The cat's vertical eyes scanned the surroundings dangerously, seemingly searching for the source of a strange scent in the air.
Ricky's heart was already in his throat; although he had recently gotten stronger, but in front of the cat he was nothing.
"Good pussy cat, don't come any closer..."
"Please, or else I will start crying."
Ricky didn't dare to move, afraid of attracting the cat's attention.
He remained still, trying to blend with the surrounding scenery.
"Meeeow..." A playful meow sounded.
"Fuck no..."
Ricky instinctively knew that he had been exposed, the wings behind him fluttered intensely pushing him backwards.
His thick and long proboscis shivered in fear.
Before Ricky could escape, a giant shadow was above him.
"Ohh! No, I'm fucking going to die..."
"No...no, I can't die."
Ricky's thoughts were chaotic, the intense feeling of death made his thoughts stagnate.
Only if he was slightly faster, he might have been able to escape.
Ricky didn't know whether it was tension or the all-consuming fear of death, but in his vision the cat's gigantic paw, tens of times bigger than his body, moved extremely slowly like a snail.
Just then–
[Immediate threats to life confirmed].
[Emergency measures initiated].
[Blood Infusion successfully activated].
[All physical stats are doubled for a brief amount of time at the cost of lifespan].
[1 hour of lifespan is consumed every second for which the skill is active].
Ricky's mind wasn't able to process the barrage of windows; he suddenly felt a searing heat erupted from somewhere within his body like a volcanic.
His body felt more stronger and robust than before, as if he had once again evolved.
But he immediately denied that; there was something different. Although he had grown stronger, there was still something binding him.
All of this happened extremely fast, from the initial activation of the system to Ricky Stormwind getting stronger.
The cat also felt a slight change in the atmosphere.
Meow...
It purred with narrowed eyes and tried to increase its speed.
However, this time Ricky was able to react immediately, rushing towards the sky. The spot where Ricky was standing a moment ago was smashed by the cat, sending leaves flying in every direction.
Watching the small thing flying away, the cat meowed in annoyance.
It wanted to play with it.
...
[Danger averted, deactivating emergency measures].
The rush of heat disappeared like a tide, making Ricky feel deflated like a balloon; the instinctual act of simply fluttering his wings seemed to be taking a huge toll on his body.
"That was a close save..."
If it wasn't for the system, he would have turned into a blood paste.
"I have to be extremely careful in my actions, otherwise..."
Ricky realized if he wanted to live a good life, he had to tread carefully.
Although he didn't know why he had this second chance at life, he wasn't sure about a third.
...
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
After the incident with the cat, Ricky was extremely fearful of approaching any creature. It was only when his lifespan was about to end that he gritted his teeth and moved.
Targeting a baby squirrel chewing on a fruit resembling an apple; however, strangely the baby's senses were extremely sharp. As soon as it noticed Ricky approaching, it immediately fled the scene, leaving the apple behind.
Ricky became even more anxious; he barely had one hour left to live at that time.
Just as he was panicking, his eyes landed on the small fruit, which was multiple times larger than his body.
With just one look, something inside Ricky churned.
An aroma that seemed to nourish his soul was wafting out of the fruit.
As if possessed, Ricky slowly moved and landed on the fruit's surface.
Immediately Ricky felt a strange warmth covering his body.
This fruit was extremely strange.
With his heart filled with anticipation, his proboscis shivered and with forceful thrusts penetrated the thin layer.
[1 Day of lifespan absorbed].
"Holy!!"
Ricky cried out in shock.
However, this was just the start.
+1..
+2..
In no time, his lifespan grew at an insane speed.
Reaching five days, only then it stopped.
Not just that, his tiny mind seemed to have exploded, his intelligence increasing by leaps and bounds, his thoughts became clearer.
Earlier if he used to think too much, his head would start to hurt but now.... Ricky felt as if he was reborn once again.
[Spiritual force Increased by +0.001]
[A new path is available!].
"What?"
"What is this spiritual force system?"
Ricky cried out in shock, but the system didn't answer his questions.
He only fell silent and contemplated.
...
Back to the present.
Since that day, Ricky's sole focus was on finding that fruit.
Everyday he wandered around aimlessly, looking for clues.
His search continued.
Hours passed. Five. Six.
Another squirrel. A bird. Even an unfortunate frog near the water's edge. Drops of stolen blood, minutes of borrowed time.
His lifespan now stretched to nearly ten days.
But he didn't find any traces of that mystical fruit.
Just as he was about to sigh.
Ricky's compound eyes flickered.
"The number of animals that I encountered in the past two hours is increasing..."
Without him realizing, the animals that he encountered multiplied by several fold.
Squirrels, deers, and he even saw that dangerous cat.
All of them seemed to be going in a certain direction, completely ignoring each other's presence.
Ricky was the only one who was moving chaotically.
The animals' behavior baffled Ricky.
Realizing something was amiss, Ricky also followed them silently.
Just then–
A loud sonic boom sounded.
The sky suddenly lit up as if one more sun had appeared in the sky.
"Damn you Demon, you will never succeed. The Noble Radiant Knights order will never let you go..." An angry but still majestic voice rang out.
It wasn't clear who the voice was directed to, but following this loud shout, a cold snort like thunder reverberated in the surroundings.
The sudden change greatly startled Ricky and the other animals.
"What the hell..."
Ricky looked up with fear in his eyes; he felt as if the sky was about to collapse, filling his heart with a strong sense of unease.