Kai picked up another leaf and directly chewed on it. To his surprise and happiness, it felt bitter in taste. This meant that if he ate from his mouth, he wouldn't get the same taste he experienced while using the devouring mark movement.
[You have devoured a blood devouring conifer's leaf.]
[You have devoured a blood devouring conifer's leaf.]
[…]
After eating a few more leaves, he moved to the nearby tree and did the same. For every 4 or 5 leaves, he was getting a skill point, which was more than he expected.
As for not eating from one tree, even though the system mentioned that he could easily eat 30 leaves from a tree, he didn't do it.
After all, the trees had an aatma, though at an extremely nascent stage, basically moving with instincts, but that made them more unpredictable, so why take chances when he had so many more options?
'But more than the skill points themselves, I want to get a core. The only possible abilities the trees have are the blood-sucking attack and photosynthesis. But the innate ability allows me to get the best possible option… which is the blood-sucking attack.'
Just thinking about it, Kai became excited and didn't even notice himself jumping on a faraway branch and landing easily.
He gasped, a smile appearing on his face. He let his body move freely and stopped being careful of his steps.
[You have devoured a blood devouring conifer's leaf.]
[You have devoured a blood devouring conifer's leaf.]
[…]
He had already placed the devouring mark on the tip of his tail, and it did its work properly.
'It somehow feels amazing… is it because I have a monkey bloodline? Oh well, anyway, ohh, the hell…'
He nearly stumbled as the sky darkened, the tree leaves igniting with a red glow that bled through the forest. The system chimed in just in time to inform him—the trees glowed when they slept. By day, these trees were the forest's ruthless predators, but now their glowing leaves cast an eerie, mesmerizing light, pushing back the night's darkness.
'Interesting,' Kai rubbed his hands. 'Now, time to hunt creatures.'
He felt excited for his upcoming battle, after all, it would be the first of many.
But…
Some time later, the miro jumped down from the tree, a frustrated frown on his face. The leaves had stopped giving skill points, implying that he'd now have to devour new things. But the issue was…
There was still no creature in his sight.
'Didn't you say that the forest becomes active at night?'
[Analyzing, please wait…]
[That's the case normally, but the slaughter that happened an hour ago has filled the air with a bloody smell. As such, most creatures fear getting out from their hideout.]
'Huh?' Kai inhaled deeply but didn't notice any bloody smell. He was there when the blood fest happened, so he was sure that he could distinguish the smell.
This only meant that his nose wasn't as strong as the creatures', or they used different means to observe the change in the atmosphere.
'Tch… what now? You mentioned that most won't get out, okay, but who are the ones that will?'
[Only the strong, the daring, and the extremely hungry ones.]
Kai tilted his head, an unnoticeable shine appearing in his azure eyes. His lips soon curled up in a grin. 'So a hard prey, huh? Nice, that also works.'
He was no longer feeling frustrated, his energy back up to the top. He immediately got up the tree again. It was a good spot to hide as well as monitor the surroundings.
The leaves illuminated the area, and even though it wasn't that bright, it was enough to help Kai. Suddenly, Kai felt like the trees were pretty likable.
He touched the nearby bark gently and asked the system, 'Hey, system, is there a way to get seeds of these trees?'
[Finding the Mother tree is harder than finding the core. Even if you do get the seeds, replicating the environment to grow a conifer is hard. It requires—]
'Nah, no need to tell me that. Well, note this down in your database or whatever that if I do find the seeds, you will give me the list of requirements, or better yet, just inform me if I chance upon the said material in the near future.'
[Affirmative.]
Kai moved a little ahead but stopped. He could hear a buzzing sound; it was too sudden.
His eyes warily scanned the surroundings, but nothing was in sight.
'What is it?'
[…]
The system didn't answer. Fair enough, the system wasn't omnipotent; it had information about countless flora and fauna but that didn't mean the system could identify something from just sound, unless the said sound was peculiar to the creature.
[Breathless Endurance]
[-1 Mana]
He waited a little, his body tense and ready for action. But he couldn't see anything, giving a sense of foreboding, but soon after, the buzzing was no more.
Kai waited a few more minutes before finally moving in a random direction.
Soon enough, a smile appeared on his face as he noticed an old, half-collapsed conifer tree. The vegetation around it was scarce compared to other places.
He had smiled as the system had already notified him of the presence of a core nearby.
But as he got closer, he noticed something strange. Sure enough, there was a small yellowish orb embedded inside the bark.
The bizarre aspect was that he could see some movement beside it.
'Huh?'
Focusing, he noticed that whatever they were had almost the same color as that of the bark. They were clearly trying to dig out the core.
Their color being the same was either a coincidence, or it was their ability. If it was the latter case then it'd be better for Kai.
He soon received a familiar ding that excited him.
[A quest has been issued.]
[Quest: Kill 4 Camouflage Ants]
[Description: Kill and devour the palm-sized camouflage ants. Do not let any escape, as only the unidentifiable leader has the core.]
[Reward: Camouflage Ant Core]
[Time Limit: None]