I hate my life, every single day feels the same. I wake up, i eat, I work and then i go to sleep, this is my monotonous life and i hate every minute of it.
I Feel like a machine that never stops, today was no different, the lights of the office flickered above me, the slow ticking of the clock was so annoying and my boss yelling at me was the cherry on top.
By the time i finally left the office, the moon cast her cold and pale light on the street. My legs hurt due to the immense amount of time i spend sitting on the chair's office, the thought of collapsing on my bed was the only thing keeping me moving.
The streets were quiet, i stuffed my hand into my pocket and i lit a cigarette in peace.
"Hey man, got a minute?" A voice behind me called out.
I turned and before i could respond, a knife slashed the air.
"Wallet, now" the aggressor shouted.
Fear froze me in place. "I don't have much", i said while i was searching for my wallet inside my pocket.
I handed it over, hoping he'd just leave. Tension filled the air, this wasn't going to end well.
"Sorry, Man…. I can't have witnesses."
The knife sinks into my stomach before i could react. Pain exploded through my body, and i fell to the ground, i started coughing due to the warm blood spilling out of my body. The thief ran off, leaving me alone in the cold pavement of the street.
As darkness fell on my vision, a strange voice echoed across my head.
"Initializing the creation of your next life… You have been selected. You will be reincarnated into a Voidling. MUTATION detected… a unique ability will be granted to you, [PREDATOR] Skill Acquired."
I couldn't comprehend what i was hearing, my chest burned and then… nothing.
When i opened my eyes, i wasn't on the street anymore. I wasn't anywhere i recognized. Immense trees rises in the sky, i was lying on the ground, but something felt wrong.
My body felt… strange.
I pushed myself up or at least I tried to. I felt a gelatinous mass shift beneath me. Panic settled in me as i slid towards a nearby puddle. I reached the edge and looked down, i froze.
I was a creature i didn't recognize. My body was pitch black, like liquid shadow, rippling and shifting constantly. I had no face, no mouth, no limbs, just a single green eye in the center of my form.
"What… what the fuck is this?!?" I tried to speak, but no sound came out. My thoughts echoed inside my mind.
The voice from before returned, clear and mechanical.
"You are a Voidling, a species born to adapt and consume, Utilize your skill, [PREDATOR] to evolve, survive, grow and dominate. Say [STATUS] in your mind to see your current status."
I stared at my reflection, looking at my new gelatinous body, but beneath the fear, something awakened inside of me, something primal, an overwhelming hunger.
The voice continued.
"Your journey begins now, Hunt or be Hunted."
In the distance, i heard rustling. Something was moving through the bushes, my eye instantly focused on the sound.
I didn't know what i was, or what this world had in store for me, but one thing was clear, the monotonous grind of my old life was over.
The rustling grew stronger , i froze. My single eye looked onto the source of the sound, but i didn't move.
My body trembled, i felt so exposed in the open forest.
I wanted to run, but where would i go? I didn't know this place, i didn't know what it was like out there. And even if i escaped now, how long would it took before something bigger and stronger found me.
The rustling came closer, a creature emerged from the bushes. It was a small rabbit like creature with gray fur and curling antlers. It didn't look dangerous, but i didn't look dangerous either.
My fear didn't vanished, but something else began to creep in, Hunger. It wasn't a human hunger, the kind you feel when you skip lunch or miss breakfast. This was deeper, gnawing at me from the inside. I didn't know what i needed to survive, but i instinctively understood that this creature was the answer.
[Horned Hopper - Level 1]
I blinked or at least i thought i blinked, i literally have no eyelids. The text wasn't just floating in the air, it was as if my vision had shifted, revealing information i couldn't have seen.
My fear and hesitation battled with the strange pull inside of me, i didn't know what i was capable of.
I slid forward, my liquid like body clinging to the ground. The hopper didn't notice me at first, but as i closed the distance, his ears sensed my presence. It froze and so did i, my body rippled again, trembling with hesitation. What i was doing? Could I even do this?
The hopper's head snapped toward me.
Panic surged through me. Without thinking, i stretched my form unnaturally fast, a tendril shot out of my body, wrapping around one of the hopper's legs. The creature squealed, and i nearly let go, but the hunger inside of me refused.
The voice spoke again, calm and cold.
"Prey captured. Beginning absorption process. Skill detected: [Quick Step]".
The hopper's struggles grew weaker as his body began to dissolve into shimmering particles, the creature vanished completely, leaving nothing behind.
"Absorption completed, you have killed a [Horned Hopper - Level 1], you have gained 20 EXP."
"Acquired Skill [Quick Step]"
The word "Status" echoed in my mind.
Instantly a faint blue light appeared in front of me, forming a translucent screen that floats in the air.
———————————
STATUS
-Name: Unnamed
-Race: Voidling
-Level: 1
-Traits: [Mutant]
-Unique Skill: [PREDATOR]
SKILLS
[Quick Step lvl 1]
STATS
-Strength: 10
-Agility: 20
-Sense: 15
-Vitality: 15
-Intelligence: 10
———————————
My gaze lingered on each section.
Voidling, that was what I had become, a creature of the void. The word [Mutant] stood out as well, i didn't know what it meant exactly, but i had a gut feeling it was the reason i'd received [PREDATOR].
My eye moved down the Skills section, [PREDATOR] the ability i was already starting to understand, it allows me to absorb the powers of the creature i consume. And now, there was [Quick Step] the Hopper's skill.
Finally i studied the stats.
-Strenght: My raw physical power, it wasn't much.
-Agility: clearly my strongest attribute so far, i can move fast and with [Quick Step] i can now move even faster.
-Sense: My awareness of the world around me.
-Vitality: My durability, the ability to take hits and survive.
-Intelligence: this stat it's tied to magic abilities.
My gaze returned to the skills section, i noticed something i didn't saw before.
———————————
SKILLS
[Quick Step - Level 1]
———————————
I realized that skills could evolve too. The "Level 1" next to [Quick Step] it's a reminder that this skill could grow stronger with use.
I closed the status screen with a thought, i watched the faint blue light fading into nothingness.
The fight with the Horned Hopper had been "terrifying", but it also showed me something important, i could survive.
I glanced down at my shifting and dark form, it wasn't what i would've chose, but maybe i could shape this life into something more than a simple struggle for survival.
I turned my gaze toward the forest's depths, where faint rustle and distant sounds hinted at unseen creatures, if i want to thrive in this world, i have to grow stronger.
The forest stretched endlessly before me, full of challenges and opportunities. I didn't know what lay ahead, but one thing was clear.
This was only the beginning.