Su Ren looked at the sun that was shining down from the sky.

His stomach was contented. There was no crazy screeching bird after him. He didn’t have to snatch food from the jaws of some ferocious beasts. For the first time ever since he crossed over to this world, he could relax with none of the urgency he had to deal with before – he could take his own sweet time to do stuff.

It was a new day.

Ah! What a beautiful day!

With that said, he must not forget to be cautious. Dangers were lurking at every corner of this forest. A simple misstep on his part could lead to disastrous consequences.

He activated [Eyes of Garuda] and examined his surrounding. He focused more on the area he was planning to go. The examination couldn’t be considered perfect. In certain regions, his view was obstructed due to heavy foliage. But for most part, it got the job done.

The area around him seemed relatively safe.

Humming quietly to himself, Su Ren walked into the forest.

His top agenda for the day was to get something to cover his body. He had wanted to find something to wear since the very first day he woke up in this world but for one reason or another, it was pushed back and he had to go bare for a long while. His plan for now was to string together some leaves. Well, there were no other alternatives available to him.

The leaves in this world were bigger, stronger and durable. He picked the ones that seemed suitable and ate the ones that weren’t. It was killing two birds with a stone. Although his stomach was in a satisfied state now, it couldn’t be considered full. Su Ren wanted to maintain this state at the very least at all times, if not full.

He found some thin tenacious vines – he used them to thread the leaves together. After several hours of many trials and errors (and also, eating), he was finally able to finish a minimal viable product.

As soon as he did, he put them on.

He couldn’t help but give a self-satisfied smile.

His new clothes, if they could be called that, didn’t offer him much protection against wind, rain, heat or cold. But that was not important. His new body was resilient enough to the elements. What he wanted was something to do cover his bare body. It didn’t have anything to do with logic but rather with his human aesthetics. It just didn’t feel right to be naked.

For now, his new clothes were fulfilling their purpose quite nicely.

“Should I go back now?” he asked himself in a mumble.

He looked at the sun that was barely past its peak. There were still some hours before it set in and the night fell but it didn’t feel bad to be leisurely for once. He had been rushed around too much lately, so it made for a nice change of pace.

He retraced his steps back slowly.

It was when he was about to reach his cave.

He felt a sudden chill in the air. A bad premonition rose in his heart.

But before he could do anything, a giant pair of eyes appeared in his mind. An unreasonable primal fear struck his heart. He didn’t know what was happening. But his instinct told him. He had to get away. And fast.

But to his horror, he realized – he was unable to move. He was petrified!

The ground a few meters in front of him cracked open and the head of a huge snake, the likes of one he had never seen in his life, followed by its long body rose up from it. The cold yellow slit-like eyes that were really similar to the ones that appeared in his head looked at him with greed and hunger.

He was its prey!

However, for some unfathomable reason, Su Ren didn’t feel any fear. It was like everything that was happening was a natural course of event, something he shouldn’t stop.

The serpent leisurely made its way towards him and opened its big mouth. And swallowed him whole!

You have been swallowed by a basilisk! – 0.1 lifeforce per second.

It was only then did terror struck him.

What happened? His mind was in a bewildered state. Everything happened so fast that he was left in a befuddled state. He was unable to get a proper grasp of the events. The only thing that stuck in his head was – he was in the belly of a snake and he was being digested!

Calm down! He forced his panicking mind to cool down. If he wanted to get out of this predicament, it was imperative that his head be clear and logical. That was the most important thing.

It took a while but his mind was finally calm – well, as calm as it could be under this sudden duress.

He tried to move his body. But apart from his head that could move slightly, the rest of his body was struck. Immobile.

He opened his status window. Over the past few days, he had learnt that he didn’t need to shout “Status!” like he did when he viewed his status for the first time. When he thought about it, it would appear.

He ran a quick calculation.

He had 20 lifeforce. If 0.1 lifeforce was depleting every second, he had about 200 seconds, which was a little more than 3 minutes. His 0.01% per second regeneration rate generated 0.002 per seconds. In 200 seconds, 0.4 lifeforce would be regenerated, that would earn him 4 extra seconds.

He had 204 seconds to think of a solution. No. 19 seconds had already passed; most of the time had been wasted trying to get his panicking head under control. That left him with only 185 seconds.

His 6 stat points in soul stat was showing its effect. If it weren’t for it, it would be impossible to run the calculation this fast. Even with the assistance of a calculator, it would have taken much longer.

The scarce air and the strong stench of the digestive fluid were proving to be quite a distraction. Su Ren tried his best to ignore them and think of viable solution.

What should he do?

An idea suddenly struck him. Or rather, it was the only option available to him.

He opened his mouth and sank his teeth into the membrane that surrounded him. Although he was in no mood to savor the taste, he couldn’t ignore the sensation his tongue felt. It was delicious! With a gulp, he swallowed.

