I suppose you think animals exist out of thin air, as opposed to the reality of their needing more plant-based calories, for the calories they provide you, than what you’d need if you cut out the middleman.
The reality is that plants don't exist out of thin air either. There's a cute observation that everything that a plant could want (water, carbon, nitrogen, etc) all come from the air. But a closer examination reveals that it's a cycle. Animals, fungi, and bacteria are part of that cycle. Minerals from the ground are required also. Everyone is a middleman. Who would you cut out?