3 Chapter 3. First Steps

Lucy got up from the rock she had been sitting on and began to do a short warm-up to get used to her new body. At first, it was a bit strange for her to maintain balance because she wasn't used to having a tail, but after half an hour of practicing some karate moves, she concluded that the tail was a great improvement. 'I don't know how I could have lived without a tail until now. Kicks that I used to consider difficult to execute, as they required perfect balance control, I can now perform effortlessly. Well, maybe it also helps that among all the attributes I have, dexterity and agility have the highest values, but such balance would still be impossible with a completely human body. Moreover, with the help of the tail, I can change my trajectory while running without losing much speed. Plus, I can change the orientation of my body while in the air.'

Lucy was extremely pleased with the performance of her new body. She was nearly 50 percent faster than she was in her previous life, able to run short distances at a speed of almost 30 kilometers per hour, and her current dexterity made her feel like a true acrobat. She could now do three backflips in a single jump and spin in the air like an ice skater.

'This is truly amazing. I feel like a superhero. And this is just at level 1. How will it be at level 10? Or level 100? Considering that gods once walked these lands, I can conclude that powers beyond my imagination can be obtained here. Furthermore, I have been chosen as the inheritor of a goddess, so my potential should be immense.'

After a few moments of dreaming about the powers she would obtain in the future, Lucy decided to take the first step towards achieving them, which was to increase her level from 1 to 2. Unfortunately, the letter from the Goddess of Felines didn't contain much detail, and her system didn't have any function that would allow her to learn more about this world, so Lucy was a bit confused about leveling up.

'It's a pity that I don't have more information. However, considering that this system has many concepts that can be found in a video game, I can conclude that the experience required to level up can be obtained in the same way as in a video game: by killing monsters. But in a video game, monsters aren't real; they don't breathe, they don't feel pain. They don't even bleed if you choose that setting. Here, it probably won't be a pleasant sight to see them take their last breath... But do I have a choice? If I don't adapt to this world, I'll just become prey, prey for the beasts that populate this world, whether they are animals or humans. Yes, I shouldn't hesitate... What was my grandfather saying? He said that one shouldn't eat chicken if they aren't capable of cutting its throat. Yes, that's the absolute truth of life. To survive, you have to take the lives of others. The only difference is that in the modern world, many people do this through intermediaries. Yes, many people eat chicken without knowing what a real chicken looks like... Fortunately, some meat packages have pictures of live chickens on them to reinforce the idea that they are more organic than others...'

After Lucy managed to motivate herself to do what needed to be done, she headed downhill alongside the stream in search of an easily killable creature to test her theory about leveling up.

'Well, it's not like I haven't killed any living beings before. I think I've killed tens of thousands of flies with a swatter... and once when I was visiting my grandparents, I accidentally jumped on a frog and flattened it like a sheet of paper...' These were some of Lucy's thoughts as she scanned between the rocks in the stream, hoping to find a fish or a crab. After five minutes without seeing anything, she concluded that most of the creatures in the stream were either hiding or living in the deeper water areas.

'Maybe I should activate my visual powers? No, I don't think it would be wise. I can't irresponsibly consume mana. But I also don't want to go into the cold water and search for fish at the bottom... No, I'll search for a few more minutes. Hopefully, I'll find something eventually... Uh, something's moving near that rock!'

To Lucy's surprise, the creature that was moving was something she had never seen before in her previous life. At least, not in reality. It was a blue slime slowly dissolving half a dead fish.

'Ugh, it smells bad... The fish is probably dead for a few days. But it seems like the slime doesn't mind. As for the slime, what can I say? It looks really gross... it's nothing like the ones in anime or video games. But maybe I shouldn't be too disappointed with what I found. A slime is an excellent first target. At least, I hope so. Well, maybe I should check it before approaching to be sure. No matter how well-hidden the danger might be, my eyes will be able to see the truth...'

"Nekohoshime!!!"

Although it wasn't necessary to shout the skill's name, Lucy felt that the first activation of her ocular powers should be a memorable moment, so it's not surprising that she was a bit dramatic at that moment. 'So cool! I think I can compare myself to Lelouch vi Britannia. Maybe I should change my name... How would Lucy vi Britannia sound? Too bad I can't see my eyes very clearly...'

As Lucy would later discover, upon activating her ocular powers, her pupils changed color to a deep black in which three luminous stars floated, as if her eyes were fragments of the night sky.

After her initial excitement had subsided, Lucy directed her gaze toward the slime that was having its meal. Even though she was now about 20 meters away from the slime, Lucy could see it as clearly as if she were standing just 2 meters away. 'It's truly disgusting... Let's see, though, what level it is.' By activating her ability to see the levels of other life forms, Lucy could see the number two appearing above the slime, indicating its level.

'Just level two. Probably not a threat. Let's also see where its mana flow originates from. That's probably its weak point...' After activating her ability to see mana flow, she identified a darker area within the slime where the amount of mana was slightly higher.

'Probably, that's where I should attack it. But with what? A stick? But if I get close to it, my feet will get wet. Besides, I don't know how fast it is. It might jump on my face... No, I'll attack it from a distance. There are enough stones on the edge of the stream.'

After selecting about 20 appropriately sized stones, Lucy began bombarding the slime with a precision that would make even the greatest baseball player envious. Thanks to her eye abilities and high dexterity, each throw hit its target perfectly. Lucy didn't stop until she heard a notification from the system, indicating that she had gained 5 experience points and 5 points for the ninja shop.

'It seems I was right. In this world, if you want to become stronger, you have to kill with your own hands... Anyway, no one will mourn a disgusting slime. I'm sure there are plenty more in this world. Yes, the world would probably be a better place if their numbers decreased a bit. So let's find another one!'