His thoughts just raised more questions rather than answers.

It seems as if the system runs on a weird energy source called ether. Why was my teleportation delayed? Was it sabotage? What even is ether? And what does it mean to collect it from monsters? What the hell classifies as a monster?

These questions rapidly flitted through his head and Arthur could feel a migraine coming on. He didn't want to even start thinking of what happened to people who died of natural causes when the system was initiated. Were they transported to the tutorial dead, left behind, or revived like him? He doubted the latter option considering that the system wouldn't have been at fault for those demises, seemingly one of the main conditions for his own revival. But what about a soldier that just got shot right when the system arrives... Arthur's headache only continued to intensify.

His quickly devolving mental acuity, however, was suddenly interrupted by a sharp stabbing pain near his ankle. The bloody cat had bitten him! He tried to prise its teeth off his leg, but it had his flesh gripped firmly in its sabre-like teeth.

Wait, sabre teeth! This is supposed to be a god-damned bobcat.’ Why does it have sabre teeth?’Arthur tried identifying the creature again and got answers to many of his questions.

Razerfure Bobcat level 5 (Frenzied)- An indigenous species of Earth, this Bobcat obtained access to ether-rich blood and failed to evolve properly. This is the result. Has an extremely resistant hide. 

Ether content: 92

Grasping the raging cat by its jaws, Arthur struggled to pull it off his legs with his one working arm. At least now he knew where he had to get his ether from. The sabre cat was nothing like its former self though, and his ineffectual struggles to remove it from his foot did little but enrage the tiny beast. Looking around for a weapon, he gripped a large glass shard from the ground, wincing as it cut into his palm. It wasn't the best weapon, but beggars couldn't be choosers and it looked like he was about to lose his leg. Arthur really liked his leg.

Steeling himself, he thrust the makeshift dagger into the cat's head, expecting it to swiftly end the small feline's life. Nothing of the sort happened. The glass shard did no damage whatsoever; only inciting the sabre-cat to try and tear into his leg further. The cat's god-damn fur was stab-proof, or at least it was to his glass dagger.

Beginning to panic, Arthur realised that this cat could actually be a threat to his life. It would be the biggest cosmic joke if Arthur got killed by a cat right after coming back from the bloody dead. Like, come on. He’d just got his second chance. Couldn't fate cut him some slack?

Fear now fueled his strikes, as he repeatedly bashed his glass weapon into the little monster's head. Nothing seemed to be working, however, until he suddenly heard a squeaky yelp from the cat glued to his leg. Looking down at its blood-covered face- his blood sadly- Arthur saw that a piece of glass had managed to cut into its eyes. Realising that the little bastard had a weakness, Arthur redoubled his pathetic efforts. An agonising eternity later, he looked down to see its dead body, its small head a bloody mess of brains, blood and splintered glass. His own state was only a little better, but not by much; it had mangled his ankle into a disgusting mash of flesh and his palm was cut deeply from clenching the smashed piece of glass too hard.

The pain threatened to make him pass out, but he knew if he went to sleep now, he probably wouldn't wake up again, system shenanigans be damned. He’d have died from blood loss. Looking around desperately, Arthur tried to locate something, anything, to staunch the bleeding, but couldn't see an item that would be of any use. An adult human only had around ten pints of blood in them and judging by the rate Arthur was bleeding out, he was quickly approaching the parameters of what would be considered safe.

Wait! ‘Wasn’t my blood the cause of the cat's frenzied state? With desperate hope, Arthur identified the pool of blood he’d woken up with around him. He was clutching at straws here, but there was little else he could do in his current predicament.

Ether-Infused Blood (Rare)- Blood infused with large amounts of Ether of healing and life affinity by the system to revive its host. Contains regenerative properties when ingested. A useful catalyst for many elixirs and alchemical solutions.

He didn't stop to consider why the stuff didn't seem to be working when it literally flowed through his veins. Now wasn't the time for that. Sighing with relief, Arthur tried lapping up his blood from the ground, which had now achieved a gel-like consistency from its time lying in the sun for who knows how long. It was a degrading way to eat, but Arthur would do just about anything to survive right now. Ironic really, considering how much death had appealed to him only twenty-four hours ago. Perhaps there was some truth to the old proverb, after all.

Throw a suicidal man into the sea and see just how hard he clings to life.

Nothing seemed to happen even after he’d drank a single mouthful and so Arthur grabbed for another and- SCREAMED!

Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong. It felt like he had liquid fire in his stomach. Magma was flowing through his veins.

Arthur tried to retch up the blood he had just ingested but his body just didn't seem to want to comply with him. With tears in his eyes, Arthur managed to look down at his mangled arm.

Hey wait, it looks like it's going back in the right direction. Those were his last thoughts before he passed out.