"This place is as disgusting as always."
The air inside the dungeon was stagnant, filled with the acrid stench of decay.
A sharp sound, mixed with the scratching of claws on the ground, began to approach from one of the corridors.
I hid behind the corner and waited.
The noise grew closer and closer, then a shadow darted out of the corridor. It didn't even have the time to realize my presence before the blade of my halberd decapitated it instantly.
Once it fell, I activated Predation on the monster.
[Dracoline Heart (89.8 → 90%)]
"Even this one, no additional stats it seems."
I sighed. By now, even adolescent skarrids weren't much of a threat anymore. Of course, if there were too many, it would be different, but facing them in small groups had become routine.
In the last two days, I had hunted many, both young and adolescent, and they had given me very few stats. It was annoying, I won't deny it, but if things went the same as last time, once my core evolved, my stats would increase until I became Grade 2.
####################
Name: Adel
Age: 16
Race: Human…??
Grade: 1
Core: Dracoline Heart (90%)
Physique: 2.6 → 2.65 (+0.2 agility) (+0.5 strength)
Mind: ???
Mana: 1.86
Vitality: 2.2 → 2.21
Skills: Shadow Veil (Lv. 3), Predation, Scale Armor (Lv. 1), Poison Resistance (Lv. 1), Quick Step (Lv. 3), Razor Claws, Water Affinity (Lv. 1), Minor Strength.
Artifacts (capacity: 1/1):
– silver ring (Grade 0): agility +0.1
– silver ring (Grade 0): agility +0.1
####################
If my calculations were correct, and the absorption pace stayed constant, I would still need about fifty more adolescent skarrids to fill the core. With Predation, I could currently consume up to ten prey a day. That meant, in five days of uninterrupted hunting, I would saturate the core.
"Once again, the result is excellent."
I looked at the new halberd. It wasn't very different from the last one, but I could feel it was much more resistant.
I kept moving along the corridor, but after not even five minutes, I heard again the unmistakable sound of light footsteps. This time, however, it wasn't just one.
Three adolescent skarrids rushed out of the corridor.
"Perfect."
One immediately dashed forward, fast as lightning. I activated Quick Step and shifted sideways, avoiding its trajectory. The halberd drew a diagonal arc and cut it in half, but the other two leaped at me with surprising agility.
The first tried to claw at my side, but I deflected it. The second went for my throat, but what it got instead was the halberd's tip piercing its neck.
The third roared and tried to escape, but by activating the magic rune on my hand, I launched a Water Spear that partly pierced its body, pinning it against the wall.
Water-based spells didn't have great firepower, but they did their job well enough.
I approached the panting monster and finished it by decapitating it.
I activated Predation on all of them, but like before, only the core's percentage increased.
With nothing else to do, I inscribed the rune again on my hand and moved on.
I kept hunting through the endless corridors. I killed four more adolescent skarrids and a few young ones. Along the way, the undead didn't fail to appear either, just to be a nuisance.
When I killed the last undead, I was about to lower my guard when I felt something behind me. Without hesitation, I rolled forward, dodging the first surprise attack. As I stood back up, I activated Quick Step to create distance, avoiding the second strike as well.
"A real pain in the ass just showed up..."
My opponent: a skarrid, but much stronger, an adult, and Grade 2.
The monster hissed at me, circling as if to analyze me.
Let's see where I stand.
I thought with a smile.
Adult skarrids belonged to the category of monsters at the start of Grade 2. They excelled in speed, but their strength and defense left much to be desired.
In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of me. Its clawed paws aimed for my throat, but with a twist of my torso, I barely avoided it, feeling the air scratch my neck.
I tried to counterattack right after, but the monster created distance again, and I only managed to scratch it superficially.
"It's stupidly fast."
The skarrid roared, furious, and lunged at me again with a flurry of relentless strikes, like a whirlwind of blades.
