11 Old Druid

System bit off the molting insect's head effortlessly with his mandibles, and its white blood splashed everywhere.

System looked at the wrinkled wings of the post-molting insect's carcass and found out the insect's identity. It was a large dragonfly nymph that lived in the water at the larva stage. It was a fierce aquatic insect that fed on mosquito larvae, tadpoles, or some small fish.

The dragonfly nymph would undergo molting to become an adult dragonfly.

System had killed a dragonfly that was about to complete its metamorphosis.

The molting process softened the dragonfly nymph's exoskeleton, so System was able to swallow it easily. The softened exoskeleton tasted similar to compressed chocolate milk, and System was full after taking only four or five sips.

Upon feeling the fullness in his stomach, System swallowed even harder. After having endured hunger for five days, System would rather be stuffed than endure it again.

Two hours later, System had nearly eaten and digested a quarter of the dragonfly carcass. A sour and numb feeling coursed through System's entire body once again, and he reached Level 7.

His body grew from 3.4 centimeters to 4.1 centimeters, and the wing buds on his back were half-grown now. System could even control these newly grown wing buds to move.

After leveling up, System's [Molting Growth] and [Insect Adaptability] were slightly enhanced, but the talent level still remained at 11. It seemed System's previous guess was true. Once any of his abilities reached Level 11, progressing them further would be more difficult.

Due to the starvation experience System had gone through, he once again acquired a new derived ability, called [Hunger Tolerance Physique].

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[Hunger Tolerance Physique] (5/11): Acquired by the talent [Insect Adaptability]. The stomach can store more food with higher food utilization and lower consumption of the body's energy.

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In addition to the newly acquired [Hunger Tolerance Physique], System's [Fishy Slime] advanced because of this level-up.

[Fishy Slime] (3/7) → [Fishy Slime] (4/7)

The pungent odor of slime, which his mouth secreted, was even fishier and came with some corrosivity.

Perhaps due to [Hunger Tolerance Physique], System felt that his abdomen was bigger now. It was not that his physique became larger, but that his abdomen became larger in proportion to his body.

System felt that his abdominal volume was at least doubled, so he resumed eating the dragonfly before feeling full.

System even had the illusion that he could devour the carcass which was two or three times his weight, before him without needing to defecate first. Soon, System discovered that it was not an illusion at all.

After ten minutes, when only half of the dragonfly carcass remained, System's abdomen bulged like a balloon to an incredible degree—the entire abdomen was more than twice as large as the rest of his body.

But even so, there was still room left in his abdomen, and he felt that he could still eat more.

However, System stopped himself rationally. Although his stomach could still hold more food, his body could no longer allow it.

He had become clumsier in his movements by dragging such a large abdomen. If he continued to eat like that, it would be tough for him to move, meaning he would hardly escape if a dangerous situation arose.

Hence, System guarded the dragonfly carcass while moving his body around, waiting for the food in his stomach to be digested.

In the process of digestion, System's EXP bar kept growing. He estimated that his rank would reach Level 7 (1/2) after completely digesting the dragonfly carcass.

By searching for more food, he could reach Level 8 in less than two days. When he reached Level 8, System would undergo a second molting and become a flying adult grasshopper.

At his current digestion rate, System estimated that he would be able to eat the dragonfly carcass before nightfall. After that, he would drag his full belly back to his lair so that he could go out to forage for food, as usual, the next day.

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As System was guarding the dragonfly carcass and exercised from time to time to accelerate the digestion speed, a mysterious singing voice came from the forest.

The song's tone was so varied that it seemed to be telling a long-ago story. Unfortunately, System did not understand what it was about as the language of this world was completely incomprehensible to him.

System only knew that the voice seemed to come from a slightly older male human.

It was not long before the singer, half-lying on a raft, paddled slowly past System's side, with the sound of gurgling water accompanying him.

The singer was a handsome but old human-like creature wearing brown clothing, with deer-like horns on his head and sharp ears. He looked like a pro-nature Druid from the magical world, maneuvering a mysterious power to control the raft on water.

The old Druid exuded a peaceful and mysterious natural feeling that made System subconsciously want to get close. He even had an urge to jump into the palm of the old Druid's hand.

On the raft, System saw several species of snakes, two silver-grey rats, and a red fox.

The fox's fur and the two rats had obvious water stains. They snuggled together with a few snakes on the raft, though they were natural enemies, as if they had been companions for years.

System guessed that the old Druid must have saved those animals from the water and used mysterious powers to calm them.

After a while, the old Druid on the raft slowly drifted away, while System looked at his back in contemplation.

The old Druid, half-resting on the raft, exuded strange power, and the mysterious scent of nature, which System felt, surrounded the old Druid.

The old Druid's half-lying posture, like that of a Buddha who had entered meditation and blended into nature, made one phrase appear in System's mind: Unity between Heaven and Man.

System really could not find any other words to describe the old Druid, and he did leave System an impression of a master.

'Can he be trusted?'

The moment he had met the old Druid, System had the thought of revealing his wisdom to him. However, System eventually suppressed the urge in his heart, as he and the old Druid had never interacted before. Thus, System just watched from a distance as the old Druid left in the raft.

The human heart was unpredictable. System could not know what the old Druid's real thoughts hidden under the veneer of serenity and nature were.

As a grasshopper, System had no equal right to speak with the old Druid. Most importantly, he could not bear to leave his fate on such a strange and intelligent creature…