Essence

Zulu's hind leg muscles tensed, and he leaned backward. Like a spring, his hind legs shot apart, and he was propelled into the air. He stretched his jaws wide and reached for the glowing torch on the wall. After a few measly feet, gravity assumed control of his body and began wrestling him down to earth. His jaws snapped shut. To his dismay, they were still a couple feet clear of his target; He could only bite dust and air.

'Dammit. Again!' Zulu cursed in his mind as his legs wound up for another attempt.

This time, Zulu utilized the wall as leverage to gain extra momentum. His body sailed upward and his jaws opened, then slammed together. Despite his best efforts, his newborn body simply couldn't exert enough strength to gain the necessary propulsion to reach the torch.

Zulu's mind fell into turmoil as he failed to acquire the one thing that could save his life.

'So much for being agile!' Zulu complained inwardly.

Though a familiar screech soon dragged him out of his thoughts. He swung his head to his left and eyed the now visible rat with trepidation.

'Fuck! What am I supposed to do? Maybe I could use my agility to get past him? But then I'd be forced to run into the unknown. What if I run into something worse? Or maybe even its pack?'

Time seemed to slow as Zulu desperately searched for solutions.

'Wait. Agile?'

Then, an idea came to Zulu's mind.

'I have no other choice. It's either that or death.'

Zulu steeled his resolve and faced the rat, who was building for a charge.

'I've already killed myself once, so why is this any scarier?'

At that thought, Zulu's nerves settled slightly as he readied himself for the riskiest move of both his first and second life.

The rat bolted forward with bloodthirsty fervor. Its disgusting maws unhinged as it prepared to crush Zulu between them.

In only a second, the rat had arrived before Zulu.

Zulu's hind legs quickly folded and released, launching him into the air.

The rat could only watch in bewilderment as its smaller prey glided above it and out of sight; However, before it could turn around to continue its assault, it felt a weight suddenly pressing down on its back. It was utterly confused.

Zulu wasted no time in using his new foothold to use. He turned his body toward the torch and leaped with all the strength his small legs could muster. After a short moment of flight, his jaws stretched open to welcome the torch. He'd gained just enough height to reach his objective. His jaws snapped shut tightly around it, and he began to be pulled downward by gravity.

Falling to the ground, Zulu turned to face the rat, who was crazily searching its back for the source of the pressure.

The rat didn't miss the sound of Zulu's landing and regained the location of its target. It promptly charged him, its mouth watering at the sight of fresh meat.

The rat's mouth opened wide as it neared Zulu; However, before it could bite into its juicy orange meal, a fiery sensation ignited within its mouth. It screeched at the top of its lungs as it tried to dislodge the source of the pain from its throat.

Zulu could only hear the muffled screams of a doomed animal. The torch dangled from his mouth, stuck firmly in the windpipe of his opponent.

'I don't know what's keeping this torch lit, but it's definitely top-tier.'

Zulu thought as he watched the rat violently thrashing its head in an attempt to regain airflow.

The torch in the rat's mouth continued to melt the inside of its esophagus, and its brain began to falter at the lack of oxygen. After a few more seconds of mindless writhing, it collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

'Haha… haha… HAHAHAHAHA! How do you like them apples, Mr. Rat?'

Zulu pulled away from the rat, removing the still-burning torch from its gullet.

'Wow, it's still going. This could actually be pretty useful.'

As Zulu marveled at the brilliance of the almighty-torch, a deep grumble woke him from his stupor.

'So hungry,' Zulu thought as he observed the dead rat with eager eyes.

'It looks damn disgusting, but it smells so good, and I'm too hungry to care. Yep, I'm having rat for dinner.'

Having made up his mind, Zulu began to gnaw at the rat's furry body. It tasted about how you'd expect a dirty rat to taste, but his bodily cravings did not care.

After a few hours of avid consumption, Zulu collapsed with a full stomach.

All that remained of the rat was its skeleton, tail, and some other especially unsavory organs.

'You know, that wasn't half bad. I don't know if it's because I was starving to death or because of my animalistic taste buds, but I could go for seconds. Hmm, sleep first. I can find more rat in the morning.'

At that thought, Zulu curled into a small orange ball and dozed off to sleep.

--------------------------------

Zulu's consciousness suddenly came into existence as though he were in a lucid dream.

As Zulu inspected his surroundings, he was thoroughly confused. Only white occupied his field of vision. It was the polar opposite of the black void he experienced after his death.

Looking at himself, Zulu realized he lacked any sort of body; He was only a floating consciousness.

As Zulu questioned his lucidity, a soft feminine voice filled the white space around him.

[Rank 1 - Chef Rat (Soldier) consumed]

[3 Essence gained]

"Uh, what? Hmm? Oh! I can speak. Finally!" Zulu said, "But where am I? Am I dreaming? Or did I die again? Dying in my sleep… What a lame way to go."

[You are not dead. You are unconscious.]

"Hey, there's that voice again. Am I going insane?"

[Negative.]

"Oh. Okay, thanks… So uh, you come here often?"

[…]

"Yeah, me neither. First time actually… Who are you exactly?"

[I am your Evolutionary Guide.]

"Alright, cool. What do you do?"

[I guide your evolution.]

"Yeah, no, I got that. Thanks."

[You are welcome, Zulu.]

"…"

Zulu suppressed a laugh as something else caught his attention.

"Wait, you said Zulu?"

[Yes, that is your name.]

'Hmm, even though I know my original name is Leo, I don't disagree with her? It sounds right. Is that actually my name? Have I been living a lie? Perhaps it's the new name I've been given for this life. I am a different creature now after all. Okay, I'm happy with it. I had no attachment to my previous name anyway.'

[Would you like to see your status?]

