Cultivation Struggles of a Lowly Fox

Aiko chose [Burrow] and moved to [Bite]. There were similar options to [Dig]. It seemed like you were offered a greatly enhanced option, a slightly enhanced option and a passive option. He picked the greatly enhanced option. [Crushing Bite].

[Dash] was changed into [Sprint], which had a lower top speed, but could be activated for a longer time, because of the decrease in Stamina usage.

[Jump] turned into [Quick Jump], which didn't change the distance, but greatly increased the activation time and speed of the Jump.

Each of these upgrades cost him 5 points, leaving him with 80 Skill Points.

Aiko browsed the store yet again. Now that his vitality is high, it is hard for him to regain it all with is miniscule base regeneration. As such, he had to find a Passive Skill that would allow him to speed up the recovery process. Fortunately, he did find one... Unfortunately, it's one that he has mixed feelings about...

[Vitality Devouring #### Technique]
[Intimate contact with #### allows you to devour their Vitality, recovering some in the process.]
[Cost: ####]

While the cost and certain parts of the description couldn't be seen, the thought of reading it still gave him goosebumps.

He looked in the shop for something else and he found one, but the cost was a bit...

[Vitality Recovery]
[Recovers one Vitality per Hour and additionally 0.01%pH of Max Vitality.]
[Cost: 10,000 Skill Points]

Yep, that's right. 10,000 Skill points. He still had no idea why that was shown to him while the others weren't, he might be missing something, but he didn't know what that was.

She was very 'smart' now, but that didn't mean she was all-knowing. That's right! The book! She could read the book! Let's get some help from it!

Aiko pulled the [Introduction to the Mortal Realm] before him. If he said that it looked like the bible... it would be a severe understatement. It was so thick that it almost couldn't fit in his Den. That was not how it looked previously which made him feel eerie, but without opening it, he wouldn't be able to answer his questions.

'OH? Does it have a search function?' He looked at the incredibly densely packed words that even he couldn't read. He stared at the Search function and thought about the [Vitality Devouring #### Technique].

[Vitality Devouring #### Technique]

'... That doesn't help...' He thought, but he was mistaken.

[####]
[####]
[####]
[Cultivation]
[Cultivation in Mortal Realm is separated into 'Cultivation', 'Demonic Cultivation' and 'Beast Cultivation']

[Those are further separated by the type of Cultivation Technique. Mainly 'Energy' or 'Qi' Cultivation Path, and 'Body' Cultivation Path. There are more niche Paths, but those are the main and most widespread ones.]

[Normal Cultivators harness the 'Essence' and 'Energy' of Heaven and Earth to cleanse their bodies and enrich them with newfound Vitality.]

[Demonic Cultivators prefer to harness 'Vitality' by itself. Often seeking pleasures through Torture or Rape. Most, if not all their techniques are focused on extracting their Victim's Vitality and they rarely Cultivate Heaven and Earth Energies.]

[Beast Cultivators are Beasts that harness Energy from The Beast Cores of their fallen prey. They indulge in hunting and killing enemies to increase the Internal Energy of their own Beast Cores]

[There are some Beasts that developed different techniques by seducing Humans and sucking their Energy out of them. Very few do this since the danger is often not worth the effort as there are many Humans that stick together, while Beasts rarely stick together.]

[There are even a few Beasts that get into intimate relationships with Humans. Those beasts can, in theory, Dual-Cultivate with their mate, but are often killed, since the Energy is not as rich as when Humans take it straight from their Core.]

'Whoa... a lot of information. Cultivation eh? Sounds exciting, I read a few books myself, but I don't remember them any more, which is a pity.' He shook his head sadly, then he looked at the Skill Shop.

[Vitality Devouring Demonic Technique]
[Intimate contact with Cultivators will allow you to devour their Vitality, recovering some in the process.]
[Cost: As this is a Cultivation Technique, it can't be bought from this store]

'Aha, figures.' He nodded with a hint of sadness, but now he knew what that thing was.

He looked at Beasts next.

[Beasts are separated by Ranks]

[Animal Rank: In this Rank, normal Human beings without cultivation can take care of the Beast without worrying about their life.]

[Beast Rank: In this Rank, only those that have started Cultivating stand a chance against these Beasts and even then, it would take a lot of time and effort to dispatch of one. They have poor intelligence, but are still competent enough to employ advanced tactics. However, this often comes at the expense of their natural senses. As such, not many survive through this phase, since they often pick the wrong enemies to anger. They are also often hunted because this is the first Rank that creates Cores in their Bodies.]

