Days pass, months change, and I continue to hunt down any monster I can. My energy grows, though not by much.
I float in the depths of the ocean, feeling the pure energy merge with my essence. The sensation is like cold water flowing through my entire being, washing away all remaining fatigue and weakness. It's an experience far more intense than any I've had before. Every molecule of my energy feels restructured, refined into a denser, purer essence. The familiar sensation of Evolution flows into my mind.
My race remains the same, Wraithling Phantom, but I have broken through a limit. I am no longer just a Class -B monster. My EP has skyrocketed, surpassing 10,000, crossing the threshold of power and entering a higher realm, on par with Class -A monsters. All my abilities feel stronger, easier to control.
I feel a new command over the magicules around me, a deeper connection to the ocean that envelops me.
An understanding flows. Power isn't just a number. Power is control. Power is understanding. I have gained greater command over myself and my surroundings. The feeling of helplessness I felt before my death is now replaced by a powerful and unrivaled sensation.
I gaze at the Giant Crab huddled behind a rock formation, trembling in fear. A simple creature.
I float closer, landing beside it. I touch its large shell. I send a mental command. "Rise. Continue."
The crab moves one of its eyes, looking at me, then slowly rises. I feel a wave of emotions from our mental connection: fear, then relief, and finally... confusion. I ignore its feelings. They are not important.
I do not speak to it. I only send a command. "You are my eyes in this ocean, and your only purpose is to find prey for me, understand?!"
The crab responds with a mental wave filled with obedience.
"Good."
And just like that, I spend my boring days fighting, fighting, and fighting.
One day, the giant crab comes, want to tell me something.
"Did you find something?" I ask.
As if to respond, the giant crab waves its claws up and down. It turns its body, pointing toward the darker depths.
I follow. With my new power, my speed is much faster. I have to hold myself back so as not to leave my tool behind.
Our journey takes us deeper. The water pressure increases exponentially, but to me, it's just an interesting sensation. I can feel every grain of sand and every water current more clearly. Life here is far more exotic. The once-colorful coral reefs are now replaced by strange crystal formations, emitting their own faint light. Small fish with charming bioluminescence, giant jellyfish pulsating with light, and schools of squid swimming in perfect formation.
I can feel their energy, but none are as strong as what I'm looking for. None of this deserves to be called 'prey'. I'm not interested. They are just a source of energy not worth considering.
I see the beauty of this underwater world not from an aesthetic point of view, but from a predator's. Every creature is potential energy. Every coral reef is an obstacle, and every crevice is a hiding place. This observation is not a hobby, but preparation. Through my connection with the Giant Crab, I filter information about other inhabitants here. I identify the stranger and more powerful monsters, Class-C and Class-B, that hide in caves and crevices. They are all potential resources, but not my main objective.
Several hours pass. The Giant Crab suddenly stops, retreats, and huddles behind a large rock. This time, its fear feels different. It's a fear so profound it makes my semi-physical body shiver. It is the fear of a natural predator that is far stronger, one that cannot be fought.
In the distance, I feel its presence. An immense source of energy, pulsating with pure power. It's not just a strong monster. It is something that pulsates with boundless magicules. I can feel it in my soul. A tremor in my very being. And something very powerful guards it.
I ignore the crab's fear. I glide forward, crossing an invisible boundary where all other life disappears.
Here, the water feels cold and dead. The once-colorful corals are now just ash and dust. The carcasses of giant monsters, clearly much stronger than the Giant Crab, float around me. I analyze their remains. Some were cut in two with perfect precision. Others were crushed by immense pressure, as if they had been placed under the weight of the entire ocean. These are signs of merciless power.
I finally see it. In the middle of the devastated field, a gigantic creature floats with a cold majesty. Its body is like a giant purplish sphere with eight tentacles that extend like whips. Its eyes, glowing red with a cold and intelligent killing intent.
I project my own aura. The air around me trembles, and the creature responds with a much greater pressure. We measure each other. I can feel a power I've never experienced before.
I smile faintly. "I guess we've arrived."
I float in the darkness, staring at the colossal creature before me. Its glowing red eyes stare straight at me, as if measuring every part of my essence. The pressure it radiates is far heavier than anything I've ever experienced. There is no more fear, only a cold fascination.
