Chapter 11: A Delusional Sister?
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Silence.
It stretched endlessly, thick as the abyss.
My gaze shifted from there to there as I scanned the towering kelp forest.
My muscles were tense.
My senses, sharp.
There was nothing.
No ripple.
No sound.
It was too quiet.
The silence was deafening, as tension filled the forest.
The current remained ever peaceful, with no disturbance.
Then.
Agony.
A phantom emerged beneath me.
Its maw stretched far and wide.
And tore right through my stomach.
Then vanished.
Blood seeped from the wounds and fused with the current.
Tch.
That hurt, but it wasn't deep enough to be fatal.
The water churned in its wake.
But I saw nothing.
A ghost.
A bucket of sweat formed.
This guy's ability was bone-chilling.
I felt it, that creeping sensation.
That feeling of helplessness.
This wasn't a proper fight.
It was a hunt.
This guy was toying with me.
A ripple echoed.
Then pain struck my left side as I caught a glimpse of its face.
But before I could counterattack...
It vanished.
Then.
Shadows appeared.
One tore apart my face.
Another ripped into my back.
Then my stomach.
Then my tail.
Relentless.
This bastard knew it couldn't kill me like it did the others.
So it played.
Its antics were infuriating.
A shadow, then pain.
Again.
And again.
My health began to plummet.
---
[Health: 83/100]
---
I let out a sigh.
Haaaaa...
This bastard dares to toy with me?
It thinks I can't catch it?
It thinks it can kill me with its measly illusion and speed?
Fine.
Gurgling a massive amount of water.
I opened my maw.
HAAAP.
GRAARGG!
COME!
Show me what you're made of!
Its response?
Agony.
A searing pain tore through my face.
CHOMP!
My eye, ripped apart.
Then swallowed.
Pain struck my brain.
Losing an eye was an unfortunate loss, but there was no time to complain.
I shut my remaining eye.
Calmed my nerves.
Focused.
I funneled mana into my ears.
A costly maneuver.
One unit per second.
But.
I heard it.
The faintest distortion in the water.
A ripple.
A presence.
Right behind me.
It struck like lightning.
A murderous smile stretched across my face.
Like a hawk.
I twisted.
Stretched.
SNAP.
My jaws closed around its left fin.
It shrieked as its body vanished.
But too late.
My maw had already ripped it off.
Gulp.
I devoured it.
The sweet taste of metallic blood flooded my mouth.
I didn't need to see to know.
It had stopped moving.
---
[Health: 47/100]
[Stamina: 63/100]
[Mana: 3/8]
---
It knew.
It knew it was in danger.
It wanted to flee.
But.
It couldn't.
Its siblings wouldn't let it.
If it tried to escape, they would rip it apart.
I smirked.
Then.
I howled.
A warning to the bystanders.
The Wharks answered.
The kelp trembled.
The south trembled as their howl reverberated.
I grinned.
Gathering mana.
It sensed my intent.
It vanished.
And reappeared above me.
Maw gaping wide.
But.
It was slower.
And I knew.
It was a bait.
It wanted me to waste mana.
But I'd already predicted this.
I wasn't really gathering mana, only appearing to.
In truth, I'd already infused my fins with mana.
And in a split second.
My body twisted.
Phantom Shift.
Accel Dash.
Again.
And again.
My muscles burned.
My body flickered.
Repositioned.
Then.
SNAP.
The taste of metallic blood filled my maw.
Its tail.
Caught.
But it was decisive.
It sacrificed a portion of its tail at the last second.
How?!
Its monstrous reflexes saved it.
But its movements slowed.
I saw it, its body fidgeting from the pain.
It was desperate.
It knew.
It was outmatched.
It thrashed, its gaze relsecond a terrifying murderous intent.
Shadows appeared.
Mirages.
Scattering in all directions.
But.
I had already found the real one.
A trail of blood.
It hadn't noticed.
Hadn't realized.
My body blurred.
Accel Dash.
Phantom Shift.
I repositioned behind it.
My jaws snapped.
Nothing.
A mirage.
Again.
SNAP.
Nothing.
Damn it!
How much mana did this bastard have?!
Mine had long hit rock bottom.
But it still ran.
Still struck.
Still fled.
A battle of attrition is it?
But...
It was exhausted.
It stopped moving.
Its scales, black as the abyss.
Its fangs, razor-sharp.
Its eyes, pitch-dark voids.
And then.
It hesitated.
That was the mistake.
Time to end this game.
Phantom Shift.
Accel Dash.
My body twisted unnaturally.
I lunged forward.
And with a single, final.
SNAP.
CRACK!
CRUNCH!
Blood gushed into my maw.
I clamped down.
I chewed.
I devoured.
Slowly.
I savored its body.
Then.
My gaze flicked to the notifications.
---
[You have slain.]
• Stage 1 Tier 4 Level 16 [★★★ Phantom Mirage Whark]
[You have gained 32,500 EXP.]
[You have successfully devoured.]
• Stage 1 Tier 4 Level 16 [★★★ Phantom Mirage Whark]
[You have successfully devoured some of their stats.]
---
• Health +24
• Stamina +27
• Mana +11
• Physique +0.23
• Mystique +0.06
---
[Your Physique has been refined from the excess stats.]
[You have gained a skill:]
• Apex Reflex
• Mirage Veil
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My jaw hung open.
Trembling.
I squinted my remaining eye.
Again.
And again.
My breath hitched.
My voice unsteady.
Apex Reflex.
Mirage Veil.
Impossible.
How?
The very skills that made that bastard so hard to kill...
Were mine now?
How?!
Was this fate?
A blessing from the goddess?
Or… was it something else?