[Magical Beast Rank: Only those who have developed intelligence are in this rank. There are some cases where a beast loses their mind while attaining a pseudo-Magical Beast Rank, but it robs them of their reasoning, causing them to attack anyone and are unlikely to survive. In this stage, Intelligence reigns supreme and Humans would frequently make contracts with a Magical Beast, taking care of them and fighting alongside them. However, once a Beast is under this contract, their life is bounded to their owner. If the owner of the Beast dies, they would also perish along, but if the Beast died, the owner would remain unharmed! As such, Humans would often use Beasts in this stage as bait, since the Beast wouldn't be able to refuse the owner's orders.]

[Spirit Beast Rank: Beasts in this rank have attained some form of Enlightenment and are able to Cultivate using Beast Cultivation Techniques. These are different from the Innate Cultivation Techniques, which they gain in their Magical Beast Rank. They can choose any path as long as it fits them. Humans would go crazy to contract Beasts in this Rank. These Beasts would have already advanced through their cultivation and be leagues ahead compared to their peers. Their Cores are also more solid, making it possible to refine them into Beast Orbs - A Spiritual Beast in its truest essence, allowing Cultivators to summon their Beast if contracted and refined properly. Spiritual beasts are ethereal, as such, only Techniques containing Qi or #### can hurt them. Even if you somehow kill the beast, as long as the Beast Orb is intact, it can be nourished back to life. However, if Humans refine a Beast into a Spiritual Beast, then there is little to no chance to make them stronger, a Spiritual Beast will be stuck at the same strength as they were in their Spirit Beast Rank! A good deal of intelligence gathering organisations around the world will try to keep track of Spirit Beasts.]

[Demonic/Holy Spirit Beast Rank: One of the MOST important Ranks as they will be able to attain a Human form and form a Dantian. While it is possible for some Beasts to gain a Human form in the Spirit Beast Rank, it depends on the Beast's cultivation and emotions. Without the proper 'want' they wouldn't be able to attain Human form, but that is not the case with Demonic or Holy Spirit Beasts! They would gain Human form the moment they enter this stage, but at a cost. Their Beast Cultivation and Strength would regress to the earliest stage of their life! In some cases, that could mean they would be weaker than Human babies! After creating a Dantian in their bodies, they can start Cultivating Human Cultivation Techniques, greatly widening their paths. Humans are obsessed with getting Beasts at this stage, as they are much more beautiful than humans and can be used to make great cauldrons. Their blood, strengthened by their Cultivation, is the perfect form for Normal and Demonic Cultivators to attain ####. Pills created in the Cauldrons from these Beasts are also greatly enhanced, depending on the type of Beast they were previously. Dual cultivation with Beasts in Human form also provides more than 5x the benefit compared to cultivating with ordinary fellow Humans. As such, they are extremely sought-after commodities and any beast at the Peak of Spirit Beast Rank would be watched over constantly so that they can be captured when they are at their weakest after breaking through. Demonic and Holy Spirit Beast do not differ much other than their preferred way of consuming energy. It's unlikely that Holy Beasts would follow a Demonic Cultivator, but it is likely that a Demonic Beast would follow a normal Cultivator, as they are a great source of cheap energy and easily charmed!]

[Beast Ranks are further separated by Grades from 9 to 1, Low-Middle-High, but these Ranks are mostly used by Human Cultivators, as Beast can sometimes slay other Beasts above their grade, or be slain by Beasts below their grade.]

'... Too much, but it's nice to know when I will get my Human form.' He thought for a moment. 'It's not that bad being pampered with food... but... I don't like the demerits of those and considering I was quite the asshole in my previous life... even though I don't quite remember what I did... I wouldn't trust Humans to take care of me, more like Enslave me...' He shook his head.

'The first step towards my Human form or any kind of enlightenment would be one that allows me to hide myself from them.' Aiko thought.

[Evolution Tree]
[Possible Evolutions: Too many]
[User, please decide the rarity and specialisation of your future Species]

'Hmmm...' She pondered for quite a while. 'Anything that would allow me to become Mistress of the nigh-'

He shook his head. 'Nonono, I'm a guy! I will become the darkness itself and Hunt my enemies from within!'

Aiko shook her head again, thinking it wouldn't be that bad if she became Mistress of the Night.

He was confused and restless, but that didn't last long as the [Evolution Tree] found something to match.

[Dark Fennec Fox; Epic]
[Specialised in hunting in dark places, especially swamps and caves.
[Specialisation: Dark hunting and hearing]
[Body: Small and nimble, the size of a common Fox]
[Strengths: Increase in killing capabilities in complete darkness.]
[Weakness: Extremely weak during daylight or when subjected to light.]

[Night Fennec Fox; Epic]
[Specialised in hunting in the night, especially in swamps and forests or densely packed vegetation.]
[Body: Large, size of tiger]
[Strengths: Increased killing capabilities and greatly increased stealth at night.]
[Weaknesses: Extremely weak during daylight.]

