Chapter 17: Predator and Prey
Yukeli did not move immediately. The Hunger's Crossbow rested firm in his hand, pulsing softly, as if breathing in unison with him. Each pulsation carried a subtle sensation of emptiness. Of hunger.
He looked at his own status: [ Primordial Essence: 14 / 500 ]. Too little. A single mistake would mean death. He could not afford to attack the first creature he saw; he needed to choose carefully.
In silence, Yukeli began to move through the crystalline woods. Every step was controlled. He avoided unstable surfaces, bypassed loose crystal formations, and kept his body close to cover. His eyes analyzed everything.
And he found creatures. Many of them. A lizard-like creature, its body covered in plates of black crystal. Its movements were slow, but its jaw was powerful enough to crush stone. Too strong. He retreated.
Further ahead, a group of small creatures resembling lemurs, with long tails ending in crystalline blades. Their eyes moved constantly, vigilant. Too many. Too risky. He pressed on. Ignoring. Learning. Surviving.
Minutes passed until, finally, he found it: isolated, partially hidden among the crystallized roots of a twisted tree. It was a creature that looked like a profane fusion between a deer and a rat. Its body was low and compact, covered in an irregular, grayish coat. Its hind legs resembled those of a deer—strong and built for explosive leaps—while its forelegs were smaller, ending in long, curved claws—natural blades made for tearing flesh.
But what drew the most attention were its horns: large branches of pure crystal grew from its head, forming an irregular crown of translucent points. Light flowed within them, like luminous blood circulating through solid veins. They looked dangerous. Deadly.
The creature was wounded. One of its hind legs was partially covered by a broken crystalline formation. Irregular fragments were still embedded in the flesh, and a dark fluid seeped out slowly. It was weak, vulnerable, and distracted. Before it grew oval fruits attached to a crystalline bush. They glowed in soft shades of blue and violet, pulsing slowly like sleeping hearts. The creature was feeding on them. Biting. Chewing. Recovering.
Yukeli remained motionless, watching and waiting. Inexperienced predators attack when they see the prey; true predators attack when death is inevitable. He moved slowly, positioning himself behind a slanting crystal formation. From there, he had a clear view of the target—and enough cover to remain unseen. He raised the Hunger's Crossbow. The weapon responded immediately. Anxious. Hungry. A slight tug ran down his arm.
[ Primordial Essence: 14 → 13 ]
Particles of light began to condense between the weapon's crystalline fangs. A bolt was born: thin, dense, lethal. Yukeli controlled his breathing. Inhale. Exhale.
The creature continued to feed, unaware of the approaching end. Its ear twitched slightly. Yukeli froze. He waited. Seconds passed until it returned to eating.
Now.
'Here goes nothing.'
He pulled the trigger. No sound. No warning. The bolt streaked through the air and embedded itself deep into the base of the creature's neck. It froze. Its muscles stiffened. Its eyes widened.
Then, the scream came: a sharp, distorted sound. It tried to run, but its wounded leg gave way. Its body collapsed against the ground. It tried to rise again, its claws scratching the crystal beneath it in desperation. But it was too late. The Crossbow pulsed.
[ Mark of Hunger activated ]
Yukeli felt the flow immediately. Weak, but growing. Essence returning.
With every digit that rose in his status, a wave of subtle warmth traveled through his nervous system. The involuntary tremor in his hands began to fade, replaced by a steadiness he hadn't felt in hours. The sharp pain in his ribs and the acidic burn in his muscles—remnants of exhaustion and the fall—started to wither, turning into a manageable tingling. It was as if a gray mist were being purged from his vision. He wasn't just recovering energy; he was being mended from the inside out.
[ Primordial Essence: 13→14... 15... 16 . . . ]
Then it ceased: [ Primordial Essence: 46 → 47 ].
Yukeli remained still for a few seconds, observing, ensuring, and confirming. Only then did he begin to approach the body, cautious and attentive. He could not afford to be careless. His eyes were fixed on the crystal horns. And for the first time since he arrived in this world, he felt no fear. He felt control.
Yukeli stopped beside the body. The creature lay motionless, its form now apparently lifeless sprawled across the crystalline ground. The bolt was still buried deep in its neck, its violet light faint but steady. The Hunger's Crossbow pulsed in his hand, satisfied—for now.
His eyes, however, were not on the carcass. They were on the fruits. They grew in small clusters around the crystalline bush, each with a translucent surface and a luminous core. Yukeli knelt slowly. Hunger had become a constant presence, but the relief of the recovered essence allowed him to think clearly.
He analyzed the fruits. No unpleasant smell, no visible secretions, no obvious sign of poison. But that didn't mean safety. His mind worked coldly.
'Unknown food is a risk. But not eating is a certainty.'
His eyes shifted briefly to the creature's corpse. Meat. Protein. Energy. But raw. Without fire, consuming unknown meat could be dangerous. The fruits, on the other hand… that creature was eating them, and it was more adapted to this environment than he was. It increased the odds.
His stomach contracted again. The decision was made. He reached out and plucked one of the fruits. Its surface was cold, smooth, slightly soft under pressure. He hesitated for only a second, then bit.
The skin gave way easily, releasing a thick, cold liquid. The taste was strange—neither sweet nor bitter—but laden with a dense sensation. Like drinking liquid energy. He swallowed.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, heat. It rose in his abdomen, strong and growing, spreading rapidly. It wasn't pain; it was strengthening. As if empty parts of his being were being reconstructed with new, denser material.
'Ding'
[ Strength +2 ]
[ Strength: 50 → 52 ]
[ Bodily Essence successfully assimilated ]
[ Strength is one of the three forms in which Primordial Essence can manifest; born from the body, this manifestation is the most primitive form this energy can take. ]
[ Your physical vessel has become stronger. Primordial Essence +2 ]
The heat intensified. Yukeli felt clarity and vigor. His fingers gripped and relaxed, firmer. His recovery had accelerated drastically. He immediately remembered a fact: Primordial Essence is not a single thing; it is composed of three parts. Perhaps he had found a way to increase his Body Essence, which until now had been the lowest.
But before he could analyze further, something inside him screamed: Danger.
His instincts reacted before his mind. He moved by pure reflex. A crystalline blade swept through the space where his head had been an instant before. The air was sliced with a dry sound. Yukeli fell back, rolling across the ground, his vision locking onto what had just happened.
The creature was standing. Its breathing was ragged, its body trembling, but its eyes were alive. The bolt was still lodged in its neck. Its foreleg, with razor-like claws, was still extended in the motion that had almost killed him.
By a hair's breadth, by a single instant of delay, his head would have been torn off. Yukeli's heart hammered violently. His body went cold. Then, the realization hit him: clear, obvious, stupid.
He hadn't received the notification. No message confirming the kill.
His breath hitched in a tense whisper:
— "...I'm an idiot."
His fingers tightened around the Hunger's Crossbow once more. His eyes met the creature's. Now there was no hunger, no hesitation. Only a simple, brutal truth: the hunt was not yet over.