After the apocalypse, the animals who had suffered the effect no longer had different choices on what they take in for survival... They sought the flesh of humans and creatures of their likes, devouring souls in pursuit of power and to evolve.
When they kill any creature, just like humans, they gain Evo Units from the soul of the victim. These Evo Units (Evolution Units) helped the creatures grow stronger physically, magically, and spiritually...
There was always a certain point when they underwent an advancement, leveling up from becoming a Starless to a Star-1 Vessel.
These processes didn't happen easily as it took a lot of effort and Evo Units to achieve a certain evolution point.
The same thing applies to humans, they gain Evo Units after slaying Vessels or even after learning a certain magic Art or Skill, making them level up from a Primal-tier to an Advanced-tier Vanquisher, for instance.
Hearing his cat speak from the Vanquishing Space, Seven sighed and summoned it out. He had kept the cat in the Vanquishing Space since they got to the university because he definitely knew the amount of mockeries he would receive if the students around saw it.
It was normal in several places where youngsters gathered: anyone who appeared to be weakly different from others gets countless portions of mockery and bullying.
Seven didn't want that for a start, and that's why he would be trying to keep his Vessel a secret for as long as he could.
Perhaps until he leaves the university.
"Where do you think we can get some meat here?!" Seven furrowed his brows and asked...
"Ohh... The cafeteria..."
The cat stared at him and squinted.
MEOW!
"I need to eat now!"
Seven shrugged and frowned.
"Hold on!"
Surprisingly, Vessels had grown to a certain height of intelligence where they could act like humans sometimes. If it wasn't for the impossibility of vocal communication, humans would have been able to understand these creatures...
Only Seven could communicate with a Vessel now, and that was strange... It was undoubtedly certain that the whole planet would be stunned if they came to discover this.
Seven knew that he wouldn't be spared if that should happen, and he had decided to keep it a secret for the rest of his life, perhaps.
Due to the cat's cry for food, Seven left his room and made his way to the cafeteria in the next building. The alley was pretty dark at that time, but it didn't hinder his steps to the opened exit of the building.
It was evening already, and the sun was beginning to set... The initial crowd had reduced greatly, but there were still students around.
Seven spotted many of them taking the same route as him, and it was clear that they were approaching the cafeteria. It was dinnertime, and many students were already having their meals before going back to their various dormitories.
He approached the cafeteria with slow steps and walked in. Without sparing a glance at anyone around, Seven walked over to the attendance spot to request his meal.
That time, almost everyone sitting around threw cold glances at him... While he sensed it, he paid them no attention.
"Good day, mistress," Seven greeted upon approach.
"Good day... What do you need?"
One of the attendants, a middle-aged woman wearing an apron replied with a smile.
"I need two bowls of porks, and half bowl of vegetables... I would love two hawk eggs as well," Seven forced a smile and requested.
"Sure," the woman smiled and turned in a different direction. In front of her, there were pans of different sizes arranged as if like a garage. Three other women could be seen standing around that spot as they served the students who came for dinner.
After a moment, the woman brought out two bowls of porks and a half bowl of vegetables. Seven spotted three hawk eggs on the small bowl of vegetables and smiled.
"I only asked for two, mistress," he raised his head to take a glance.
"Oh, you don't have to worry; there are a lot of hawk eggs in the pans today. You can have more if you want?" The woman said.
"Ahh... Thanks. This would be fine enough. Thanks for your kindness," Seven rejected to collect more boiled hawk eggs, and left the cafeteria.
When he walked out of the cafeteria and made his way back to his dormitory, he noticed a young lady, seemingly like his age, walking in the same direction. This lady was far ahead of him, but Seven quickly decided to make a trail on her.
With a rush, he jogged straight through her route, surprisingly appearing to be the actual way to his dormitory. It wasn't as if he had other intentions, he only wanted to know where he was heading.
When the young lady approached the entrance, she walked through the alley. It was after a few moments that he noticed she was living nextdoor to his room.
Seven shrugged. "She must be the second Cat-type Vessel student, I guess."
With that said Seven approached his room and walked in. He then summoned his cat out of the Vanquishing Space and gave it the two bowls of porks. After staying in his family's Breeding Base for two years, he learned a few things about the Vessels, especially what they ate.
The cat wasn't an exception, so he knew exactly what it liked.
That very moment, the Golden-horned Silver-furred Cat gnawed the meats in the bowl without looking back. Its teeth were tiny, but they were strong enough to devour the soft porks.
Seven sat on his bed and watched the small cat devour its meal, mostly staring at its face. After vanquishing the cat, Seven noticed the uniqueness of this cat.
It wasn't just the golden horns that were still as little as caps on both side of its head...
It was its long, curved whiskers...
They were thick and seemed to possess a transparent hue, giving off the allowance for the manifestation of the Luminous Whiskers Skill.
Seven hadn't seen such a cat in his life, perhaps, because he had seen none but only this one.
But, he happened to feel something special about this Cat-type Vessel, which he couldn't express.
[Host, do you want to give your Vessel, Golden-horned Silver-furred Cat, a name?]
Seven summoned the system after a moment of his admiration.
"Yes, of course."
[Naming Attempt Accepted. Please, mention a name to confirm.]
Seven nodded and glanced at the cat one more time, then he switched his gaze and spoke.
"From today onwards, its name will be Whisky!".