A bloody sight followed the momentum, spreading the blood all over the ground and bones. Droplets lightly echoed, stopping the growls or stomps to be the sole sounds in this cave. A sharp beak slid through the fox's flesh. The Battle was yet to be over.

The choice of an all-out attack that Devil Fox unleashed still hit its target, who was determined and hopeful his body would take this hit without breaking. Looking as if he met his End, Murai was smiling upon this force of redness and glowing eyes. Devil Fox hit him regardless of the bloody wound, slamming him with a force that squeezed his guts.

There was nothing to it than sheer physical mass and weight, which Murai felt more than its jaw or teeth.

Even though its claw slid off the shiny feathers right afterward, his protection was enough of a shield. Momentum wasn't. He still felt penetrative force akin to bricks slamming into his bones and flesh, hurting him. Regardless of his ignorant and nonexistent guard—as he hadn't thought of any defenses when he made this ambush in the first place—this momentum flung his body far away, ending him in the wall, close to the bones he so adored.

It was his failure, yet filled with gratifying blood of success too. He didn't predict that this fox would turn even more insane with that wound, charging at him with half-paw in the End.

Damnation, he coughed close to the wall, this went better than I thought, yet harder than some would wish. Great... Blood and gore. This is what the living Chaos and demons are all about. Am I still that? Could be... wrong assumption. I am still myself though. Murai considered his feelings of pain and wet blood tasted weird in his beak and eyes. Some wasn't his, he knew.

What made him the happiest was a simple thing; he was at the winning edge through this exchange, which he wasn't sure he could've won because of his body. He lacked the context of where his strength was, or how well it worked. The biggest flaw of his strategy was a lack of knowledge; he didn't know the fox's strengths or weaknesses.

It turned out to be a good idea, yet still useless in some regards. The most prominent factor was much simpler. He won. Blood churned from the wounds that the fox could no longer take for something nice. Its life was ending.

The fox's eyes beamed still, unwavering as it stood half-hunched and far from Murai. It couldn't charge ahead. And it was unwilling to meet its End. The last attempt to move stumbled its steps. Falling to the ground, blood gushed from its mouth, and splattered. Bloodless couldn't live in the flesh like this. Its life ended in a puddle of blood.

Murai risked his hope, hoping his beak was better than the Devil Fox's fangs and clawed little was. It sure was risky, much to his thoughtful ambush. He knew the significant factor wasn't him, but the sheer weight and momentum of his foe. It ended up colliding with him instead, while his clutched flesh and readier beak was like a spear the fox pounced at.

It went for the kill without hesitation. A failure and poor judgment indeed, but who could blame that fox for charging at a duckling?

Laying there among the bones, Murai won this battle fair and square. Soon enough, Will of the Battleworld gave this Battle its prize.

[Congratulation!] the mechanical voice said, [You have indeed won your battle fair and square, much to our disappointment]

[Devil Fox: Level 7, Canindeamon of Class E of the demonic beast has been vanquished. Additional attributes are added to your status. +3 to all Body Attributes]

[Current Body Attributes: Strenght 18, Dexterity 18, Vitality 21]

[Will added to your status]

[New ability has been unraveled and recalculated under your Anatidae species, forming a distinct line into the way of Seedlings]

[Beak's Fury is unlocked. An offensive and beginner ability of your species]

[Beak's Fury: An attack shall be the source of the Ends of enemies and foes. Strength stands side by side with Beak's Fury, adding damage on top of its level, or yours]

[Level 1]

[Grade E]

[Power Level: Approximation of 5 to 10]

Murai's soul understood it all, and he was almost overjoyed! More points into his Vitality would make his life easier and solve the issue of his dizziness and pain from being flung who-knew-how-many-meters. It was great news, knowing that he must have some internal wounds or broken bones. The surge of Vitality made it more manageable.

However, the motion of this Boost was yet to arrive.

The message wasn't over.

