Nothing beats a good night's rest, especially in predator's lair full of monsters...

I woke up in the morning, whoops, can't distinguish day and night in here, but let's assume it's morning.

The feeling of familiarity and belonging hit me as my echolocation noticed several presences.

People say, if you stare at a chair for a decade, you'll start loving it. It's the same here. The scary monsters no longer seemed that alien and scary.

Of course, that doesn't mean I threw caution to the wind. I just became more, uhh...accepting, right.

So what does a bat full of motivation and acceptance towards fate do?

Well, there's nothing much to do here. There are that boring and generic, neverending and ever bending cave walls full of nests of nasty things. Crawlers and scavengers are also plenty. You can fly around and watch as they fight to the death, using their mandibles, pincers, legs and pretty much everything they have on their bodies. Sigh, it gets boring after a while.

Philosophies aside, I've been lazying around for a while now. Even the system acknowledges my effort to no effort.

Title acquired: Eternal observer

+0.5 PER

That's some nice bonus there, but why eternal though?

Ah?

Seems I have asked the right question as the system explained in detail.

Eternal observer - Life comes and goes. They are as fleeting as drifting clouds to you. Otherwise tragic or happy events no longer stir you as much, emotionally.

Well, that sucks. I'm sure I'm still a bit sensitive though. Which bug dies today is the least of my worries, is all.

Don't look down on me for being lazy.

Lazy people get their job done in the most efficient way. And truthfully, more than lazy, I'm cautious. I don't want to get injured as the thought of my poor HP dropping terrifies me.

But can you pluck the rose without touching the thorns? Sigh, my philosophy cycles back to effort equals benefit.

It's just, back on earth, the effort wasn't correspondingly answered with benefits. People were mostly stuck in their own cycles, unable to break away from it.

The baker remained baker.

Abused never found respite.

Those in need were left alone.

The poor died in poverty.

Most of the time, no matter how a person tried, he/she couldn't change anything for the better.

I hope it's not the same here.

No, it's just wishful thinking. So what if I get strong? There will be a million others stronger than me.

Aiming to become the strongest? Haha, who guarantees I'll be the chosen one, that I won't die miserably for my ambition?

Then, the right way is, just live without regrets.

...

That's how I'd think if I was a human, but I'm just a goddamn bat, sigh, life sucks as it sucked for the previous 18 years.

All I ask for is being a human, once again...

...

I got sad all of a sudden.

*Sniff, sniff

Do the bats even cry?

Hmm? Buddy, you want to comfort me?

HOLY SHIT! Who the fuck are you?!

I hurriedly flap my wings to distance myself from the ugly wasp with bulging green eyes.

Shit! This is what happens when you space out. Teacher asks, continue from where we left off.

But this is much worse.

Balrod Wasp Level 2 HP: 3.4/3.4

The wasp had a dull grey exoskeleton, slimy and shiny stinger covered in what I assume to be a poison, disgusting mandibles and a pair of constantly flapping membranous wings.

It was approaching me like a disgusting uncle approaches a loli.

I despaired and zigzagged in the air. I learned a trick or two after getting accustomed to flying. The damned wasp was visibly confused but didn't seem the type to give up.

It was a level 2!

Heck with levels. It's an experienced predator and it can fly!

Oh, at least there's some good news. It has a poison!

Another good news, it has higher stamina than me!

W, wait, another one, it's dead set on wasting me.

Fu...!

Wait, did I mention it's faster than me? Haha, I didn't because it's not.

Right, that's my only advantage. So, my only choice is to lead it to its doom.

Easier said than done.

I hear the constant buzzing sound from my back, which gives me goosebumps.

No time to bullshit now. Think, think! It's smaller than I am, so there's basically nowhere I can hide from it. It won't get lost either as it's honestly not that slower than me.

Hmm, let's see if it works.

I feinted to go in the left direction but turned in the opposite direction.

Huff! I did it! I can no longer hear the...

*Bzzzttt~

Fu...!

I desperately maneuvered through protruding stalagmites, dancing like never before.

The wasp was still closely sticking to me though.

What do I do? Is this where this bat destined for greatness is going to fall?

No! My previous death was already meaningless enough.

Do you want to kill me? Go ahead then!

My concentration reached its peak. I intentionally slowed down. The wasp aimed its poisonous stinger at me and accelerated.

I spun in the air and let myself be stung in the wing, which hurt like hell, but the spinning wing was full of force aimed at the wasp.

The wing pushed the wasp upward and skewered it on the sharp edge of the stalagmite.

As such, we traded deadly blows.

< -0.8! < -0.3!

Status update: Poisoned

Losing 0.05 HP every 5 seconds. Duration 50 seconds.

The right wing will be paralyzed in 20 seconds.

I roared in my mind as I fought off the spreading pain in my right wing and started harassing the skewered wasp with bites and scratches.

< -0.1 < -0.1 < -0.2! < -0.1

...

The wasp powerlessly flailed its wings and chomped with its mandibles, but being stuck, it wasn't much of a threat to me.

Before long, the wasp stopped struggling. It looked miserable as I dug its eyes out and violated its head.

+40% Exp

Title acquired: Hunter of hunters

+5% DMG against battle initiators

There is no time to appreciate system notifications.

Every flap of my wing brought waves upon waves of pain. I almost passed out as I flew up and searched for the right place to recuperate.

Thankfully I found it before my right wing got completely paralyzed.

I looked at my status window.

Name: - HP: 1.4/1.9 Species: Bat Gender: Male Status: Weakened (-30% all stats) Paralyzed (-70% agility) Titles: Cunning, Bully, Eternal observer, Hunter of hunters STA: 0.2/1.4 MP: 0/0 Level: 0/5 Exp: 60% Skill points: 0 Stat points: 0 Trait: Nocturnal (+10% All Stats. Condition: Night, Darkness. Enchanted night vision)

Stats: STR: 0.21; AGI: 0.6; DEF: 0.03; TEN: 0.00; WIL: 0.25; PER: 1.27;

3% crit

Skills: Night vision: 18; Vigilance: 8; Slumber: 9; Flying: 17; Echolocation: 11; Sneak: 6; Bite: 4; Scratch: 3; Deception: 2;