria, viruses—if you eat it raw, the consequences could be catastrophic."
And right on cue, Derek Vaughn slammed the conversation off a cliff.
"This guy's a savage from the countryside, isn't he? And this is the so-called IQ 170? Then I'm 200—no, 340!"
"..."
"..."
As always, his words killed the room.
But Adrian didn't care.
He kept eating.
After three years of acting and "portrayal," Adrian's Sync had already reached 25%.
Then Black Reaper pushed it to 29%.
From experience, every increase made his body stronger overall.
And every 10% milestone brought a qualitative leap.
Now, as he devoured the croc, his Sync climbed to 29.6%.
Only 0.4% away from 30%.
Adrian's excitement rose.
His hands moved faster.
His jaw worked harder.
The feeding continued—endless, bottomless, like his stomach had no limit.
The livestream viewers were losing their minds.
...
"How much has he eaten already?! He's still going?!"
"With that build, how can he eat this much?!"
"And have you noticed—his stomach isn't even bulging? Where is it all going?!"
"Dude… thinking about it is terrifying…"
"Who the hell is this guy?!"
...
They weren't wrong.
Adrian had already consumed most of the Greenback Croc—
and yet there was no visible sign of fullness at all.
Meanwhile, Raven had finished her own meal.
She considered herself a big eater—
but next to Adrian, she looked restrained.
She didn't interrupt him.
After a brief glance at his back—still tearing, still chewing—
Raven turned and walked deeper into the oasis.
After eating, you drank.
And the oasis had water.
She was heading for the source.
Raven's departure didn't slow Adrian by even a breath.
RIP—
He continued at an impossible speed.
And finally—
after Raven left, Adrian finished the last of the croc.
Nothing remained.
Not even scraps.
Right then, the Portrayal System chimed again.
[Detected: Host is feeding, matches Ken Kaneki. Portrayal Sync increased — 0.1%.]
[Detected: Portrayal Sync has reached 30%.]
[Initiating Ascension for host…]
Like a threshold snapping into place—
when Adrian swallowed the final mouthful, his Sync landed on 30% exactly.
Perfect.
Not a fraction off.
A familiar warmth surged through his entire body—comforting, almost euphoric.
Adrian understood instantly:
He'd just obtained another "piece" of Kaneki's power.
But before he could process it—
something else happened.
At his lower back, where it had been hiding—
his kagune suddenly throbbed.
Like a heartbeat.
Like something waking up.
Like it was about to change.
...
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