The days blurred into one another, a seamless flow of sun and moon, time slipping away like water through cupped hands. Ricky lingered near the courtyard, never straying too far.
An invisible weight pressed against his instincts—an unshakable fear that the moment he crossed some unseen boundary, death would come for him in the form of some lurking predator.
Caution dictated his every move. He hunted only in the immediate vicinity, wings carrying him in tight, calculated loops as he sought prey.
The temptation of the fruit, still hanging in the air like a silent challenge, gnawed at him. Its unnatural glow beckoned, but Ricky only watched from a distance, hunger twisting inside him.
His compound eyes flickered toward the corpse lying on the withered earth. Days had passed, yet the body remained eerily untouched by decay.
If not for the absolute stillness, one might think the man was merely resting, his breath moments away from stirring the dead air.
But the land around him told a different story—cracks ran through the dirt like veins, the lush green of life drained to a sickly yellow. It was as if the world itself rejected his presence.
Ricky hovered, a deep instinct whispering that whatever had made this man an anomaly was weakening. The oppressive aura, once suffocating, had dulled over time. Soon...
His stomach clenched. A fierce hunger flared within him, spreading through his tiny frame like fire.
Gulp.
Suppressing the urge, he willed himself to look away. He needed patience.
Just as he turned, a cold, piercing sensation crawled over his exoskeleton—like unseen fingers running down his spine. His wings stiffened.
That gaze.
He didn't need to look to know who it belonged to.
"That damn spider again..."
Ricky didn't dare turn his head, but he felt it—watching, waiting, judging. The first time he had glimpsed the spider's status window, he had made the conscious decision to ignore it.
The spider, however, had made its own decision.
It saw Ricky as an enemy.
A challenger.
A thief.
"Brother, I swear, I don't want your fruit..." Ricky muttered lying without hesitation, though all that came out was a faint, mindless buzz.
The stare didn't waver.
Hmph! With a cold snort.
Ricky took that as his cue to leave.
His semi-transparent wings sliced through the air, his tiny body catching the wind as he drifted away from the courtyard, seeking out his next meal.
He hadn't traveled far—perhaps a few hundred meters—when he spotted it.
A beast, sprawled lazily atop a pile of bones.
At first glance, it looked like a wild boar from his past life, but something was... wrong. Its hide, bristled and rough, gleamed with an unnatural sheen, like dull steel catching stray light. Twin tusks, jagged and sharp, curled upward like the fangs of a predator.
Even from this distance, Ricky's proboscis quivered.
There was something familiar about the creature. A presence—like the spider, but... lesser. More approachable.
Spiritual force...
His mind clicked into place.
The realization sent a shiver through his small body, but fear wouldn't feed him. He forced himself forward, careful, silent.
The boar's deep, rhythmic breaths filled the air, undisturbed. It hadn't noticed him. Or perhaps it simply didn't care. Compared to its towering bulk, Ricky was nothing—a speck in its world.
That suited him just fine.
Ricky landed, his delicate legs barely making a ripple against the beast's thick hide. The moment he touched down, his instincts took over.
When given the chance, he had one rule: penetrate ruthlessly—the deeper, the better.
His hind legs tensed. His proboscis, thin but sharp, aimed for a weak point in the bristled armor.
Ting!
A sharp, jarring impact rattled through him.
His attack had failed.
"Shit... so tough!"
It was like trying to stab solid iron.
Ricky's mind raced. He couldn't afford to give up. This was too good an opportunity, and if the beast woke up before he succeeded, his peaceful meal would become an impossible dream.
His system chimed.
[Hindrance on the path of evolution detected. Please quickly level up to get rid of the problem.]
Ricky's compound eyes twitched. That was not helpful.
A ruthless glint flickered in his gaze.
"This hindrance is nothing..."
A familiar heat coiled within him.
Blood Infusion.
The moment he activated the skill, a burning sensation flooded his tiny body. His exoskeleton expanded, stretching unnaturally as his size nearly doubled—eight centimeters now, an entirely different scale from before.
A surge of power rushed through him.
He felt the difference.
The proboscis thrust forward once more, sinking into the boar's hide.
At first, resistance. Then, slowly, his weapon punctured through.
[+3 days of lifespan absorbed.]
[+4 days of life's...]
Lifespan flowed into him, an intoxicating warmth spreading to every corner of his being. His senses sharpened, his thoughts clearer than before. Every sip of stolen time filled him with something almost divine.
[Ding! Skill detected.]
[FFF Grade Robust Iron Frame.]
[Use sixty days of lifespan to earn the skill?]
Ricky's eyes gleamed.
Finally.
Ever since he had unlocked the skill system, he had waited for this moment.
He didn't hesitate.
The instant he accepted, an immense weight crashed down on him. His vitality drained in waves, a suffocating emptiness wrapping around his core.
But then—
Knowledge.
New, unfamiliar sensations flooded his mind. His exoskeleton felt denser, tougher. He could feel control where there had been none before.
His thoughts barely had time to settle when a sharp shift in the air made his instincts scream.
The boar's breathing hitched. Its muscles tensed.
Its eyes snapped open.