He woke to the river dragging him onward, his body no longer aching from knives, pans, or fire. He flicked his tail, tested his fins. Everything worked.
The hunger followed almost instantly—sharper now that he knew what eating felt like. His gut twisted, demanding.
The System's new word glowed faintly in his mind.
[Skill: Bite]
He flexed his mouth. It felt clumsy, alien—like a tool he had never used before. But it was his tool. His first weapon.
He swam upward, awkward but determined.
Threads dangled into the water, worms writhing at their ends, filling the current with a scent so rich it made his head spin. Hunger dragged him closer.
Last time he hadn't known what to do. This time, his jaw clenched with purpose. He nudged a worm, set his teeth, and bit.
Tear. Warmth. Food.
Flavor exploded across his tongue. Heat spread through his belly. For the first time since rebirth, he felt something close to satisfaction.
[Bite: proficiency +1]
The System marked his success like a teacher noting an answer, but he barely cared. All that mattered was the strength blooming in his body.
Another worm dangled nearby. He lunged, tore it away before the hook could catch, then retreated into the reeds to chew in clumsy triumph.
[Bounce: automatic dodge successful]
His fins quivered. I'm getting it. I'm actually getting it.
The day became practice. Worms, drifting insects, even a careless beetle that landed on the surface. His jaws grew quicker, sharper. Twice Bounce yanked him aside when he pushed too close to hooks, saving him in the instant before the pull.
By midday the hunger had dulled. He wasn't just surviving now—he was learning.
That was when the water changed.
A pressure stirred below, a silent coil winding in the dark silt. The current itself grew tense.
An eel burst upward.
It came fast, body twisting, jaws wide. Instinct seized him—Bounce ripped him out of the strike zone just before the teeth snapped shut.
This time he didn't flee. Hunger burned hotter than fear.
He circled, awkward but deliberate, then darted for the eel's flank. His new teeth sank into soft flesh behind the jaw. He bit down hard.
The eel spasmed, body whipping in rage, trying to crush him. Bounce yanked him sideways again, the tail missing him by a breath.
He lunged once more. Another bite. Another strip of meat torn free. Blood clouded the water, warm and sharp. The eel thrashed, strength draining, until finally it rolled in place, still.
The koi hovered above it, stunned. He had killed. Not by accident. Not by miracle. By his own teeth.
He fed until his belly swelled with warmth.
[Bite: proficiency +3]
[Minor tissue repair effected]
The words pulsed coldly in his mind, but to him it felt like triumph roaring through his scales. He wasn't just prey anymore.
The river itself seemed different after that. He noticed what he'd missed before—the lazy tug of nets rising in the current, the flicker of shadows that were not fish but boats. He swam carefully, weaving through reeds, Bounce keeping him just ahead of danger.
At dusk, smoke drifted from the banks. Human voices laughed above the water. A net plunged suddenly, closing escape.
Other fish panicked, swarming uselessly against the mesh. He didn't. He scanned, found a sagging seam, and let Bounce twist his body through as if the river itself had bent open.
Shouts rose above. The net came up heavy with silver bodies—none of them his.
[Bounce: proficiency +2]
He flicked his tail, pride sparking despite himself.
That night beneath starlight, he practiced again. He snapped at bugs skimming the surface, pried apart a crayfish under a rock, even stole a worm from a hook without touching the metal. Each success fed a little more certainty into his bones.
Weakest existence? Maybe. But weakness could learn. Weakness could grow teeth.
As dawn broke, the System spoke.
[Host: Level -100]
[Skills: Bounce, Bite]
[Status: Functional. Survival probability: improving.]
He laughed in his head. Not much of a compliment, but enough.
He swam on, belly warm, teeth sharp, dodges cleaner than ever. The river stretched endlessly ahead, full of dangers waiting to swallow him.
For the first time, he welcomed it. Let them try.