"67!"
"68!"
"69!"
He finally collapsed face-first into the grass, breathing heavily, his little arms trembling from exhaustion.
[1 stat has been added to Strength and Endurance]
A wide grin stretched across his face. "Ha! I knew it."
He'd been testing a theory, whether he could increase his stats through physical workouts. And it worked. He'd done it twice already, pushing himself until his arms burned.
His strength now sat at 6. Not much by any human standard, but for a tiny monkey, he could almost feel the power coursing through his limbs.
He raised his arms and flexed, admiring the small bump in his thin, furry muscles. "Look at that, progress," he said proudly. "At this rate, I'll be benching trees in no time."
Speaking of trees, there was another thing that had been bothering him.
His Devour ability said he could eat anything and gain energy. Anything. If he was right, in fiction, energy usually existed everywhere, in the air, in nature, in living things.
But when he'd tried meditating earlier, nothing happened.
So maybe eating was the real method.
He looked up at the nearest tree, plucked a leaf, and studied it carefully. "Alright, Mother Nature, let's see what you've got."
He tossed it into his mouth and chewed.
Instant regret.
He gagged almost immediately, coughing and slapping his tongue with his tiny hands as the taste hit him. It was bitter, dry, and somehow worse than raw spinach.
He spat out what was left, groaning. "Ugh! That's disgusting!"
He wiped his mouth, scowling. "Why the hell would anyone—wait? Since im a monkey, shouldn't leaves taste better"
He took another cautious lick of the leaf and frowned. "Nope. Still states like shit."
He opened his status to see if anything had changed.
Power – 0 (0.25%)
He blinked, then grinned. "Ohh, it actually worked."
It wasn't much, but it was something. Proof that his Devour ability wasn't just for show.
He looked up at the massive tree above him, his eyes gleaming at the hundreds, no, thousands, of leaves waiting to be eaten. It was like staring at an all-you-can-eat buffet of potential power.
Then the memory of that awful, bitter taste hit him. He sighed, shoulders drooping. "Why does power always come with pain?"
Still, he wasn't about to give up. Muttering under his breath, he began plucking leaves one by one, stacking them into a small pile beside him.
"Alright," he said to himself, eyeing the growing heap. "Let's make this worth the stomach ache."
He kept piling them until he felt it was enough. By the time he was done, the tree was almost stripped bare, its branches looking embarrassingly empty.
He took a step back and looked at the heap of leaves in front of him. It was massive, easily taller than he was. The fact that it hadn't blown away yet was nothing short of a miracle.
It was getting windy, though. The pile rustled softly, some leaves fluttering at the edges as if threatening to scatter.
Raka stood there, scratching his chin. "Alright… how do I even eat this?"
He circled the pile like a strategist planning for war, his small tail flicking behind him. Every option felt stupid, but he had to try something. "Maybe… handfuls? Or just go all in?"
He sighed and crossed his arms, staring at the leafy mountain as if it were his greatest enemy yet.
Raka crouched beside the leaf pile, glaring at it like it had personally insulted him. He took a deep breath, grabbed a handful, and shoved it into his mouth.
The taste hit instantly, his tongue burned as he forced it down, his face twisting in disgust.
[You've gained XP]
[You've gained XP]
The notifications popped up one after another, glowing in front of his face like encouragement from hell.
He gagged but swallowed another mouthful. His tiny body trembled as he fought through the awful flavor, pausing only to wipe the drool from his chin before continuing.
More messages appeared.
[You've gained XP]
[You've gained XP]
[You've gained XP]
At some point, he stopped to catch his breath, slumping forward with leaves sticking out of his mouth and fur.
His stomach groaned in protest, but the sight of the glowing messages made his eye twitch with reluctant determination.
With a miserable grunt, he grabbed another handful and shoved it in again, chewing through the pain, bitterness, and the slow realization that power tasted like absolute garbage.
[You've gained XP]
The messages kept popping up one after another until he couldn't take it anymore. His stomach began to swell, and his throat itched like he'd swallowed a cactus.
'Oh no.'
He bolted into the nearest bush, barely making it before his body gave out. He vomited violently, green goo dripping from his mouth as he gasped for air between retches.
When it was over, he wiped his mouth with the back of his trembling hand, breathing heavily. His fur was a mess, his eyes watery, and his dignity long gone.
Then he looked up—
And froze.
Right on the other side of the bush stood a massive tree, its branches heavy with ripe, juicy fruit glistening under the sunlight. Dozens of them. Perfectly edible. Perfectly not leaves.
His jaw dropped.
'I didn't have to eat leaves.'
He said it out loud this time, voice cracking. "I didn't have to eat leaves."
He repeated it again, louder.
"I DIDN'T HAVE TO EAT LEAVES!"
The words devolved into wild screeching as he lost it completely, throwing his arms around, pulling at his fur, jumping, and slamming the ground with both hands.
His cries echoed through the forest, half human frustration, half unhinged monkey rage.
Birds scattered. Small animals fled. Somewhere in the distance, another monkey answered his screams like it understood his pain.
Raka finally collapsed backward, chest heaving, staring blankly at the fruit tree as if it had personally ruined his life.
"I hope that bird man dies a thousand deaths."
Even as he lay there, he still found a way to blame the angel. The words came out raw and childish, half-prayer, half-curse.
He stared at the fruit tree through half-closed eyes. His limbs felt like wet rope. Every breath was a small battle.
The idea of climbing, of reaching out, of eating one perfect, juicy fruit, too far. Too much. He didn't even have the energy to drag himself the few metres over.
'Agh! I'm so stupid ahaha' he thought once, then clamped his jaw shut. Pride hurt more than hunger.
He rolled onto his side and curled up, tail twined around him like a blanket. The forest noises filled the space between his ragged breaths.
Somewhere a bird called, distant and indifferent. He let out a half-sob, half-monkey squeal, and then sleep took him.