Arthur's greatest growth over these past few days of hunting wasn't just in his body size—it was in his patience.
He'd gradually figured out a pattern: the stronger a creature's attributes, the more stats he could convert by devouring it. More importantly, there was a certain chance he could inherit one of its skills.
Over these three days, he ate hundreds of different creatures and randomly ended up inheriting several talents.
Most of them were F- to E-grade, not exactly top-tier. But some were still pretty useful—like Stone Skin, which temporarily boosted his defense and came from a basalt-skinned lizard.
He also got Echo Sense from a mole, letting him detect living things by reading ground vibrations, and a Rapid Digestion skill from some unnamed bird, which cut down the time he needed to process his meals. It all came together to speed up his growth quite nicely.
The downside? He burned through energy way too fast. He had to keep hustling for food or risk starving to the point where his body would shrink—in other words, his boosted metabolism would start feeding on his own flesh. Definitely not cool.
He was still frustrated that despite his increased size, he had no overwhelmingly lethal attack method. His claws and fangs were fragile compared to other creatures his size, and none of the skills he'd picked up really boosted his raw offense. So at the moment, he was stuck when it came to hunting prey as big as—or bigger than—he was.
That was why he'd targeted this bird. Sure, it had stolen a meal from right under his nose, but more crucially, the bird could breathe fire.
If devouring it let him inherit some kind of flame-based attack, Arthur's hunting efficiency would skyrocket. He could also roast his meals instead of forcing down raw flesh.
Even though he'd gotten used to eating raw meat, he was still human once upon a time—cooked meals were a long-standing habit. And being able to make fire was a huge deal. Sure, he could try rubbing sticks together or something, but that was way too time-consuming, and his claws weren't as dexterous as human hands.
Lost in thought, Arthur suddenly caught the sound of flapping wings from outside.
Soon enough, a large red-feathered bird swooped in with a snake clamped in its talons. Perched on a nearby branch, the bird picked out the snake's gall, swallowed it down, then tore the snake into small chunks to feed its mate.
Arthur stayed perfectly still, not leaping to attack. The male bird had just returned and was obviously on high alert—its head constantly swiveling, checking for danger. One rustle would send it flying off.
But that watchful state didn't last long. By the time it had gnawed the snake down to a little stub, the bird finally relaxed its guard.
Now's the time!
Arthur's tongue darted out like a lightning bolt. The male bird reacted instantly, flapping its wings in an attempt to flee, but it was already too late. Arthur's tongue wrapped tight around one of its wings.
The female bird, startled by this ambush, puffed up its feathers on instinct—but instead of rushing to help, it just hovered protectively over its eggs.
Arthur ignored her, yanking the male in close. It slashed its claws at his face, but he jerked his head aside and clamped his jaws around the bird's neck. Granted, his teeth weren't as tough as those of other creatures his size, but his Strength attribute was already at 30—enough to bite clean through normal flesh and bone.
He tasted hot, coppery blood as it poured down his throat, and the male bird uttered a final anguished cry.
Only then did the female bird realize Arthur wasn't after her eggs—he was killing her mate. She let out a wail and swooped in, but she was nowhere near as strong as the male. She tore and scratched at Arthur, leaving barely a mark.
Arthur simply closed his eyes and activated his Stone Skin skill. His hide hardened to the texture of rock, so her attacks did little more than scrape faint lines across it.
Once the male bird went limp, Arthur loosened his jaw and slung its body aside, then turned and launched himself at the female. In just a few moves he'd torn out her throat as well. Five minutes tops, start to finish.
Arthur hopped onto the thickest branch beside the nest and settled in to enjoy his spoils. He even took the time to pluck off feathers before munching away.
The first bite was downright delicious, and Arthur couldn't help imagining how great it'd taste if he could roast it.
"Man, this bird is actually pretty tasty. If only I had a flame to grill it, it'd be even better," he mused, nodding to himself between bites. "Really hope that once I digest these two, I might inherit some useful talent."
He was optimistic, but reality let him down. Both birds devoured, he hit 100 satiety, with his evolution points jumping from 48 to 58, but he hadn't gotten any fire-breathing ability.
On the bright side, something weird did happen—his Fire Resistance talent leveled up.
[Mutant Gecko · SSS]
[Base Talents: Bite (D), Camouflage (E), Fire Resistance (C → B), Hunting Instinct (B), Devour Evolution (SSS)]
[Skills: Stone Skin (F), Echo Sense (F), Rapid Digestion (E)]
Arthur scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"So it's not just my Attributes that can evolve; talents can evolve too? Wonder what triggers that. Maybe it's based on proficiency, or some sort of unique matching trait?"
He pondered how the birds' fire-breath might inherently come with some extra fire resistance—maybe that's what fused with his own skill?
Scratching his head with a claw, he sighed.
"Aw, whatever. I'll just keep targeting more of these fire-breathing birds and see what happens."
There were plenty of this species around. He wasn't worried about wiping them out anytime soon. Just as he started to move, a crackling sound behind him made him freeze in place. Turning back, he saw that the six eggs in the nest were splitting open.
"They're hatching?"
Intrigued, Arthur stared. He hadn't bothered with the eggs before, but now it looked like another surprise had come his way.
Crack… crack…
The shells fractured so quickly that all Arthur could do was stand there, wide-eyed. Finally, a tiny head pushed its way through, then another, then a third…
"Chirp… chirp… chirp—"