3 days passed since the battle with that flock of birds.

Why the sudden time skip?

It's because I was pretty battered during the fight. Like I said, only a fool would fight a dozen to 1 alone.

I did it at the time to gain the favor of the face tree, and that worked to a certain extent, but I still have to complain. Ow, my shell. Do you believe that I actually have pain receptors in my shell?

When those wood gnawing birds bite down, they bite down hard. The impacts that pass through to my inner flesh caused some internal bruising. The saw-like scratches on my soft outer shell will take even longer to heal themselves.

Anyways, after 3 days and 3 nights of slow life,

with the minimal amount of hunting, eating and sleeping at all other times, my internal injuries feel like they've mostly recovered.

In such a slow life, my level did not increase, as I only got a little bit of exp,

but the level of a few of my acquired skills did increase by 1 each.

Name: Gosh Species: Faux kat (Stage I) Level: 9 (89%) Innate Abilities: Poison Ink Glands, Stretchable Titanium Shell, Night Vision Eyes, Retractable Titanium Claws, Camouflage Pigment Acquired Skills: Spit level 2, Dash level 1, Constrict level 3, Swim level 1, Cook level 2, Whack level 1, Scratch level 2, Leap level 0, Twist level 2, Endure level 1, Pierce level 0

Swim went from 0 to 1 when I was hunting for fish again.

I hunted a few different fish, but their natural taste wasn't much different from the first one I ate.

Cook went from 1 to 2 as I experimented cooking with various vegetation ingredients, making new dishes that, although were not very tasty, provided more in variety.

Along my search for ingredients, I found some raw fruits that taste better than my cooking. Unfortunately, it seems this new body of mine cannot persist on only fruits. It grumbles whenever I don't have meat in my guts. It's obviously carnivorous.

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And spit went from level 1 to 2 as I repeatedly practiced shooting poison ink at targets further away... if 2 or so meters count as further.

Honestly, considering the potency of my poison ink, I would like to use it more often, but by simply spitting it, the range is too short. I even have to make sure it hits somewhere other than the skin barrier, like the opponent's open wounds, eyes, or even into their mouths, for it to take effect.

This could be solved by using it for close combat, by simply coating my claws with poison ink, but in close combat, it's more efficient to just strangle and break my opponents' bones than to poison them with a slow acting poison.

Today, having ventured in a direction I haven't before, I find the solution in the wild.

"Meow! (found it!)" I said, as I pulled out from the soil a long piece of hard and hollow blue grass, similar to bamboo. I'll just call it bamboo.

With this, I should be able to make a rough blowgun.

Carrying a small bundle of bamboo and my catch of the day, I walk back home on my two hind legs (tentacles).

After cooking the catch, eating, and burying the head and other inedible parts of the catch under the face tree's roots, I get to work preparing my blowgun.

Despite saying that though, the bamboo is fine as it is, long and hollow. What I actually need to prepare is the ammo.

Taking a bunch of fallen branches from all around, I measured the hollow of the bamboo and started carving some small yet long wooden darts out of the fallen branches using my sharp titanium claws.

The face tree looked curiously at what its new companion is trying to do. She extends a thin branch to poke at the shoulder of the little animal.

"Meow meow. (Don't bother me. I'm making bullets.)" Darts, to be exact, without fletchings.

Testing dart number 1.

"Fuu~" My cheeks puff up and I blow air into the bamboo.

...The dart gets stuck partway in the bamboo.

I shake the bamboo, to try to get it out, but it won't come out. It's jammed. This bamboo is wasted.

I carve a thinner dart. Then, I pick up another bamboo.

"Fuu~" I blow into the 2nd bamboo.

Drop.

The dart comes out from the other end, but the result is not as I want it. It didn't go very far before falling to the floor.

I think the air force didn't act completely on the dart. In other words, it's too thin, and needs more surface area at the end.

I carve another dart and try again. "Fuu~"

The dart flies out, for over 20 meters and bounces off a tree.

"Meow! (Yeah! It worked.)"

The range is sufficient.

The only problem is that its piercing ability is too lacking. I have to make the dart tips sharper.

Short story shorter, in the end, instead of simply carving the point down the dart, I found a way to use my small titanium claws like a pencil sharpener, creating round and sharp tips.

It's kind of amusing how dexterous I got using tentacles that I never had in my past life in just a handful of days. It's actually easier than using human arms, probably because tentacles have no joints and less restrictions.

Spit.

I spit some poison ink on the tip of the dart, and then load the blackened dart into the bamboo.

"Fuu~" I shoot.

STAB

The dart point sticks a bit into the bark of a tree, its shaft trembling from the impact.

Success.

Now, I have to mass produce the darts.