Chapter 13 : Heat Vision

Amidst his aimless search, Arthur's keen eyes finally spotted a suitable prey - a snake with black scales adorned by striking orange stripes. Though the snake appeared ferocious, Arthur knew it was no match for his skill and cunning. With swift precision, he unleashed his 'Illusionary Eye,' blinding the snake to its surroundings, and followed up with a lethal strike from his 'Poison Fangs,' further severing the snake's connection to its senses. Arthur disregarded the increased consumption of 'Poison Fangs' as his energy reserves were plentiful, thanks to his successful hunting expeditions over the past ten days of experimenting with the hamsters.

Dividing the snake in half, Arthur decided to consume the bottom portion as a meal while absorbing the upper half for an energy boost. Nourished by the snake's flesh, he felt the revitalizing energy flow through him, bringing strength to his feline form. But that was not all - the snake's upper half held an unexpected surprise. As Arthur activated the simulated machine and touched his paw to the snake's remains, a prompt appeared before him, revealing that the creature held 50 units of energy and an intriguing skill - 'Heat Vision.' The prospect of gaining a new skill filled Arthur with excitement.

Delighted by the windfall, he eagerly pressed the 'Yes' button on the prompt. With a surge of energy, he felt a subtle tingling sensation coursing through his eyes as the 'Heat Vision' became an inherent part of him.

As Arthur activated the new skill, 'Heat Vision,' a subtle yet significant transformation unfolded before his eyes. As he had anticipated, his vision underwent a remarkable shift, transitioning from perceiving visible light to now embracing the realm of infrared radiation. It was a revelation that opened up a whole new dimension of perception for him.

With his newly enhanced ability, Arthur found himself able to discern the temperature of objects almost instinctively. Each element in his surroundings now emanated its unique heat signature, painting a vivid tapestry of warmth and cold. He marveled at how he could effortlessly identify variations in temperature, differentiating between the heat of the sunlit earth and the cooler shadows cast by the towering trees.

Empowered by the knowledge that the forest snakes held almost twice the amount of energy as plains snakes, Arthur resolved to focus his hunting efforts in this new territory, while preserving the plains as a reliable food source. His decision proved fruitful as he embarked on another hunting expedition within the forest's dense foliage. Skillfully employing his 'Illusionary Eye' and 'Poison Fangs', he managed to capture two more snakes, further bolstering his energy reserves. As the sky began to paint itself in hues of orange, Arthur sensed the approaching evening and knew it was time to return to the safety of his cave.

Following the trail of marked trees, he navigated his way back with ease. Soon enough, the familiar entrance of his underground sanctuary greeted him, and he swiftly closed the door behind him, securing his haven for the night. His energy reserves now soared to an impressive 769 units. Satisfied with his accomplishments, Arthur indulged in a refreshing shower to cleanse himself from the day's endeavors.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the faint glimmers of light filtering through the holes in his door gradually faded, leaving the cave shrouded in darkness. Curling up on the floor, Arthur embraced the comforting silence of his sanctuary and succumbed to the embrace of slumber. With dreams of new discoveries and further mastery of his abilities, he ventured into a restful sleep, ready to embrace whatever the next day in the forest would bring.

---

As the dawn broke, Arthur's excitement for the new day's discoveries spurred him into the forest once more. His energy reserves, still brimming from the previous day's successful hunt, reassured him that he could focus on honing his newly acquired skill, 'Heat Vision'. Curiosity drove him to find out if this skill, like 'Poison Fangs', would undergo a transformation after absorbing energy from a specific number of snakes.

With a determined spirit, Arthur set forth on his routine. He ventured into the plains to secure his meals, swiftly dispatching hamsters with practiced precision. After satisfying his hunger, he turned his attention to the forest, where he hunted the enigmatic forest snakes, their energy serving as a catalyst for the evolution of his skills.

The days blurred into a seamless cycle of hunting, feeding, and skill enhancement. Arthur's understanding of the forest grew, and he began to navigate the dense vegetation with increased ease. As he repeated the process of absorbing energy from the forest snakes, he paid close attention to 'Heat Vision', keen to observe any changes in its abilities.

With a satisfied grin, Arthur knew that his efforts had paid off as he felt the newfound power coursing through him. As he absorbed the 15th 'Heat Vision', a stronger tingling sensation surged within his eyes, indicating a significant transformation. The energy assimilation was potent, leaving him eager to witness the enhancements in action.

Without hesitation, Arthur activated 'Heat Vision' once more to see what had changed. Immediately, he sensed the difference in energy expenditure. Previously, it required only 1 unit of energy to activate the skill and an additional 1 unit every 2 minutes to sustain it. Now, the activation cost had increased to 3 units, but astonishingly, there was no longer any continuous energy consumption to maintain the ability.

While the enhanced efficiency delighted him, Arthur couldn't readily discern any visible alterations in the skill's functionality. It retained its ability to detect heat signatures with clarity, allowing him to navigate the world with a heightened perception of the thermal landscape. Yet, he was convinced that this upgrade had unlocked something even more extraordinary, something that might manifest in unforeseen ways.

---

Returning to the cave, Arthur was eager to explore the full extent of his enhanced 'Heat Vision', he retreated to the familiar realm of the simulated world. With his energy reserves now exceeding 1900 units, he knew he had ample resources to conduct extensive tests. Determined to uncover any hidden potential within the skill, Arthur ventured deeper into his experiments.

For hours, he meticulously observed and manipulated the thermal landscape around him. As he focused his gaze on various objects, he detected subtle changes in their temperatures. However, it wasn't until the end of the two-hour session that a breakthrough occurred. Arthur's eyes widened with astonishment as he finally grasped the true essence of the transformation in 'Heat Vision.'