The excitement of his first victory felt like an electric current, making Caesar's whole body tingle.
If any part of the process had gone wrong just now, he would be that Crocodile-shaped Sub-dragon's dessert by now.
This wasn't a game.
If he died, there would be no Pokémon Center to let him start over.
"A fixed 'respawn point'... no, an absolutely safe base is a must."
Thinking this, he farmed another Rock Lizard.
His stamina was starting to flag.
Dragging his exhausted body and carrying his prey in his mouth, Caesar began searching the corners of the cave for a place where he could Sleep peacefully.
This was harder than he had imagined.
The environment at the bottom of the Dragon Den was extremely harsh, with bare rock walls and damp ground fissures everywhere. Most Earth Dragon hatchlings just found any hollow to curl up in and huddle together for warmth, having no concept of a "nest" at all.
But in Caesar's view, that was no different from sleeping in the middle of the road.
If a predator sneaked over in the middle of the night, wouldn't they all be wiped out in one go?
He had to find a place that was easy to defend, hard to attack, and sufficiently hidden.
A real safe house of his own.
Caesar carefully explored the outermost area of the massive cave.
This was the bottommost level of the entire Dragon Den, and also the most chaotic zone. Besides the newly hatched young of various Dragon Clans, there were also a large number of monsters that relied on the Dragon Den's ecosystem to survive.
He passed a puddle and saw several palm-sized Scavenger Beetles (Dragon-blood Species) devouring the corpse of some unknown creature; the sound of them gnawing on flesh and bone was particularly jarring in the silent cave.
A grey Earth Dragon that had not been born for long was dragged away by several arachnid monsters lurking in the shadows because it had strayed too far from the group, not even having time to let out a scream.
Ow?
The danger level of this hellhole was even higher than expected.
This wasn't a Beginner Village anymore; this was the damn Black Forest!
Caesar became even more cautious, pressing his body completely against the rock wall and moving bit by bit, utilizing shadows and rocky protrusions.
He spent a full half-day scouring almost the entire edge of this area.
Just as he was about to give up and find a random crack to make do for the night, his nose caught a scent of rotting plants and soil.
Plants?
In this place that smelled almost exclusively of rock and sulfur?
Caesar's spirits lifted, and he followed the scent.
In an inconspicuous corner of the rock wall, he saw a patch of withered yellow vines hanging down like a tattered curtain, obscuring everything behind it.
He approached and carefully pushed the vines aside with his claws.
A pitch-black cave entrance appeared before him.
The entrance wasn't large, just enough for his current size to squeeze through. It was pitch black inside, but he could feel a faint airflow, indicating it wasn't a dead end.
This was it!
Caesar didn't go in immediately; instead, he made a simple mark near the entrance and turned to leave.
A competent player, before establishing a base, would definitely clear out the surrounding "mobs" first.
He hid the now stone-cold Rock Lizard in a rock crevice and then began his first planned "mob clearing" operation since arriving in this world.
With his current strength, managing to hurt that Crocodile-shaped Sub-dragon was already his limit.
Therefore, his hunting targets had to be carefully selected.
Caesar soon locked onto a creature called a "Rock Worm."
This monster moved slowly, like a piece of moving rotten wood; its only method of attack was spitting out slightly corrosive slime.
On Caesar's panel, this thing's data was clearly displayed.
[Rock Worm]
[EXP: 3]
Not much experience, but it was safe, and there were plenty of them.
Just filler route 1 bugs!
Caesar lowered his body and silently crept up behind a Rock Worm that was munching on lichen.
No testing, no hesitation.
"Sand Attack!"
A burst of grit was accurately sprayed out by him, covering the Rock Worm.
The worm's body visibly stiffened, seemingly not understanding what had happened.
Now!
"Tackle!"
Caesar pushed off with his hind legs, his entire body slamming into it.
"Splat!"
Like bursting a leather bag filled with rotten mud, disgusting fluids splashed all over him.
The Rock Worm didn't even have time to counterattack before it stopped moving entirely.
[EXP: 63/100]
It worked!
Caesar grinned.
This simple combo of starting with "Sand Attack" followed by "Tackle" for damage was incredibly effective in this real world!
"Sand Attack" didn't just lower accuracy; it was an unexpected harassment and control Move that could create fatal opening for his attacks.
And "Tackle," as an independent Move, seemed capable of exerting several times his body's strength.
Next came the tedious but efficient grinding time.
The Gible roamed as if in a Safari Zone.
On the way, he found a lone "Cave Little Evil Bat"; this creature was fast and very annoying.
He didn't chase it blindly but hid on its path, and the moment it flew close, a "Sand Attack" knocked it straight out of the air, then he rushed up and bit through its neck.
He could only say it was lucky it wasn't a Golbat, or there would be no neck to bite.
[EXP: 80/100]
Entering the next hunt (Loading...)
This time he targeted a cluster of "Poisonous Mushrooms," mushroom-like monsters that emitted Toxic gas.
Caesar approached from upwind, dug up large stones with his small claws, and threw them from a distance, brutally smashing them all into pulp.
Although there was no EXP from a combat judgment, the stalks of these mushrooms were excellent food.
The desire to "level up" burned like a fire in his heart.