[Lastly, a new source under special circumstances had been sought out. Additional power is earned by the outside influence]

[The Eater Status is opened]

[Status: Those are influential sources of accomplishments of various degrees, with regular, or irregular patterns of unlocking, abilities, or effects. They have various visions and requirements to get them, filling the individuals with enigmatic options outside of their species, within them, or close or far from their Paths]

[The Eater: You have been keen on the path of eating, which is strange, but the Will of the Battleworld doesn't question that. Any source of food will be better processed, yielding a better affinity for the Vitality. A certain chance is given to understand the properties of what you eat, its rarity, effects, or history]

[Using this Status with the intent of understanding is not possible. It is a Status that has a chance to work, the more you eat. As eating is a regular thing, it might not be that bad. This isn't a regular Status. It has various efficiency methods, and worth that are outside of Citizen's influence]

Then, the Will of the Battleworld ended its speech, leading to quiet and great results that Murai didn't mind. Boost was a rigorous endeavor, mending his flesh, easing his mind, and giving his life a new meaning. Then, he had a pair of new powers once again.

He even hoped to cheer himself up some more, but he couldn't force himself.

For now, he gulped some blood down his beak, hoping to uncover what The Eather was about. Through his dangerous attack, some of the blood was involuntarily gulped down his throat anyway. Once when he tried to move his beak inside the fox, the gushing wound let blood rush down his throat.

The Eater wasn't that impressive in his opinion. It just told him some redundant facts about this Devil Fox that he found lacking. A Class E demonic beast was within the same Class E as himself. That was probably the weirdest thing, considering he was a duckling. The Eather worked with weak little whispers that echoed in his head. It wasn't like the Will of the Battleworld, but it was distinct to call it a voice.

Devil Fox was of demonic origin, stemming from the Bloodline of Uazagis. Murai wasn't sure what that was about. It sounded like a demonic monster species. Its level was obvious, but the power level was not, nor its attributes or anything else. It was a brief rundown of this fox at best.

Huh... I am no vampire duck. I am stone certain of it, yet call me old or older, but this doesn't taste as bad as it feels. I guess thirst wasn't something I thought of before. It was just meat, marrow, and bones so far. The bone marrow was juicy and moist, though.

Murai judged nothing and chose to forget it for the time being. He drifted to the land of slumber, sleeping off the rest of the wounds away. With the main issue gone, the fox remained where it was: dead.

Some rest was due for his body and soul, and with a cave for his taking, he was happy. Though, he was yet to realize the repercussions of his actions. His successful Battle gave him at least some rest with utter freedom.

After sleeping for almost 2 days, he woke up with unlike vigor and energy, feeling better than ever. There was no time to waste, so he moved out of his position against the bones and the wall.

There was still some lingering pain around the left side of his neck, but his head was alright. The feathers made some form of defense against the fox's claw and pounce that pushed him away. Murai hadn't noticed it that much, opting to focus on offense the most.

His beak didn't disappoint him. He decided to call it his best weapon for the time being.

Clumsily standing and walking, he wanted to check on the fox first.

Damned fox, he slapped the corpse with his beak, feeling not one bit shameless that he had just killed his source of food. Perhaps he was yet to realize it himself. Death would be fine to seek, but here you go, catching my egg in hopes of eating, and causing such unpleasant troubles when I found the first pleasure of this life. What a waste of reason to die for! We could... share this cave, you see.

Murai hesitated, figuring out how much this fox helped him grow. It gave him a sliver of shame. He felt it was right, but he dismissed it, knowing that if it hadn't been for the egg, he would've ended up in its stomach. This was a world where the weak ate the strong. He appreciated the fox and this cave, and regardless of his thievery or shamelessness, he kept them in his head.

Observing this beast so closely, it was much bigger than himself. So much so, that its head surprised him. It was large, its skin littered with scales-looking fur, and its jaw might be cut, but it sure could fit at least two ducks.

