Chapter 2: Struggle

Luma's eyes fluttered open, and they were immediately met with a searing pain in their side. Startled, they quickly realized they were inside the mouth of a massive beast. Panic surged through their tiny frame. Knowing They did the only thing they could think of, they thrashed and struggled in the beast's unrelenting jaws, but their efforts were futile; they were simply not strong enough.

A thought flashed through their mind: "Didn't I level up?" The system's response was clear, "[yes]." Emboldened, they commanded, "Put all my remaining Status Points into Strength." The response came in a blink.

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

Strength lv. 2 (2) : 4 -> lv. 2 (12) : 24

Status Points: 10 -> 0

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Luma's newly acquired strength allowed them to deliver a fierce blow to the beast's head with their wing, but the creature unwavering, continued its relentless run. Hopelessness crept in, and they cried out, "kwwaa quaa waa," desperately hoping for help.

Their cries falling deaf ears. The creature continued Lumas long and painful journey that lead to an underground tunnel, that became a maze of endless twists and turns almost like a labyrinthine. Exhausted and battered, They finally saw where the labyrinthine led to, They emerged before a surreal underground world.

However, there was no time to appreciate their surroundings. The creature, still clutching Luma, reached a specific spot and gently set them down. Luma tried to stand, but their weakness left them stumbling. Then, another creature entered, carrying a lifeless body, which it exchanged with the first creature before It departed.

The newcomer, a menacing figure with light brown fur and black spots, it's claws completely silver, It loomed over Luma with mismatched eyes one a shining emerald, the other completely black. held a predatory glint. Luma felt incredibly small in its presence. The creature approached, touched Luma's tiny frame with its massive paw, then departed.

Soon after, the other creature returned, luma now got a getting look at it, saw it was almost exactly the same except it had no emerald eye. It picked up Luma, rushing them back through the maze and unceremoniously ejecting them at the entrance. Luma, battered and stumbling, managed to put some distance between them and the creature.

Climbing a tree to reach safety, they narrowly avoided falling multiple times. Eventually, exhaustion overcame them, and they surrendered to sleep, pain still throbbing through their body.

When they woke, the persistent pain remained, and they needed sustenance. Climbing down from their temporary home, they moved with caution, nearly falling on several occasions.

When They got down they spotted a delectable flower, rushed over and drank the nectar voraciously.

Luma's insatiable appetite urged them to continue eating, <curse over consumption successfully acquired> They finally halted after the second announcement leaving the flower behind.

They sought out for a resting spot, although their movements were sluggish due to overindulgence. They returned to the familiar tree, attempting to climb it, only to stumble and fall from a mere eighth of the way.

Uncertain of their next move, they dug a small hole in the ground and nestled into it, closing their eyes as exhaustion overtook them.