### Chapter 2: Breakthrough
Shun certainly wasn't as sentimental as Makarov.
Optimistic? After awakening a system, of course he was optimistic—he was so happy he couldn't even sleep.
Diligent? When working for someone else, one naturally has to be diligent; with good luck, you can get quite a few tips.
Sensible? He was an adult with an ID card, after all, so of course he had to be sensible.
Hardworking? The daily quests were right there; how could he not work hard?
Shun first went to the weapon shop. Using the money he had saved from working at Fairy Tail, he bought a dagger, a bow and arrow, and some sturdy protective gear. He then packed some food and set off.
The farm wasn't far from Magnolia Town; it was only about a three-hour journey by carriage.
Upon arriving at the outskirts of the farm, Shun inspected the surrounding area and, sure enough, found Red Fire Fox tracks in the forest.
Red Fire Foxes were very cunning and mostly active at night. It was currently about two or three hours before sunset.
Shun patiently lay in wait, hiding himself.
Time passed bit by bit, and soon night fell.
The forest at night seemed gloomy and terrifying. Shun lay quietly in the grass, waiting for the Red Fire Fox to arrive.
He waited until past midnight. Just when Shun thought he might return empty-handed tonight, a ball of fiery red light flickered in the moonlight.
Shun focused his eyes and looked. Wasn't that exactly the target of this trip, the Red Fire Fox?
This Red Fire Fox was about the size of a local dog . It had red fur all over its body and looked very beautiful.
At this moment, the Red Fire Fox hadn't noticed Shun and was cautiously approaching the farm.
Shun carefully raised the bow and arrow in his hand, aimed at the Red Fire Fox, and slowly drew the bowstring.
*Whoosh—!*
An arrow shot toward the Red Fire Fox.
*Chi!*
The arrow grazed the Red Fire Fox's body, instantly startling it.
"Damn, missed the vital spot."
After all, he wasn't a professional; his archery accuracy wasn't good enough.
This arrow also exposed Shun's position. The Red Fire Fox saw that the archer was actually just a human child.
The Red Fire Fox was a Magic Beast, after all. Its combat power was higher than that of an ordinary adult, so why would it be afraid of a child?
It immediately bared its fangs, revealing a ferocious expression.
Then, the Red Fire Fox opened its large mouth, and a red fireball condensed within it.
"Not good!"
Shun quickly dodged behind the trunk of a large tree next to him.
*Boom!*
The red fireball struck the tree trunk, blasting a small crater into the wood.
Seeing this power, Shun broke out in a cold sweat. The power of the Red Fireball was greater than he had imagined. If he were hit, he would be seriously injured if not killed; he absolutely could not let that fireball hit him.
Shun raised his bow and fired again.
*Whoosh!* The arrow tore through the air toward the Red Fire Fox, but the fox dodged it very nimbly, causing Shun's attack to miss.
Shun wasn't discouraged in the slightest and continued shooting. The Red Fire Fox was angered by Shun's actions and charged toward him at high speed.
"So fast!"
Shun hadn't expected the Red Fire Fox to be this fast.
In the blink of an eye, the Red Fire Fox pounced on Shun. Shun didn't have time to dodge and was knocked down by the fox, its huge teeth snapping toward his neck.
Shun hurriedly used his bow to block.
*Crack!*
The bow was bitten in half by the Red Fire Fox in one bite.
"?!"
Shun was startled. He hadn't expected the Red Fire Fox's bite force to be so strong. Is this a fox? It's practically a wolf!
If his neck were bitten, he would definitely be dead.
Seeing the Red Fire Fox continuing to bite toward his neck, Shun steeled his heart and shoved his arm into the Red Fire Fox's mouth.
*Crack!*
"Ugh, ahhh!"
The pain of the bone fracture made Shun scream involuntarily, and fresh blood splattered onto his face.
Hearing Shun's scream, a look of triumph appeared in the Red Fire Fox's eyes.
Shun's eyes also turned red, revealing a fierce look.
"You want to eat me? Then I'll kill you first!"
*Shing!*
*Puchi!*
Shun drew his dagger and stabbed it into the Red Fire Fox's body with all his might.
"Aooo!!!"
The Red Fire Fox screamed in pain. Its heart was instantly filled with fear, and it immediately tried to flee. But how could Shun give it that chance? He twisted the dagger inside the Red Fire Fox's body and then slashed forcefully.
*Puchi!*
A huge wound appeared on the Red Fire Fox's body, and a large amount of blood gushed out.
"Aooo~!!"
The Red Fire Fox let out a desperate wail.
Shun's hands didn't stop. He immediately straddled the Red Fire Fox and stabbed the dagger into its body repeatedly.
One time, two times, three times...
He didn't stop until the Red Fire Fox was completely motionless.
"Hah~! Hah~!"
Shun gasped for breath. This short moment of life-and-death struggle had used up all his strength.
Fortunately, the system had arranged daily quests for him, giving his body sufficient exercise. If it were the version of him from when he first transmigrated, he probably would have been killed by this fox.
Luckily, he won in the end.
**[Congratulations Host on completing the Breakthrough Mission!]**
The system notification sounded, and immediately after, Shun saw a ball of light appear on the Red Fire Fox's corpse.
Instinctively, Shun picked up the ball of light and put it into his mouth, swallowing it.
**[Successfully devoured a Magic Beast Soul!]**
**[Perform breakthrough immediately?]**
"Breakthrough!"
Risking his life was all for this breakthrough—what was there to hesitate about?
**[Breakthrough commencing!]**
Suddenly, Shun felt his body start to heat up, as if something terrifying was awakening inside him.
Immediately after, he felt like his whole body was burning.
"Ugh, ahhh!!"
The pain made Shun scream uncontrollably.
Then, Shun's eyes turned into vertical, beast-like pupils.
A fluffy tail, resembling a fox's, appeared behind Shun. The fingernails on both hands began to elongate and become sharp. His hair grew rapidly, becoming longer and turning crimson red, and his ears sprouted red fur, morphing into a shape similar to fox ears.
"Ahhh!!"
Shun roared in anger, clenched his fists tightly, and punched the ground.
*Boom—!!*