James understood exactly what the American lion was signaling.
Eliminate the competition.
It wasn't just James; Zack and Zoe were also targets the lion wanted to throttle in the cradle. This realization forced James to sharpen his instincts. Unlike other predators he had encountered, the American lion carried a calculated, malicious intent specifically aimed at snuffing out sub-adult Smilodon.
If it caught an opening, it would never let James walk away. In a direct head-on clash, his current self was no match for a full-grown American lion.
Looks like I need to stop wandering off alone... grinding experience can wait. Survival comes first.
James felt frustrated, but he accepted the reality of the food chain.
Seeing the American lion concede the carcass, Mom and Dad didn't linger. Once they had gorged themselves on the horse meat, they immediately led the three cubs back toward their territory.
The parents remained hyper-vigilant throughout the trek, scanning every thicket as if expecting the lion to be lurking in ambush with some dark design. Even after reaching the safety of the cave, their nerves didn't settle. Zack and Zoe, who wanted to romp outside the entrance, were roughly hissed back into the darkness. James was no exception.
The sheer intensity of their reaction struck James as odd. It felt like overkill.
What James didn't know was that a previous litter of twins—his older brothers —had died in the jaws of an American lion.
This wasn't Mom and Dad's first time raising cubs. Three winters ago, they had formed their pair-bond and produced two healthy offspring. Those cubs had reached six months of age, full of life and far too restless to stay confined in a dim, cramped cave.
Being first-time parents, Mom and Dad had been less experienced, less cautious. While they were away on a hunt, an American lion had breached their territory and found the two cubs playing outside.
The result was predictable. The lion crushed the life out of them. It didn't even eat the bodies; it simply left the mangled carcasses inside the cave as a warning. When Mom and Dad returned, laden with meat to share with their young, they were met with the sight of their children's blood-matted remains.
The depth of that fury and despair was immeasurable.
In the wild, the death of young is common. Life moves on. After burying the twins, Mom and Dad didn't drown in grief. By the following winter, they had produced a new litter: James, Zack, and Zoe.
With that history written in blood, their extreme reaction to the American lion was more than justified.
I need to grow up fast. Once I'm an adult, I'll find a high-quality mate. Two sabers are better than one—we won't have to worry about this crap anymore.
Inside the cave, James let the thought drift through his mind.
Wait. A mate?
Since when did I start thinking like that?
James hadn't even noticed that his sense of beauty had shifted. The slender, upright "
apes from his past life no longer held any appeal; he now found the powerful, elegant lines of a great cat far more right.
He didn't dwell on his changing psychology for long. His focus shifted to the system interface. He had hit 300 Gene Points. It was time to integrate the Shark Gene and insure his sabers.
Mom and Dad had already sprawled out to rest. James retreated to the deepest corner of the cave. With a sharp mental command, he summoned the Gene Bank.
---
[Shark Gene: Tooth Regeneration Capability. Cost: 300 Gene Points.]
[Ding! 300 Gene Points consumed. Beginning Genetic Integration!]
---
A searing sensation, like being boiled in boiling oil. The heat focused entirely on his jaw.
Every single tooth felt as if it were being violently wrenched from the bone. The ache pulsed for several minutes before finally receding. James panted heavily, his mouth still tingling with a dull, lingering pain.
[Ding! Congratulations. Host has integrated Shark Gene. Acquired: Tooth Regeneration (Lv1).]
According to the system's data, the gene didn't change the physical structure of his teeth. Instead, it tweaked the underlying genetic code. While sharks and mammals are vastly different, they share a common ancestral gene responsible for tooth regeneration.
In mammals, these 400-odd genes usually go dormant or vanish after the permanent teeth grow in. In sharks, they stay active for life. By integrating the gene, James had forcibly rebooted these dormant instructions.
If any tooth—even his massive sabers—fell out or snapped, a new one would immediately begin growing to replace it.
System products never disappoint.
James bared his teeth in a grin of pure satisfaction and pulled up his attribute panel.
---
[Host]: James
[Species]: Smilodon fatalis (Male)
[Age]: 1 Year
[Strength]: 62 (+)
[Agility]: 56 (+)
[Physique]: 60 (+)
[Gene Points]: 5
[Integrated Genes]: Flat headed Peccary, Clouded Leopard, Pachycrocuta (Giant Hyena), Shark
[Reinforced Parts]: Skin Hardness (Lv1), Tail (Lv1)
[Added Abilities]: Bite Force (Lv1), Tooth Regeneration (Lv1)
---
"Everything is at Level 1... what are the requirements to level up?" James queried.
---
[Upgrading to Lv2 requires 500 Gene Points. Upgrading to Lv3 requires 1000 Gene Points. Max level is Lv3.]
[Upon upgrading, the specific part or ability will be further enhanced.]
---
James nodded. This meant his skin could get tougher, his bite harder, and his regeneration faster.
The cheats would keep stacking. I could already see the future—one where I'd be completely untouchable. American lions, Titanis birds, short-faced bears… sooner or later, they'd all have to—wait… what was that line from those Chinese cultivation novels?
Right
I climbed onto a small rock inside the cave and let out a roar.
"Thirty years east, thirty years west—don't bully the young and poor!
Kowtow before this Tiger King, hahaha!"
I slowly turned my head.
' Damn… that was embarrassing. How do those protagonists say stuff like that out loud without dying inside? '
Suddenly, there was a sound. Just as James turned his head, a huge paw slammed into him and sent him rolling across the ground.
"ROAR—!"
It was his mother, woken up by his loud roars.
James didn't get up. He just lay there motionless, pretending to be asleep.