Current attribute list:
Level: 2
Biomass: 400/ 750 (micro-units)
Skill Points: 0
Body length: 4 cm
Tail length- 6 cm, Tail width- 2 mm
Health: 0.1
Defense: 0.05
Stamina: 0.2
Agility: 0.5
Spirit: 1
Strength: 0.5
Skill: Flexible Tail (Beginner Proficiency- 45%)
Karma- 0
…..
As dawn broke on the third day, a gentle warmth slowly seeped into Anaxa's cave, brightening the place and slowly stirring him from slumber. Yet the tiny lizard was initially very reluctant to open his eyes, feeling extremely sluggish and tired.
This was in one part due to the fact that he had practiced his throwing skills very late into the night, only going to sleep near the break of dawn.
And two, the more substantial cause- because Anaxa was cold blooded in nature. His body would always be at its lowest temperature every morning, thus making it the most trying part of the day. The feeling was similar to the reluctant feeling one had of leaving the blankets during a snowstorm but only multiplied a few more times.
'Ahhh… I wonder what those people who cannot even take a step without coffee in the morning feel if they were in my shoes? They would have probably died by now.'
Anaxa only forced himself to open his eyes when he was no longer able to bear the assault of the tiny, golden rays on his eyelids filtering in through the small breathing channels made above.
Snapping them awake, Anaxa first began by performing his daily routine, forcefully twisting his body around to wake up some of his more sluggish and stiff muscles.
Then with a basic amount of blood circulation restored, he slowly snuck out of his cave, intent to bask in the sun and get his temperature up.
For this, he did not go far, content to stay right at the mouth of his cave. This was despite there being places far more suited, such as clear, open fields and the tops of trees and rocks that provided far greater and intense energy.
Whereas a lot of the sun's energy was already lost and scattered by the time it reached Anaxa deep in the undergrowth below, absorbed and reflected by the surrounding foliage.
However despite the many perceived benefits, Anaxa did not dare expose himself to such clear dangers.
Given how slow and sluggish his body currently was, that would have been too risky. The low temperature increased the time lag for everything- from detecting the threat, to coming up with a response, to of course, executing that thought. Meaning if any predator attacked him during that phase, he would be like a dumb, sitting duck.
In fact, Anaxa had even hunted a few of his brethren using this very technique, hiding behind a rock and then sneaking up on the sluggish prey. Even the not so intelligent animals would produce a kind of never before seen horror in their eyes when they spotted him, finding they could do nothing to change their cruel fate.
Thus Anaxa chose a place from where he could easily slither into his nest at the first sign of danger.
It was with that reassuring thought that the tiny lizard poked its head out of his cave, firstly flicking his tongue out to detect the presence of possible predators. Then, once reassured for the final time that there was no danger nearby, at last emerged from his hole.
Anaxa felt an enormous burst of refreshment as soon as the warm sunlight sprinkled onto his body, so much so that his legs went soft and he almost fell down. It felt like such a good, gentle massage.
The golden heat started to enter his body through his thin skin and the black patches quickly and efficiently, and the effects quickly revealed themselves- the nerves inside his body began to activate one by one, and his heart jumped faster and faster, raising the temperature and oiling the stiff muscles.
While this was going on, Anaxa also did not forget to keep sniffing the air for any possible dangerous signs, or perhaps even a snack. After all, he would have to go out to hunt soon.
In this way a few hours swiftly passed and his body function finally returned to a normal level.
This was just in time too, as no sooner was the man ready, the hunger in his stomach returned.
And it came with vengeance, demanding its breakfast like never before. The call was so strong that it could even momentarily paralyse Anaxa when he thought about it too much.
"Ahhh…if this is just regular hunger pangs, what will it feel like when my curse increases? Ohhh, I must be among the most miserable people to have ever transmigrated." Anaxa nearly shed a tear, both at the current excruciating pain in his abdomen and more so at the knowledge that this burn would only increase in the future.
His large, round eyes then began to rapidly dart around, looking for something, anything to sate his voracious want. Thankfully, this part of the wooded land was flush with prey of all shapes and sizes.
So on a tree to his right side, Anaxa quickly spotted an unknown bird with colorful feathers flapping its wings. And upon reading the stats on it, he instantly began to salivate like he was looking at a fat, juicy Thanksgiving meal.
This beast had a spirit greater than 0.1!
His only regret was,
"Ahhh.. If it were only a bit closer, I could have completed my task right here, right now. All that practice has made me quite apt at throwing rocks, now I can hit a target at 10 meters with almost certainty. Bringing my skill proficiency up to 45% was indeed worth it… even if I had to nearly give up sleep for two days."
Ananxa made this comment in a nonchalant manner and to a layman, this might not have sounded that impressive. 45% beginner proficiency indeed seemed lackluster.
However one should not forget the context here.
For one, the skill level was based on the whole animal kingdom- it had not been calibrated for a tiny, water lizard like Anaxa. If that had been the case, the numbers would have been far more impressive.
And two, when Anaxa started could barely move his tail.
So to go from that to be able to accurately throw a pebble so far away in just two days, for a tiny lizard like him, it was extremely impressive.
As for how he got there, well it was not magic, one had to see to believe just how crazily Anaxa trained himself.
Like a possessed man, he spent nearly every waking moment of the preceding days either in target practice or applying that practice in his hunts. For instance, he would try to catch more than he needed during the day, so that he could use the stored bugs as snacks during his nightly practice sessions.
And the man continued practising in the dark even when he had virtually no sight- the pitch black darkness of the forest and his poor night vision made for a very nasty combination.
However that was not enough to deter Anaxa, as the fear of failing the mission and subsequent death put a burning fire inside his heart.
The whole thing was quite reminiscent of the intense cram sessions he used to have before exams or assignments, where he sometimes would stay up a few nights consecutively.
Anaxa had forgotten a lot of the exact details, but he still vividly remembered the fear of failing to get into a good university or his parents' immensely scolding him if he did not succeed.
Those fears really made the man push himself to the outright limit.
Similarly, he put in near superhuman effort in his present case.
And now feeling sufficiently armed, began to eye the bird, quite confident in the results.
The only hurdle was that the bird seemed a bit too far up, and Anaxa was still most practiced at throwing rocks horizontally, not vertically. He could not guarantee catching it on one hit. And if he missed once… the bird would surely take flight.
Thus unwilling to risk that time and effort with an already rebelling stomach, Anaxa turned away despite a drooling mouth, looking to find a better alternative.
He spotted an army of ants to his left, feeding on a cluster of rotting fruits. Needless to say, they did not possess the required spirit number.
Then a bit further, Anaxa's keen eyes found a spider the size of a palm lying stealthily on its own webs, waiting for the arrival of prey. But Anaxa eschewed the choice, fearing he would get stuck on the sticky strings.
It was then, as he turned right, that the system pinged with the perfect prey,
"Ding!
Target: Green Frog
Species- Lithobates clamitans
Biomass- 60 micro units.
Spirit-0.01
Karma-0
Threat- Great. Carnivorous and aggressive.
Comment- Proceed with caution."