Chapter 12. Tiger's Skin.

[Third-person perspective]

Leaving footprints on the grass, Otis felt a sweet metallic taste in his mouth.

«My body received internal organ concussion. I need to minimize contact with the beast,» Otis muttered, feeling pain throughout his body.

His hands trembled with weakness, and he began to feel a slight numbness.

Noticing that the tiger sat on its hindquarters, Otis jumped to the side. Feeling a part of his hair being cut by the cold wind passing over his head.

Not managing to shift his weight to the other leg and move aside, Otis fell on his backside. As a result, the tiger pounced on him with an open mouth.

The smell of blood and rotten meat attacked Otis's senses. This made the boy want to turn away, but the situation didn't allow him.

At the moment of the attack, he blocked the tiger's mouth with his sword. But the weight began to increase, causing Otis's stamina to drain from his body faster.

Hearing the rustle of grass, Otis finally saw a chance for victory.

When the Tiger momentarily diverted its attention to the intruder, it felt a sharp pain in its nose.

At the moment when the tiger's gaze shifted to Alice, Otis released one of his hands holding the sword and delivered a sharp elbow strike to the tiger's nose.

This was enough to shock the tiger. It closed its eyes for a second in pain.

The next thing he felt was two swords piercing into his ears.

As a result, he began to shake his head and roar with his royal roar. Even the earth trembled.

Seeing that the grip on the sword had almost disappeared, Otis began to act. He moved the blade from the side to a vertical position and thrust it directly into the tiger's mouth.

«Heroic Slash,» Otis shouted, feeling part of his blood leaving his body. It was a very strange feeling. It was as if the warmth that had enveloped his body like a blanket from the early morning had shrunk. At that moment, Otis felt cold all over his body. But deciding not to dwell on trifles, he focused on reality.

At that moment, the tiger's body trembled several times. And its eyes, full of unwillingness, turned to Otis. They were filled with myriad regrets. But the main emotion was pride from the warrior's death.

A couple of breaths later, the tiger's muscles relaxed, and its body fell onto Otis.

In the next moment, a notification appeared before Otis.

«Heroic deed. You defeated an enemy much stronger than yourself. A newcomer to the world of magic managed to defeat a rank 1 beast.»

[Strength characteristic increased.]

<<<Status >>>

[Life Simulation System]

Name: Otis Maycroft

Element: Blood

Life Simulation Points: 0

Rank: 0

Talent: Crimson Vessel (Rank: 0)

Strength: 0.05, Endurance: 0.06, Intelligence: 0.06

Wisdom: 0.11

Abilities: Heroic Slash.

Note: the higher the strength, the fewer brains. Congratulations, you've embarked on the path of a dumb jock.

At that moment, Otis's entire body electrified. His muscles began to vibrate, and he felt as if warm liquid was pouring into them. Weakness and cold in Otis's body began to slowly recede but didn't completely leave his body.

«Otis, I'll help you now,» a voice from above was heard. At that moment, the tiger's carcass slowly rolled off Otis's body. And he was able to take a full breath again.

Standing up, Otis was greeted by slight dizziness and pain throughout his body. This made the surviving young hero want to return to the ground.

«Not bad, Otis. Open your mouth and say 'ah,» Bina's voice was heard. Finally, when the battle was over.

Deciding not to resist, Otis did as he was told. In the next moment, a sweet drop of dew landed in his mouth. It slid quickly down his throat, and Otis felt warmth spread throughout his body.

It passed through his throat quickly, and warmth raced through his limbs like a fiery avalanche.

It ended as quickly as it had come, causing Otis to shudder.

«What... what was that?» Otis asked, completely bewildered by the mild shock.

«Dew, from the pixie clan. It's one of our clan's best-selling products. Only we can create it. It's completely neutral, so it suits all types of creatures: neutral, dark, and light.»

«Neutral, dark, and light?» Otis repeated, puzzled.

«All creatures fall into three types. Neutrals are simple beings who have chosen the path of power, without siding with evil or good. This accelerates their development.»

«Good creatures focus on increasing virtue, becoming stronger by doing good deeds. In retaliation, dark creatures act oppositely. Thus, the war between their factions makes each other stronger. But just as virtue is poison to evil, and vice versa. This is why neutral factions still exist. They act as a bridge between the two warring factions.»

«And where are the supporters of these factions?» Otis asked eagerly.

«The good factions consist of angels on the 5th heaven and demigods in the form of gods on the 4th heaven.»

«The evil factions are ghosts, sentient nightmares, and other creatures of the dream world on the 2nd heaven. And demons on the 1st heaven. As for the 3rd heaven, it's an area under the control of arrogant dragons. They maintain neutrality. And it's thanks to them that the neutral factions weren't destroyed in the early stages.»

«Wow! Dad never talked about anything like this,» Alice whispered, loud enough for the other two to hear in such an environment.

«Such information is useless to you. You'll just fuss over trifles,» Binah replied.

