Chapter 4: New skills
It came with a loss of balance; as soon as Ben started levitating in the air, he could feel his body moving in a random direction. It took him about 7 minutes to fly about 5 meters high while still maintaining balance. Though it didn't mean Ben had learned to fly yet,
It was like when he flew forward, he flew too much forward; he didn't know how to stop in the midways. Frustrated, he cursed, only if there were gears and brakes on me. If possible, I would want a staring as well."
[ ... ]
After wasting a few minutes, Ben finally got the hang of it. It was not like he was now the pro-pilot of his mosquito flight, but the time was ticking and he needed 2.5 ml of fuel in his plane or his lifeline would crash before it started.
With a deep breath and tension itching on his face, Ben moved inside the forest of pine trees, avoiding collisions with bushes and leaves. The environment inside the forest was way different than the clean sunlight spot where he was.
Filtered by the long pine leaves, there were barely a few rays of light hitting the ground. As one descends into the depths of the forest, they will find themselves surrounded by even more intense darkness. Darker than the no-moon nights.
But for Ben, somehow, this place was more comfortable than the open sunlight area where he was in. Even in this darkness, he was able to see things clearly and precisely. He could see all kinds of reptiles and insects on the ground. Two-headed snakes, or a group of purple ants—even the purple grass and neon flowers growing in this place seemed imaginary.
Ben had too many questions in his mind—too many things he wanted to ask—but right now, his goal was to find a blood source and complete the first quest. He didn't know what would happen if he failed the quest, but one thing is for sure: He would do anything necessary to avoid going back into that null void.
[Time Left: 12 minutes, 42 seconds]
Ben was worried about the time limit; he wanted to be able to find any big animal to drink blood from, but that was until he spotted a vulnerable target not so far away. The tension on his face turned into a relief as he flew towards the magical beast sitting near a big tree.
.................
..........
In the vastness of space, a colossal black spaceship, spanning the dimensions of a mountain range, gracefully orbited a crimson planet. The sheer magnitude of the spacecraft dwarfed human cities into mere specks in comparison. At rest, its engines lay dormant, utilizing the gravitational pull of the red planet to trace its celestial path.
Within the shadowy confines of the spaceship's chamber, a man in his twenties scrutinized a holographic red screen suspended in the air. The room remained shrouded in darkness, offering little insight into the man's features, with the dim glow emanating solely from the crimson screen.
Despite the limited illumination, the purpose of the man's focus was evident. The holographic display portrayed a diminutive insect resembling a mosquito, perched upon a leaf, its inquisitive demeanor directed at something unseen. Concurrently, a digital timer steadily counts down in the screen's upper-left corner.
[10:07]
[10:06]
[10:05]
.
.
{Lord, I am a little curious.}
A robotic voice asked, but the source and direction of the voice remained unknown.
"What is it?" The man in his mid-twenties responded with a question. His voice was calm and calculative. Only if Ben was there could he have recognized this voice in seconds; it was the same voice.
{Why did you reincarnate him as a mosquito in the first place? You could have sent his soul to prototype 117 from the beginning. What is even the use of these five quests?}
In response to the question, the man smiled slightly as he continued to explain in his calm voice, "First of all, those were three questions. But I will give you a brief explanation."
"To match the requirements of 117, I am preparing him to adapt to this world. The quests are also a part of this change; each quest holds a meaning; passing it is as good as changing oneself.
"For example, the first quest—by drinking blood—may seem like a small task, but psychologically, it's the very first step for your subconscious mind to step away from humanity."
{If that's the case, then...what is the meaning of the second quest?}
.
.
.
Back in the forest, Ben was sitting on a tree leaf, closely observing his target. The creature resembled a bull, but instead of two horns and one tail, it had a sharp rhino-like horn on the forehead and twin tails on the back, resembling those of two dark red blades.
Crimson red patterns were beautifully drawn on his jade black skin, as if someone had tattooed it, making a beautiful yet scary pattern. The beast seemed to be resting near an open area where sunlight was somehow able to reach the ground.
"Perhaps it's another of those mutant creatures the system told me about." Ben contemplated; he was noticing every movement of the mutant beast and finding a safe spot to attack. The tails of the beast were sharp and fast; if Ben were to be hit by them, his life would be over in the next second.
But the advantage was that the range of twin tails could only cover half of the beast's body. which made his upper body vulnerable. Then there were the red tattoos, like Mark. Ben didn't know how they worked, but the red part of the beast seemed at least thicker than the rest of its black body.
Considering these two possibilities, Ben found a good place to suck blood from. It was the thin black lines between the necks of that beast. Neither it could be reached by its tail, nor was any thick red tattoo protecting that part.
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