Chapter 5: Ascend to the Next Tier?
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[You've successfully devoured.]
• Stage 0 Tier 1 Level 1 [Whark]
[You have absorbed some of their stats.]
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• Health +2
• Stamina +1
• Physique +0.1
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No skills?
Tch.
Maneuvering through the jagged mountain peaks protruding in every direction, I searched for stronger prey.
But the outer edges of the western cavern, let's call it Rocky Canyon, held only weaklings.
The true battle, the real test of strength, lay at the canyon's heart.
The strongest had already carved out their domains, claiming the depths as their own.
I didn't know who ruled this place.
It didn't matter.
In the end, I would be the one standing victorious.
I could hear it.
The distant clashes of bodies.
Guttural snarls.
The sound of flesh being torn apart.
That's where the Tier Twos, or Stage Ones, must be.
Unlike the center of the cavern, where countless eggs had been gathered amid abundant greenery and luminescent plants thriving in rich soil, the Rocky Canyon was its complete opposite.
Here, darkness reigned.
Jagged mountain peaks loomed overhead, while the ground below was dominated by coarse sand.
Vegetation was scarce, barely clinging to life in this barren expanse.
This place was eerie.
Just like the endless dunes of the Maharas Empire.
Shrouded in shadow.
And yet...
I could see.
Even in this near-total darkness, my vision remained clear.
A strange realization, one I couldn't quite explain.
My eyes sharpened as my ears picked up a disturbance in the water, southeast.
Something big... was over there.
Gliding toward the source, I peeked down from a nearby peak.
A wide grin spread across my face.
Eight Wharks.
Locked in a vicious brawl.
Three were gravely injured.
Two had lighter wounds.
And they were fast.
Damn bastards...
Various information was etched into my mind, knowledge hacked and forced into my brain, but even so, I couldn't believe it.
Was this truly the result of gaining new skills at Tier 2?
But speed is useless in the face of absolute power.
I dove.
Like a bolt of lightning, I descended upon one of the injured Wharks to the north.
It never saw me coming.
Then, it vanished in an instant, dragged into the abyss before the other seven even noticed.
Spinning violently, I smashed its body into the cavern floor.
Tch.
No notification.
It was still alive.
Its maw opened, trying to alert the others.
But I, the ever-silent assassin, clamped down on its head, muffling its screams.
It squirmed.
It thrashed.
Too late.
My fangs sank deeper, piercing through bone and flesh as I devoured it.
A notification flashed.
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[You have slain.]
• Stage 0 Tier 2 Level 3 [Whark]
[You have gained 300 EXP.]
[You have gained a level.]
• Level +1
• Health +1
• Stamina +1
• Physique +0.01
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Two more levels to go.
I glanced back
.
The remaining injured Whark was cornered, and before I could act, it was ravaged by the others, torn apart like the one now floating lifelessly.
Tch.
Too slow.
Instead of joining the fray, I waited.
Fighting five Tier Twos at once?
Not an option.
Then, one of them slipped away.
Exhausted.
A predator's mistake.
Now.
I bolted forward, jaws clamping onto its flesh, dragging it into the darkness before it could react.
Unknowingly, I smashed it against a stone pillar, my fangs tearing into its stomach.
It howled.
The other four turned toward me.
Shit.
Then they charged like rabid dogs.
But then.
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[You have slain.]
• Stage 0 Tier 2 Level 2 [Whark]
[You have gained 250 EXP.]
[You have gained a level.]
• Level +1
• Health +1
• Stamina +1
• Physique +0.01
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No time to celebrate.
I turned and bolted, but the other four were right on my tail.
A quick glance at my stamina.
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[Stamina: 17/23]
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Tch.
Running won't work.
I snorted.
Then I'll just have to fight.
Shifting downward, I dove.
The four followed, descending rapidly.
Then.
I stopped mid-dive, twisted my body, and charged straight at them.
They weren't expecting it.
They hesitated.
My grin widened.
Their hesitation gave me the opportunity...
To strike first.
My fangs tore into the Whark on the far left, clamping down on its stomach.
Its screams echoed through the water as its body convulsed violently.
The other three latched onto my fins and tail, trying to drag me down.
But their strength paled in comparison to mine.
The one in my jaws went limp.
Three left.
With a burst of speed, I twisted and lunged at the one gnawing my left fin.
A fin for a fin.
I ripped its limb apart, blood clouding the water.
Ignoring the pain, I bit into its gills, devouring it as its struggles faded.
Two left.
They thrashed wildly.
Pain flared through my body.
I glanced down.
Flesh was missing from my right fin.
Nearly half of it, was gone.
The very bastard that bit it maneuvered, trying to latch onto my remaining fin.