"So this is what it feels like to meet a Class-A monster," I murmur to myself. "So powerful. So strong, even its aura can suppress the magicules around it."
I focus my thoughts, activating Libertas. Through my Analysis, I feel the energy around it. I analyze its turbulent aura and match it with the information I have from the remains of the monster carcasses around it. An understanding flows.
Its energy is at least 12,000 EP. This creature is a tyrant of the ocean. I can feel how it controls the surrounding magicules, making them an extension of itself. This isn't just an aura; this is a Domain. An area under its complete control. My movements within this domain are surely being watched, every attack will be countered. This is a very unpleasant ability.
Then there's another ability, which I deduce from how it doesn't seem to be affected by the magicules from the mana vein. I observe the scales on its body, and the way it neutralizes the residual energy around it. It must be Energy Absorption.
The Octopus Tyrant hisses softly, letting out a gurgling sound. Its eight thick tentacles move like whips, swirling around its body. It's a warning, a declaration that I have trespassed on its territory.
I don't respond with words. I respond with action. I launch myself forward, without hesitation, directly into its domain. A sensation of immense pressure immediately assaults me, but my semi-physical body, now much denser thanks to evolution, can withstand it.
Of course, I'm not stupid. I won't attack with magic or energy attacks that it can absorb. I will try another approach. Using Parallel Operation, I divide my thought process. One part focuses on my movement, and the other part focuses on a deep analysis of the gaps between its tentacles.
I activate Spectral Howl at full power, sending a sharp mental wave throughout the area. This is an attack that cannot be physically absorbed.
The Octopus Tyrant shivers. One, two seconds. It's a very small window. It's not paralyzed, but at least it's disrupted.
"One attack succeeded," I think with a smile. "But it's not enough to take it down."
Constriction. It's the most basic strategy any tentacled predator would use. However, in the case of the Octopus Tyrant, its constriction doesn't just rely on physical strength. I can feel how its Domain is focusing its control over magicules onto my body, trying to crush me like an empty can.
I don't try to fight the force directly. Instead, I dart away. Using Magic Cloak as a last resort, I let its tentacle attacks pass through my intangible body. They hit the corals behind me, crushing them into dust with a deafening krrrccckkkk sound.
"Of course," I murmur to myself. "Even though I managed to dodge, he knows my exact position. His ability allows him to sense the slightest vibration in his territory."
The Octopus Tyrant hisses in frustration. It realizes that its attacks are ineffective. In retaliation, it unleashes another move. From its mouth, a large glob of thick black liquid spurts toward me. It is a Black Ink Projectile. I know from my instincts that it's not ordinary ink. It is a substance that binds magicules and can paralyze other monsters.
I quickly dodge. The ink doesn't explode when it hits you. It sticks and slowly paralyzes its prey.
Using Parallel Operation, I divide my focus. One part watches every movement of its tentacles. Another part looks for a gap, no matter how small, in its defense. And a third part... the third part tries to unravel the mystery behind its Domain.
I launch several Chaos Fire balls as a feint. As I expected, the Octopus Tyrant is not bothered. It opens its tentacles, allowing the fireballs to disappear into its body. I can feel the fire energy being absorbed, as if I had just given it a snack.
"Ineffective," I think. "He absorbs it easily. As if he's made of a network of energy. But, every net has a weak point..."
Suddenly, the Octopus Tyrant creates a gigantic Whirlpool around itself. The water swirls at high speed, pulling everything around it. This is not just a whirlpool, but a way to control the battlefield, restricting my movement and forcing me to fight nearby.
But to fight me using a water element, is this a joke? I ignore the whirlpool that hits me. I break through the whirlpool and approach the main body of the Octopus Tyrant.
It notices me. It quickly turns its body, targeting me.
There, I see it. At the bottom of its body, where all its tentacles connect, there is a point that pulsates with energy. It's the core. All its energy is concentrated there.
"So that's the weakness," I murmur. "It can't maintain both Skills simultaneously with full power throughout its body."
I don't waste time. This is the only chance I have. I focus all my energy on one point of my body. This isn't just a punch; it's a strike enhanced with my entire magical essence.