After dissecting the tiger by the nearest stream, the trio divided the tiger into three parts. Otis packed the tiger meat into a special bag, while the tiger's skin went to Alice. She wanted to make clothing out of it, saying she knew someone who might like it.

Upon returning to the base, Otis handed the meat to Alice, asking her to sell it. He decided to rest himself; his battle had drained him considerably. Despite the usefulness of pixie dew, his body still felt uncomfortably out of sorts.

By evening, Alice, Otis, and Binah had a barbecue together. The tiger meat was tender and juicy. Just as they finished eating, a loud roar echoed.

The first thing Otis felt was a slight earthquake. But his instincts also began playing an alarmingly tense tune, much like in video games.

«Something's not right. Something's really wrong!» Binah's serious voice sounded for the first time in a while.

Putting out the fire, Otis helped Alice to her feet. The three of them began looking around from the second-floor height to see what was happening below.

After the first minute, a strange noise could be heard. But over time, it continued to intensify, making the trio increasingly tense.

After another 5 minutes, Otis saw an antelope run beneath them, followed by a bear. But that was just the beginning.

One after another, all the animals started running, as if fleeing from something.

Deciding not to draw attention to themselves, the trio stayed in the treehouse, hoping they wouldn't be noticed.

«I think it's a tide of animals. Perhaps a beast couldn't break through and had no choice but to become a monster,» Binah whispered.

«What kind of monster is it? Just a moment ago, hundreds of animals ran beneath us, some even rank 5 beasts,» Otis asked fearfully.

«From the noise and the aura swirling in the forest, it's not below rank 7,» Binah replied.

«Is there such a big difference between ranks 5 and 7?» Otis asked, his voice trembling with fear.

«For humanoid creatures, rank 5 is just the beginning of their journey. But in the world of beasts, there's no concept of peacetime. That's why all the beasts are in a state of cold war. But there's a similarity. Rank 5 for beasts is like a watershed; after reaching it, beasts begin to awaken wisdom. But after that, each subsequent rank is like comparing a 0-rank mage to a 5th rank mage. Because ranks 6 and above have special requirements that only provide more advantages.»

«As for rank 7 and above, it's simple. Beasts wouldn't have fled from their nesting places just because of some 6th rank beasts around. But with 7th rank and above, problems start. Rank 7 is somewhat similar to rank 5, except that when breaking through to rank 5, you create your own spirit to bear the burden on your soul. So, rank 7 is a direct awakening of lineage or, in your case, Otis, its creation. It's an infinitely important stage for beasts. It's almost a dream embedded in every beast. Because by awakening our lineage, no matter how diluted, you can gain power that many beasts only had partial access to.» Binah explained.

While they whispered, the entire forest was illuminated by a crimson light.

«There it is, with each breakthrough from the beginning of the 5th rank, the world is illuminated by a flash of bright yellow. It's a sign that the world heralds a breakthrough beyond bodily limits. But for those who side with chaos, the color is red. And it's not just red; upon direct contact with vision, it has a debuff effect if you're within 10 meters. The beast became a monster but at the cost of its own identity, managed to awaken its lineage. It seems the empire will have big problems soon,» Alice said, shaking her head from side to side.

«Now, hold your breath and close your eyes. No matter what happens outside, don't move. Otherwise, we're dead. Unfortunately, we're within the capture radius. So, it can see us. It's only because the monster lost its mind that we're still alive. But it's better not to tempt fate,» Bina said, inhaling a maximum amount of air demonstratively.

Following Bina's instructions, Otis and Alice filled their lungs to the brim and closed their eyes.

At that moment, Otis felt like his heart was pounding so loudly that everyone could hear it. But his two companions seemed to feel the same way.

While the three lay there like corpses with closed eyes, the entire forest was illuminated by a crimson glow. Everything that saw it began to fall, losing its will and life.

At that moment, even though Otis had his eyes closed, a notification came to his mind.

[You are within the capture zone of a 7th rank monster - the Matriarch of the Blood Spider. The capture zone's activity time has begun. Time remaining: 2:59]

[You are under the curse of blood. Your body resists.]

[Due to conflicting interests, the monster has no heavenly support.]

[You receive mana particles from the curse.]

[Rank: 0 (12%)]

[Rank 0 (13%)]

[Rank 0 (18%)]

[Rank 0 (19%)]

...

[Rank 0 (83%)]

[Rank 0 (98%)]

[Rank 0 (99%)]

[Rank 0 (100%)]

[Do you wish to make a breakthrough to the 1st rank?]

[Yes / No]

Mentally, Otis declined, deciding not to risk the lives of his companions.

[You have declined to advance to the 1st rank. Mana absorption continues.]

[Your body is overflowing with mana. Predicting the consequences if you continue to absorb it is impossible. But the 3rd sky likes to reward heroes for their bravery.]

[Emergency mission received: survive!]

[Reward: ???]

[Failure: death.]

[Time remaining until completion: 2:42]