"Status? Like a video game status? Exciting! Really exciting! Yes, please!"

After giving his permission, an orange panel materialized in the direction Zulu was facing.

>—————————<

Name: Zulu [Rank 1]

Species: Spirit Fox (Newborn)

Essence Value: 3

Upgrades: None

Skills: None

Spells: None

>—————————<

After reviewing his status, Zulu couldn't help but sigh, dowsing his enthusiasm a little.

"This is really bare bones. I mean, where are my health points, attack power, mana?"

[I do not know what you're talking about.]

"You know, from like a video game? No? Whatever."

After saying that, though, Zulu's nonexistent eyes widened.

'A Spirit Fox! So that's what I am. Huh, why didn't I realize that sooner? Orange body with black paws… Whatever, I'm no animal expert,' Zulu thought, 'And it says here I'm a newborn? But I don't remember being born or seeing any other foxes for that matter. Wait, spirit? Am I a ghost?'

Zulu could only shake his ethereal head; There was still so much he didn't understand.

[Would you like an overview of your status?]

"Right, you're supposed to be a guide. Yes. Oh, and in simple terms please."

[Of course. Your 'Rank' is the rank of your evolution. The higher your rank, the stronger you are. In order to evolve, you must have the corresponding 'Essence Value'. In order to gather Essence, you must kill and consume other living beings. 'Upgrades' refers to any physical, mental, or magical changes made to your body. 'Skills' refer to the physical abilities your body is capable of performing as well as their effectiveness. 'Spells' are the magical spells you are capable of casting.]

As Zulu listened to her words, he fell deep into thought.

'This is terribly convenient. Does everyone have access to this? This could give me an overwhelming advantage in the fight for survival if not.'

"Is this how it is for everyone?"

[No. The civilized races such as humans have to study and practice in order to learn spells and skills. The display before you would be a foreign concept to them. They can rely only on memory and training to become stronger.]

"What about animals like me?"

[Clarification. You are not an animal; You are a type of magical creature and beast. To answer your question, yes and no. All magical creatures possess the ability to evolve and grow. However, you are unique in that you possess a human level of intelligence. Thus, you were granted a more interactive way to evolve rather than having to rely on instincts to evolve like other magical creatures.]

"I see. That makes sense. If I had to rely on instincts, I probably would've been at a loss as to what to do and would've died rather quickly."

[That is what we feared.]

"We?"

[…]

"Cat got your tongue? Fine, I won't press, as curious as I am. Anyway, how am I supposed to get upgrades and stuff?"

[In order to evolve your body and mind, you must spend Essence.]

"Wait, but I need Essence to evolve, right?"

[Affirmative. The cost to evolve, upgrade your body, learn skills and spells, is Essence. It is up to you how you spend your Essence.]

"And how do I spend my Essence exactly?"

After asking this, a new orange panel appeared in Zulu's view.

>—————————<

>>Available Upgrades<<

>>Available Skills<<

>>Available Spells<<

>—————————<

Zulu focused on the tabs, and multiple choices along with their prices appeared.

>—————————<

>>Available Upgrades<<

-Rank 1: [Night Vision (3 E), Quick Feet (3 E), Razor Teeth (3 E)]

>>Available Skills<<

-Rank 1: [Bite (3 E), Creep (3 E)]

>>Available Spells<<

-Rank 1: [Olfactory Confusion (10 E)]

>—————————<

'So few options, and what kind of lame ass spell is that? I can cast fake smells?' Zulu complained inwardly.

"Hey, what's the deal with the spells? Why do I only have one? And why's it so strange? Also, how do I unlock more stuff?"

[Generally speaking, your rank determines the number of options available. Spells in particular, do not begin unlocking for beasts until Rank 3 unless they have an innate ability; However, if you consume magical creatures with traits uniform with your species' characteristics, you can unlock options beforehand. In this case, the spell [Olfactory Confusion] unlocked as a result of your consumption of the chef rat, which utilizes the spell to lure prey. The chef rat's [Olfactory Confusion] is an example of an innate ability.]

"Oh, that explains those delicious smells. Do I have any innate abilities?"

[Affirmative, but your rank is too low to access it.]

"Damn, but what does that smell spell have to do with my species? Why'd it unlock early?"

[Your species, Spirit Fox, specializes in illusion magic. The [Olfactory Confusion] spell would have naturally unlocked when you reached Rank 3; However, your consumption of a chef rat, who holds that same spell, allowed you to unlock it early. The same goes for the [Night Vision] upgrade, which you unlocked preemptively.]

"I see. How exciting!"

Zulu began to contemplate his options.

'I only have 3 Essence. Creating fake smells is going to have to wait; It's too expensive for now. Building up points for an evolution is not an option; I need an immediate boost to my survivability, considering my location. 3 Essence is just enough for one upgrade or skill. Which choice best increases my chance of living? The almighty-torch eliminates the need for [Night Vision], so that's out. [Creep] is going to be all but useless if I'm running around with a bright flame in my mouth, so that's out. [Quick Feet] sounds like a good choice, but if the battle with the rat in anything to go by, my agility is already top-notch for my size, so it seems kind of redundant. Also, I'm not too sure how helpful it'll be in an enclosed space like a cave. Alright, [Quick Feet] is out. That leaves [Razor Teeth] and [Bite]. After I killed the rat, I was able to chew it up just fine. The sharpness of my teeth isn't an immediate issue. The problem is my strength in battle. I could only eat the rat because it choked on a flaming stick. My newborn muscles simply don't give me enough power. I couldn't even reach the torch on the wall for God's sake. Alright, I've decided.'

"I want to buy [Bite - Rank 1]."

[Confirmed. Learning skill.]

"Learning skill? But I don't feel any-"

Then, everything went dark.