Novice Reincarnator

If there was one downside to expanding my fox den to the size of a small room, it was that I had to live with the fact that I was constantly naked in my own room. I wasn’t a nudist. I didn’t understand those people who could walk around their own homes naked.

Worrying about my nakedness was a luxury afforded to me after the pack of monsters left me and my life quieted down. Something like being naked was trivial when I thought I could die at any moment.

I hugged my fox tail to my chest and comforted myself in its fluffiness. I had done my best to clean the dirt out of it while it rained, but trying to stay clean in my burrow was a futile effort.

It didn’t really matter if I was naked. This dungeon only had monsters in it and they would not care one whit whether I was clothed or not. I was the only one embarrassed by my lack of attire.

My life did not change much even after I scared off my hunters. Using [Disguise] to make me appear like the Six-tailed Red Fox and bluff my opponents would only work if my enemies gave me the chance to bluff them. Unfortunately, it was more likely for me to be instant killed like what happened when I first arrived in this dungeon.

I meditated while hugging my tail and gathered up ki in my body everyday. Unlike my time as a 0-tailed Beastman, I made visible progress each day in advancing [Ki II] to [Ki III]. I alternated between practicing with [Fox Fire] and training [Ki II].

I wasn’t nearly as focused on training now that death’s scythe was no longer hanging over my neck. It was utter foolishness, but I had hit my limit in being cooped up in my own home. My stomach rumbled, reminding me of my all-consuming hunger.

“I-I have no choice. I need to raise my proficiency with [Agility]. Y-Yeah, that is why I have to go outside. It's not like I want to find something to eat.”

I sounded like a bashful tsundere, even to my own ears, as I made excuses about why throwing myself into danger was absolutely necessary. Even if I could still go a few days longer without eating, I didn’t want to when there was plenty of nature’s bounty outside.

I poked my head out of my burrow. The sun was shining brightly, signaling that today would be a good day. The forest was abuzz with the noise of little critters going about their lives. The coast was clear.

I left the safety of my home and took a deep breath of the fresh, forest air. I basked in the feeling of the sun on my skin. This was how life was meant to be. People weren’t meant to live their entire lives without seeing the sky. They were meant to stand outside with their chests puffed out and relish in the glory of nature…

…naked. I had just managed to forget about it, but every little breeze that caressed my skin reminded me of my poor state. Heat filled my cheeks and I diverted my attention to more important things, like filling my belly.

I didn’t dare to venture too far from my little burrow. Hunting an animal was out of the question with how weak I was. That left me with no choice but to gather fruits, berries, and mushrooms. I began my search with a hopeful heart, but my hope soon turned to frustration.

“Dammit. Why are they all poisonous!?”

It was like the dungeon was mocking me. Everything I stumbled upon was clearly marked as poisonous in the explorer’s handbook I memorized. My feet were rooted in place the moment I laid eyes on a bush of purple dragon fruit. Ralph, the Master Chef of Cecilia’s mansion, had cooked a delicious meal with purple dragon fruit.

It took a very complicated process, but it was possible to purify the poison from purple dragon fruit, turning a poisonous dish into one of the delicacies of the Upper Realm. My mouth watered and a hole opened up in my stomach.

Before I realized it, a sweet, mellow flavor filled my mouth.

“...What just happened?”

I stared at my hand in disbelief. One of the purple dragon fruits on the bush had disappeared and I had a sinking suspicion that my traitorous hand may have something to do with it. I went through the five stages of grief. First was denial.

“No, no, no. There is no way I would be stupid enough to eat a poisonous fruit.”

Then came anger.

“What the hell!? Who gave you permission to think for yourself? You are my right hand! You are supposed to obediently stay by my side and only do what I tell you to do!”

Then, the bargaining began.

“Listen here, buddy. I know that fruit was the best thing we have had in the past few days… Forget how it is the only thing we have had in the past few days, but I promise you I will satisfy you as long as you don’t put our life in danger.”

Depression hit like a truck.

“It is over. I ate a purple dragon fruit. After spending almost a week hiding from monsters, I will die from a random poisonous fruit. I’m so dead.”

Finally, there was acceptance.

“Screw it. If I’m going to die, then I will die with a big smile on my face and a happy stomach!”

I no longer hesitated and let my [Gluttony] dictate my actions. Another purple dragon fruit filled my stomach. I died and ascended to paradise.

Paradise was a wonderful place where I could eat as much delicious, poisonous food as I wanted without harming my [Health]. An all you can eat buffet opened up from me and I dug in to my heart's content.

Time flew by while I was in a wonderful bliss. My tongue licked the last of the sweet, fruity juices off my lips. My hand reached for the next purple dragon fruit and grasped nothing but air.

“...Huh?”

The bush of poisonous dragon fruit in front of me had been stripped clean. That was impossible. A paradise without bushes full of purple dragon fruit was not a paradise at all! It was like this was real life.

Thick ki swirled in my belly as [Gluttony] digested my meal and converted it into ki. On reflex more than anything else, I entered a meditative state and controlled my breathing to refine my ki.

My ki had formed a network the moment I reached [Ki II]. All that was left was to create a core that acted as the central node of the network.

The ki in my belly suddenly swelled in strength. My body felt like it was going to explode. I panicked. This had never happened in the past. Even my desperate ki refining wasn’t enough to keep up with the sheer amount of ki [Gluttony] was producing.

I came to an abrupt realization. I was very much alive right now and soon I would be very much dead.

The overflowing ki shook the foundations of my ki network. My mind was in chaos, leaving me no choice but to act on [Instinct]. [Fox Fire] flickered around my body and suddenly, the ki trapped in my body suddenly found an exit.

“W-What is going on?”

My [Fox Fire] gained a will of its own and rushed to my tail along with all of the ki I had accumulated in my body. My heart leapt to my throat. Not my fluffy pillow!

I couldn’t do anything but watch in horror. My [Fox Fire] and [Ki] raced into my tail and…

…formed a new ki network?

The ki flames of my [Fox Fire] coiled up into a fiery ball at the center of my tail’s ki network. [Instinct] had taken control of the process, leaving me at a loss trying to figure out what had happened.

My tail’s ki network connected to the network I had created throughout my body and suddenly, I felt stronger than ever. No really, what was going on?

“Status.”

Name: Fang

Class: Adept

Level: 1/20

Personal Skills (5/5): [Ash Demon Princess], [Fox Fire I], [Presence Concealment II], [Disguise II], [Ki III]

Racial Skills: [Instinct II], [Agility I]

Class Skills: [Adept], [Growth II]

My eyes fell onto the last of my personal skills. Somehow, giving into my gluttonous desires had elevated my ki skill to [Ki III].