Seeing what appeared to be a harmless little animal in front of him, Ethan didn't hesitate, he swung the energy sword in his hand without mercy.
The energy blade, which should have sliced cleanly through the kitten-like creature, instead struck something solid, producing a metallic clang. Simultaneously, a burst of red light erupted from the small creature's body.
Ethan's strike sent the kitten-like creature flying. The shield had protected its body, but the sheer force of the blow flung it through the air, sending it crashing into the snow.
Perhaps realizing the gap in strength, the little creature scrambled to its feet the moment it landed. It turned to flee, but the impact had left it disoriented. After a few unsteady steps, it stumbled and fell face-first into the snow.
Ethan remained on guard, waiting for a while to ensure the creature wasn't faking unconsciousness to lure him closer.
Once convinced, he cautiously approached and picked it up. Turning the limp body toward him, he saw its tiny head tilted, tongue hanging out, and round eyes unfocused. The creature showed no sign of consciousness.
"What the hell is this?"
On Earth, it would undoubtedly be a kitten or perhaps a juvenile of a larger feline species.
But here? Who knew what it really was? The energy blade hadn't left a single scratch on its body, just knocked it out. That alone proved it was no ordinary kitten.
Ethan gave it a gentle shake. The creature remained dazed. But as he squinted at it, he caught a fleeting moment of clarity in its eyes, an indication it was awake and aware of its situation.
"Hmm... I haven't eaten yet. You're small, but meat is still meat."
Before the words fully left his mouth, the little creature started squirming frantically, twisting its body in an attempt to break free. Ethan was momentarily caught off guard and almost lost his grip. He quickly pressed the blade of his weapon against the back of its neck.
"Stop moving, or I'll bleed you out right here."
The creature froze. Its round eyes stared at Ethan with a pitiful, pleading look that seemed to beg for mercy.
Ethan crouched down and placed the creature on the ground, sheathing his weapon but staying alert. He was confident in his ability to stop it if it tried to escape.
The creature appeared to understand the situation. It remained sitting in place and tried to look cute, its big eyes fixed on Ethan.
"Where was that ferocity when you lunged at me earlier?"
The creature's ears flattened slightly, and it showed an almost human-like expression of guilt, as though saying, "I didn't expect you to be so strong."
Ethan's curiosity deepened. The creature looked like a cat but displayed remarkable intelligence. It couldn't speak, yet its body language and expressions conveyed its thoughts with surprising clarity.
He couldn't use his spiritual power to probe it directly, but as the creature moved, his glasses detected faint energy fluctuations emanating from its body. Though subtle, the energy signature confirmed what Ethan had sensed.
Man and creature locked eyes for a while before Ethan asked, "Are there any other creatures on this island besides you?"
The little thing shook its head.
It was alone here. Ethan couldn't help but wonder how it had come to exist.
He understood how the floating islands accelerated plant growth through their energy fields. But animals? Did they spontaneously manifest as well? Or perhaps sea creatures were occasionally lifted onto these islands and, under the islands' mysterious influence, evolved into land animals?
The thought sounded absurd, but given his experiences in recent years, absurd wasn't particularly unusual anymore.
While Ethan mulled over these possibilities, the creature lowered its head and began pawing at the snow. It unearthed a rock embedded with a glowing red magic stone. Using its claws, it pried the stone free and promptly began gnawing on it with obvious delight.
"You survive by eating these?"
The creature paused, shot Ethan a look that seemed to say, "What else would I eat?" then resumed chewing.
As time passed, its behavior changed. Once it realized Ethan didn't intend to harm it, the creature stopped trying to charm him. It acted more naturally, occasionally testing the boundaries by inching away and watching his reaction.
"It's planning to run."
Ethan made no move to stop it, instead observing it with interest.
The creature consistently sought out fire-attribute magic stones. The energy in these stones must have been its source of warmth and protection, as its fur was relatively thin for this icy environment. It wasn't simply consuming the stones for nourishment; it was absorbing the magic within them.
"Energy consumption... That explains how it survives without other food sources."
The island's magic stones provided the creature with the warmth it needed to endure the cold. However, Ethan knew the island's existence was temporary.
Floating islands eventually sank back into the sea. When that happened, any animals on them would be dragged beneath the waves, along with their food supply.
The creature was blissfully unaware of its fate. It gnawed happily at the red magic stone, its fluffy tail twitching with satisfaction.
"High intelligence makes such doomed creatures even more tragic."
If the creature were ugly or monstrous, Ethan might have left it to its fate without a second thought. But its small size, expressive eyes, and helplessness stirred an unexpected sympathy.
"Why not take it with me? I have room on the boat."
The moment the creature finished eating, it tried to bolt. Ethan lunged forward and grabbed it mid-dash, holding it securely despite its frantic squirming.
"Calm down," he said with a smirk. "From now on, you're stuck with me."
The little creature's face was filled with despair. Upon hearing Ethan's words, it shot him a skeptical look, as if saying, "Yeah, right. Like I'd believe you." Then it returned to its hopeless expression.
"You don't need to look like that. You know I'm saving you."
The creature's ears twitched slightly before it gave him another "Sure, like I'd believe that" look and resumed its defeated demeanor.
Ethan didn't bother explaining further. It would soon realize the truth on its own.
In the days that followed, Ethan set up a temporary camp on the island, using the local trees for materials. The wood here was of surprisingly high quality, so despite the difficulties involved, he managed to transport a decent amount to the Goddess of Dawn. He figured the wood could either be sold or used for his own crafting needs later.
Most of his time, however, was spent collecting magic stones. The open-pit mine, with its stones practically lying on the surface, made the process remarkably efficient. It didn't take long for Ethan to fill the cargo hold of the Goddess of Dawn to capacity.
He even topped off the magazines of the ship's magic stone cannons. What had once been decorative fixtures were now fully armed, ready to be used in battle if needed.
After the cargo hold was full, Ethan didn't leave right away. The abundance of magic stones provided the perfect opportunity to conduct experiments. Magic stones had already become part of his technological arsenal, but his limited supply in the past had made him hesitant to experiment freely. Until now, he'd only dared to use them in straightforward, well-documented ways.
The results of his experiments were enlightening. No matter how he tested the stones, their best application remained energy generation. They worked far more effectively as power sources for equipment than as direct magical tools. It was no surprise, then, that the dominant technology in this world revolved around magic stone devices.
"So it's not that the people here are ignorant… There really isn't a better alternative."
He glanced over at the little creature, which no longer tried to run away. It had discovered that staying near Ethan meant easy access to larger, higher-quality magic stones without the effort of digging them up. Ethan's collection speed far exceeded its own, and it could even pick and choose its favorite stones from the pile.
With such a comfortable lifestyle—eating, sleeping, and eating again, it had quickly given up on escaping.
At the moment, the creature lay sprawled on Ethan's worktable, hugging a fire-attribute magic stone half its size. Its eyes were closed, and it seemed content and carefree.
Suddenly, its ears twitched.
Its eyes snapped open.
The little creature sniffed the air, muscles tensing. A low growl rumbled from its throat as it stared intently at a spot behind Ethan.
Bonus for 100 PS keep the PS coming guys xD.
For every 100 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on to read 30+ advanced chapters: /Blownleaves.