I activated Quick Step, leaping back, managing to deflect a couple of blows with the halberd's shaft. The scales I had invoked as defense couldn't resist the sharpness of the monster's claws.
A strike hit my side, strong enough to make me stagger. Blood started dripping down my right flank, but I gritted my teeth and countered with a thrust.
The halberd pierced the skarrid's thigh, stabbing through it. The creature howled, writhing, but instead of retreating, it spun on itself with agility and struck me with its tail.
The blow sent me crashing against the wall. Luckily, the scales on my body reduced the impact, but even so, I still felt dizzy.
I bit the tip of my tongue, and the pain brought me back to clarity.
The monster staggered slightly on its injured leg but showed no intention of retreating.
This time, I was the one to attack.
I lunged forward with the halberd, aimed at its neck. The skarrid dodged to the side, fast as ever, but that was exactly what I was waiting for. I twisted my wrists, changing the weapon's direction.
The blade met resistance, then I felt it sink into flesh. The skarrid screamed, leaping back with a deep wound on its side, dark blood spilling onto the ground's cracks.
In a frenzy, the monster jumped at me, but that sealed its fate.
I planted the halberd's end into the ground to anchor it and simply let gravity do the rest.
The monster couldn't change direction midair, ending up impaling itself.
It still thrashed with the halberd inside it, so I finished it off with Razor Claws, slashing its throat.
"As I thought, I can now take on monsters at the beginning of Grade 2."
Of course, if I faced a monster with higher defense than my attack power, it would be troublesome, but I would still manage to kill it.
I drank one of the potions I had brought with me, watching the wound close slowly, then looked absentmindedly at the monster lying on the ground.
Predation's description said that consuming monsters of a higher grade than mine could risk destroying my body, but here was a doubt. Did it only mean the grade of existence? Or the gap of power between grades?
If it was the first, the risks were greater, but if it was the second... it might be worth it.
I pondered for a long time before making my decision. With a dagger, I cut open the monster's chest and carefully pulled out its heart, placing it in a pouch.
I had found that as long as the monster's heart remained intact, I could absorb it. Of course, I wouldn't use Predation inside the dungeon, risking who knows what.
"Now I'm really curious."
****
Once back at the house in the citadel, I took out the heart.
For safety, I hid in the basement, which was a more protected location. I doubted anyone would break into the house, but one could never be sure.
"Let's see if I'm about to do something extremely stupid."
With a laugh, I activated Predation, and the monster's heart dissolved, being absorbed into me.
[Predation activated]
[Dracoline Heart (90 → 90.8 → 98.8%)]
[Physique: 2.65 → 2.9]
[Vitality: 2.21 → 2.4]
[Quick Step: Lv 3 → 5 (max)]
My eyes widened at the sight. Core, stats, and skills had all improved, and not by a little, considering how minimal the changes had been in the last few days.
[A superior essence to the current grade of existence has been revealed. Predation cannot digest the entire essence, and it is forced release of the excess.]
This doesn't sound good at all—
A stabbing pain ripped through my heart, like a thousand burning blades piercing all at once. I screamed gutturally, my body shaken by spasms.
If it had only been physical pain, I could have endured it, but this time I felt my very soul being torn apart.
"ARGHHAA!"
Thrashing and screaming didn't ease the torture, which spread through every corner of my body.
My eyes burst with pain, a white flash blinding me. My head felt as if it had been split open, while rivers of blood poured from my nose, and everything spun around me.
I collapsed on the ground convulsing, having no control over my body, until finally I lay lifeless, my forehead pressed against the basement's cold floor.
When the pain subsided, I was left in total disorientation, not even knowing how much time had passed.
Slowly, I recovered from that state, blinking a few times, only to find something strange.
What... the...
I rubbed my eyes hard, but nothing changed. I waved my hand several times in front of my face, but all I could see was darkness.
The chilling truth helped me regain my senses, but nothing could change the result.
I was blind.