It's a beautiful day to be eating my latest prey.
Under the brightest moment of the sun, I swallowed what I had and lowered my head to tear off another piece of fresh meat. The good thing about my new tyrannosaurus body is the change in taste buds. I would've starved to death if I had to taste raw meat as a human.
[You have gained 1 Biomass Point]
Nice! I barely started processing it and I already have one point. Too bad I'm already too full—this giant lizard is, ironically, very large. It's risky to take this with me; the cave is too far away. A glance in its direction made me sigh. I can't just leave this beautiful source of biomass here.
Although staying here also has its risks, I could wait until I'm hungry again. The problem is, what do I do about the smell of blood? Maybe covering it with dirt to dull the scent could work, though I'm not sure how effective it would be. Tough choice, honestly.
[You have gained 3 Biomass Points]
If I drag this thing through the forest, I'll just be inviting predators to attack me. You know what? Better start covering it with dirt.
Since my front limbs are too short, I'll have to gather and place the dirt using my mouth—not too hard, it's quite spacious. I haven't even grabbed the dirt yet, and I'm already feeling a shiver just imagining the taste. I lower my head and open my mouth, hesitating at what I'm about to do, staring at the ground as if it were about to stare back.
I close my eyes before biting down, gathering a good amount of dirt. Even with the gritty texture, I put the dirt over the body. After a few repetitions, I manage to create a layer that hides the smell even better than I expected.
This should be enough to keep most carnivores away. Now then, how should I pass the time until I get hungry again? I could make myself hungry by doing some exercise—maybe running around while dodging trees.
I can't go too far, since finding this place again would be hard after all my preparation. Yeah, let's do that. I'll also take advantage of the chance to improve my control over that passive skill. I should use my boost points on agility to improve more efficiently.
[Agility increased from 3 to 5]
Alright, let's begin. A few laps around while dodging trees, let's see how it goes.
Moving a few meters away from the carcass, I decided to start light to get into rhythm. Even though I've been in this body for a little over a week, getting a skill that passively boosts my speed has made adaptation harder. I have a better chance of escaping danger now, but I still can't maneuver well at top speed. With a clear goal and motivation, training begins.
With some effort, I moved between the trees, keeping a steady rhythm of ten seconds between each one. Not bad, considering how huge these things called trees are. Ten minutes later, the time dropped to around seven seconds. It's time to increase speed. I can already feel the exhaustion and muscle fatigue, but I can't stop.
I take a deep breath and focus. In an instant, I burst forward—the explosive speed was such that I almost failed to dodge the next tree. This is the speed needed to activate the passive. My efficiency dropped to the point that it now takes fourteen seconds instead.
After another ten minutes, I stop. What I did wasn't much, yet it feels like I ran for miles. Still, this is the only way to get better. Panting and lying on the ground, I sniff the air to confirm nothing's gotten close.
[Congratulations! You've gained 4 Boost Points for your efforts]
[You have gained 5 Biomass Points]
Not being able to improve just by leveling up, like in a video game, is an annoyance that still lingers. Even worse when my stats don't give me an instant power-up. I haven't fully accepted this new lifestyle, yet I have to internalize it if I want to survive—monsters won't wait for me to adapt. In cases like this, all I can do is move forward.
Once I'm sure there's nothing nearby, I get up and approach the body. I'm not really hungry, but after all that effort, I deserve a few bites.
[You have gained 3 Biomass Points]
Only the tail and a bit more remain after my "bites." I could leave now, but the bones that are left are perfect for training my jaw strength. I leaned down and bit the hardest-looking bone, using my arms to help as I began gnawing at it.
After five minutes, I'd barely managed to scratch it. How sad. If I hadn't ambushed it, defeating this enemy would've been tough. Once again, it shows me how far I still have to go if I want a peaceful life.
[Weak Bite has leveled up to Level 2]
[You have gained 4 Biomass Points]
The chirping of birds echoed around me, a beautiful symphony that soothed my soul. Exhausted yet satisfied with the results, I lay down on the ground. Too bad I can't enjoy this for long, but at least in my current state, I have a better chance of taking down one of the lizards. After improving a few things, I should be more than ready.
The level-up of my passive, the gain of boost points and biomass—it's all very satisfying. Standing again, I start walking toward my cave, my home. Along the way, I remember this isn't a stroll, but the calm and silence of the forest make me drift in thought.
Wait a minute… where's the birdsong? I swear they were there a moment ago. I stop and look around—maybe it's just my imagination, but there's an aura in the air that would make my hair stand on end if I had any. Something is really wrong.