Chapter 8: | How to Hunt a Steelfin Whark
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Hours passed.
My jaws burned.
But it was done.
I had finally devoured this tough bastard.
Its bones had been hell to crush, tougher than anything I'd encountered before, but in the end, they shattered like everything else.
I exhaled sharply, glancing at the notifications.
And then, I laughed.
A low, crazed cackle that echoed through the murky depths.
---
[You've Successfully Devoured]
• Stage 1 Tier 2 Level 5 [★Stonescale Whark]
[You have successfully devoured some of their stats.]
---
• Health +15
• Stamina +13
• Physique +0.17
---
[You have gained a skill.]
• Diamond Maw
• Titanic Bulk
---
I let out a pained grin.
And then, agony struck.
My maw burned as if molten iron had been poured into my bones.
My body trembled, my muscles compressing, condensing into something denser, heavier, stronger.
I could feel it, my weight increasing, raw power surging through every fiber of muscle.
I felt ecstasy.
I had been lucky.
Two skills from a single opponent.
But what if...
What if the chances of acquiring skills increased the stronger the prey?
If that were true...
Then weaker prey would yield fewer, to none.
My grin widened.
Then the best course of action was clear.
Devour everything.
Every last Whark in this breeding ground.
And once I was strong enough...
Break out of this place.
My goal was simple.
Hunt down everything in sight.
Stack up skills.
And refuse to ascend to the next tier until those two goals were complete.
If I kept doing this, I wouldn't just grow stronger.
I'd become something beyond comprehension.
The idea was reckless.
Suicidal, even.
Yet...
It made the most sense.
But first...
I needed another Stage 1 monster.
Only then would I know for sure.
My gaze shifted toward the battlefield.
The brawl from earlier.
The hundreds of carcasses that had once floated there?
Gone.
Yet the Wharks still fought, mindlessly tearing into one another.
I chuckled.
Savage, brainless beasts.
Good.
Let them continue.
It only made my job easier.
With a smirk, I turned northward.
---
Hours passed.
And I had only made it halfway.
No Wharks blocked my path.
Their focus was locked on the endless brawls at the center of each region.
North.
West.
East.
South.
I knew little of the South.
I hadn't ventured deep enough knowing that something terrifying lurked on its border.
And no sane Whark would brawl there, not when a presence stronger than all of us lurked just beyond its borders.
By the time I rotated through the cavern again, a new one would have claimed the west as its domain.
A new Stage 1 Whark.
One that had dominated its territory.
A smirk tugged at my lips.
The scenery around me shifted.
Towering rocky peaks thinned.
Jagged seabeds flattened.
Lush, flowing seagrass replaced them.
There were no kelp forests, and there was only an expanse of seagrass.
It's just an open plain stretching endlessly beneath the dim ocean light.
From a distance, I saw them.
Hundreds of Wharks, locked in combat.
And among them...
One stood apart.
Sleek.
Its scales gleamed with a metallic sheen, its body streamlined for speed.
Its fangs, razor-sharp. Predatory.
Fifteen meters.
A few shorter than me.
I flexed my bulk, feeling the raw power of Titanic Bulk.
I hadn't just grown in size.
I had condensed.
Strength without wasted mass.
A smirk curled my lips.
I let out a guttural howl.
WAARGH!
The battlefield froze.
Dozens of Wharks turned, black soulless eyes locking onto me.
Then.
A sharp, piercing cry erupted from the Stage 1 Whark.
The others turned toward it, awaiting its command.
Then, like wolves sensing blood...
They encircled us.
A sea of gnashing teeth.
Hungry.
Waiting.
Good.
A perfect arena.
The Stage 1 Whark snorted, its body tensing.
And then.
The current trembled.
The surrounding Wharks let out a beastly howl.
Then...
Its figure blurred.
A second passed.
Pain.
A cutting sensation sliced through my stomach.
Shock flickered across my face.
I barely saw it move.
Its fin had ignored my defense, cutting clean through my flesh.
But not deep enough to gut me.
Interesting.
Its speed was insane, triple than mine? No, it was faster.
Licking my lips, I grinned.
I desired that skill.
Instantaneous movement.
But... its firepower was weak.
It relied too much on skills and precision.
Speed alone wouldn't save it.
And then.
It vanished again.
Pain struck.
And again.
And again.
Minutes passed.
Hours?
Days?
I didn't know.
Only pain.
Constant.
Relentless.
And my grin?
It only grew.
Its burst recoil was less than I expected.
Greed burned within me.
I needed that skill.
If I could endure...
It would tire.
Its body would fail.
And then...
I'd butcher it.
It snarled as it passed through me.
RIP!
My flesh tore.
But it didn't matter.
All it did was wound me.
I flicked my gaze at my health.
---
[Health: 60/80]
---
I howled.
It howled back.
Smoke seeped from its scales, heat rising from its movements.