How have I done it so easily? I killed it with my current power. This looks so much stronger than a tiny vermin like a duckling. BAH! Murai sneered. Who am I kidding? Any regular duckling would be dead regardless of anything, but this duckling is the great me! A person of power far above this cat, or canine, or whatever foxes even are. Canindeamon? Uh... Never mind.

Murai went along his self-centered view, nodding to himself so much so, that his wound came into effect once more.

With the Battle being over, there wasn't any change in the following days. Murai either munched the bones or drank the blood of this fox to pass his time. The freshness of the blood soon turned bad, so he had no choice but to ignore it, similar to its fur or flesh.

Murai hoped to explore the rest of the cave and reach the outside after a long time in the vague darkness. There was no point in not doing so, and with the wounds healed, he wasn't afraid of anything. He was yet to understand his power, or how many chances he even had against that fox if it wouldn't be for his planning and formidable beak.

However, with the past gone, Murai no longer thought much of it. For now, his mind was in the present, slightly leaning toward the curious future. The journey toward the outside world was more of a challenge than a fight with the fox. He had trouble traversing the obstacles that made up these corridors.

It wasn't a smooth road upward. There were quite a lot of stair-like stone features and many passages were tall, which he had to somewhat overcome, ignore, or begrudgingly ascend. It was an arduous journey up, yet in a couple of hours, he was able to see a lush world of trees and suns beyond the trees.

He cheered in happiness, spreading his wings, and fell to his back.

He glanced into the forest, noticing he was in a deeper section and far from the previous cliff. Light came here through the lush crowns of the trees, reaching the ground in huffed brightness. Still, the ambiance was clear for his eyes.

Looking around, he saw nothing impressive. Grass wasn't that tall, as there were a lot of stones around the cave's entrance. It was a relatively small hole in a rocky hill the size of a mountain. It wasn't anything noticeable, with enough dimensions for a fox to fit into it at best.

Murai got to his feet, figuring it wasn't time to be lazy, and the world wouldn't explore itself. He still had some leftover food in the cave, but not enough to last many days.

Murai turned right from the cave's entrance. Turning his beak upwards, he saw the mountain in better light. There weren't many trees surrounding it, yet it was so tall, that light still shrouded the ground. He was unable to see the top of it, even if he was trying to bend his neck as much as possible. He was a tiny duckling, so it was no surprise his perspective was giving him a headache.

Slowly, he turned away from the mountain and went to the edge of the forest. Traveling for a couple of dozen minutes proved to him nothing about the world or his curiosity. But he saw the world and nature of this region for the first time. Those were some of the important points of every life he had.

Exploration, information gathering, and knowledge were all important. Power was the first, usually, but it wasn't the rule.

There were a lot of animal sounds, but most of them seemed foreign and wild. There were a lot of growling noises, chirps of birds, as well as noises of battles. It was like a jungle of primal times, yet wider, bigger, and following deep into the forest.

Most animals were of the beast types, with many irregularities and fierce characteristics. Fur, colors, scales, or sizes carried. Wolves were bigger, or smaller. Deers had impressive antlers with spikes and curves. Boars were monsters filled with mass like kings of the jungle. Murai even saw a squirrel with 2 sharp fangs, pouncing at another one, chewing the head of its opponent. Those were the tiniest ones, and even smaller than himself.

Yet, he felt smaller.

Murai observed the world with more care, discovering this region was one giant Law of the Jungle: Not one bit calm. Chaos shined through this place, making the Devil Fox unordinary. There were strong beasts under many corners, trees, or in the heights of the trees. Bizarre and burly monkeys laughed from a safe distance away, before some large birds snatched them, or gnawed their heads off.

Murai didn't hate this sight in fear or hatred. It wasn't unfamiliar.

Something was giving him an edge in this walk, and it wasn't everything. Soul Read showed its color for the first time, putting weird notions in his mind and soul. It was very mindful, feeling as if the notion of existence played with his ears and head. He noticed the presence of hidden beasts in some canopies, bushes, or trees, and even those out open.

