Eat or Be Eaten – Part 1

Setbacks aside, Rikko is slowly learning how to get by in order to obtain food. Wild fruits are not that scarce and as long as he follows the stream he will have no problems with water. The biggest problem was protein foods, meat to be more precise. His current bird-like physical constitution is a major obstacle to this task and the fact that he had not learned how to use mana did not help him in the slightest.

Without a base or someone to teach me, how am I going to learn how to use my powers, after all?

It was not as if he was not trying. He remembered in his mind the various games from his adolescence, but in almost all of them there was always some kind of tutorial to help the player, either through texts or characters acting as master, and as a last resort, he could resort to magazines dedicated to games.

One of those magazines would be very useful right now if I were actually in a game.

But no. This isn't a game, this is the real thing. And it didn't take long for Rikko to find this out the hard way when he decided to stop in the shade of a leafy tree and have a meal. He was too absorbed in his thoughts to notice that danger had finally found him as he finished eating a strip of dried meat.

"Damn, being small helps save food, but on the other hand, I'm starting to get sick of eating so much salty meat. If I keep this up I'll have to resort to eating raw fish with scales and all. What an ungrateful second life- WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!?”

Suddenly Rikko gained height against his will. A snake that was stalking him from the top of the tree took advantage of his distraction to strike. After slowly descending the trunk, he was bitten from behind and now had to fight for his life.

“ARGH! Let me go, you overgrown worm! Your breath smells like carrion!”

It was obvious that the snake wouldn't let go even if he tried to ask nicely. So all he could do was use all his strength to keep the snake's mouth open while he tried to find a way to escape.

But this is a snake with a body many times larger than Rikko. And since its meal was being very persistent, it began using the strength of its throat to suck him in.

“WOW, THIS IS NOT GOOD AT ALL!”

Rikko saw his field of vision shrink more and more as he sank. But it was in that moment of desperation that something happened.

“What... is this?”

His small claws began to emanate a blue light that gradually grew stronger.

Skill Acquired:

- Steel Claws

Cost: 10 SP per turn.

Makes claws almost as strong as steel. Its effect lasts until the target is hit. After that, it needs to be activated again.

The light grew stronger and stronger until it completely enveloped his feet. But this was no time for admiration, but rather the moment to bet all his chips.

“Ok, it's all or nothing! Take this!”

SHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAA!!!

With a long and loud hiss, the snake finally released him after having its tongue cut off by one of his legs. Covered in saliva, Rikko celebrated the result.

“YES! THAT'S IT! Did you like that, damn snake?”

Warning:

- Serpent des Forêts

Although it is not venomous, it is not afraid to attack its prey using its mouth and strong suction. Its gastric juice digests its prey in a matter of minutes. It needs to eat at least four times a day to satisfy its metabolism.

“You're only a big deal when you can take it by surprise, right? But now I want to see what you're going to do without your tongue!”

It claimed victory ahead of time. Losing its sensory organ so abruptly left the snake disoriented, but soon this confusion gave way to an uncontrollable fury and it began to attack Rikko, giving him bites that he could barely dodge.

“Whoa! Whoa! Hey! Calm down! Let's talk!”

Whether the snake had understood the pun, we will never know. But it is a fact that at that moment it stopped moving and seemed to prepare a decisive attack, fixing its gaze on Rikko.

Sensing that he would only have one chance, he concentrated on attacking once more with his claws.

“Don't fail me now, my claws.”

…

“HAAAAAAA!”

SSHAAAAA!

“TAKE THAT! STEEL CLAWS!”

They both made their movements in sync. The snake launched itself with its mouth open, taut like an arrow. But Rikko managed to dodge the attack in mid-air by spinning his body with the help of his wings. He hit the snake squarely on the side, cutting off its head. Its body fell to the ground in spasms and the fight was over.

“Wheeze… I DID IT!”

Level Acquired.

Name: Rikko
Class: Domestic Bird (?)
Level: 1>2 (+1)
Vitality/ HP: 10>15 (+5)
Mana/ SP: 100+80
Strength: 1>3 (+2)
Agility: 5>7 (+2)
Dexterity: 1>2 (+2)
Intelligence: 10>2 (+2)
Charisma: 1

Skills

- Steel Claws: 1>2 (+2)

“Yay, I gained experience! It's not much, but it's a start. I wonder if I can store this thing's corpse?”

He summoned the item box and placed it on the snake's lifeless body, which disappeared into thin air.

Items Added:

- Snake Skin: x1
- Snake Saliva x1 (50 ml)

“Oh, that's it? I hope these things are at least useful.”

Battle won, Rikko went to the stream to wash his feathers, sticky with saliva. The sour smell that emanated almost made him vomit, but he felt proud of his first victory.

“Now, I feel like I'm in another world! Whatever it is, bring it on! I'm ready, hahahahaha!”

He let his pride get to his head, but when he remembered that he was just starting out, he decided that he needed to train more and level up as soon as possible to ensure his survival.

In the days that followed, he focused on small fights against forest animals and storing everything he could. When the dried meat ran out, he decided to swallow his pride and start eating raw meat from fish and animals to supplement his diet.

He remained in the forest for four long months, reaching the age of a young rooster. His appearance changed during that time and the white feathers he had changed color, acquiring the same colors as his father, Kel, had. Black and orange were now his predominant colors, but curiously on his chest there were still white feathers that formed a curious pattern that resembled some kind of bird.

