Chapter 24: Survival

It was terrifying; Hunters are extremely ruthless and will just kill anything on sight. I had no choice but to leave. This smell will draw them here. I can't let them see me. No monkey would cook roast chicken in a jungle.

I parted ways with my roasted chicken without even looking back.

"FUCK YOU!!!! YOU PEOPLE WILL NOT HAVE CHICKEN REST OF YOUR LIVES"

My mind was filled with curses, like a tornado. Fuck, this was my first chicken in this world, but the hunters must appear now, can't they come after some time, I would have a full stomach.

"ASSHOLES," "A CHICKEN WILL EAT YOU!!!!!!"

Then I jumped and ran away from there. Fuck!! I did not know how to use my power. It would kill me.

It's hard to tell how long it's been, but I think that should be enough to get rid of them. It's time for me to learn to use my power; I can't run all the time.

"Eve, How should I use Blink?"

"Host has to think of teleporting with target place in his mind"

Oh? That's all there is to it. I just thought of Teleporting but nothing happened.

????

"To teleport, the host must choose a specific location"

I selected the spot 5 meters away. In the blink of an eye, I was in a targeted place, but my body ached. I felt like needles were pricking me all over my body.

This is the first time in my life I am experiencing this kind of pain. I did not know that using that power would have such a side effect.

"Eve? What's happening to me?" I cried in anxiety.

"The host body isn't used to teleportation, so it's suggested that the target be near, as the farther, the target is, the greater the pressure on the host body."

I was dumbfounded; she didn't tell me this before. It felt like forever, but the pain slowly subsided. I swear not to use power until I know what its effects will be.

Once I practiced Blink, the pressure on my body kept decreasing to the point it no longer felt anything. I felt very ecstatic. I felt something different for the first time in my life.

Like the frog in a well, I had no idea that there was such a world around me.

An entire week flew by. With the 3 free stat points I assigned to strength this past week, I am now a lot different from I was last week. I even hunted some rats and lizards. Finally, I had the roasted chicken, and I cried for the entire evening, not because of the hardships, but because of the joy.

Now it's time to hunt.

After seeing an almost 5 meter alligator resting near the swamp as I came near the swamp, I know the seriousness of this fight. I considered taking a break from here, as I felt there was no sense in risking my life, but I suddenly received a task notification.

"Task: Kill the mutated alligator and eat its meat." "Difficulty: Level A"

Rewards: EC: 300 and 4 Stat points"

Shit!!!

This task made me want to kill the alligator; at least I'll be able to buy something new from the store.

I always kept the ax which I used last time to kill that snake. Its sharpness is something. It can cut anything like butter.

Slowly, I approached the alligator from the side. As I was within 5 meters of the alligator, I blinked and appeared just behind his back; I swung the ax toward the neck, but when it struck the skin, it felt like it had struck the rock, and only a dent was visible.

"Fuck!" The alligator swung its tail. Danger loomed over me. Blinking again, I appeared on my previous spot. That alligator started running towards me; surely it was a sight to behold. An ax-wielding 5 feet monkey and a 5-meter alligator are fighting.

To confuse that alligator, I used blink to move all over the place and again appeared on its back and swung my ax to hit the same spot as last time.

Surely, it felt like it penetrated the skin; once again I blinked towards my last place. Clearly, this alligator is agitated, as it starts to make sounds.

I suddenly felt dizzy; it has surely used some sound attack on me. As I blink again towards the alligator's back, its head moved to bite me, as if it had expected my move. When I appeared, I felt my life was on the verge of ending, but as soon as I saw its neck hadn't hardened, I blinked below its mouth and swung the ax at its neck, disappearing once more from that area.

All of this happened in just a second. The next thing I saw was that an alligator was twitching wildly and blood was streaming from its neck.

However, I did not feel any excitement over this achievement, only empathy for the alligator. Even though I wanted to show my awesomeness, this is not the way. It's necessary for me to move forward and survive.

At this very moment, I believe everyone is living for survival; it has completely changed my perspective on life. To progress, I must overcome each obstacle. For the first time in my life, I felt this way.

"I'm sorry Buddy, but I had to do it." I only prayed for the alligator's next life. I will fight with many of these creatures; I can't be softhearted for killing them. It's you die or I die.

Having twitched a few more times, it stopped moving. Slowly, I approached the alligator to see if it was dead. Having confirmed that it was dead, I skinned the alligator and separated the meat. As soon as I finished all the work, I bit into the meat.

I felt a warm sensation inside; I knew I had gained some power. The notification popped into my head.

"Congratulation to host for completing Task. You have gained the below traits."

"+4 Increase in Strength Stat and Power: Skin Hardening."

Phew... I was seriously drained after that fight, but I at least gained some strength stats. I know what the purpose of skin hardening is, and I will surely benefit from it.

For the stat points, agility would work well. At least I should be able to run if I find any danger.

I allocated 4 points to agility. I can feel something moving inside of my body.

I fled after storing alligator skin and meat. The smell of blood will attract more predators. Then I found a spot on top of a tree and shut my eyes.

I thought about my future, about beauty, and everything I would do. I must first leave this place. My body has already made some changes. I can feel it.

"Eve?"

"Yes Host"

"When I will speak normally?"

"The host has to go through the 1st Evolution; his body will undergo changes after the first evolution."

"Eve?"

"Yes Host"

"When will I go through 1st evolution?"

"All stat except luck should reach the stat of 25"

I was amazed to discover that, apart from intelligence, my physical strength and agility are almost 20. I can reach the first evolution quickly.

"What will happen after 1st Evolution?"

"Host's Body will adopt Human form but with your animal traits."

When I heard that, I felt relieved. At least I can get rid of this monkey form. I can't wait to move from this place.