The Gible forgot about time and exhaustion.
Nature changed to "Hardy."
His daily life became incredibly disciplined: wake up, hunt, drag the prey back near his future "safe house" to hide it, and then continue hunting.
Only when his stomach became unbearable or his stamina was depleted would he stop, wolfing down energy to refuel, then find a place to lie down and rest for a while to recover his strength.
And his size was changing at a rate visible to the naked eye.
His originally somewhat shriveled skin began to become full and resilient. His limbs also became thicker and more powerful, and he no longer ran as clumsily as before.
His physical silhouette already had a distinct difference from his scrawny kin, becoming closer to the stout and powerful form of a [Gible] in his memory.
Of course.
During this period, Caesar also encountered danger several times.
Once, while chasing a "Multi-legged Stone Crab," he didn't notice he had rolled into the territory of an adult "Land-walking Pseudo-Dragon."
That big fellow, a good seven or eight meters long, just gave him a glance, and that aura mixed with bloodlust and tyranny almost made Caesar's scales stand on end.
Without a second thought, he immediately abandoned his prey and turned to run.
Fortunately, the other party didn't seem interested in a tiny tot like him who wasn't even enough to fill a tooth gap (0.7m is indeed very small), only letting out a low growl to assert dominance and not pursuing further.
From then on, Caesar became even more vigilant.
Including but not limited to—
Learning how to distinguish the scents and tracks left by different predators.
Learning to drag prey back to his chosen cave before eating to avoid the smell of blood attracting unnecessary trouble.
Such a feeling was quite wonderful.
No partners, no guides.
Every bit of experience and every instance of growth came from his own planning and combat.
Every tiny increase in that light blue experience bar on the panel brought him immense satisfaction.
Finally, after hunting an unknown number of monsters, that experience bar slowly reached its end.
[EXP: 100/100]
"Ding!"
A crisp notification sound, which only he could hear, rang in his mind.
Immediately after, a warm current surged from his heart without warning, instantly flowing through his entire body!
It was an indescribable feeling of comfort.
It was as if every cell was cheering, and every inch of muscle was filled with explosive power (just an illusion).
The panel before his eyes changed accordingly.
[Template: Garchomp]
[Current Form: Gible]
[Rank: 2]
[EXP: 0/200]
[HP: 23/23]
[Attack: 15]
[Defense: 12]
[Special Attack: 10]
[Special Defense: 11]
[Speed: 11]
[Ability: Sand Veil (Not Activated) / Rough Skin (Not Activated)]
[Skills: Tackle, Sand Attack]
Leveled up!
Although the values on the panel only increased by single digits, Caesar could clearly feel that his physical fitness had taken a qualitative leap!
The values had changed significantly.
It should be the influence of Effort Values.
Caesar stretched his body, his bones letting out a series of "crackling" pops.
The internal injuries and soreness left from his full-power "Tackle" earlier were swept away the moment he leveled up.
This level-up... even comes with a full HP and MP restoration effect?
Ow! A god-tier skill!
Caesar cried out in excitement.
This meant that as long as he could precisely control his experience points and time his level-up just before exhaustion, it would be equivalent to having an extra life!
This discovery made him instantly bolder.
After clearing the stragglers around the "safe house," Caesar finally dragged his hidden prey, one by one, into the cave obscured by vines.
The interior of the cave was deeper than he had thought, winding downwards; after walking about a dozen meters, his vision suddenly opened up.
This was a natural stone room about twenty square meters in size, dry, ventilated, and sufficiently hidden.
Caesar patrolled his new home with satisfaction.
He piled the leftover bones in a corner to serve as future "reserve food."
The softest moss and hay were spread in the center of the stone room, making a simple but comfortable nest.
From today on, this place is my "Pokémon Center"!
Having eaten and drunk his fill, Caesar lay in his nest and began to calculate his next plan.
"Rank 2, need 200 experience points to reach the next Rank. The experience requirement has doubled, and farming those Rock Worms is too inefficient."
"Speaking of which, since this System follows pokémon rules, why is the experience bar so long...?"
It seemed he had to go challenge higher-level "maps" and hunt "route 1 monsters" that could provide more experience.
Besides, he only knew two basic skills so far, which was too pathetic.
According to Caesar's understanding of pokémon games, he should be able to learn new skills after reaching a certain level.
"What will it be? Dragon Claw? Or Dragon Rage?"
Caesar's heart was filled with excitement.
However, the skill learning of this System seemed different from the original pokémon.
"Sand Attack" is a ground-type Move that Gible can only learn at level 6.
But at the level 1 stage, it should only know "Tackle" and "Sand Tomb"... Ow?
That's not right, what the hell!
Where's my "Sand Tomb"? Where's my big "Sand Tomb"!?
With that binding skill, wouldn't farming mobs be like a game?
Holy crap, you dog System, I don't want Sand Attack anymore! Give me back Sand Tomb...!
The Gible rolled around on the ground, throwing a tantrum, but after trying for a long time, he couldn't summon any System AI.
It seemed the System had no self-awareness.
Fine, Sand Attack it is.
He should unlock the next skill once he reaches a certain level.
No matter which one it is, it means my combat power will soar again... keep grinding...!