"Hah…hah…hah…" Max exhaled loud breaths as he looked at the art he had made. He looked at his bloodied hands, which were too common for him to be moved, but this time was different.
Max's body and hands were shaking in disbelief; he couldn't believe what he had done.
The Forest Python's head was now riddled with holes, and the only thing left was its bloodied scar with some meat on it. The culprit in this was none other than Max.
Max wasn't shaking because of the blood or killing something, he was shaking because of his beastial behavior. 'Is this because I am a demon? I wasn't even able to control myself after seeing the raw meat and blood. This is dangerous, I can't come before my daughter with this horrifying nature.'
[ Host, you don't have to worry. ]
Max, who was anxious and panicking, calmed down after hearing the system's mechanical voice. He curiously asked. "Why are you saying that?"
[ Host, you are acting like that because of your lower-ranking demon bloodline. Low-ranking demon has a lower consciousness level. They will do just as their instinct tells them to do. You were not acting like that because you have a high-grade human soul.]
[ Host, you can solve this problem by awakening your bloodline further with the reward you will receive after completing this first mission. ]
"Huh~" A heavy boulder was lifted down from his heart after hearing that.
"Thanks, system." Saying that to his emotionless system, he was able to focus on other stuff now. He glanced at his newly found skill and felt it was a good one.
"System, will I get skills like these every time I kill a beast?"
[ No, that is random. You got this as beginner's luck. ]
"Oh,' Max nodded in understanding. He decided to try this skill.
The moment he activated this skill by chanting in his heart, just as the system told him, his vision, senses, and smell expanded. He could smell the bloody smell of the Forest Python and the fresh, clear air filled with vegetation. He was able to sense even the tiniest bit of leaves, and grass moving and could see ants crawling onto trees.
"The range is approximately 50 meters. This is what I need the most now. It will increase my chances of survival, and it will also be good for hunting too in the future." Max nodded his head in satisfaction.
He turned his head at the dead carcass of the Forest Python and decided to use it to its fullest. It could provide him food, materials, tools, and weapons too.
…
Coming to the tree hole where he had made his home, he started stocking the materials under the tree.
Only one day was left before he completed the mission, so he wasn't too worried about those. He knew he might be able to increase his strength after he got the reward.
It was already evening when he had finished storing all of those and went to the stream to wash himself. Fortunately, he had no clothes to wear in the first place, so nothing got stained or destroyed.
Max came to his shelter and ate some raw meat. He wanted to cook but decided not to. Because on the first night, he made a campfire, he seemed to have seen many gigantic beasts rushing towards him by bulldozing through the trees.
Max slumped down in his tree hole, where his bed was a bunch of leaves piled up together.
He looked up at the night sky that had twinkling stars scattered all over its dark ocean and the blue moon that was peeking its head behind a red moon bigger than it.
"I should scout the places outside my safe zone and get some clothes. It feels too cold to sleep at night." Saying to himself, Max fell asleep.
…
The next morning,
Max had already eaten breakfast, which was some fruits and a bit of meat. He picked up his damaged bone sword and waited by the stream, for his reward to arrive.
[ Ding! ]
[ Congratulations! You have completed the mission: "Accustomed with the Law of the Jungle" ]
[ Congratulations! You have received: Awakening Pill (Peak Earth Grade) ]
Suddenly, Max saw a small portal open above his head and a small glass bottle dropped down from it.
He caught it in his hands and saw a red pill inside it.
[ Awakened Pill (Peak Earth Grade): This can help you trace back to your ancestral bloodline and awaken it. The higher the grade of the pill, the greater its effects. ]
Max stared at the pill for a few seconds before coming to a decision. He opened the bottle and threw the pill into his mouth, gulping it down in one go.
Max readied himself for any kind of reaction happening inside his body, yet nothing happened. He was about to relax his body, and at that moment, a jolt of pain attacked his body.
Thud
Max knelt down on the pebble-filled ground and screamed in pain. "AAAHHH!"
Blood came, oozing out of his mouth, nose, ears, and eyes. He clutched at his chest as his heart started to beat slowly. His consciousness started to become blurry as he was about to fall asleep, and he gave in to that. But at that moment, he remembered his daughter, who would be coming into this world.
Max gritted his teeth in pain and endured it, trying not to shout as much as before.
As time passed, Max's pain also started to subside. Then it was all gone, leaving Max in relief now.
Max's chest heaved up and down as he took deep yet long breaths from time to time. He stood up and looked at his body.
'No change in appearance, but…' Max bent his leg and leaped up.
In the past, he was able to jump 5 meters. Now, it has increased to 7 meters. Landing down, he swung his sword at the stream.
Shush
An air blast hit the surface of the stream, which caused a medium-sized ripple.
'I got stronger.'