You have consumed the meat of an Astral Soul stage beast. +1 Physique

Yes! With this, his time was extended by 100 seconds. But more than that, it presented him hope. He still had the chance to salvage the situation.

His instinct took over his body. Su Ren gladly let go of his hold. When it came to eating, his instinct was really fast. And fast was what he desperately needed at the moment. He began to consume of the inside of the giant snake ravenously.

The snake on its part thrashed around but Su Ren didn’t relent. He could do nothing to this beast outside. But now that he was inside its body, there was nothing it could do to him.

You have consumed the meat of an Astral Soul stage beast. +1 Physique

You have consumed the meat of an Astral Soul stage beast. +1 Physique

You have consumed the heart of an Astral Soul stage beast. +1 Soul

Several notifications appeared before his eyes.

With a thought, he made them disappear. He didn’t have time for them. He would check them later after everything was over.

Then he noticed something. He was about to tear a hole through the snake. With one more bite, it would be done.

Not good!

Outside was the domain of the serpent. If he really stepped out, he would be at the mercy of the beast. It definitely wouldn’t let him go. He wouldn’t be surprised if it tortured him before killing him for inflicting this suffering on it.

Eat the inside first before stepping outside, he urged his body.

Whether it was due to the urgency of the situation or due to his stronger soul, his mouth steered away from the thin skin and turned its attention to the inner organs.

Su Ren sighed in relief inwardly.

You have consumed the meat of an Astral Soul stage beast. +1 Physique

You have consumed the meat of an Astral Soul stage beast. +1 Physique

You have consumed the brain of an Astral Soul stage beast. +1 Soul

As time passed, the struggle of the snake became less and finally, stopped altogether. Moments later, it stopped moving altogether.

It was dead!

You have accomplished a difficult feat! +1 Fate

You have slain an Astral Soul stage basilisk! +342 Qi Essence

Please exercise your cultivation technique to absorb it.

Su Ren felt some sort of energy flow into him –

No cultivation technique exercised. Qi Essence will dissipate.

And he felt it flow out of him.

Although the basilisk was dead, Su Ren didn’t relent and kept on eating – or rather, his instinct was not done eating.

You have consumed the meat of an Astral Soul stage beast. +1 Physique

You have consumed the meat of an Astral Soul stage beast. +1 Physique

Soon, the huge snake disappeared in its entirety.

You have acquired the trait [Basilisk’s Eye]

Before he could check the detail, another notification hit him.

You have two ocular traits. Would you like to fuse them?

The abilities of the previous traits will be retained. There is a chance of acquiring an all-new ability.

It didn’t sound like a bad deal. But that would have to wait.

First, he needed to get away from here. The serpent created quite a commotion when it thrashed around. It might bring other beasts to this area. As he was now, it would be an impossible task to take care of them. No. Even if he were in his peak condition, it would be impossible for him.

He had been lucky in this encounter; it wouldn’t be same every time.

The underground cave was not very far. He dragged his fatigued body towards it. It was slow but he was able to reach the fold of his cave safely.

He laid himself down on the floor.

The floor felt cold against his bare skin. The clothes that he made after several hours of diligent work were all gone. The strong digestive fluid of the basilisk had dissolved it, leaving no trace of it behind.

I will make another one tomorrow, he told himself. With the experience that he gained from making the first one, the second one should be easy and less time consuming.

Moving on, he brought the notification about the fusion of his two traits before him and read it once again.

You have two ocular traits. Would you like to fuse them?

The abilities of the previous traits will be retained. There is a chance of acquiring an all-new ability.

No matter how he thought about, it seemed to be a good thing.

Fuse, I thought.

[Eyes of Garuda] and [Basilisk’s Eye] are fusing together.

A conflict has arisen! The two traits are of incompatible origin. Resolving the conflict will take a while. Please wait.

What now? Hardly had that thought appeared in his head when he was hit by a headache that threatened to split his head apart.

He squirmed on the floor, while letting out groans of pain.

He had just been through a tough ordeal and yet, he was thrown into another one soon after. What was with this?

After what felt like eternity, the terrible headache finally receded.

Fusion completed!

[Eyes of Garuda] and [Basilisk’s Eye] has evolved to [Kaleidoscope Eye]!

All the abilities of [Eyes of Garuda] and [Basilisk’s Eye] have been retained.

Two new abilities have been added to [Kaleidoscope Eye]!

Su Ren had no strength to examine the changes to his traits.

I will do it tomorrow, he thought and fainted due to exhaustion.

Su Ren’s updated Status

Name: Su Ren Age: 10 years old

Race: Hybrid

Cultivation Realm: None

Lifeforce: 32/90 (Regeneration: 0.01% per second)

Qi: 0/0 (Regeneration: 0.01% per second)

Occupations:

None

Cultivation Techniques:

None

Attributes:

Physique: 9 Movement: 1 Soul: 8

Fate: 12

Traits

Myriad Physique (Innate)

Innards of Primordial Taotie (Innate)

Kaleidoscope Eye (Acquired)