Perhaps.
Perhaps it's because I've been blessed.
Or perhaps…
Because I am the son of heaven and earth.
I was sure of it.
I forced my breath to steady, but my body refused to calm.
My excitement burned through me, raw and untamed.
I read.
And as I did.
My breath turned ragged.
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Apex Reflex (Passive) Level 1
Possessing monstrous reaction speed, the Phantom Mirage Whark perceives and responds to danger with unnatural precision. Its body adjusts mid-movement, dodging attacks with effortless fluidity, as if instinct alone guides every motion.
---
I smiled.
Then I laughed.
Then I howled like a wolf.
And then.
I smiled again.
A deep, guttural howl tore from my throat.
My brothers and sisters had already dispersed, already brawled.
But I...
I only stared at the words before me.
"Respond to danger with unnatural precision..."
Even while moving.
Even while attacking.
Even while.
Huff. Huff. Huff.
My breathing quickened.
I read the next skill.
---
Mirage Veil (Passive) Level 1
A natural cloak of deception, the Phantom Mirage Whark bends light and distorts sound, shrouding itself in illusion. Its form flickers between reality and mirage, making it appear as nothing more than a phantom drifting through the abyss.
---
A natural cloak of deception...
Hehehehehe.
It allows me to bend light.
Distort sound.
Shroud myself in illusion.
Bwehehehehehehe.
My form will flicker between reality and mirage.
I... I will become a phantom.
Drifting through the abyss.
Pwehehehehehehe.
These boons, they are beyond impressive.
Beyond anything I could have dreamed of.
What luck.
What fate.
With this...
Even if I escaped without ascending to the rank of Emperors, I would survive.
But…
That would be reckless.
Dangerous.
And I would not abandon my (free EXP) ahem I mean, siblings.
Not when the chance to evolve my Apex Predator physique was within reach.
Bwehehehehehehe.
Slowly, I made my way to the center of the cavern—
Snickering.
Laughing.
Grinning.
The forest of kelp thinned.
My smile stretched.
Wider.
And wider.
I laughed and laughed.
Bwahahahaha!
I wanted to test my strength.
But...
My siblings were weak.
All of them was nothing but a prey.
I could defeat them with ease.
Humming, I glided through the water.
Still laughing.
Still smiling.
Still hungry.
---
Hours passed.
A familiar sight greeted my eyes.
Countless eggs littered the cavern floor.
Every minute, a new Whark broke free, shattering its shell and plunging into the swarm.
I sighed.
Then, without pause, I slithered toward the center.
Scanning.
Searching.
Was there any Stage 1 Whark among them?
I looked.
I hoped.
But, nothing.
Only the aura of those above Tier 3.
Crouching low.
Sleeping.
Weaklings.
I exhaled sharply.
Disappointment curled in my chest.
Then.
A glint of gold.
Light struck my vision.
A fleeting shimmer amidst the gloom.
I turned, just to be sure.
And to my dismay.
A golden egg sat at the cavern's center.
Huh?
What the hell is that?
A golden egg?
Was it... a dragon egg?
How could a golden egg be here?
Had they mistaken it?
No.
That shouldn't be possible.
I could feel it.
A familiar presence.
This wasn't an intruder.
This was one of us.
But how?
Then.
CRACK!
A hand protruded from the shell.
Then another.
Claws digging in.
And with one smooth motion.
It tore the shell apart.
Crack.
From the shattered remains of the golden egg.
A woman emerged.
???!!
WHAT?!
HOW?!
How is this fucking possible?!
A human, crawling out of a Whark egg?
But...
I could feel it.
In my blood.
She was my sibling.
Fuck.
Then.
She opened her eyes.
Golden irises locked onto mine.
I froze.
That gaze, piercing into my soul.
Golden eyebrows.
Long lashes.
A flawless, impossibly beautiful face.
She was... perfection.
A goddess.
Her beauty surpassed even mine.
Her lips curved into a knowing smile.
Then.
She murmured.
"Interesting."
My body moved before I could think.
Phantom Shift.
Accel Dash.
My body blurred.
I repositioned myself, behind her.
Or...
I should have.
But.
A warm touch.
Her hand.
Caressing my scales.
The fuck?
HOW?!
HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!
Apex Reflex didn't even warn me!
Was it because she held no intent to kill?
Even if so...
So what?
My strength far surpassed hers.
I had mana.
What could she do?
Nothing.
She would cower.
Submit.
Bwahahaha!
Then.
She covered her lips with one hand.
And giggled.
"Hehehehehe."
Her voice, soft.
Soothing.
Like a warm embrace.
A mother's touch.
Then.
"How fortunate for me… to have found an Emperor in the making among my brainless descendants."
???
What?!
What the fuck was she talking about?
Descendants?!
She was younger than me!
This sister of mine...
Was she perhaps mentally ill?
No, perhaps a delusional sister, who thought she was an ancestor?
If I could speak, I would've berated her.
But...
Never mind.
I shook my head.
Brushed her words aside.
Then.
I ascended.
Slowly.
Her voice echoed through the perimeter.
"Where are you going, my cute young descendant?"
I ignored her.
Gliding through the water.
Smiling.
This was right.
I opened my maw.
And with every last drop of mana—
I howled.
A bone-chilling declaration.
A command.
I SHALL ASCEND TO THE RANKS OF EMPERORS TODAY.
SACRIFICE YOURSELVES, SIBLINGS.
FIGHT ME LIKE TRUE WARRIORS.
The cavern fell silent.
Then.
The south quaked.
Howls reverberated.
Then the north.
Then the east.
Then the west.
I grinned.
How interesting.
I wonder.
Will I survive today?
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