The next day, Vayu returned to the field with a clear mind. He knew he could no longer rely on traps and cheap tricks—if he truly wanted to grow stronger, he had to face real danger. Still, he had no intention of rushing in blindly, he was a seasoned hunter and for a good hunt two things were necessary, observation and preparation, he didn't stop there, he even carefully mapped an escape route if things go south. After that he crafted two new wooden spears and moved towards the open ground once more. As always, the rabbit was there waiting for him. Vayu threw the first wooden spear and just like before, the rabbit remained completely still as the spear struck the golden shield and shattered into splinters, without hesitation, he threw the second spear, only for it to meet the same fate. Next came the iron spear, as it hit the golden shield it was violently flung away.
Vayu sprinted after it, after picking it from ground he gripped it with both hands, and forced its shape straight using all his strength before throwing it again, and instantly running in the direction it fell. He wasn't using Overdrive and straightening the bent iron was painfully difficult. For five long minutes, the process repeated—throw, deflect, retrieve, straighten, throw again. Then, slowly, the shield around the rabbit began to fade, Vayu threw the spear once more, the rabbit still didn't move, but this time fear was clearly visible in its eyes. As the spear closed in, the last sliver of the shield vanished completely. The instant the shield disappeared, the rabbit leapt away, saving itself by a hair's breadth, and fled into the forest. Vayu retrieved his spear, his expression thoughtful. From this encounter, he deduced three things: the shield could remain active for five minutes, while it was active the rabbit was unable to move or why would it only run after the shield vanished and most importantly, as he had seen the previous day, the rabbit could choose to deactivate the shield at any moment within those five minutes.
If that was all it took to kill the horned rabbit, he could simply wait for the shield to vanish and strike at the last moment a slow, cruel smile crept across Vayu's face. He would return tomorrow and finish the horned rabbit properly. Turning away, he began walking back, when a faint rustle stopped him mid-step. He turned and saw that the horned rabbit was poking its head out from the bushes, then stepped forward and stood at the exact same spot it always did, as if mocking him. "Can't wait to get killed, huh?" Vayu muttered, throwing his spear once again without hesitation.
The carrot glowed with light once again, the shield bloomed into existence once more and same as before the spear bounced off without doing any harm. This time, Vayu didn't rush at all, he retrieved the spear at a leisure pace, then sat down a short distance away, and calmly straightened the bent iron spear with his hands. Three minutes passed in silence, then Vayu stood and began walking toward the rabbit. As he advanced, he drew a deep breath Thump his heartbeat echoed Thump, Thump, the sound accelerated, overlapping, distorting, until it became a relentless roar as Overdrive ignited. He stabbed the spear into the ground, leaned backward and let out a savage roar before driving his fist into the shield. Nothing happened but Vayu didn't stop he kept hitting the shield again and again. His punches came faster, heavier, each one landing like a hammer, his arms blurring as the ground trembled beneath his feet. A minute passed—and cracks spreaded like spiderwebs across the shield. Vayu pushed harder, faster, his strikes becoming a storm.
Panic flooded the rabbit's eyes as the five-minute limit drew closer, but before the barrier could fade on its own, it shattered violently under Vayu assault. The moment the shield collapsed, the rabbit fainted, blood spilling from its mouth—but Vayu was already moving. His fist came down once more, smashing into its face, its head burst like an overripe tomato, as blood and fragments of flesh sprayed everywhere. Vayu exhaled slowly as Overdrive shut down, his body relaxing. There was no pain, Devourer system had erased the backlash on Vayu's body, just his stats reduced according to the amount of time he had used the overdrive and the amount of damage he had received using overdrive. He wiped the blood from his face, stared at his crimson-stained hand for a moment… then licked it clean, his eyes cold and satisfied.
A sharp ding echoed inside Vayu's mind, and a familiar translucent window appeared before his eyes. He already knew why it had appeared—the taste of blood was still on his tongue, by licking the horned rabbit's blood, he had met the condition. If he wished, he could transform into the horned rabbit. But as his gaze moved down the window, his expression shifted. The system informed him that he could only retain five animals at a time. To add this one, he would have to erase either a previously stored form or erase the current form he had received.
The restriction caught him off guard. He had always assumed that with time, his transformations would grow limitless. Still, the realization didn't sting as much as long as he had their blood, he could drink it whenever he wished to assume their form, without hesitation, he erased the earlier horned rabbit entry and replaced it with the newer one. When he selected it, the details unfolded: Horned Rabbit (1 Demonic Transformation). Beneath it were two skills—Shield and Dash. A slow grin spread across Vayu's face. A shield to save his life and speed to escape or strike. The rabbit himself was very weak, but its abilities were not weak at all, Vayu had to punch a lot to break the shield.
He was about to activate the transformation when something else caught his eye. Near the shattered remains of the rabbit, half-buried in the soil, lay a blue crystal unlike any he had seen before. It was not like the other demonic crystals, it shone with a deep, luminous blue. Vayu picked it up, feeling a faint hum against his skin, and swallowed it without a second thought. Another ding rang out. The status window expanded again, and a new line appeared beneath his demonic energy and Body transformation Gene: 1/100.
A smile appeared on his face, Vayu was trying to find ways for his body transformation but now, if he collected a hundred of these, he could also go through his first body transformation. Excitement surged through him, his current quest was to kill a hundred of horned rabbits, completing it would be killing two birds with one stone. He found himself smiling ear to ear.
Then his eyes fell on last item, something gleaming amid the blood-soaked grass—the golden carrot. He picked it up, and was surprised by its weight. It felt like metal in his hand, curious he knocked on it with his knuckles, and the sound that rang out was unmistakably metallic. He brought it to his mouth and bit down, and unexpectedly he could chew the carrot easily. As he chewed, he saw his agility stats increased by one. His eyes widened, and he devoured the rest in seconds. By the time he swallowed the last bite, his stat points had risen by two more. Vayu exhaled slowly, today's loot was unlike anything he had ever gained before—and deep down, he knew this was only the beginning.