If you ask a slave when was the last time he enjoyed anything, he would recall the last time he had a decent meal. All lower living beings must eat; those without sustenance must acquire it by any means necessary. Food is not only a source of energy, but also a source of essence.
The boy's emotions quickly turned to deep sadness when he realized that there were practically no animals in these lands. If someone had seen his gait, they would have been shocked. He had already walked 5-6 kilometers, and his condition was worsening with every second.
What could be harder than wandering through unknown territory on an empty stomach? After a few hours of walking, he collapsed against a tree once more. Horrible moments from his life, with no end in sight, flooded his mind. Every day, every minute, they tormented his soul. Though he had escaped slavery, his condition was worse than before. Who knows if he would even survive this journey, and if he did, at what cost?
As he pondered these thoughts, his back began to melt, and he felt a strange moisture. When he leaned back, he saw a different scene: the tree was moving, trying to suck him in.
Don't tell me that because it never rains here, it's begun to feed on living creatures. Realizing that he couldn't rest here, he continued on his way. As he wandered through these endless grasses and lands, he finally came upon a river. Of course, he was pleased that he could finally drink, but a group of monsters roamed near the river. The monsters resembled a mix of human and fish. Some of them carried light stone spears, moved very slowly, but they traveled in packs. It seemed they were guarding this part of the river. But the boy didn't know from whom or what exactly was inside the river that they were so diligently protecting. He didn't wait to observe for long, quickly approaching and trying to find a moment to grab one of them or at least get close enough to the river to drink. But neither of these opportunities was an easy task. It seemed this was the only way out to reach the main river. From there, he could change his path and avoid these creatures. But how could he catch one of them when all he could think about was water and food? That's when he decided to activate his artifact, the Lich Crown.
The boy slowly touched the Lich Crown, and instantly, a stream of clear thoughts flooded his mind. Every element of the environment, every sound and movement now seemed like a key to his salvation. A direct attack on the fish-men was suicide. He understood that he needed to use their instincts and the pack against them. First, he began to analyze their behavior: the fish-men moved slowly, but their cohesion made them dangerous. They never strayed far from the group, which meant their sense of security and dependence on the group could be exploited.
Carefully moving along the river, he found several stones of various sizes. Meanwhile, his mind was working on a plan. Simply throwing stones, as before, wouldn't be enough—he needed to create the illusion of danger that would force the fish-men to abandon their post, but without arousing too much suspicion. Suddenly, he noticed a massive boulder lying in the water just downstream. The boulder blocked part of the river, creating a weak whirlpool, as if something might be hiding underwater.
His eyes gleamed. He remembered that the fish-men were guarding the river as if something important was in it. Perhaps they were afraid of some creature that lived here, in the waters. The boy decided to use this against them. He picked up a long stick and, careful not to make a noise, began to methodically strike the water near the boulder, creating rhythmic splashes. Each strike gave the impression of movement beneath the water, as if something was stirring there.
The fish-men's reaction was immediate. They noticeably tensed, their movements quickened. One of them, possibly the leader, snapped its jaws loudly, drawing the attention of the others. The boy knew that the pack might perceive this as a threat and would have to take action. All he had to do was wait.
After a few minutes, several fish-men began moving towards the water, slowly but cautiously. They grouped together, clearly preparing for a possible attack from the river. Meanwhile, the boy moved slightly to the side, closer to the bushes by the river, from where he could watch their actions without revealing himself. He knew that not the entire pack would leave, but if he could distract at least a few, a chance would present itself.
Now came the hardest part. The Lich Crown sharpened his mind, but it also increased the tension. He understood that if he waited too long, the fish-men might return to their positions. Then he noticed: one of the fish-men, who had remained behind, turned his back to the river to watch the forest, putting some distance between himself and the others.
This was the moment. The boy, using his advantage, cautiously moved closer, hiding behind dense bushes. He knew he had to act quickly and precisely, but not attack right away. Instead, he quietly threw another stone behind the fish-man who had remained behind. When the stone fell into the water with a loud splash, the fish-man jerked, turned around, and momentarily lost his vigilance.
The boy instantly crept closer, his sword ready. And with maximum resolve, he severed its head. The fish-man fell dead, and everything seemed to have been done without a sound. But he heard the system's notification.
[You have killed an Emerging Fish-Man]
[Your essence grows stronger]
Now the boy had a spear and a chance to escape. But he didn't do that. He didn't know what awaited him next, and here, with these fish-men roaming around, he could feast on them and quench his thirst with the river's water.
Making sure the remaining fish-men were distracted, he cautiously dragged the corpse away, leaving only a pool of black blood behind.