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"Why won't you bugs just go away?"

It's 6 am, and Lloyd Angsley is on the road again headed towards South Carolina, where his family lives. Only this time, he's on foot. After finding that his truck wouldn't start, he proceeded to find out that out of the small number of vehicles there, not a single one would start. And in a fit of anger, he begrudgingly grabbed his stuff and made his way down the interstate.

And since that point, he walked for about 2 hours, and would walk another before trouble came in the form of an oversized housecat.

"OH hey kitty kitty! Pspspsps, come here!"

Lloyd face brightened as soon as he noticed the bobcat. He never had much experience with animals besides the cat he shared at home with his ex-girlfriend.

'He's just a big house cat, how dangerous could he be?'

"Come here baby, come to daddy!"

And came it did! With claws bared and eyes glared, it rushed at Lloyd slashing him on the arm.

"Fuck, you stupid cat!"

[You have become [Angry]]

The bobcat lunged at him again, slashing his other arm. He tried to grab it but was too slow. The bobcat landed on its feet, and pounced again, going for his neck!

As the bobcat's claws dug into his chest, Lloyd wrapped his arms around the feline and squeezed. The bobcat, realizing what was happening, scratched and clawed, trying to break free, but in a few moments it laid still, never moving again.

Lloyd dropped the dead cat's body onto the ground. He managed to crush its spine at the cost of the numerous lacerations across his chest. He took a look at the cat. Surprisingly it looked back. He must have just paralyzed it! But in the end, it didn't have long to live. Lloyd picked up his foot and stomped its skull, crushing it. As soon as the cat died, Lloyd got a message.

PLINK

[You have successfully killed [Starving Bobcat] in combat! Please choose a reward!

1 High Grade

2 Medium Grades

3 Low Grades.

Please choose carefully!]

"What the hell does this mean?"

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

[Would you like the system to explain?]

"No, I want to be left in the dark!"

[Sarcasm noted. System will explain.]

[This is the rewards screen. You will see the rewards screen after every successful combat. The rewards you receive are based on 1. Your opponents, 2. Your performance, 3. Yourself. The rewards you receive will be contrived from your opponents but they will not go against any of your current skills or perks. Your performance during the combat impacts the type of reward you will receive. The high grade reward offers the strongest item or skill based on your opponent. The low grade rewards offer some of the weakest items or skills based on your opponents. The medium is in the middle. Things to remember: All rewards are based on your opponent's skills, stats and perks. You cannot kill a wolf and expect to fly. All of the rewards are valued around the same. Some rewards might be dangerous. Always choose wisely.]

[Rules for combat. The system is fair, and will not reward combats that are: staged, effortless and repetitive. There is no farming for equipment. If you kill something that cannot defend itself property you shall receive no reward, unless under certain circumstances. If the combatants are too far apart in strength, the stronger side will not receive a reward if they were to win. No one has to die for the combat to be over, and there are no penalties from the system for either side if the combat ends in surrender. Combat is an honorable rite in many cultures and will be treated as such.]

He stared blankly at it, then the reward screen began flashing. Time to make a choice.

'This thing said that what I pick could be dangerous. But, it's just a bobcat? What could it hurt?'

[You have obtained the skill [Feline Agility]

"That doesn't sound sound so ba-AGGGGHHHHHHHHHH"

As soon as the skill took affect, pain washed over Lloyd. The skill was reshaping his body, condensing his muscles, ripping them apart and forcefully reconnecting them in the span of moments. It was making his body more lithe, more flexible and agile. The pain was unbearable, and felt like months for it to go away, but as soon as it reached its climax, it was gone.

It took Lloyd a few dozen breaths to open his eyes after the pain went away. But when he did, what he saw made it worth it.

[Feline Agility lvl 1: You've become the cat's meow with this skill. This skill boosts all stats that aid your Agility, as well as allowing you to climb things easier and to always land on your feet! Rank B]

[Stat Increases are as followed:

Agility: → 12

Flexibility: → 11

Balance: → 10]

Lloyd smiled. He felt the power course through him. He got up and looked at himself. He was a bit slimmer, and even that bit of a tummy he had had already shrunk. His body changed in just mere moments. It was an intense feeling, to watch your body change in front of your eyes. It was very addictive.

With a smile on his face, he kept going, riding on the high of this newfound strength. His eyes, ignoring the broken cat laying in the road. Then, a voice calls out to him.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

Lloyd turned around fast and faced the speaker. It was a young girl, who looked no more than 16. She had green eyes and dark brown hair, and carried a grimace on her face.

“You really didn’t have to do that.” She said again.

“Hey, kid, go on somewhere, I had to do what I had to do. “

She gave a smirk. She was going to solve the problem herself, peacefully. But it seems as though her plans have changed.

She shrugged her shoulders and said “That’s fine, you keep on pal. I was just trying to save you some heartache, but that’s okay. You’ll find out.”

“I got somewhere to be, I can’t talk all day.” Lloyd turned back and started walking. He reckoned she was just a hippie’s daughter or some teenage animal activist. But since that moment, eyes were on him.

‘I guess PETA is still going at it.’ he says to himself while he walks away.