The golden eyes remained like two static lanterns in the darkness, filling him with discomfort and an ominous sensation of extreme danger.
The outline of its figure appeared shadowed like a great titan covered in scruffy yet powerful fur, in a dominant posture, as if nothing in the world could disturb its reign.
Fortunately, that dominance was limited only to the trees, for not even it seemed willing to bother the terrors that roamed the ground.
Remaining in the same place with its eyes fixed on its target, it released a murderous hunger but held it back under a terrifying calm, almost appearing like a statue.
But Matt knew that wasn't the case, as its chest rose and fell with heavy and wild breathing.
The reason for its stillness was the certainty that nothing and no one in the world could take away the prey it had fixed its gaze upon.
Unfortunately, that prey was Matt.
His eyes opened wide as he observed the beast's golden glow.
His body trembled and his mind filled with hopelessness, for he had no way to escape this situation.
Part of his survival relied on the fact that no beast could reach the top of the trees and those that did limit themselves to hunting the forest creatures.
But this one was different, indifferent to the forest creatures, it perched on the trees as if uninterested in the battle, nor did it mind waiting for the slightest mistake from its prey to take its flesh.
And so, Matt, under terrible pressure and fear, watched those golden eyes for hours, which returned his gaze at all times.
Time passed so slowly that it felt like an eternity. His body trembled, and his thoughts grew increasingly pessimistic with each roar or howl that came from the wild beasts in the forest.
And thus came the day the creatures petrified, and the golden eyes disappeared mysteriously, but the pressure and the sensation of being watched remained.
Forced by hunger and despair, he descended from the tree with caution.
His mind was filled with fear, questions, and hopelessness.
What was that creature? He had never seen anything like it among the statues that roamed the forest.
So it remains in the trees? Matt no longer felt it was safe to take refuge in the tree branches. But this thought was erased in the next instant.
In the end, the creatures that roamed beneath them were not only more powerful but numerous.
But how could he survive it?
His only hope was to find the body of that beast and finish it before it did.
But first…
His stomach growled loudly, reminding him he hadn't eaten for several consecutive days.
Then, his gaze fixed on the bushes. The berries looked increasingly appetizing and irresistible and, above all, less dangerous.
Especially after seeing several creatures consume those berries in the middle of the night, and their statues roaming around them as if they had enjoyed their taste just before freezing in time.
'Maybe, my intuition is failing me… One closer look wouldn't hurt.' He thought, hoping his assumption was correct. Knowing he wouldn't last much longer in that state of hunger and weakness.
He approached the bushes.
His body had undergone many changes the previous day. He had gained agility, speed, perception, and above all, vitality.
The only thing he regretted was his strength, as there hadn't been a beast whose strength was the most outstanding among its attributes.
Each of them was based on survival, with hard, unbreakable shells and fast feet to escape their prey and outstanding perception to detect their predators.
Matt's body had benefited from each of them. He had even thought that his speed was not inferior to that of cultivators in the Mundane stage of 4 fruits. Which, was truly surprising, as he was only 2 steps away from the Energy Awakening stage.
In terms of his vitality… He didn't know how to explain it, but not only did he feel better with more energy, his skin was softer and more delicate, yet at the same time, it had superhuman toughness.
The changes were truly surprising and visible to the naked eye.
Unfortunately, the hunger was there like a curse, so even though he was stronger than ever, he also felt weaker than ever.
Once in front of the bushes, the desire to consume their fruits became uncontrollable. As if he had fallen under a spell, the hunger moved his body long before his mind, and when he realized, a juicy fruit had fallen on his tongue.
His eyes opened wide.
'What the hell!?'
His nerves were on high alert and his danger sense spiked. But his mouth moved on its own, chewing the fruit and swallowing it immediately.
A smile spread across his face as if he had tasted the food of the gods, then his thoughts calmed.
His perception of danger wasn't always accurate and this was proof of that.
After all, something so delicious and beautiful could never be dangerous.
'It's a shame that such delicious fruits are trapped and forgotten in such a remote and unexplored place, maybe… I should take a few to plant even outside the forest when I escape.'
Suddenly, a dark and unpleasant stain stuck to his hand, stopping him completely.
His face twisted in anger. "What the hell are you doing!?" He shook his hand hard and sent the mutagen flying into the bushes.
Then, his body shuddered and his eyes widened like plates.
In front of him, the bush that was full of fruits now only had two, and one of them rested on his fingers.
The delicious juice of the fruits dripped from his mouth like purple drops.
But what was truly terrifying was not that he had consumed every one of the fruits without even realizing it. Rather, his vision was filled with system messages.
[You have been poisoned by the soul tree.]
[Petrification in: 6 hours.]