It wasn't far from watching, yet when he closed his eyes, he knew they were there. He also felt their instincts like whispers that broke his immersion.

Normalcy is questionable, He thought, when beasts and suspense go away. This is a world of monsters where the strong survive. A place where the weak are left to rot away. How amusing. In that regard, it seems similar to the Alfenhaim, or the 3rd layer of Abrailmist. Hell... most of the planets were close to Chaos itself. Power take it. Souls live because of them. That was always the case. Some things don't change. Won't.

Murai thought about the past and noted many things about his current options.

From the start, he wasn't good at hiding, yet nothing paid him much attention. He thought some beasts would, similar to the Devil Fox. Many animals, that looked like prime predators minded their business and did not interact with a tiny duckling. Perhaps that didn't want to eat him for a snack, or was there something deeper?

His journey included no troubles, and some beasts even ran the moment they saw or sensed him. Murai was still afraid to meet some aggressive beast that would do so, so he chose to retreat to the cave. There were a lot of dangers lurking in the forest. His hunch was reliable, while his Soul Read gave him some weird validation as well. Murai figured he should pay his Soul Read more attention and think about what it was.

Until he was sure to defend himself, he had to steady his growth. No amount of doubt would say otherwise. He wasn't ready to try his sole offensive ability called Beak's Fury, which sounded a bit dumb, but he didn't question it.

He thought this journey was well worth the dangers. He uncovered bits of the world that were forced upon him. Finding the same cave, he ate the same bones in the presence of his past foe.

A week into this routine, Murai was out of tasty food. There was nothing here that piqued his interest or caused his life to be better. During that time, he reached a height above 20 centimeters, so he appeared almost at the height of a standard duck. However, he long figured he wasn't a regular one.

What kind of duck would be able to pierce Level 7 Devil Fox with its beak? Some... could. Murai was unaware of this world. It should change, but how? He should be the one to do it, or others could? He would wish to ask someone. Who?

He even attempted to quack out loud, wishing to speak to the mechanical voice. Nothing answered back.

Since something laid an egg for this species, there were sure to be some surprises in this world. It wouldn't be called a Battleworld if there weren't some struggles and surprises.

So far, the following status of his little New Beginning was simple.

[NAME: Murai Hisagi / no nicknames no titles detected]

[AGE: 268 days / no time-variants, yet oldness detected]

[SPECIES: Anatidae [former ones- human, elf, demons, devil, god, leaf, stone...] / Species properties or specialties yet to be detected. Evolutions are highly possible and compatible in this species] Variants UNKNOWN.

[SUB-SPECIES: None / Class E, grade, or hidden properties UNKNOWN]

[PHYSICALITY: Duck / Slightly stronger duckling of the Anatidae species with no change in physicality from evolutions]

[ATTRIBUTES]

[Strengt: 18]

[Dexterity: 18]

[Vitality: 21]

[Wisdom: 100]

[WILL: 2]

[ABILITIES: Beak's Fury, Soul Read, Soul-Essence / Hidden ones are detected yet are hidden under the prerequisites and circumstances]

[STATUS: The Eater]

[BLESSINGS: NONE]

[EQUIPMENT: NONE]

[LEVEL: 0]

[POWER: Less than 10]

[TASK: Reach the first evolution / REWARD: Increased Attributes, species and sub-species specialties, new species-related abilities, and further hope of bettering your life]

It went according to the Will of the Battleworld first rundown.

What should I do? Attributes aren't much better than before. Time is also an issue in this cave. How many days passed as I ate and slept? How is the Law of Time on this planet? With 5 suns in total, who knows... Murai figured his time was approaching some limit.

