8 Life of a prey

Opening his eyes as a rabbit John said: "This is a new body with different functions, but I believe learning its working should be simple. At least, I can see, hear and smell properly now, with an option to switch the vision to life energy and back. Now to see the difference in the system"

John relayed to the mark via the rabbit's brain: "System show my evolution options"

[You do not possess enough experience points for transformation] responded system.

John thought: "So there are similarities between novels and this environment, this arises the need for more data, let's try the status window"

"System show me my status window" John immediately requested. This time system quickly responded with stats.

[Name: Jill

Race: mutated rabbit

Level: 1

Class: N/A

HP (Health Pint): 1.5/2

MP (Mana Pint): 1

SP (Stamina Pint): 3

Attributes:

Strength – 0.1

Dexterity – 0.5

Constitution –0.1

Intelligence –0.05

Wisdom –0.05

Charisma – 0.01

Skills: N/A

Condition: Uncoordinated (mildly poisoned)

XP (Experience Pint): 5/10]

John had used his former cover added with some cells from his preys, designing a camouflage suit for his core. Added with topnotch surgical skills from years of experience with different life forms, the symbol did not find any abnormality within the brain.

"What a racist system! It provides vastly different information sets. It should be due to strict control over evolution paths. It also displays her name, this should be a direct result from the interaction between her and her kind. Jill, a strange name for a mutated rabbit" John commented.

He understood the function of XP; it was energy stored within the imprint.

The creature would absorb mana and life energy from food. While they could hardly intake surrounding energy, once another monster dies, due to excess energy around them at that time, they will be able to collect some of it. These activities helped the imprint absorb energy; Leading to transformations.

None of these conditions concerned John, as he was able to consume all force within a limited range.

He tried to move within his new body, it felt very unnatural; similar to putting new shoes on for the first time. If anyone could witness this small rabbit, they would be shocked at the flexibility displayed by it!

Some of John's peers may use this weak vessel to kill smaller pray, evolving this simple life form to an able beast. But John had found the function of symbol to be more than a help towards monsters; it rather acted as a limiter. While it would hasten their growth, ultimately the rains were pulled to control their powers. He knew there were no free lunches in the world; in other words, there was always a catch.

"Now to complete the remainder of points, it is also a good chance to assess my collecting powers, let's drain some plants!" John thought to himself.

So, the feeble plants were targeted once again. After eating one, John noticed a small change within the body. However, this small change did not portray any numerical change. After digesting a few more, the body showed signs of being full; yet John improved the digestion system by circulating some mana around it, fixing the issue. While the wretched rabbit was being force-fed by John, he himself was collecting surrounding mana for the mark. Even this mana filled with pre-determined properties had some effect on the symbol. Sometime later, the remainder of the experience points were gathered.

John relayed: "Now for the moment of truth, system show my future path"

System responded [1. Bigger size

2. Stronger digestion powers (hidden upgrade)

3. Sturdier legs

4. Keen nose]

John thought: "These are all the traits, which this host is capable of; especially the hidden class is the proof of such a hypothesis. Keen nose, if used properly would be extremely beneficial; while being caught would result in instant failure, ultimately being fast would be a better advantage"

He commanded: "I chose sturdier legs"

Energy flew from the imprint to cover the legs, increasing bone density, toughening muscles and reshaping nerves to respond faster. Since there was no need for a complete makeover; John carefully analyzed this process. After the improvement, he asked for the status window again.

[Name: Jill

Race: mutated rabbit

Level: 2

Class: Runner

HP (Health Pint): 2/2.5

MP (Mana Pint): 1.1

SP (Stamina Pint): 3.5

Attributes:

Strength – 0.1

Dexterity – 0.75

Constitution –0.2

Intelligence –0.05

Wisdom –0.05

Charisma – 0.01

Skills: N/A

Condition: Prime

XP (Experience Pint): 0/15]

"Strange, it seems this process healed the poison residues. However, it did not fill up the, now increased, health points. Also, stamina was raised, which should all be a result of higher constitution. The bigger imprint should be the cause of changes in MP. Well, it is not difficult to raise our level again, this body is very young, it should be able to survive the pressure" John assessed.

This upgrade was not without risks; there was always some possibility of failure, leading to death. Added to that, malnutrition and imbalance were common results of evolution; as the body would not be able to gather all organs together in a short span of time. The mental strain was by far the most important issue when transforming, thus older life force tried to avoid evolutions.

After John took control of this body, the shock had almost made the petite rabbit to lose her mind. Now with this untimely growth, she experienced a near breakdown but survived by focusing on her mother's smile. Whenever Jill was under stress, she would subconsciously remember this smile and suddenly everything seemed easier.

John had noticed some mild activity, protecting the brain from a meltdown; so, he calculated the time the host would need to calm her mind. In the time required, he forced the host to intake more food, in order to hasten the recovery and growth.

This has been Jill's worst day, she left home after much anxiety to see her brother. Suddenly lost consciousness; then, felt a soul-crushing agony in her mind, waking her, only to faint due to severe torment. After waking up, she felt stomach-ache, which was strange since her mother kept yelling at her for never eating enough. Before she had any chance to process her new conditions, there came a warm feeling towards her legs. Again, misery started; now it was the turn for her legs. What she did not know was that John had stopped the procedure of pain-killer release from the brain, for the sake of observing changes in brain waves. This fact added to coordination needed from the mind, led the weak host to suffer mental strains, almost having gone insane.

Now Jill had no more control over her own body, which scared her senseless. Forcing herself to stay awake, she started to devour plants with no signs of slowing down. After some time, she accepted these strange conditions as her reality. She said to herself: "At lease, I'm eating food now, I can grow big and strong, so I can be brave now, no more nightmares, I will be able to protect everyone. But I have eaten more than I have ever had food! It does not feel good to eat anymore, but I don't feel any bellyache. It's strange, so much for being safe as long as I do what mother says. I miss my family, I really really wanna go home. Would I blow up if I eat so much? That would be scary, I wanna go home. I want my mommy"

These were sweet thoughts of a young mind. However, no one heard her pleas and John did not care.

John was working hard on adjusting the body for sudden changes while controlling the digestive process. So far, he had helped her host to reach a stage that other mutated rabbits would attain after a long time with much effort. Of course, the suffering associated with this method was more than sufficient to discourage all seekers. With suffering being the secondary condition, and John being first; he had to control the process directly, increasing the odds of the host's survival.

John relayed: "System, show my new stats"

[Name: Jill

Race: mutated rabbit

Level: 2

Class: Runner

HP (Health Pint): 2.5/2.5

MP (Mana Pint): 1.1

SP (Stamina Pint): 3.5

Attributes:

Strength – 0.1

Dexterity – 0.75

Constitution –0.2

Intelligence –0.05

Wisdom –0.05

Charisma – 0.01

Skills: N/A

Condition: Mentally unstable

XP (Experience Pint): 15/15]

John commented to himself: "Finally this seed is ready to sprout a lovely flower, there is a good chance of a mental meltdown. In either case, this test subject has little value left. Next steps should be in proper order by now, a long time of observation has led to a soar in success rate. 95% is good with other 5% being accounted for with multiple contingency plans. Let's see if she can save herself again, I am quite curious"

"System show me my growth options" John commanded.