Novice Reincarnator

Every breath sucked ki into my core, even without any conscious effort on my part. [Ki III] was something of a milestone that transformed a mundane Beastman into an entirely new existence.

I grew stronger simply by breathing. Eating and sleeping suddenly became optional. My body was filled with strength and every little movement of mine had the power of my ki behind it. Additionally, my ki reserves had expanded several times over again.

While playing around with my [Fox Fire], I didn’t need to worry about running out of ki for several hours. This allowed me to quickly raise my proficiency in the skill to [Fox Fire II]. My stamina and recovery power had increased drastically too.

[Agility], the racial skill of a Beastman that made them quick and agile, quickly became [Agility II]. Within a day of reaching [Ki III], I had trained all of my skills to the maximum proficiency I could reach in a short period of time. There was no longer any reason for me to hide in my little burrow and cower in fear.

Over a week had gone by and I remained trapped in the dungeon. It was up to me to fight my way out. That meant I had to venture past the safety of my home and find another weak monster that I could kill to level up.

I left my home and stealthily traveled away from the Six-tailed Red Fox’s territory. The further I got, the more the forest came to life. My ears picked up sounds of life everywhere. I found myself at a complete loss how to proceed without the [Ki Sense] skill to guide me. I had no choice but to let my [Instinct] take over.

I immediately dropped to all fours, reducing my visibility to potential hunters and letting my nose get a better scent of the various monsters that had crossed through the area. A wave of foreign sounds and smells assaulted me. [Instinct] easily processed the flood of information and I found myself racing through the forest like a real fox.

I leapt into a bush and went very still. There was a strong, delicious smell that permeated this area. Of all the strong scents that made me shiver in fear, this was the weakest of them. Seconds turned to minutes and yet, I stayed put in my bush.

[Disguise] and [Presence Concealment] helped make me as hidden as possible. Minutes became hours. Even so, [Instinct] was patient. I continued to wait with the same razor sharp level of focus as I started with.

My prey poked its head out of its burrow five hours after I settled into my bush. My eyes lit up and a deep hunger filled my belly. It was a Light-footed White Rabbit, a species of rabbit known for its exceptional escaping abilities.

If it noticed my presence, I doubted I would be able to catch it. Light-footed White Rabbits were commonly around level 13. The thought of swallowing up those juicy experience points had me drooling.

As their name suggested, Light-footed White Rabbits were quick to escape at the first sign of danger. Even with [Agility II], there was no way I would be able to catch the monster if it decided to run. My only chance was to ambush it and kill it in one strike. It would normally be almost impossible for a level 1 to tackle a level 13, but my [Fox Fire] wasn’t a skill that belonged on a level 1.

Long rabbit ears flicked left and right as my prey searched for any signs of danger. I held my breath and went very still. Lulled into a false sense of security, the Light-footed White Rabbit left its burrow and nibbled on the surrounding grass.

Even so, I did not make my move. My prey was too far from my hiding spot. I waited and waited as my juicy experience points wandered closer. The winds shifted and my prey froze in place. My [Instinct] had me continue to wait for the perfect opportunity.

Moments later, the Light-footed White Rabbit lowered its head to nibble on a particularly large bush close to my hiding spot. This was my chance. [Instinct] reacted before my mind could catch up. [Ki III], [Agility II], and [Fox Fire II] exploded into motion.

One second I was hiding in a bush, the next I was leaping at my prey with [Fox Fire] coating my hands. The Light-footed White Rabbit instantly reacted. Ki gathered up its legs. It wanted to run from me.

“You won’t get away!”

I roared as I brought my blue, [Fox Fire] coated claws down on the rabbit. Unfortunately, it was much faster than I was. An explosive burst of ki filled its legs as it kicked off the ground and tried to run away.

My claws encountered a small resistance, and then it was all over. My prey had quickly escaped out of sight with a blue flame coating the small cut on its white fur. I didn’t hesitate to make my own escape and quickly returned back to my home.

My pounding heart only calmed down when the familiar dirt walls of my home closed off the dangerous world outside. I waited in silence for the results of my hunt. A minute passed and just when I was beginning to lose hope, a nostalgic rush of heat filled my body.

“Status.”

Name: Fang

Class: Adept

Level: 6/20

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

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

Class Skills: [Adept], [Growth II]

Level 6/20. I had done it. I killed the Light-footed White Rabbit. Even though I hadn’t managed to do anything more than scratch it, that was enough to attach my [Fox Fire] to it. Like the Six-tailed Red Fox, my [Fox Fire] burned as long as it had sufficient ki to power it.

My higher quality [Ki III] had overpowered the innate resistance of my prey and allowed my [Fox Fire] to burn the Light-footed White Rabbit to death.

I held out my palm and allowed a beautiful, blue [Fox Fire] to manifest above it. My eyes gazed into the mesmerizing, flickering flames. It was hard to believe something so alluring could be so deadly.

My eyes fell on the row of my status containing my level. I had escaped being trapped at level 1.  [Ki III] amplified the strength I gained from my level up, granting me a much stronger body. 

I had risen from the bottom of the food chain. I wasn’t at the top, but at the very least, I doubted Light-footed White Rabbits were my opponents anymore. My stomach growled, reminding me of the failure of my latest hunt. I may have killed my prey, but the fruit of my labor was out of my reach.

I was sick and tired of living off of fruit and vegetables. It was time I added meat to my menu.