Back in the hollow, Bai Zhe lay quietly, tired after a day of hunting.
The squirrel hid in a corner, alert but less trembling than before.
After a night's rest, Bai Zhe ventured out again, but luck was terrible—few prey appeared, and those that did fled before he could get close.
He only gained 3 Evolution Points all day.
Still, he tested a theory: whether he could improve his physical fitness through exercise.
He found it true but somewhat ineffective.
Improving fitness this way was much slower than evolving by eating prey.
It was like honest labor versus cheating by hacking.
His discovery was that to increase stamina, he needed to repeatedly push his limits.
For example, running hard for an hour increased stamina.
But the next time, running an hour wouldn't do; he'd have to run longer to improve further.
Of course, this method wasn't useless.
On unlucky days with little prey, he could use it to improve physical strength.
He suspected strength and agility could be trained similarly.
Spending half a day training, he extended his max running time to two hours.
Returning to the hollow at night, he was surprised the squirrel was absent.
In the morning, the squirrel's injury seemed better, so it might have gone elsewhere to rest.
Before its injury, Bai Zhe slept in the hollow while the squirrel rested outside.
But after a while, the squirrel returned, cautiously glanced at him, then curled up to rest.
It was becoming less afraid of him.
Bai Zhe had no intention of chasing it away and was even glad for its company.
Why exactly, he wasn't sure—perhaps loneliness made him want companionship, even if it couldn't communicate.
After wandering thoughts, Bai Zhe fell asleep deeply.
The next morning, he went hunting again.
That day, he finally caught enough prey to trigger his third evolution.
Inside the hollow, Bai Zhe twisted his body, rubbing against the walls.
The squirrel looked uneasy, wanting to check on him but fearful to approach.
After ten minutes, Bai Zhe's evolution was completed.
[Ding, Host's third evolution successful. Evolution Level increased to 4, rewarded with 5 Skill Points.]
[Skill Points reached 5, new Skills available. View now?]
Two messages popped up on the system panel.
Checking available skills, Bai Zhe found only "Venomous Fangs" and "Color-Changing Camouflage."
He felt disappointed.
"Venomous Fangs" was now level 2, sufficient for his needs.
The camouflage skill wasn't essential, and with limited Skill Points, investing there felt wasteful.
He decided to save his Skill Points for now.
After the next evolution, he'd get 5 more Skill Points and hoped new Skills would appear then.
"System, open my Attribute Panel."
Bai Zhe whispered, and a screen appeared.
Host Attributes:
Evolution Level: 4
Evolution Points: 12/250 (gained from hunting, used for evolution)
Skill Points: 4 (rewarded upon level-up, used to exchange and upgrade Skills)
Length: 1 meter
Diameter: 3.5 cm
Strength: 3.0
Defense: 2.0
Speed: 1.5
Agility: 3.0
Spirit: 3.0
Stamina: 2.8
Skill: Venomous Fangs (2/5)
Task Progress: 144/10 million
...
With rising Evolution Level, the Attribute Panel became more detailed.
From top to bottom, Bai Zhe scanned through the attributes. Like before, length growth was most noticeable—now a full meter.
Other body attributes increased accordingly.
Notably, the next upgrade required 250 Evolution Points, a significant number.
Although prey was abundant here, achieving this goal would be challenging.
To reach it faster, he needed to expand his territory and hunt larger prey.
Like mice, lizards, and large frogs such as tiger-patterned frogs.
"Squeak, squeak."
Suddenly, a sound snapped Bai Zhe back to reality.
He looked at the squirrel, which stared at him with suspicion, seemingly surprised by his size increase.
Their harmonious coexistence over the past two days had built the squirrel's trust.
It was less tense around Bai Zhe and more relaxed.
Occasionally, it even offered friendly gestures, like handing him treasured chestnuts or pinecones to try.
But eating plant-based food didn't increase Evolution Points, and Bai Zhe's teeth couldn't chew pinecones or chestnuts. Swallowing them whole would cause indigestion.
So he declined the squirrel's kindness.
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