Chapter 6 : Finding Food

After finding solace in the safety of the cave, Arthur took a moment to compose himself and devise a priority list for his survival in this unfamiliar world. Aware that he had only been in this wild environment for a few hours, he recognized that water was his most immediate concern. Despite not feeling hungry just yet, the previous hunting ordeal had left him both exhausted and thirsty. Vague memories surfaced of hearing faint sounds of dripping water when he first arrived, leading him to believe there might be a water source nearby.

With curiosity driving him, Arthur ventured deeper into the cave, and his search was rewarded when he discovered a small pool of water. The pool was roughly one meter deep, and though he couldn't ascertain how long it would sustain him, he knew it would alleviate his immediate thirst for the time being.

Satisfied that his water problem was temporarily addressed, Arthur shifted his focus to his next priority: food. As a carnivorous creature, his food options were limited to fruits and small critters found in the plains. The thought of venturing into the forest for fruits, fraught with danger, was quickly dismissed. Thus, the plains remained his only viable option to search for prey.

While Arthur acknowledged that his hunting skills were insufficient to take down any creature on his own, he held onto a glimmer of hope provided by his ability, 'Illusionary Eye.'

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After a much-needed half-hour of rest, Arthur's weariness dissipated, only to be replaced by the gnawing sensation of hunger. Determined to quell his appetite, he ventured once more into the plains, navigating swiftly through the tall grass. The pangs of hunger sharpened his focus, propelling him towards the mission of finding food. Within a mere twenty minutes, another faint noise reached Arthur's ears, alerting him to the presence of potential prey.

Deploying his 'Shadow Walk' skill once again, Arthur closed the distance stealthily toward the source of the sound. This time, his target was a snake. With calculated precision, he disabled 'Shadow Walk,' activated 'Illusionary Eye,' and intentionally made some noise to draw the snake's attention. The reptile swiftly turned toward Arthur, its gaze irresistibly drawn to the dim purple glow of the third eye positioned on his forehead.

Moving swiftly in this dance of illusion, Arthur projected a duplicate of himself into the snake's simulated vision, effectively creating a decoy. As the snake fixated on the illusory copy, Arthur discreetly removed his physical body from its sight. Misinterpreting Arthur's vanishing act as an aggressive maneuver, the snake assumed a defensive stance, revealing its bared fangs in an attempt to intimidate the phantasm.

Taking advantage of the snake's reaction, Arthur activated 'Shadow Walk' once more and silently closed in on the unsuspecting serpent from behind. The snake's instincts were not as acute as those of a pure prey animal like the hamster, granting Arthur the element of surprise. Before the snake could react, Arthur's swift paw descended, pinning the snake's head firmly to the ground.

Caution prevailed as Arthur chose not to bite the snake's head directly, unsure if it was venomous or not. Instead, he used his claws to separate the snake's head from its long body. Minutes of intense struggle ensued before the snake's head finally detached.

After the intense battle with the snake, Arthur took a few seconds to catch his breath and regain his composure. His face showed visible hesitation and disgust at the thought of eating raw meat. Despite having gone fishing as a child, his modern sensibilities found the act revolting. However, his overwhelming hunger left him little choice. Overpowered by his primal instincts, Arthur whispered to himself, "You've had sushi before, it's just like that," imagining the snake's scaly flesh as a raw fish to quell his aversion.

He managed to consume most of the snake's meat, but he stopped before he felt overwhelmed by the repulsive act. Distracting himself from the situation, Arthur glanced around and noticed the snake's head still intact and appearing strangely lively. A spark of inspiration ignited within him, prompting him to activate the simulated machine and gently touch the snake's head with his paw. To his surprise, a small prompt appeared, indicating the detection of 10 units of energy and a new skill called 'Poison Fangs.'

Stunned by the revelation that this small part of the snake contained half the energy of the previous hamster, Arthur briefly questioned if it might have been wiser to absorb the snake instead of consuming it. Pushing those thoughts aside, he focused on the prompt and selected 'Yes.' As the energy from the snake was transferred to him, he felt a tingling sensation in his upper canine teeth. Looking at the status screen's skills tab, he noticed that 'Poison Fangs' had been added to his portfolio.

Despite his excitement and curiosity to experiment with this new skill, Arthur recognized that lingering in one place for too long was dangerous. Moreover, he suspected that the 'Poison Fangs' skill could only be tested on a live animal, which the simulation space couldn't provide. Deciding to continue his quest for prey, Arthur oriented himself relative to the cave's entrance and resumed his search, hoping to find another opportunity to test his newfound abilities in the unforgiving wild.

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With the pressing urgency of hunger temporarily abated, Arthur took his time to search for a suitable prey. He decided to save the hamster for a future meal and focused on finding another snake to replenish his energy, which had dwindled to 38 units. After nearly two hours of stealthy exploration, Arthur finally stumbled upon another snake. The constant use of 'Shadow Walk' to sneak up on potential targets had further decreased his energy level to 23 units.

Recalling his previous successful tactic, Arthur disabled 'Shadow Walk' and activated 'Illusionary Eye' while making a subtle noise to catch the snake's attention. As the snake looked into his illusionary eye, Arthur swiftly swapped places with his projected duplicate. Re-activating 'Shadow Walk,' he silently approached the unsuspecting snake from behind and skillfully pinned it down. Rather than attempting to remove its head as before, Arthur decided to experiment with his newfound skill, 'Poison Fangs.'

Feeling a tingling sensation in his two upper canine teeth, Arthur glanced at his status screen and noticed that the activation of the 'Poison Fangs' skill consumed 3 units of energy. With a calculated bite, Arthur sank his teeth into the snake. Initially, the snake seemed unaffected, but after a couple of minutes, he observed the blackening of the bitten area, which turned out to be significantly more vulnerable and easier to tear with his paws.

Continuing the observation for another 5 minutes, Arthur noted that half of the snake's body had blackened. Surprisingly, the snake didn't seem to show any signs of harm. Realizing that the poison only seemed to make the target more vulnerable to attacks, Arthur decided to conclude his experiment as the sun began its descent toward the horizon.

With a swift swipe of his claws, he effortlessly tore through the blackened skin of the snake, causing its demise. As he pressed his paw on the snake, a prompt appeared before him, indicating the detection of 60 units of energy and the 'Poison Fangs' skill. Ignoring the skill, Arthur promptly absorbed the energy, assuming the simulated machine didn't account for duplicates.

Much to his surprise, after the energy absorption was complete, he noticed the snake's teeth were shrinking, mirroring his experience with the previous snake. A weaker tingly sensation in his upper two canine teeth signaled that the skill had improved.

Though Arthur wished to find another snake to further his experiments, the gradual shift of the sky from blue to orange reminded him that it was time to return to the safety of the cave. Satisfied with his discoveries and eager to rest, he made his way back to the concealed refuge, carrying both a sense of accomplishment and curiosity about the potential of his newfound abilities.