Sashimi

'Shit, shit, shit, shit shit, what do I do?' Jin's thoughts spiraled. 'Is this going to be my final moment in life? I'm only 20!' 

In a moment of desperation Jin recalled there might be a cave behind the pond, it was close, although he'd never reach it before the creature tore him apart. 

He needed a distraction, fast. Summoning his stiletto he threw it at the creature catching it by surprise as it hit its eye causing it to roar out loud. 

Jin bolted, sprinting toward the waterfall where the cave should be. The beast thrashed behind him, pawing at the dagger lodged in its eye.

When it finally dislodged the stiletto and spotted Jin fleeing; it was furious and immediately chased.

Jin had reached the waterfall and saw the cave entrance was about two feet tall, crawling inside most of his body had made it through when he felt a sting of pain from his right leg. 

Looking behind him he could see while the creature couldn't enter his paw could and had cut his leg, quickly crawling further so the beast couldn't reach he came into a small cave about as tall as he was. 

He glanced back, just in time to see a clawed paw swipe at him. The creature couldn't fit inside, but its reach was long enough to tear into his calf.

Grimacing, Jin dragged himself deeper, past the narrow entrance, the cave expanded inward into a cramped space barely his height.

The cave wasn't empty. Snails covered the walls and ceiling, scaring the crap out of him but they didn't seem dangerous as they hid in their white shells as he passed them. 

Pulling his body up against the damp moss covered wall of the cave, he looked at the damage which all things considered wasn't too bad. His leg throbbed and blood flowed freely from a gash nearly an inch deep, stretching from calf to heel, but he was still alive. A win in his books.

An angry roar resounded outside and Jin could see the creature staring at him, eyes… eye full of murder. 

Jin gave it the middle finger, before it disappeared, likely skulking around the area. 

Jin knew his situation was bad, really bad 'Why had no one posted about such horrifying creatures?' He quickly realised the answer to that question as they would be dead. 

'Well at least I'm still alive, the creature will also leave in a while, probably then I can make my swift escape' Jin looked at his leg again 'maybe not swift'. 

He spent the next few hours recovering, watching the snails inch out of their shells to feed on moss. They weren't huge, maybe the size of his foot, but there were twelve of them, quietly feasting.

Jin had tried attacking one but they would always quickly hide in their shells when he approached. Even when he struck, the stiletto barely left a scratch on the thick white casing. 

He could probably kill one by throwing his stiletto, like with the pheasant, but he didn't want to waste the energy and they were not bothering him. 

Thinking enough time had passed Jin went to the exit of the cave peaking behind the waterfall he saw the creature was still there it had swiped its paw in the water scooping out three fish which it then proceeded to eat. 

The beast noticed Jin and roared, but he quickly returned deeper into the cave. 

'This Mother-fucker, since when do animals feel a need for vengeance? All I did was blind it'. 

Every few hours Jin would look if the beast had gone but it was always there keeping an eye on the cave. It had turned dark and Jin saw it sleeping outside, he could try and escape, but with that thing's senses? He didn't like his odds, one wrong move and he would be dead without question, he couldn't even run with his leg. 

Jin's time in the cave was not entirely wasted. He managed to kill one of the snails with a well aimed throw, he had missed countless times, sometimes he would hit but only injure the snail. However after numerous tries he had done it, His accuracy was improving. Each throw teaching him more about angling his wrist, getting the blade to stick head first. 

After harvesting the soul core, he expected the other snails to flee but instead, they casually began devouring their fallen kin. Disturbed by the sight, Jin turned away and tried to get some sleep. 

—————

He woke up with a sharp pain flaring through his foot. Something was digging into it. Scrambling up, he found the culprit, a snail gnawing on his flesh.

"That fucking hurts," he growled, and with one smooth motion, hurled his dagger. Accurately hitting the snail, killing it instantly .

[Common Voracious Snail slain. Absorb Soul Core for Ascension.]

