First Blood

Morning sunlight poured into the clearing of a forest.

Rex stretched as golden rays warmed his skin. Well-rested, excitement stirred—today, he would hunt.

Glancing around, he saw two young pandas—Kai and Yue—watching him with the same glimmer of anticipation.

Meanwhile, the youngest, Shun, was still pretending to be asleep. Clearly nervous.

Rex smirked. "Yeah, I'd fake sleep too if I thought today's breakfast might try to eat me back," he commented.

The young pandas looked fierce, their black-and-white fur covering their lean, muscular build—unlike the plump, bamboo-munching ones from Earth.

A thunderous clap echoed through the clearing.

"Alright, today marks the day you learn how to survive, kill, and hunt. This is your first step into the wild." His eyes swept across the four of them—Rex and the three cubs. Before he continued...

"You'll hunt alone and I won't save anyone so you're on your own. Understood?" Korr questioned them with a glare.

To his surprise, everyone's eyes sparkled with anticipation, rather than fear.

Cheering, they soon left their territory, heading toward the outer area.

They lived deep in the inner region, where powerful beasts roamed—ones strong enough to kill Rex in an instant.

So Rex never dared venture far while weak.

Fifteen minutes later, they finally reached the center of the outer area, where weaker beasts roamed.

"Alright. From here on out, you're on your own. You have one hour to return. Now go," Korr said, his gaze sharp.

They nodded and vanished into the dense forest.

Rex sprinted south, eyes scanning for signs of a strong beast.

Leaves rustled underfoot. The air was fresh. Excitement lit up his face—a smirk tugged at his lips.

Minutes passed before he spotted a deer grazing in a small clearing.

Its antlers pointed straight toward the sky—long and dangerously sharp.

Crouching behind a bush silently, he observed the deer's movements, planning his approach to take it down.

Since he didn't have any claws like the pandas, Korr had given him a small dagger, just sharp enough to pierce its hide.

Looking around, he saw leaves and small tree branches scattered throughout the ground.

He picked up a small branch and threw it near the beast.

Its ears twitched, glancing toward the sound.

Seizing the chance, Rex stomped the ground and lunged forward to ambush the beast.

However, the deer was quick on its feet. It noticed and dodged Rex's attack easily, rendering it useless.

Now exposed in the clearing, Rex gripped his dagger tightly.

The ash-gray deer stared back, eye-level with him, its gaze dark and beastly.

This is not Earth, Rex, he reminded himself.

The next moment, the beast locked eyes with him and charged fiercely, its deadly antlers aimed directly at his chest as if they had their own eyes.

He gulped. The beast charged, flaring dust as it stomped.

At the last second, Rex dodged the charge in the same direction the beast came from, as if two samurais were fighting in a showdown.

As he moved, Rex used his Kat-dagger, trying to injure it, but could only slightly wound the beast—just enough to make it bleed.

Blood seeped from the shallow wound, dripping onto the green grass.

The beast, now in pain and seeing its own blood, seethed with rage.

Maaah!

It stomped the ground and charged furiously. This time, it didn't run straight toward Rex.

It zig-zagged its way.

…!

Rex's eyes widened.

The unpredictable movements made it difficult to tell where the attack would come from.

Clenching his jaw, he braced himself and prepared mentally, steadying his legs to dodge while gripping his dagger tightly to attack.

He was ready for both. His heart skipped a beat. When...

The deer zigged left with great speed, pointing its antlers in an attempt to skewer him.

Rex leaped right and backed away. Unfortunately, the antlers still grazed his arm, drawing blood.

Rex gasped. "Damn, why is it so fast?" he groaned in pain. Not anticipating the beast could move like that.

Should I attack? he wondered, narrowing his eyes.

"HHRFFF!" It let out a sharp snort.

With a yes, Rex charged toward the beast, gripping his dagger tightly. The deer stood ready, its antlers prepared to impale him.

However, Rex stopped his charge mid-run and leaped sideways the moment the beast moved its head to strike him—like a bull would.

He rolled right, landing near the beast's ribs.

As he moved, he quickly threw his dagger with all his strength, aiming for the deer's heart.

The deer instinctively twisted its head, trying to deflect the attack and injure him at the same time with its antlers.

However, Rex rolled back.

The dagger struck true—not piercing the deer's heart as he wished but embedding deep.

Grrrnn…

The deer tried to charge, seeing Rex defenselessly sitting on the ground.

Yet, when the beast took its first step, it stumbled.

With a heavy injury it couldn't move anymore, the deer just stood there, watching Rex with bloody eyes.

Rex's heart pounded, fearing the beast would gore him if it charged.

This was a risky move on his side.

Fortunately, even though he failed to pierce the deer's heart, it was a deep injury.

The beast staggered, blood pouring from the wound.

Though still standing, its strength was... waning.

The fresh smell of grass had changed into that of the metallic scent of blood.

Now, Rex just had to wait for it to die from blood loss.

But wait he would not—Rex wasn't a torturer. He would give it a swift, painless death.

Eyeing his dagger still lodged in the deer's body, he tried to retrieve it so he could end the beast's suffering.

But he had to approach cautiously—it was still alive, and a single swing from its antlers could injure him heavily—

If not kill him.

Circling around, he searched for an opening to retrieve his weapon when suddenly—a loud roar echoed through the forest.

"It seems Kai's done. I have to hurry," he muttered.

Taking advantage of the deer's momentary distraction, he darted in and yanked the dagger free.

Although the beast noticed him, it wasn't fast enough to stop him.

Grrrnn… g-grrrnn…

The beast growled in pain, its weak legs giving in as it settled into a seat on the ground helplessly. Its eyes asking him to end its suffering.

"I'll end this in a single strike," he thought.

Rex raised his dagger, holding it in both hands, his eyes narrowed… focusing on the beast's heart.

…!

And—then without any second thoughts, he pierced the deer's heart. Feeling the flesh part as the dagger sank in. Warm blood poured on his hand.

Yet...

Yet, the warm blood felt cold… chilling.

He had lived with Korr and the young pandas for ten long years.

He had seen them hunt and kill countless times. To them, it was second nature.

So, Rex couldn't point if Was it because I grew up among beasts... or was this just who I am now? No remorse. Just instinct.

The deer stopped moving—it had been put to eternal rest."

He collapsed onto the ground with a thud, unknown emotions surging as he stared up at the sky.

How will I fare in this dangerous world? Killing a simple mortal beast had me struggling

Noticing a few beasts flying in the distance, their wings carrying them effortlessly through the sky. 

These beasts, however, were nothing like those on Earth.

A clear reminder of where he was.

"This is a new world, Rex," he prepared himself, determination for the future flashing in his eyes.

Then—

[Achievement Unlocked: "First Blood."

Welcome to the food chain, host. You've unlocked a new skill: [Eye of Tamer]. Try not to die before using it.]

His eyes widened. …A skill? From killing?

He re-read the prompt again. Or was it because it was my first kill?

Shaking off the thought, he took a deep breath, "Status."

A panel appeared.

--

[Name: Rex Tameroth]

[Age: 10 years]

[Rank: Mortal]

[Tamed Living: 0/3]

[Tamed Consciousness: 0/5]

[Taming Points: 0]

[Subordinate Ranking: - ]

[Absolute Skills: Eye of Tamer]

[Skills: -]

--

There it was—[Eye of Tamer].

He focused on the skill, and a description popped up:

[Eye of Tamer] – Allows the user to view information about entities up to two minor ranks above the host.

"So… it's an appraisal skill," he murmured, smiling faintly.

Today, he had taken a life.

But the real question was—how many more would he take before becoming something else entirely?