[Shadow Fennec Fox; Unique]
[Specialised in hunting in the shadows, especially during the brightest days when there are the darkest shadows.]
[Body: Small and nimble, the size of a common Fox]
[Strength: Increase in overall stealth and assassination, those are greatly increased if the User is in shadow or night.]
[Weaknesses: Not very durable, No strengthening if User is not in shadows or during the night.]

Damn... Only one Unique... It seems that the higher the rarity, the greater the strength and fewer the weaknesses. This would allow me to survive better in hostile conditions... which is always true.

'I will definitely choose the [Shadow Fennec Fox], not just because it's unique, but also because there are quite a few predators at night. Sometimes it is safer to hunt during the day and since I'm inside quite a dense forest, there is plenty of shade to get around.'

He was a bit worried about the requirements.

[Shadow Fennec Fox; Unique]
[Requirement: 250 Luck and spend 30 days straight in the shadows without touching daylight. (Can't touch daylight or else counter will be reset)]

'... that's not that bad... I just need some food here and there, and water is easily accessible through my Den.' He stared at it. 'I just can't touch daylight... That seems alright.'

He placed 140 points into Luck and 5 points into Vitality, Toughness and Strength, thus reaching the 250 Luck required to start the Evolution.

[Starting Evolution process: [Shadow Fennec Fox] - 29 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes]

'Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about!' Now I just have to wait and buy more Skills!

He browsed the store and picked some that might be useful during his time as Mistress of the-Assassin! Assassin!

[Enhanced Speed]
[Enhanced Manoeuvrability]
[Enhanced Flexibility]
[Enhanced Agility]
[Enhanced Smell]
[Climb]

For 5 Each.

[Predator Sense]
[Temperature Regulation]

For 25 Each.

This took him the whole night since he was going through each one of them carefully and slowly. He could make different choices, but he didn't necessarily need to kill. Since he could hide in the shadows, he could just steal eggs or jump around to find some cherries... definitely not cherries, but apples and such should be fine... right?

'Alright, let's sleep, since I can't go outside when there is light... I hope moonlight doesn't count into it...'

...

He saw that it was night outside and went to drink from the river. It was quiet, but life was slowly returning to the shrouded forest.

He went outside with a smirk, he got bonus agility from the [Enhanced Agility: Lv.1]. This made him even faster than before and would allow him to outrun his predators or prey.

Aiko sneaked around during the night. He already verified that he could bask in the Moonlight, which was perfect as it means that he wouldn't need to worry about it resetting his counter. However, that also meant that he could only hunt during the night, like right now.

As he sneaked around, his hide ability went up surprisingly fast before eventually slowing down. It seemed like he had entered some kind of Beast territory which had boosted the growth of his Skill.

He spotted his next target, another nest. This time, he was aiming for revenge on another innocent bird! Which his [Predator Sense] guided him to.

Aiko took his time sneaking around, as those eggs looked big and delicious, allowing him to recover quite a bit of stamina. He used his [Climb] and he was surprised at how easily he got up the huge tree! He didn't even spend half of his stamina and was already high in the crown!

The bird moved, but Aiko was already hidden with his Level 5 [Hide].

He wasn't spotted, he crawled closer, only moving when his [Danger Sense] and [Predator Sense] would allow him to. He increased their Level by 1 doing so made him increase the levels of the Skills by 1, making it much easier to guess the bird's location and intention with his extraordinary senses.

Aiko positioned himself as closely as possible and waited for the right time.

'Now!'

Aiko used [Quick Jump], not to jump up, but forward, shooting like a bullet towards the bird, the speed surprising both Aiko and the bird. He should've practised and tested his current limits, but didn't as he wanted to hunt as soon as possible.

*BANG*

He collided with the bird and they both fell down. Fortunately for him, his toughness was already great, and he was able to use his [Enhanced Manoeuvrability] to gracefully land on his paws, while the bird crashed down like a rock.

Aiko didn't dilly-dally and killed the bird with [Crushing Bite]. It was very easy since the bird was stunned and almost didn't have any Toughness at all. As such, he was successful with his first proper hunt. Unfortunately, this wasn't counted as his first hunt, but the previous was too... wrong.

He licked his... lips? 'Not bad, while clumsily executed, I have not suffered even a single HP of damage.' He praised himself, but he was already hidden with his [Hide]. While he was proud, he was not stupid. He climbed the tree again, spending most of his Stamina before gulping down the eggs. They could barely fit inside his mouth, but he was still able to swallow them... with some difficulty.

He then jumped down again, increasing his [Enhanced Manoeuvrability] and [Enhanced Flexibility]. With this kind of speed, he would master them soon enough... Unfortunately, he won't be able to upgrade them, since he didn't have any Skill Points to his name... How unfortunate.

He left the bird there, although he had a sensitive nose, it paled in comparison to some of the more sensitive predators in the wild. As such, he did not want to risk eating the bird and encounter a deadly predator!

He returned to his Den, sleeping the night and day away...