Su Lin, while drinking Arctic Wolf Mother's Milk, drifted off to sleep under the drowsy weight of his eyelids, amidst the system's promptings by his ear.
It is a trait of mammalian cubs to be exceedingly sleepy.
This characteristic is well exemplified in both human babies and Arctic Wolf cubs.
....
One month later, inside the cave.
"Awoo!"
A tender growl sounded in Su Lin's ear.
A tiny figure, blinking a pair of dazed and adorable eyes, was looking at Su Lin with great surprise.
This figure was none other than Wolf Sister.
Wolf Sister had been born not much later than Su Lin, practically back-to-back.
Yet, she hadn't expected her brother, who was originally about her own size, to have grown so much so fast.
Now he was several sizes bigger than her.
Su Lin, who was gazing contemplatively at the scenery outside the cave, merely turned his head upon hearing the surprised growl and indulgently pawed Wolf Sister's head.
Of course, he was fully aware of the surprise and curiosity in Wolf Sister's mind.
Not just Wolf Sister, but also Wolf Dad and Wolf Mom inside the cave, along with several other members of the Wolf Clan, were all very curious about him.
If it weren't for the fact that Su Lin had grown up right under their watch this past month, they might have mistaken him for an Arctic Wolf that had snuck in.
After all, Su Lin's growth in that month had been rather terrifying.
And, of course, the assistance from those ten vials of Potential Potion couldn't be overlooked.
On the third day after his rebirth, Su Lin was already capable of running and jumping on his own.
By the tenth day, he had weaned off milk and started eating prey brought back by Wolf Dad.
By the twentieth day, he had become significantly larger than Wolf Sister and had even outgrown Wolf Uncle's half-year-old cousin.
At thirty days, which was now, Su Lin was almost the size of a one-year-old male Arctic Wolf.
Name: Su Lin.
Species: Arctic Wolf.
Level: 3. (Requires 80 Evolution Points to level up.)
Vitality Value: 300.
Endurance: 30.
Strength: 30.
Defense: 30.
Speed: 60.
Evolution Points: 8.
In the span of a month, Su Lin had evolved to level 3.
Compared to the scattered attributes of Wolf Dad and Wolf Mom, Su Lin's attributes were more balanced.
Because with each level up, the system would evenly increase all his attributes by 10 points.
As for the Vitality Value, it would increase by 100 points.
But beyond that, there were also an extra 10 points of freely distributable attribute points.
It was clear that this was also an effect of the ten vials of Potential Potion, unlocking additional potential from within.
Don't underestimate these extra 10 points of attributes, as they meant that at the same level, one's overall strength was at least a fifth higher than the competition's!
And that wasn't even the most terrifying part.
The most terrifying aspect was that these extra attribute points could be freely distributed!
Su Lin allocated all the extra attribute points to speed.
By now, his speed was definitively far beyond that of his peers, so much so that even Wolf Mom couldn't match him.
Speed reigns supreme in heaven and earth!
After all, with speed, even if one cannot overpower the enemy, one can at least run away.
That was what Su Lin believed.
However, it was at this moment that a deep, resonant growl of a male Arctic Wolf interrupted his reverie.
Su Lin looked up towards Wolf Dad.
The roar was from Wolf Dad.
Through these days of observation and personal experience, he had roughly grasped the meaning behind various sounds made by the Wolf Clan.
For instance, a low growl like this one signaled that Wolf Dad was calling members out to hunt.
Su Lin heard this kind of roar almost every day.
Because Wolf Dad and Wolf Mom went out to hunt every day.
However, due to the harsh environment and the scarcity of species in the Arctic, the hunting yield for Wolf Dad and Wolf Mom was often meager.
As for commonly seen large animals such as Polar Bears, Musk Oxen, and Grizzly Bears, the Wolf Pack wouldn't dare to hunt them.
After all, hunting these animals often resulted in heavy losses for the Wolf Pack.
Therefore, no Wolf Pack would consider targeting these animals unless they were in dire straits.
Given the increasing difficulty of hunting, this time even Wolf Mom, who usually stayed in the cave to care for the cubs, stood up and followed the main force out.
Before leaving, Wolf Mom affectionately nuzzled Su Lin and Wolf Sister with her head.
Then she softly howled twice, instructing Su Lin to take good care of Wolf Sister before turning and leaving.
As for Wolf Dad, he naturally left some instructions with the Cousin who also stayed behind.
This Cousin, over half a year old, naturally took on the role of the cubs' big sister. After communicating with her, Wolf Dad felt reassured enough to lead the Wolf Pack away.
Including Wolf Dad and Wolf Mom, there were eight adult Arctic Wolves in the cave, and this time all were mobilized.
Hopefully, they would have a decent harvest this time.
What remained in the cave were only five cubs.
Among the cubs, aside from Su Lin, there was another who always preferred solitude, the noticeable little lone wolf.
This little lone wolf had no parents and was discovered by Wolf Dad and Wolf Mom during one of their hunting trips by chance.
Perhaps out of sympathy for their own kind or some other emotion, Wolf Dad and Wolf Mom had taken in the little lone wolf.
Three months old, yet not much smaller than the Cousin who was half a year old.
Such a growth rate wasn't slow either.
It was clear that he was a potential Lead Wolf of the Pack but still fell far short of Su Lin.
Now, with the Pack gone, Su Lin contemplated for a moment and decided it was time to go out and hunt on his own.
Because the amount of food he consumed was getting larger, surpassing even that of an adult Arctic Wolf.
And Wolf Dad and Wolf Mom already had a hard time hunting, and they had gotten much thinner these days.
It seemed they had been saving food and bringing it back for himself and Wolf Sister.
This made Su Lin feel it was time to share some of the responsibility.
Moreover, the "Devouring Evolution" system required him to go out, engage in combat, and face slaughters.
Hiding in the cave and constantly relying on Wolf Dad and Wolf Mom for food just wouldn't do.
Therefore, without hesitation, Su Lin decided to take action.
He conveyed his intentions to Wolf Sister and Cousin with a simple howl.
"Awooo!"
The Cousin howled back, trying to stop Su Lin.
However, Su Lin ignored it and stepped out of the cave, leaving behind his Wolf Sister gazing after him and his annoyed Cousin.
...
The Arctic is a land of endless snow and long winters.
Here, winter temperatures often plummet to fifty degrees below zero.
That is a terrifying temperature.
Even after being reborn as an Arctic Wolf, protected by a thick fur coat, stepping outside, he still felt the severe cold of the Arctic winter.
"Cold weather causes harm, Vitality Value -1!"
"The cold weather causes the host's Physical Strength to deplete twice as fast, please be mindful of conserving energy."
The system's cold prompt echoed in his ears.
That voice let Su Lin know he couldn't stay outside for too long.
"Hiss!"
After inhaling a breath of the Arctic Continent's bone-chilling cold air, he started to move away from the cave step by step.