Damien remained between the trees as he watched the various magic beasts give chase to something invisible. Damien knew where they were all heading.
Seeing that they were all running toward the direction he’d be escaping from and given the system’s warning, he knew they were headed toward the scene of mangled flesh his summon had left.
“Ahh… A Nine Tailed Fox. Not only did I see one, I was the one who’d summoned it!” Damien almost couldn’t contain his excitement.
All he knew was that he’d managed to summon a beast that only existed in books. Only a handful of people had gotten to see a Nine Tailed Fox and he was now on that list. Even if he was the only one aware of it.
Tap!
A certain footstep drew his attention back to his present situation.
Tap!
The sound grew louder and Damien couldn’t help but get a bad feeling that something was about to go wrong.
Tap!
Damien could now hear the footsteps like it was just behind him. However, he was certain it couldn’t be from behind him as all that was behind him was tree roots and more roots. There was no space to accommodate another creature.
Still, Damien knew he couldn’t afford to be conceited about his hiding spot even though it was indeed the best he could find.
Slowly and as quietly as he could, Damien ventured even deeper into the tree roots, straining and bending his body parts in ways he never thought possible just so he could get to the deeper and thicker parts of the roots that offered better cover.
Fortunately for him, his clothes were dark coloured materials. When combined with the darkness the roots offered in the nighttime, Damien was almost unseen. He blended almost perfectly.
The steps continued until Damien saw four limbs standing in front of the hole he’d used to get into his current hiding place.
The limbs were larger than any normal beast could possess. Covered in thick brown fur Damien could easily tell it was a different creature from anything he’d encountered in his short time of living here.
Snap! Riiip!!
Damien heard the snapping of wood and then a sound akin to something being ripped off.
It didn’t take long for the sound to come again and this time, it sounded louder. Then a munch sound followed it, confirming that whatever was out there was chewing on something else.
Snap!
Yet another sound came and Damien had to make a conclusion.
“That sounded like a tree branch.” Damien made a mental note and immediately a mental confirmation that almost made him scream.
[Indeed!]
“Gah!” Damien yelped but shut his mouth almost immediately. However, it was too late. The creature paused for a while and then Damien watched as it took one step back. Another step. A third step.
Until he couldn’t see the legs and could only hear the sound it made with each step. He listened until heard its footsteps slowly fade away.
Since Damien had gotten beneath the tree and between its roots, Mithas had remained silent and in the tension of the moment, Damien had forgotten all about his new system.
“Don’t do that!” Damien whispered, afraid to draw attention.
[Do what?] Mithas asked in return.
“Suddenly pop up and scare me half to death.” Damien answered, still whispering.
[Noted but I should inform you that I can read your thoughts. I exist in your head after all.] Mithas’ response was almost mocking.
Damien wanted to confirm but then it occurred to him that Mithas’ first response was a response to something he’d thought, not said.
“That’s absurd.” He ended up thinking again.
[That just goes to show how bonded we’ve become.]
Damien didn’t reply to the system’s words and remained quiet. He was exhausted after having to run and escape death three times in under two hours.
Folding as best as he could, Damien closed his eyes to get some sleep. If one thing, he was hoping this would all be a dream when he woke up.
Life wasn’t that giving though!
Drip!
A drop of water from one of the roots dropped on his eyes and Damien’s body quivered slightly from how cold it was.
Almost instantly, his eyes opened and he stared at his surroundings. He was still under a tree, tucked between its roots.
[Welcome back.] The voice of his system followed almost immediately which was all Damien needed to confirm that all that had happened yesterday was real. None of it was a dream.
Ding!
[You have successfully completed your first mission: Survive The Hunt!]
[Rewards: Subskill (Essence Devourer) unlocked!]
[+2 on all stats!]
[+15 EXP!]
[You get to see another day!]
The panel in front of him told Damien that the hunt from yesterday was finally over. He’d survived and had been rewarded. He’d lived to see another day and had received two extra points on all his stats. Above all, he’d unlocked a new sub-skill. “Essence Devourer.”
Damien was about to ask a question when another panel materialised. One that answered his question.
[Essence Devourer: A skill of all magic beasts that allows them to devour essence in large quantities. Not absorb, devour! They devour the essence cores of other beasts, turning the essence within it into their own. The only drawback of this skill is that overfeeding can result in Essence Outburst which will in turn result in death.]
Damien didn’t need an explanation of Essence Outburst as he knew it was a condition where a person’s body absorbs more essence than it can hold which ends up affecting them generally. The result can vary but they all eventually lead to death.
Dismissing the system panel, Damien crawled out of the roots and when he finally got out, feeling the cool breeze blow against his skin, he sighed in relief and looked to the sky.
Then he saw it. The branches the creature from the previous night had snapped and eaten.
They were over ten meters high. There had been lower branches but the creature had chosen these branches in particular. It told Damien just how tall it was.
Something that tall was definitely dangerous.
“I can’t afford to laze around or I’ll die without knowing. So, where do we start?” Damien asked his sentient system.
[Of course, we start with you summoning a Mythical Beast!]