章 31: Hunger

Early in the morning, Tom could be seen sitting on a tree branch, meditating. He hadn't slept all night, fearing an attack while he slept. He was really starting to miss his cave; at least in his cave, he could sleep and rest when he was tired. However, that was impossible on the branch he was perched on.

Worst of all, his hunger persisted. His stomach had been growling all night, and despite trying to focus his mind elsewhere by circulating his etherium throughout his body, his thoughts kept returning to the rabbits he hadn't been able to catch and eat.

So, he decided to halt his meditation and ponder how he could eliminate the sound of his footsteps to successfully catch them. He spent half the night thinking but didn't come up with a concrete solution.

He decided to resume his meditation, hoping to find some other way to satiate his hunger once daylight came.

When he judged it was time to search for food, he descended from his branch and scanned the mountain's top for anything edible.

Unfortunately, he found nothing. It was quite odd; there was absolutely nothing to eat, no fruit-bearing trees or signs of animal life.

In the rest of the forest at the bottom of the mountain, he had at least noticed some types of fruits a few days ago, but he didn't eat them for fear that they might be poisonous.

However the only beings that seemed to inhabit this mountain were the rabbits Tom had unsuccessfully tried to catch the previous day.

But, this time, unlike the previous day, Tom didn't waste his time attempting to catch these rabbits. He had realized that he couldn't catch them and would only be wasting his time.

Unfortunately, after hours of searching and finding nothing, Tom reluctantly decided to give capturing the rabbits another try. However, as he expected, he failed over and over throughout the day, unable to catch a single rabbit. Eventually, he returned to his branch as night fell.

GROWL

The growls from his empty stomach were becoming increasingly loud, and he was starting to experience actual stomach pains from hunger. What made matters worse was that he wasn't just hungry but also thirsty, as he hadn't found any water on the mountain. He couldn't descend either, as the crystal creatures had decided not to leave.

He was truly beginning to despair.

Tom's only respite came from meditation. By circulating his etherium throughout his body during meditation, he had achieved better control over its flow. He could move his etherium quickly from one point to another. Sadly, this newfound control was of little use if he starved to death.

So, Tom spent the entire night meditating and circulating his etherium throughout his body.

When morning came, Tom could be seen with his face pressed against the branch. He had reached his limit. It had been days since he had eaten or drunk anything, and while he was an Etherian, and Etherium slowed down hunger compared to a regular human, it was only a delay tactic.

'Wouldn't it be pathetic to die like this,' Tom thought. He no longer had the energy to speak. He began to seriously contemplate why he was holding on and even had suicidal thoughts.

However, at that moment, a voice reminded him not to give up, reminding him of his sisters he had vowed to protect and the promise he had made to survive.

Recalling all of this, Tom opened his eyes and decided to get up to find something to eat. Anything would do as long as it could help him hang on a little longer and survive.

Unfortunately, even with all the willpower in the world, he was just too weakened. The fact that he hadn't slept in days, coupled with the hunger he felt, had left him utterly exhausted.

When he tried to get up, he couldn't manage it and could barely lean against the tree he was on.

Tom was truly at the end of his rope. He bore no resemblance to the confident Tom from a few days ago who said he would surely survive. His face was pale and emaciated, with sunken cheeks, a dry mouth, pronounced dark circles under his eyes, and dehydrated, dull skin.

Despite the voice urging him to hold on and not give up, Tom felt utterly helpless. He just wanted it all to stop.

As he closed his eyes, perhaps for one last rest, he suddenly felt as if the sunlight on his skin had dimmed. Summoning his last ounce of effort, Tom slowly opened his eyes and noticed a figure before him. He couldn't immediately identify what it was because his vision was blurred.

After a few seconds, he finally made out what was in front of him. When he realized it was someone and who was there, Tom chuckled weakly and said with a feeble, trembling voice:

"Oh... you... came... for... your... revenge?... As you can see... you won't have... much trouble... succeeding..."

The individual standing before Tom was none other than the monkey he had defeated two days ago.

Tom was too tired to wonder how it had survived; he simply assumed that the monkey had returned to finish what it had started, and with his current level of weakness, it could easily kill him.

It might sound strange, but he was actually relieved to know this. He couldn't take it anymore, and if this monkey could end his suffering, he'd even be grateful.

'Sorry, Marie, Sam, but it seems your big brother won't be able to protect you as he promised. I hope you'll forgive me,' he thought as he watched the monkey approach.

He closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable blow that would end his life. But after a few seconds, he felt nothing. So, he opened his eyes and was shocked by what he saw.

The monkey was prostrating itself, which was surprising, but what truly shocked him was that while bowing, the monkey was offering two rabbits to Tom.

It was an odd sight – Tom, who expected to be killed by the monkey he had defeated two days ago, saw that same monkey bowing before him and offering rabbits as if it were some kind of tribute.

However, Tom's surprises were far from over. Just as he wondered what was happening, he heard a voice, almost angelic, whispering in his ear:

[First subordinate acquired]

[Required condition for bloodline awakening met]

[Ruler's bloodline activated]