“How funny. It looks like that pendant Julia gave me. I even got stylish like that, and it still has that cool crest!” - Rikko said, admiring his own reflection in the water of the stream.

“Would my parents be proud of the rooster I've become? Well, the chickens, yes. Now let's look at my status.”

Name: Rikko
Class: Domestic Fowl (?)
Level: 10
Vitality/ HP: 100
Mana/ SP: 100+100
Strength: 10
Agility: 20
Dexterity: 10
Intelligence: 15
Charisma: 1

“I don't understand... I should be stronger than this, or am I mistaken? Have I been negligent with my training? And to this day I still don't understand this question mark in my class...”

Skills:

- Harmony of Tongues

- Poison Resistance (low) - Level 5

- Appraisal

- Steel Claws: Level 10

- Acceleration: Level 10

- Wing Flare: Level 10

“I gained two new skills. They will be a great help from now on, but I wonder how far I can evolve. Now that I think about it… maybe I haven’t gotten stronger because I keep facing common animals. What would it be like if I faced some monster? I guess I’ll have to get out of here and find out. It’s decided! That’s what I’m going to do!”

He took one last walk through the forest, collected some fruit, fish and water and then considered that he was ready to go. But he still needed to decide which direction to go. He climbed a large tree and when he reached the top, he sharpened his vision around.

- Forêt d’Alvernac

“So this forest has a name? And it’s written in French like the animals and fruits...hmm? What’s that green dot in the distance?”

- Ferme Houx

Starting point. Owners: Antoine and Margaux.

“Starting point… that’s where I came from. So there’s the farm of those two. I’m going to mark it so I never go back there again. Well, it's time to get down and hit the road.”

Rikko jumped from the tree without thinking twice, using his wings to control his descent. Domestic birds don't fly more than a few meters, but landing from a high place is another story.

“Phew! Good thing I have wings. Crashing to the ground must hurt a lot.”

It took him some time to walk until he finally found a dirt road. He saw no sign of a city or any other building nearby, but he could hear sounds that sounded like horse hooves. He ran back into the forest and hid behind a rock in time to avoid being seen by the approaching group.

In command of the horses was an elderly man who rode with his head down and a large straw hat covering his sunburned face. His wagon was carrying bales of hay and something else. A group of adventurers was resting on the bales, and there was no doubt about it. Their clothes and armor differed from each other and it was possible to know each one's profession.

“Aaaah, I'm tired of lying down. Hey, old man! You can stop, let's go down right here! The rest of the way we'll go on foot.” - Said one of them, a tall man with very short hair carrying an axe.

“Whaat? Are you serious, Jean? There's still a long way to go! Have mercy!” - Replied a young woman wearing a dark-colored tunic and carrying a staff and a huge hat.

“Hahahaha! Claire's right, Jean. We just got back from a laborious quest, a longer ride won't kill anyone.” - Said a young man in full armor.

“Tsk! There you go again, Henri! You don't have to agree with everything Claire says! A well-trained body makes a person more alert!”

“Well, it's not like I don't want to walk too, but Claire spent a lot of mana, especially on you, or have you already forgotten?”

“Shit. I can't deny it, but it's just that...”

“Isn't it easier to admit that you just want to get off to take a piss? Actually, I want to too.” - Interrupted a masked man in black clothes. - “I won't wait to get to the inn.”

“YOU DAMN RAT!”

“You're welcome.”

“Eww, how disgusting! That's a lot more information than I expected! Axel, it's very rude to say that in front of two ladies! Look, Amélie is in shock!” - Claire protested.

“I... I'm not... shocked. - The girl wearing religious attire replied timidly, huddled in a corner of the wagon.” - “T-that kind of thing is in the nature of boys, I-I think.”

“You're partly right, Amélie. But Claire is right to complain. Jean and Axel, if you want to relieve yourselves so much, you need to be more direct, but polite.” - Henri stated.

“Okay, okay, sorry, the person who said it is no longer here.” - Axel replied, admitting his mistake.

“AHHHH, my bad! But are we going to get off or not? I'm about to explode here!” - Jean warned as he clutched his groin with his hands.

“You really are hopeless. Sir! You can stop. Let's get off.” - Henri said as he gave the cart two knocks.

“Hohoho, very good. You shouldn't ignore when nature calls, hohoho.”

Everyone got off. Jean and Axel ran towards the forest, entering the bushes. Henri went towards the cart driver with a small cloth bag in one hand.

“Thanks for the ride, sir. How much do we owe you?”

“Well, well, what's this? You don't owe me anything. Quite the contrary, it was a pleasure and an honor to bring you in my cart! Who would deny a ride to the adventurers of Coeur de Lion, who help protect our lands?”

“Then once again, we thank you! Go in peace and see you soon!”

“Hohoho, that's how it will be. Have a good day!” - The cart driver replied, taking off his hat and bowing before pulling the horses' reins and setting the cart in motion again.

In the forest, Jean and Axel made sure they weren't seen before urinating. Rikko, seeing the two coming towards him, quickly changed his hiding place, hiding in a large thick bush and crouching down.

Damn it, did they have to come right here? Just piss at once and get out of here!

That's what he thought before he felt something warm and wet cover him completely.