Chapter 14: | Gains!
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It seems there are only two possible reasons why they've abandoned this breeding ground.
Either an enemy race or clan discovered this place, and is now sending its forces to infiltrate and massacre us all...
Or a being beyond my comprehension took an interest in this territory, and claimed it for its own.
And that, perhaps, is why they fled.
Either way, it's bad news for me.
Those cowardly bastards.
If they weren't, they would have completed this project.
Damn it.
Just how misfortunate am I?
If only I had been given more time...
Then ascending to the ranks of the Emperors would've been nothing but a breeze.
Damn it!
The dangers outside this breeding ground are immense.
And the chance of encountering a Title-bearing being out there?
Was very high.
But this place…
It has already reached its limits.
Even if I let these fools live, let them breed amongst themselves, the time and resources needed to incubate the eggs are just too great.
And that method...
That cowardly method...
I would rather die than stoop to something so undignified.
My pride would never allow it.
There's only one option left.
Escape.
It's dangerous.
But if I can't even take a risk.
How will I grow?
How will I become a competent leader?
There's a saying.
"The higher the risk, the higher the reward."
There was no hesitation.
I decided.
I, Alister von Fai, shall break free from this place.
But before I could even finish the thought.
Pain.
A sharp sting.
Teeth, piercing my side.
Their final act of desperation.
I felt it.
Their resistance.
Their will to live.
But I couldn't afford to honor it.
This was enough.
This was their end.
Their burden...
Would become mine.
And for a fleeting moment, I wondered.
If I hadn't slaughtered them...
Would they have lived peaceful, ordinary lives?
Would they have grown into warriors?
Brawling, fighting, clashing with beasts stronger than themselves?
Could they have lived to their fullest?
It was a bitter thought.
But one I couldn't afford to dwell on.
This was mercy.
This was mercy.
CRACK.
My jaws snapped shut, and with a brutal crunch.
Blood flooded my mouth.
A Deepwarden Whark's head was separated from its body.
Drifting, lifeless.
In these past few months, I've fought again and again.
Against Wharks of countless variants.
Some fierce.
Some clever.
Some defiant.
It was fun...
While it lasted.
But now?
It's time.
Time to end this.
---
[You have slain.]
• A Stage 1 Tier 2 Level 1 [★★★ Deepwarden Whark.]
[You have gained 37,000 EXP.]
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The Deepwarden Wharks were once formidable.
Their defense, unyielding.
Months ago, they forced me to fight with caution.
To calculate.
To bleed.
But now?
After my physique had been refined again and again...
Killing them was no harder than cutting through hay.
I let out a breath.
Haaa...
Then.
Murderous intent flashed through my eyes.
Accel Dash.
Phantom Shift.
My body, blurred, disappeared.
Then
Reappeared.
My body moved on instinct, repositioning again and again.
Dodge.
Fade.
Attack.
Their blows missed by inches, grazing only echoes.
Tens of seconds passed.
That was enough.
My warm-up complete.
Accel Dash.
Phantom Shift.
My body flickered.
A ghost in motion.
A phantom dancing in the abyss.
My maw tore through flesh, crushed bones like brittle candy.
CRACK.
Blood spurted.
Bodies jerked and fell still.
I moved again.
And again.
My form flashed between light and shadow, carving through the currents like a death waltz.
I could hear it.
Their screams.
Their wailing.
Their despair.
Their unwillingness.
But I didn't care.
I danced.
And danced.
And danced.
A minute passed.
And then.
Silence.
The cavern stilled.
No more howls.
No more cries.
Only blood... and drifting corpses.
Stillness.
I stood in the heart of the massacre.
Alone.
Their bodies floated in the current, some fresh, others old and swollen, having drifted for days... weeks...
But I paid them no heed.
My gaze was fixated on the nine Stage 1 Wharks I had just slain.
Their corpses now lifeless shadows of ambition.
My expression hardened.
My thoughts drifted, back.
To the battlefield.
To that war.
When our mercenary group had been hired by a noble.
One year.
Every day, I would polish my sword... march to the field... and butcher everything in sight.
It was before Elara and I had eloped.
Before I knew peace.
Haaa...
But enough of that.
I turned my gaze to her.
To Liora.
She waved.
Smiling.
As if none of this carnage mattered.
And then.
She muttered softly to herself.
"It seems the council of elders from this world has truly abandoned this breeding ground project."
She snorted.
"Dumb fools."
Then, shouted.
"Devour all of the carcasses around you. We're packing up. Time to leave this place."
I nodded.
Silent.
Acknowledging the command.
Liora tilted her head, cute, almost mockingly so.
And then she grinned.
"You seem irritated."
"Those annoying bastards dared abandon this breeding ground, didn't they?"
Her grin widened.
There was a madness behind it.
"But don't worry too much."
She chuckled.
"Soon, you'll meet them."
"And when that time comes…"
Her eyes gleamed.
"I wonder what kind of spectacle you'll show me."
I snorted.
Still watching her.
Still wondering.