Eating the same things has its problems, but they are noticeably powerful whether I improve through battles. I can tell the usefulness of them and the Eater Status was yet to give Vitality some edge. That irks me. The Eater is rather disappointing, or am I? Murai believed that eating no longer increased his attributes, yet he still physically grew up.

But The Eather showed me the status of some bone in this cave. Its sources too, but that was it. It should give some attributes, or was it a chance? How effective it can be when it is unreliable? Murai considered his time already outside of the cave, glancing behind his back.

The only thing that remained in the cave was his remaining egg and the decaying corpse of that fox. For some reason, it did rot after many days passed. Bones didn't, so Murai figured it must be because bones were more sterile, while the fox had its organs and blood, and who knew how clean it was?

He hid his egg in some corner where no one would find it. He couldn't eat his past home. It wasn't in his conscience. Especially when it tasted like dull crackers. It would pose no issue for him to eat it, but he felt a little bit attached to it.

As a duck, he couldn't do many physical things. They had no hands, and even their legs were so clumsy, while their wings were... there. For what? Flight? Had he ever seen a duck flying like some bird? It shouldn't be that good though.

Murai didn't like how his body felt. It was always the most limiting factor of any life he had. It might feel uncomfortable, yet he had no plans to stop.

Turning his head, Murai walked past the entrance into the bigger world. His current goal was simple. It was not his hopeful evolution, unfortunately. Nothing changed about it throughout his Battle or time. Now, he wanted to secure a new source of food.

There must be something nice in this forest. He had to look for it. Food was a fitting concern. Tiny and all, his stomach didn't feel like it.

“I won't find bones like that fox gave me. And I am sure I can't rip someone apart either. It had some bear, deer, and boar bones though. Maybe I can find them somewhere.” Murai muttered and looked around his surroundings.

He was unsure how many things a duck could eat, but considering his expectant tongue and stomach, he didn't want anything filthy. Things such as grass, fish, and insects came to his mind, but that was disgusting. Only something interesting and tasty-looking was fit for him.

For now, Murai went back to exploring, carefully mapping the path from his cave in his head. He planned to go back for sure. That cave was far too serious, so he decided to call it his temporary shelter. The enormous mountain helped him a lot with not getting lost. No matter how he walked, he always saw the rocky walls hiding behind the tree's crowns.

He could always return, but to where? There was nothing there.

So he went on, using bushes and tall grass to hide from the predators. Walking and traversal gave him more familiarity with his body. He liked being stealthy and considering all kinds of animals and beasts he had seen, he should be an easy target. Once more, sounds and his Soul Read seemed to work against his surroundings.

Growling, fighting, and forming Battles happened everywhere. It was natural in its primal form. Some species fought each other, while others lived their lives by eating grass, or others. It was a sight that didn't change just because he traveled through another End from who knew where.

An hour later, he explored the forest until he found the edge of the world, or at least it seemed that way.

It was an identical cliff from his memory, and like before, there was a sea beyond. It wasn't a sea at all. It wasn't his mistake either to assume it as such. He was looking at the world with different views right now. His eyesight was much better than when he got from his egg.

This was a lake. A massive lake that had land all around its edges. In the distance, there were even islands and massive landscapes beyond the water. It looked like some kind of sea, thanks to the elevation of this cliff. Murai could tell the water was a long way from his position, indicating this cliff was hundreds of meters tall from the section of the water; if not taller.

Well, call me small, but this is huge. He thought, not aware there was a figure eyeing him from a nearby tree. Many eyes glowed there, watching Murai's every step.

Something moved.

Something shocked Murai in his reverie, and his ears and Soul Read piqued a dangerous movement in the trees. Then, in the air. Like a phantom, his eyes couldn't follow it.

“Fuck!” Murai made a high-pitched quack, jumping and tumbling aside, and dodging a deadly attack that soon crashed his position. Something almost creased his neck in half. It failed, or was it just a probing strike? That was unlikely, thanks to the attack that cracked rocky ground. Whatever it was, it would smash Murai to bits.