Reborn as a Monster with the Multiplier System

Chapter 2 — First Taste of Blood and the Anomaly of the Fog Valley

With his newly calibrated survival mindset, Ren stepped out on all fours, leaving the safety of the root hollow behind.

This forest was no playground. The dense canopy above choked out the sun, allowing only meager shafts of light to pierce the gloom.

The air was thick with the pungent stench of crushed flora and rotting wood—an invisible, territorial warning that death lurked in every shadow.

Snapped twigs crunched softly beneath his plush paw pads.

Barely a dozen yards away from his first water source, Ren’s animal instincts blared a lethal alarm. The fur on the nape of his neck stood on end. His ears swiveled back aggressively.

*Whip!*

A thick, slime-coated green vine cleaved through the misty air, rocketing straight for his jugular with the speed of a projectile.

Ren’s rational brain nearly froze in panic, demanding he dive for cover. Yet, his new body refused to bow to human logic.

His hind leg muscles coiled tight and unleashed, launching his small frame into the air a split second before the vine pulverized the earth he’d just stood on.

Gravel and mud exploded wildly.

At the apex of his leap, primal instinct completely took over. A surge of searing heat coursed from the core of his chest down into his front paws.

'Sharp Claws!'

The claws that had been neatly tucked away inside his paw pads instantly tore through, elongating and flashing with a deadly, metallic sheen.

Riding the momentum of gravity, Ren slashed his claws into the vine just as it tried to retract.

*Slash!*

His three blade-like claws shredded the vicious plant's fibers as easily as cutting wet silk. A thick, greenish fluid sprayed into the air.

*Thud.*

Ren landed with nimble grace. All four paws touched the dirt almost soundlessly, absorbing the impact to perfection.

His eyes scanned the severed, arm-length piece of vine. It writhed in its death throes on the dry leaves before finally falling motionless.

'Whoa...' Ren blinked slowly, staring at his own sap-drenched, lethal claws. 'This body actually packs some insane killer reflexes.'

He was about to turn around and find a new hiding spot when a crazy thought stopped him dead in his tracks. His tail swished slowly.

'Hold on,' his mind debated. 'My first evolution was triggered by the system and a puddle of spiritual dew. What happens if I... swallow the carcass of this disgusting thing?'

A distinctly human wave of nausea hit his stomach at the mere thought of that slimy texture. However, his ego and ambition were far greater than his disgust.

For the sake of absolute power and the future he was charting for himself, this hesitation had to die.

Ren squeezed his eyes shut, unhinged his jaw, and sank his tiny fangs into the vine's flesh.

*Crunch!*

His blue eyes snapped wide open. Instead of the bitter taste of sap or dirt, the monster's fibers crumbled in his mouth with an incredibly satisfying crunch.

Its juices flooded his tongue, carrying a savory, meaty flavor laced with a warm, spicy kick that was strangely addictive.

'Hey, this is pretty good!'

Completely unburdened, Ren chewed greedily, devouring every last inch of his first monster corpse until nothing remained.

[Consumed Tier 1 Plant Monster. EXP successfully doubled.]

The notification screen glowed in the air, bringing absolute validation to his plan. The tiger cub's ears perked straight up as he stared into the dark depths of the forest with the sheer enthusiasm of a true predator.

Hundreds of miles away from Ren's little hunting ground, the forest landscape shifted drastically into a steep valley choked by eternal fog.

The silence here was so dense and suffocating, it felt as though the universe itself was holding its breath to avoid waking the entity sleeping at the bottom of the abyss.

In the heart of that fog, a pair of giant eyelids peeled open slowly. Vertical pupils, a radiant jade-blue, ignited to cleave the absolute darkness.

Scales the size of heavy steel shields ground against one another, flashing with the luster of crushed sapphires. The sound of her movement sent minor tremors rippling through the cliff walls.

The ancient blue dragon slowly raised her head.

A blinding, bluish glow suddenly erupted from beneath her scales.

The ambient temperature spiked drastically as the light swallowed the monster's colossal form, shrinking her massive body down in a matter of seconds.

When the glow finally faded, the giant monster was gone.

In her place stood an elegant woman, without a single thread covering her porcelain skin. A pair of beautifully curved dragon horns rested among her flowing blue hair, radiating the absolute, majestic aura of a ruler of the skies.

She looked up, sensing an invisible ripple of shifting energy rustling from afar.

"After thousands of years in slumber..." Her voice drifted as soft as silk, yet harbored the echoing threat of a thousand ready-to-strike thunderbolts. "...an anomaly is finally born in the Thousand Monster Forest."

A faint smile graced her pink lips—a beautiful curve capable of shattering the sanity of billions of men before killing them.

Right as her eyelids fluttered in relaxation, the flow of the surrounding fog ground to a halt. The air current froze instantly. The entire world bowed and stopped its time, purely to answer the goddess's movement.

"I hope," she whispered softly, letting her voice be swallowed by the dense fog, "that this time, the anomaly does not disappoint."

To be continued...