Skill Hunt

The web string that Arthur shot from his left hand perfectly attached to the bat's left wing as it flew above. Because Arthur targeted the bat's left wing, the bat lost its balance. Since the web string was still attached to Arthur's hand, when he pulled it, the bat started falling toward the ground.

Arthur used his sub-skill to tightly grip the ground with his micro fingers so that the bat wouldn't pull him along with it.

The bat Arthur chose to hunt was twice the size of the normal bats he knew from his previous world. This bat had a red-colored body, hard shell-like wings, and visible bone structures on them. Its large, red, circular eyes and big, sharp, pointy ears gave it an intimidating appearance.

"Thud..." The bat collapsed on the ground.

Without wasting any time, Arthur shot the end of his web string toward the ground, ensuring the bat couldn't move after its fall. Moving quickly, he fired another web shot toward the bat, knowing that he had only one hand—his other hand was cut off. Arthur had to think fast.

Before the bat could move, the web shot hit both the bat and the ground, immobilizing it.

Some time ago...

"What... hunt?" Arthur asked in shock, his eyes wide as he stared at Kai, who was quietly drinking water.

"Yes, go and hunt something for us to eat," Kai replied, continuing to drink.

"But Kai, my hand... you know." Arthur's voice was serious. His right hand was gone, and he only had one left.

"That's exactly why you should hunt. You only have one hand, and you're weak. How do you think you can survive like this?" Kai turned his gaze toward Arthur, his expression more serious than usual.

Hearing Kai's words, Arthur knew he was right. He was already weak, and after losing his hand, he had become even weaker. But he also knew that hunting alone without protection was too risky.

"But still... what if I die?" Arthur asked, looking back at Kai.

"If you can't even hunt for yourself, then you're just a burden to me. That means even other creatures and monsters are better than you," Kai replied coldly.

Kai's words hit Arthur hard—both in his heart and mind. He knew Kai wasn't a bad person, and what he said was true. The way Kai looked at Arthur made him feel like he was just relying on him for protection without contributing anything in return.

"Fine. I understand," Arthur said, lowering his gaze in guilt. There was sadness on his face.

Without another word, he started walking to find something to hunt. Seeing Arthur walk away with sadness, Kai simply turned back and continued drinking water as if the conversation hadn't affected him in the slightest.

Back to the present...

"Now, give me your skill, bat..." Arthur muttered, standing near the immobilized bat stuck to the ground with his web.

"Can you hear me?" Arthur asked, looking at the bat.

But the bat didn't respond. It only struggled, trying to free itself—just like the goblin Arthur had wrapped in his web before.

"Spirit Ally," Arthur called out.

"Yes...?" Spirit Ally responded.

"Is there a chance that this bat could evolve in the future? Could it take human form and develop human emotions and intelligence?" Arthur asked. Guilt and sadness were evident on his face as he continuously stared at the bat, which was still trying to escape.

"Yes, there is a chance," Spirit Ally confirmed.

Hearing this, Arthur felt even more guilty. To him, killing this bat meant killing a potential future being with emotions—someone who might one day think and feel like a human.

"Ha..." Arthur took a deep breath. "Should I let this bat go, then?" he hesitated.

Because Arthur had given Spirit Ally permission to see and hear everything he did, Spirit Ally understood the situation.

"No. If you let go of every creature and monster just because you think this way, you will die of hunger," Spirit Ally replied.

"Slash—"

With quick speed, Arthur slashed the bat's head using his hand.

The bat's head rolled near Arthur's leg. In an instant, its life was gone.

Arthur had used his mana to coat his spiky fingers, transforming them into sharp blades powerful enough to kill the bat. After seeing a snake slice a mouse-like creature's head with its tail, Arthur had been learning skills that allowed him to cut objects—turning his own body into a weapon.

"It's fine, right? For survival," Arthur asked.

"I think so..." Spirit Ally replied.

"What do you mean, 'I think so'?!" Arthur yelled in surprise at the vague response.

"Yes..." Spirit Ally repeated.

Suddenly, Arthur calmed himself down, reassuring himself that what he did was necessary.

"You know, Spirit Ally, if you just said, 'It's fine for survival,' at least that would make me feel better," Arthur sighed.

Hearing this, Spirit Ally said nothing.

"Well, let's do this. So, tell me, Spirit Ally, how can I get this bat's skill? It must have had some kind of ability, right?" Arthur asked.

"Yes... There is a high chance that this bat had some skills. To obtain them, touch the bat's body with your mana and try to absorb whatever you feel inside the dead bat's body," Spirit Ally explained.

Closing his eyes, Arthur focused on his mana. Once he confirmed that he could control and move it, he touched the bat's lifeless body with his hand and forced his mana into it.

As his mana spread inside the bat's body, he felt something—something he needed to absorb. Arthur tried to take it in, but something was blocking him.

"Spirit Ally, why can't I absorb it?" Arthur asked.

"Your skill hasn't evolved yet, so you can only absorb one ability from a dead body. You're probably trying to absorb everything at once," Spirit Ally explained.

"I see... skill evolves, huh?" Arthur thought to himself.

Understanding Spirit Ally's words, Arthur tried to focus on a single ability inside the bat's body. He suddenly sensed three different things. He knew he had to choose only one, but which one?

He carefully examined each one, feeling their unique presence. One of the three had a heavier weight compared to the others. Assuming this might be the strongest skill, Arthur absorbed it.

"Deep breath... ha..."

Suddenly, Arthur felt something changing inside his body. He sensed movement within his mana—something was connecting and merging.

After a moment, he calmed down.

"Spirit Ally, which skill did I absorb?" Arthur asked, a surprised look on his face as he tried to figure out what ability he had gained.