He ignored the system notification and inspected his foot. A small chunk was missing , it wasn't a big deal, but it stung. Enraged and no longer willing to take chances, Jin began butchering every snail he could find. By the time he killed the eleventh, something unexpected happened.

[Common Voracious Snail slain. You have received Beast Armament of Voracious Snail. Absorb Soul Core for Ascension.]

Curious, Jin summoned the armament. A white, marble-like fluid oozed from his chest, quickly coating his entire body before hardening into armor. In moments, he stood encased in a sleek set of white medieval styled armor, segmented at the joints but otherwise seamless.

Moving around, the armor felt light and easy to maneuver, although a bit ceramic, Jin suspected that while strong, it was brittle.

Ecstatic with the armament Jin thought he looked quite cool, testing his armor he summoned his stiletto and stabbed hard on his arm leaving only a scratch, just like with the snail's shell! 

Having Marveled at his new beast armament, he dispatched the final snail, he didn't gain another beast armament, but now had 12 soul cores to absorb. Plopping them one after the other into his mouth he felt an intense amount of energy vitalising his body. 

This feeling only stopped when he attempted to absorb the 6th soul core, while it still dissolved and he felt some energy the effects felt muted he also did not receive the notification for having absorbed the soul core, trying it with another the effect was the same.

"Is there a limit to how many you can absorb or is it a limit on the specific species the soul core comes from?" he muttered. He suspected the latter, but couldn't be sure. Either way, it made things more difficult for him.

Jin didn't ponder long on the implication as something else caught his attention.

 'Why do I feel stronger?' Jin gripped and ungripped his hand, even walking felt better than yesterday, the feeling wasn't exaggerated and it could just be because he had rested but a gut feeling told him otherwise. 

He would experiment later, as now wasn't the time for it. A new day had already begun and the Feline was still stalking him from the growling he heard outside. And a new problem began to occur, he was hungry. 

Jin looked at the snail corpses and shivered thinking 'no the beast should get bored soon and leave, it isn't petty enough to wait two whole days on me. 

But the hours dragged on, and hope faded.The beast was petty. Very petty. And worse, it had no reason to leave. It fished when hungry, drank from the pond when thirsty. It was basically a shity all you can eat buffet.

Jin, on the other hand, was less fortunate. He managed to sneak a few quick sips from the waterfall when the beast wandered out of view, but it always noticed. Each time, he had to scramble back into the cave before it could strike.

There were no luxuries in his cramped refuge. No privacy, no dignity. Eventually, even relieving himself inside the cave became a necessity, one that filled him with disgust.

And then, there was the hunger.

After fighting it for as long as he could, Jin made a grim decision. He had dissected one of the snails and now held a strip of what he hoped was edible meat. He knew snails were considered a delicacy back on Earth, so it likely wasn't poisonous. But eating it raw? That was a gamble.

Holding the strip of meat above his mouth, he whispered to himself, "It's sashimi. It's sashimi." 

He then lowered it into his mouth and like spaghetti it slithered down his throat, before slithering up again, with him puking out the contents of his stomach: bile, water, and shame. 

He collapsed forward, coughing, eyes watering.

"I should've kept my promise, Mom," he muttered.

Kneeling in his own vomit, he thought of his family, only now did it really sink in what kind of situation he was in. He might die here. Starved. Alone. In a cave, while some monster outside fished like it was on vacation. 

'But I'll survive' He told himself 

He looked at the remaining meat, then thought of his family.

His stomach cramped, they needed him.

Tears blurred his vision, but he reached for another piece anyway. He forced it down. Then another. And another. Each bite, an act of grim determination.

By the fourth strip, he wasn't thinking about the taste anymore. He was thinking about the beast outside. The one that lounged by the pond like a king, while Jin pissed and starved in his stone coffin. And slowly, like a smoldering ember turning into a flame, something ignited in him.

He still feared the creature, but now... he couldn't help imagine what it would feel like to kill it. To watch it fall. To make it suffer.