But it was too slow.
I twisted, my maw clamping onto its tail.
A tail for a fin.
Laughing, I smashed its body against the rocks, then latched onto its gills.
Crush.
Blood fused with the current.
One remained.
It still clung to my tail, unwilling to let go.
Fool.
I flapped my tail, testing how deep its fangs had sunk.
Then.
I dove.
At full speed.
The Whark panicked.
I clamped onto its tail, chewing slowly, my teeth crushing through muscle and bone.
For the first time, it howled in agony.
A minute passed.
It still clung to me.
Annoying bastard.
I shifted my weight, twisted violently, and with one final bite, I tore its tail apart.
The water turned red.
It went still.
Silence.
My body ached.
My fins burned.
Slowly, I moved forward, munching on the carcasses, savoring my victory.
Then, I turned to the hologram hovering before me.
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[You have slain.]
• Stage 0 Tier 2 Level 3 [Whark]
• Stage 0 Tier 2 Level 1 [Whark]
• Stage 0 Tier 2 Level 4 [Whark]
• Stage 0 Tier 2 Level 1 [Whark]
[You have gained 640 EXP.]
[You have gained a level.]
• Level +1
• Health +1
• Stamina +1
• Physique +0.01
[Your level has reached its maximum limit.]
[You may now ascend.]
[Yes] / [No]
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How intriguing.
I had reached the maximum level of a Tier 1 monster in a single day.
Was it luck?
No.
This was simply genius at work.
Even trapped in the body of a monster, my mind remained superior.
Once a genius, always a genius.
Licking my lips, I munched through another carcass, savoring the taste.
When I was done, I moved to the next.
Then the next.
Devouring every last scrap of flesh and bone.
Then, as I hummed to myself.
I stopped.
Drawn to a certain notification.
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[You may now ascend.]
[Yes] / [No]
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I paused.
Should I ascend now?
Or… finish my meal first?
I pondered for a moment, then grinned.
Eating comes first.
Minutes passed as I gorged myself, devouring the remaining carcasses.
By the time I was full, my body felt denser.
Stronger.
A smile curled across my lips as I glanced at the notifications.
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[You've successfully devoured:]
• Stage 0 Tier 1 Level 1 [Whark] x8
[You have absorbed some of their stats.]
• Health +13
• Stamina +15
• Physique +0.16
[You have gained skills:]
• Bronze Stomach x4
• Enhanced Teeth x3
• Scaled Hide x3
[You already possess:]
• Iron Stomach – Level 1 [Tier 1]
• Sharpened Enhanced Teeth – Level 1 [Tier 1]
• Scaled Hide
[Your existing skills have been strengthened.]
• Iron Stomach +1
• Sharpened Enhanced Teeth +2
• Scaled Hide +1
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[One of your skills has reached its maximum level.]
• Scaled Hide – Level 5
[You may now evolve your skills.]
[Evolve now?]
[Yes] / [No]
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Grinning, I scrolled through the evolution menu for Scaled Hide.
My smirk widened with each option I read.
Should I ascend to the next tier first?
Or evolve my skill?
I debated, but no clear answer came.
Instead, I focused on my choices.
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Scaled Hide Evolution Options:
1. Thickened Scales – Your scales grow denser, increasing resistance to physical attacks.
2. Flexible Armor – Your scales become more pliable, better absorbing blunt force impacts.
3. Reinforced Layering – Your scales develop an overlapping pattern, making them more resistant to slashing attacks.
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Wonderful.
Every option had merit.
Thickened Scales would leave me more susceptible to brute force.
Flexible Armor?
Useful.
But not for now.
The bites of those beasts weren't blunt.
They were meant to cut.
That left the most viable option.
Reinforced Layering.
Better resistance to slashing meant better survivability.
No hesitation.
I made my choice.
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[Your skill has successfully evolved.]
• Reinforced Layering – Level 1 [Tier 1]
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Without warning, pain.
A searing, unbearable burn erupted across my body.
My hide ruptured as new scales forced their way through my skin, overlapping the existing ones.
Damn it!
I thrashed violently, my body slammed into the mountain peaks again and again, but it only made it worse.
The water trembled as I let out a howl of agony, the sound echoing tens of meters away.
Then, movement.
The sound of tail flapped.
The shifting of bodies cutting through water.
Tens of Wharks were closing in.
Fifty meters away.
These damn opportunistic bastards.
They smelled weakness.
They thought I was vulnerable.
I gritted my teeth through the pain, then let out another howl.
This time, not of pain.
But of rage.
A declaration.
A warning.
These bastards didn't stop.
Their movements became more aggressive, racing toward me in a frenzy.
I grinned through the pain.
Let them come.
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