The Octopus Tyrant unleashes a counterattack. Its eight tentacles strike, accompanied by a confusing whirlpool.
I don't dodge. I activate Magic Cloak to a higher level, making myself completely intangible. I pierce through all its attacks, pass through its constricting tentacles, and through the water pressure.
I dart straight towards it, piercing the weakness I see with my strongest attack.
BOOM!
There is no sound, but I can feel a huge wave of energy exploding throughout the water. My attack hits the core in its body. It's a blow that should have been able to destroy anything. However, the blow doesn't completely succeed.
The Octopus Tyrant screams in pain, a mental scream that tears at my mind. But, it doesn't die. It's only injured. And it's very angry.
"I underestimated its durability," I think. "Damn it."
It's a fatal mistake. The Octopus Tyrant doesn't give me a chance. All its tentacles lunge towards me, not to attack, but to constrict. This time, there are no more gaps.
Sret!
My body is tightly constricted. The Octopus Tyrant is not using water pressure; it's using raw power, crushing me.
"This is going to hurt (kidding)," I murmur, feeling the pressure that can crush my body. However, a new idea emerges.
"Or, maybe not."
The constricting grip of the Octopus Tyrant's tentacles feels like a collapsing mountain falling on me. My semi-physical body, which has evolved to be denser, now begins to tremble under the immense pressure. It is not only using physical strength, but also its Domain, focusing all the energy within its territory to crush me to a pulp.
I don't feel pain, but I can feel my physical limits. I can't move, and my magical energy is trapped. I have made a fatal mistake.
Relying on one punch was a reckless act.
Mistaken, I think with a cold tone. I underestimated its durability too much. It's using its entire EP to defend against my attack.
The crushing force grows stronger. If this continues, I will be completely destroyed. And that is not an option. I will never allow myself to lose.
"You think you can destroy me with just raw power?" I murmur to myself, a cold smile forming on my intangible face. As I yell, I say, "I am no longer the same creature as the weak one that could be trampled on as you please, you bastard!!"
I activate Libertas again, this time not to analyze, but to impose my will. Using Parallel Operation, I divide my thought process into dozens, hundreds, even thousands of threads, each one focusing on a single goal: altering the energy around me.
"You absorb energy, right? You're made of a network of energy. So, what if you can't control it?"
I focus my energy, not on an external attack, but on an attack that is highly concentrated within its body. I activate Manipulator, a Unique Skill that has evolved with me. I won't attack its physical form, I will control the energy that is inside it.
Manipulator allows me to master and control the energy around me, but if used excessively, it will result in unknown consequences.
"Whatever happens, I must get out of this dire situation first."
I begin to control the energy inside the Octopus Tyrant's body. It is a very fierce battle of wills. The Octopus Tyrant feels my attack and counters with all its might, trying to expel me from its body.
"You control the magicules around you, but I control the magicules inside you, hahahaha" I mock sarcastically.
The Octopus Tyrant screams with a booming mental voice, completely releasing its constriction. Its entire large body begins to flicker, showing instability.
I don't waste time. I launch myself forward, hitting its body with full force. I use Manipulator to force the monster's energy core to become unstable and explode.
BOOM!
This time, the explosion is much bigger. It is a spiritual energy explosion. The Octopus Tyrant's body explodes into thousands of volatile magicule particles, and a giant energy vortex forms where it once was.
I don't waste time. I open all the power in my body to the maximum, absorbing every volatile magicule from the Octopus Tyrant's carcass. My EP skyrockets dramatically. This sensation... this sensation of unlimited power and energy...
I evolve again.
I can feel my semi-physical body changing. I am no longer just a collection of energy that resembles a ghost. I have substance. I feel a sensation of weight, as if I am now truly bound to this world.
My EP doubles. It's a significant number for a monster of my level.
I look at the Giant Crab that is still hiding. Its fear of me now surpasses its limits, and I no longer feel a connection to it. It is no longer useful.
With my new EP, I can now feel the mana vein beneath me. It is a heart of pure energy, emitting incredibly dense magicules throughout the area. I no longer have to struggle to find monsters to kill; with this, I can continue to evolve and become stronger.