It was burning out.
I smirked.
Dumb beast.
Did it really think it could break me?
Even if it did...
Will its firepower kill me?
I snorted.
Then I charged like a beast.
But it vanished before I can even close our distance.
And pain struck my fin.
But it was shallow.
Weak.
My frame was too dense.
Its attacks were useless.
Once I devoured its skill...
This entire cavern would be mine for the taking.
Farming skills?
Would no longer be a dream.
But a reality.
I laughed.
Come at me!
It struck again.
Weaker.
Slower.
I sneered.
Did you fucking eat, you bastard?
Hit me harder!
GIVE IT YOUR ALL!
Another slash.
I barely felt it.
---
[Health: 48/80]
---
Pathetic.
The surrounding Wharks howled, urging me to strike.
But I only glared at them.
Don't interfere, dumb beasts.
And why should I even try?
This fool was digging its own grave.
Seconds passed.
No pain.
I looked up.
I knew it.
Youve already reached your limit.
Its muscles bulged unnaturally.
Blood seeped from its scales.
It had overexerted.
How intriguing, its belief it could win pushed it this far.
But belief without power?
Useless.
My stats had long since passed a Stage 0's.
No.
I was beyond even a three-star evolution.
Unless it had Aura or Mana-Infused Attacks, it couldn't threaten me.
Physical attacks?
Were nothing but a joke, unless its Physique surpassed mine and only then would I feel a threat.
I glided forward.
It flinched.
It knew.
It was trapped.
The Wharks howled.
A warning.
If it ran, they'd rip it apart.
Then
It let out a desperate howl.
Then vanished.
But I saw it now.
The trail of blood gave it away.
Now.
My maw snapped.
Its body.
Half of it.
Was inside my mouth.
It screamed.
Struggled.
Useless.
I clenched my jaws.
Hard.
A final howl.
Then silence.
The surrounding Wharks roared.
A declaration.
A victor.
Then, they returned to brawling.
I smirked.
Laughed.
Then, my eyes locked onto the notifications.
---
[You have slain.]
• A Stage 1 Tier 2 Level 8 [★★Steelfin Whark]
[You have gained 15,300 EXP.]
[Your skills have gained a level.]
• Apex Predator Physique +1
• Titanic Bulk +1
---
Bwahahahaha!
How utterly stupid.
It exhausted itself.
Overexerted.
And jumped straight into my maw.
Pathetic.
Though, I admit...
That pain?
Intense.
Still.
It was worth it.
I gulped down the rest of its body, and then fresh vitality flooded into me.
My wounds sealed.
Satisfaction curled across my face.
I glanced around.
No Whark was strong enough to challenge me.
I let out a bone-chilling howl.
A challenge.
Would any dare?
Silence.
Some glanced my way.
Then they turned away, returning to their fights.
Tch.
Cowards.
Was my aura on the level of a Stage 1 now?
Fine.
I still had options.
The east.
The south.
One of them would hold a worthy prey.
Smirking, I turned to the hovering hologram.
My grin widened.
---
[You've Successfully Devoured.]
• Stage 1 Tier 2 Level 8 [★★Steelfin Whark]
[You have successfully devoured some of their stats.]
---
• Health +17
• Stamina +22
• Physique +0.10
---
[You have gained a skill.]
• Accel Dash
• Gleaming Scales
• Phantom Shift
---
Well.
Well...
WELL...
The goddess of luck had smiled on me once more.
I had gotten exactly what I wanted.
Though…
It would've been amazing to gain whatever skill let that bastard keep moving while half-dead.
A survival-based ability? Adrenaline surge?
Forget it.
I had enough.
Accel Dash lets me dash at a rapid speed.
Phantom shift, flickering, unpredictable attacks.
These two skills were a perfect combo.
And Gleaming Scales?
Was a skill that changes the structure of my scales, allowing it to reduce water resistance, making my movements smoother.
Licking my lips, I flexed.
My physique.
My stamina.
Both had reached new heights.
---
[Health: 82/97]
[Stamina: 93/100]
[Physique: 1.00]
---
For now...
I let out a low howl.
Then.
Closed my eyes.
Accel Dash, Activate.
The world blurred.
My body flickered forward.
CRASH!
I slammed into a cluster of brawling Wharks.
Their response?
Pure rage.
They bashed me away, howling in unison.
A warning.
Stay out of our fight.
Heh.
Fine.
I distanced myself, activating Accel Dash and Phantom Shift again.
And again.
My movements sharpened.
More precise.
Then.
With a flicker.
I vanished.
And reappeared tens of meters away.
I exhaled.
My muscles burned.
A limit.
My body wasn't suited for rapid movements yet.
But…
It would do.
For now.
I glided lazily through the water, turning eastward.
I yawned.
Exhaustion pulled at my mind.
Perhaps...
A brief rest before the next hunt.
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