Aethryon decided to move a little deeper into the outer ring of the Beginner Forest. Of course, he would still remain within the outermost area. However, the place he had been staying before was so close to the edge that if he moved a little further, he might as well walk straight into the human city.
Because of that, the small snake changed direction and began slithering toward the slightly deeper parts of the forest. The trees here were denser, and the grass grew thicker. The area still seemed relatively safe, but it also appeared to contain more prey.
And that was exactly what Aethryon wanted.
After moving a little deeper, Aethryon soon encountered his first target. It was a thirty-centimeter rabbit.
Instinctively, Aethryon immediately knew that it wasn't an ordinary animal. It was a Spirit Beast. However, he had no idea what species it was or how many years of cultivation it had.
Still, after observing it carefully, he didn't feel any sense of danger from it. The rabbit was calmly chewing on grass, seemingly not paying much attention to its surroundings.
Aethryon thought for a few seconds.
"Hm… a bit fluffy for my first Spirit Beast hunt."
The small snake tilted his head slightly.
"Hopefully it's not stronger than it looks."
He paused for a moment before adding another thought.
"Worst case scenario… I run really fast."
Aethryon silently slithered through the grass, slowly approaching the rabbit. His small body almost completely blended into the surrounding greenery. Once he was close enough, he decided to make sure the attack would succeed.
This time, he chose to use his only offensive ability.
Weak Poison Breath.
In an instant, Aethryon lunged forward and opened his mouth, releasing his poisonous breath toward the rabbit. A thin cloud of venom spread toward the rabbit's face and body.
The rabbit suddenly panicked and began running around wildly like a mad animal. It dashed left and right through the grass, clearly confused about what had just happened. Meanwhile, the venom rapidly spread through its body.
However, the struggle didn't last long.
After only a few minutes, the rabbit's movements began to slow down. Its steps became unsteady before its body finally collapsed onto the ground. Aside from a few weak twitches, it no longer moved.
Soon after, it became completely motionless.
After making sure the rabbit was completely dead, Aethryon finally began eating with peace of mind. The taste of this prey was quite different. Strangely, it reminded him of chicken.
Although he wanted to slowly enjoy the meal, he didn't have the luxury of wasting time. In this forest, every second meant an opportunity to grow stronger.
Because of that, he began eating as quickly as possible. Even though the rabbit was much larger than him, the small snake continued swallowing piece after piece without stopping.
In the end, he managed to finish the entire rabbit in about one hour.
Beep…
[Congratulations, 15-Year Spirit Rabbit Consumed: +0.5 Points]
When Aethryon saw the number, his eyes immediately lit up.
This reward was much better than he expected. After all, 0.5 points was equivalent to hunting five ordinary mice.
The small snake thought with satisfaction.
"So stronger prey… means more points."
This discovery instantly boosted Aethryon's motivation.
Without wasting any time, Aethryon quickly began searching for more small Spirit Rabbits. After his first hunt, he already knew what kind of prey he should target. Rabbits weren't too strong, and the points they gave were quite rewarding.
As a result, system notifications echoed in his mind again and again.
[Host consumed a 12-Year Spirit Beast Spirit Rabbit: +0.5 Points]
[Host consumed an 11-Year Spirit Beast Spirit Rabbit: +0.5 Points]
…
For days, Aethryon continued the same routine. Hunt, eat, and then rest for a short while. With each passing day, the small snake became more experienced, and his attacks grew faster and more precise.
This cycle continued for many days.
In the end, Aethryon was looking at a very satisfying sight.
When he opened the system panel in his mind, his eyes immediately focused on the number at the top.
[System Points: 21]
The small snake stared at the number for a few seconds. Days of hunting, countless rabbits, and endless patience… all of it had finally turned into this number.
A strange sense of satisfaction filled Aethryon's mind.
Even though this amount of points seemed as small as a candle flame compared to the expenses he was planning to make, it was still satisfying. After all, he had earned every single one of them through hunting.
Aethryon opened the system panel.
First, he looked at the Element section. Next to the poison element, there was a small "+" symbol. Out of curiosity, he tried to upgrade it and tapped the symbol.
However, a warning immediately appeared in front of him.
[Poison → Advanced Poison Evolution Required System Points: 500]
Aethryon stared at the number for a few seconds.
Then he silently closed the panel.
"…My poison is perfectly fine for now."
Since he couldn't upgrade his poison, Aethryon initially considered using his points to increase his cultivation level. However, after doing a quick calculation, he realized that all his points would only give him about a seven-year increase.
That simply wasn't enough to significantly strengthen him in the short term.
The small snake thought for a few seconds before grumbling inwardly.
"All that effort… and only seven years?"
He stared at the panel for another moment before making his decision.
"Alright… let's put that aside for now."
With that, Aethryon turned his attention to another option and opened the System Shop.
A small hope appeared in his mind.
"Maybe this time there's something that won't make me feel poor."
Aethryon briefly looked through the shop. He still couldn't afford 99.9% of the items in the store. However, after searching carefully, he found three abilities that could actually be useful for him.
[Hardened Skin (Passive): Increases the toughness of your skin by 30% compared to its original state 5 Points]
[Poisonous Tail: Your tail strikes can now release poison 8 Points]
[Large Stomach: Enjoy life more by eating more. Your stomach capacity doubles 5 Points]
Aethryon's eyes lit up with excitement when he saw these abilities. Without much hesitation, he bought all three of them.
He then used the remaining 3 points to increase his cultivation by one year.
To test his new ability, Aethryon swung his tail toward a nearby tree.
His tail struck the trunk with a soft thud. The impact itself didn't cause much physical damage. However, a few seconds later something interesting happened. The area where his tail had struck slowly began to darken and rot. The poison was quietly spreading through the tree's tissue.
Aethryon flicked his tail slightly as he observed the effect.
"Nice."