Lakshasha remembered that day as clearly as yesterday. How could he forget—the feeling of being reduced to a mere prey waiting to be eaten? He had felt such overwhelming fear then that he couldn’t even think of resisting. Completely helpless, all he could do was stare at his predator and shake on the ground. And when his predator leisurely walked toward him to check his captured prey, he said:

[As I thought, it doesn’t fill me with the same feeling as that time.]

He said in a regretful and longing voice.

[Killing you is easy and eating you is even easier. But…]

[I don’t even see the value in doing that.]

He let out a small chuckle after saying those words.

[This is worrisome. Truly worrisome. I didn’t expect to have such thoughts at all. Perhaps something had changed inside me after that time…]

He lamented and went silent for a period, yet the silence didn’t last long. After thinking of something that Lakshasha couldn’t guess, the predator suddenly asked.

[Do you want to live?]

It was an unexpected offer. Perhaps the predator might let him live, and he could survive this. Lakshasha nodded instinctively.

[Then, you must show me that you are worth keeping alive.]

At the predator’s soft voice, Lakshasha nodded crazily.

[Stricken by fear, you seem ready to agree with everything I say.]

[Though I don’t really blame you, I can’t place my trust in you.]

The faint ray of hope Lakshasha felt was quickly overshadowed by despair, and a sense of indescribable humiliation and shame crept inside him as his heartbeat fluctuated wildly at every couple of words coming from the predator’s mouth.

[Let me see…ah,...