Why is she so confident?
Is she truly as intriguing as she pretends to be?
I licked my lips.
And shifted my gaze.
To the hologram.
---
[You have slain.]
• A Stage 1 Tier 1 Level 4 [★★★ Abysslurker Whark]
• A Stage 1 Tier 2 Level 3 [★★★ Dreadmaw Whark]
• A Stage 1 Tier 1 Level 1 [★★★ Stormjaw Whark]
• A Stage 1 Tier 3 Level 2 [★★★ Ruinback Whark]
• A Stage 1 Tier 2 Level 6 [★★★ Blighfang Whark]
• A Stage 1 Tier 1 Level 2 [★★★ Ember Whark]
• A Stage 1 Tier 4 Level 2 [★★★ Ruinback Whark]
[You have gained 292,000 EXP.]
[You have gained a level.]
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I let out a bitter smile.
157 days.
That's how long I've lingered in this forsaken world.
A twisted laugh bubbled from my throat.
Even after all that, it still wasn't enough.
Not enough to ascend.
Not enough to reach the ranks of the Emperors.
Months… wasted.
Months spent devouring.
Fighting.
Bleeding.
Leveling.
Pushing my Apex Predator Physique past the edge.
But still.
Only Tier 8.
Not enough.
Not even close.
The irony was almost too much to bear.
I laughed harder.
My voice echoed through the cavern like a seagull.
I flexed.
My skin stretched taut over muscle that now pulsed with raw power, and my muscles were so densely compact that they screamed to be released from their flesh prison.
I was refined.
Not just in body.
In essence.
I could feel it.
Every fiber of my being, coiled like a serpent ready to strike.
Their carcasses were long devoured.
And now…
My gaze locked onto the hologram shimmering before me.
---
[You've Successfully Devoured]
• A Stage 1 Tier 1 Level 4 [★★★ Abysslurker Whark]
• A Stage 1 Tier 2 Level 3 [★★★ Dreadmaw Whark]
• A Stage 1 Tier 1 Level 1 [★★★ Stormjaw Whark]
• A Stage 1 Tier 3 Level 2 [★★★ Ruinback Whark]
• A Stage 1 Tier 2 Level 6 [★★★ Blighfang Whark]
• A Stage 1 Tier 1 Level 2 [★★★ Ember Whark]
• A Stage 1 Tier 4 Level 2 [★★★ Ruinback Whark]
[You have successfully devoured some of their stats.]
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• Mana +17
• Mystique +14
[Your Physique has been refined.]
---
[You have gained new skills.]
• Shadow Skin
• Dread Presence
• Molten Core
• Icefang Rend
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Their skills were... decent.
Shadow Skin was especially useful.
It allowed me to absorb light, making me nearly invisible in the dark.
A perfect skill for reconnaissance.
I could hide my presence, erase my tracks, and observe without detection.
Then there was Dread Presence, a skill that intensified the aura that I radiated.
It forced weaker beings to cower, freeze, or flee.
Good for intimidation, but not much else.
A hindrance during stealth missions where fear might alert the target.
Next came Molten Core, a heat-gathering core embedded deep within.
It allowed me to regulate body temperature, perhaps even conjure fire-related abilities.
But here, submerged in a water-rich world with no fire mana to tap into?
It was nearly useless.
Still, there was merit.
Molten Core increased the purity and density of my mana.
And then... Icefang Rend.
A passive skill that infused my fangs with frost mana, delivering frostbite with every bite.
But the real problem was that I lacked a core capable of refining ice mana.
I couldn't sustain or empower it.
Haaaa...
The gains this time were solid.
But they weren't enough.
Closing my eyes, I began drawing mana from the atmosphere.
Tiny mana particles gathered, flowing gently toward me.
My skin absorbed them naturally, and I guided them carefully toward my core.
If only I had a developed mana veins, this process would be automatic.
Smooth.
Efficient.
But for now, I had to guide each particle manually, tedious, but necessary.
Mana gathered at the center of my being, and I smiled.
My core refined the raw energy, compressing it, purifying it, storing it.
I let out a sigh.
I could use Molten Core to burn away the impurities clinging to my body, but I didn't have the resource to do that.
My eyelids opened.
My gaze shifted to Liora.
She was... striking.
Naked.
Unashamed.
Her form carved with precision, each curve perfect, each motion fluid.
Her features were refined beyond mortal limits, her body without flaw, without blemish.
Compared to Elara... I'd say Liora was slightly superior, physically, at least.
Her face, her curves, her posture, her cascading hair, it all screamed perfection.
Yet despite all that beauty...
It didn't arouse me.
No, beauty alone was never enough to stir me.
As I am beauty itself.
She waved at me for a few seconds, then crouched gracefully, her muscles coiling like a spring before she leaped, slicing through the currents as if she were born of it.
In a blink, she was behind me.
Her finger extended southward.
"Let's go, shall we?"
I chuckled, a low growl rumbling in my chest.
Hahaha...
How intriguing.
But I didn't mind playing the horse for now.
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