Chapter 10 - 9

[Predator]

[A title acquired by individuals that greedily hunt for prey and eat them en masse. Through this title, the individual would be able to acquire the skills Devour and Hunt]

[Devour]

[Convert any ingested food into pure energy. The converted energy could then be used to recover mana, health, and stamina]

[Hunt]

[Able to mark a target within the user's perception. As long as the mark remains, the user would be able to sense the location of the target. But the larger the distance between the user and the target is, the lower the accuracy of the skill would become]

So, yeah. Apparently, because of hunting and eating so much, I received a title and two new skills to go along with it. Although I really wanted to argue that I just did what was necessary to survive, the great skills that I received made me think twice. Seriously, they were both really convenient especially that Hunt. Being able to locate a target anywhere within the user's perception range was not only a huge advantage in the wild but would also be a trump card against humans if used properly. And then there was that devour, which I could use to optimize and increase my hunting time.

Of course, it was not as if I could go and hunt without sleeping. And that was one of my discoveries upon trying it out. For some unknown reason, even if my body wasn't exhausted, I still needed to sleep for at least a few hours. Maybe it has something to do with being mentally drained. Well, my hunting time still increased despite that limitation. And because of that, I leveled up. Some of my skills including the new ones have also ranked up. And so, my current status was as follows.

[Name: (Unnamed)]

[Race: Dire Wolf Variant]

[Level: 17]

[Status: Healthy]

[Skills: Rabid Fangs (Rank B), Call of The Moon (Rank C), Night Vision (Rank A), Enhance Smell (Rank A), Enhance Hearing (Rank S), Recovery (Rank A), Detect Malice (Rank A), Scratching Claws (Rank D), Potential Boost (Rank D), Assess (Rank C), Presence of Mind (Rank D), Swiftness (Rank C), Haste (Rank C), Devour (Rank C), Hunt (Rank C)]

Well, there was one problem I have noticed. This was just my guess. But maybe, because of the effect of my Devour skill, my Recovery skill wasn't moving an inch. I also noticed that whenever I sleep, the usual notification that displayed the exact time of my rest wasn't popping up. Because of that, now I have no idea how much time I had spent in this place. And seriously, not knowing how many days have passed was scary.

So as usual, I just moved forward while hoping to find a way out of this place. There was one good news though. For quite some time now, I started to see the walls enclosing this place. And every time I resumed my stroll, I noticed that the space surrounding this wetland area was starting to become smaller and smaller. So, if my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, I'm sure that it won't be long and I would find an exit. Seriously though, this place was just like a huge cave.

Still, I needed to replenish my strength. And so, I am currently stalking a Giant Frog who I have marked using Hunt. The Giant Frog was alone and just like me, it was also searching for some prey to eat. Normally, these Giant Frog monsters would prey on some huge Bee-like monsters that were popping up from time to time on these parts. But if they couldn't find any Bees, they would ambush or fight a lizard to kill and eat it. Though there were times that I have seen some lizards turn the table on the frogs. Of course, I would then ambush whoever it was that won the fight thus killing two birds in one stone. What, that was nasty? Well, I needed to be at least that crafty to survive in such a harsh environment. After all, in this kind of environment, the only rule is to eat or to be eaten.

Anyway, now the frog has stopped moving and was carefully eyeing a lone Bee-like monster flying clueless nearby. In these kinds of situations, it was better to wait for the frog to successfully capture and eat the bee before launching an attack. After all, those Giant Frogs were most vulnerable the moment they successfully captured a prey. That was what I noticed after observing these monsters for quite some time.

I carefully hid behind the nearest boulder and made sure to conceal my presence as much as possible. And just like me, the frog was not moving. This was the typical behavior that these monsters would show when they were trying to catch a monster bee. For me, I personally called this behavior Playing Dumb. Why? Because that was technically what these frogs were trying to do. Whenever they hunt a bee, they would act as if they haven't noticed the bee and then suddenly capture it using their tongue. Yes, it was vastly different from how they acted when they were after me.

After quite some time, the dumb bee finally lowered its altitude and was captured by the whip-like tongue of the Giant Frog. As the Giant Frog pulled its tongue and swallowed the bee, I dashed out of my hiding place and leaped towards the frog's back. While letting out a growl, I bit the Giant frog's nape. As my fangs pierced the Giant Frog's flesh, I felt something hard hit the tip of my fangs. That hard object beyond the flesh was the Giant Frog's spinal cord. In all honesty, I could just break it using the immense strength of my jaw and my sturdy fangs. But these Giant Frogs were incredibly tenacious that just breaking their spinal cord would not be able to kill it. That was why instead of simply breaking the spinal cord, I developed a tactic in which I will grab ahold of it and then pull it out with all my might.

Probably because of pain, the Giant Frog screeched and thrashed around violently. But it was too late. Because I already successfully ripped out its spinal cord and leaped away from its back. As the frog showed its last bit of resistance, I quietly watched as it slowly lost its remaining strength. After quite some time, the frog finally fell face down on the ground and breathed its last.

Once again, it was a successful hunt. With this, I could now replenish my strength and continue my journey. On top of that.

[Individual (Unnamed) is now Level 18]

'Nice. Two more level-ups and I would be able to evolve.' I thought as I walked towards the dead frog. 'I still could go on for now so I better eat this fast. Though, is it just my imagination or the monsters here made leveling up quite easy?' Seriously, I didn't know if it was because of my Potential Boost or the monsters here, but I am gaining levels at an incredible speed. From what I could remember from that time when I was just a normal wolf, reaching the second stage of evolution takes some time. In the pack of my late wolf father, Great Wolves were the minority. That was why being a Great Wolf is of great importance and reaching such form meant that a wolf would hold a commanding position on the pack. That could only mean that leveling up was no easy feat and that was why there were only a few Great Wolves. 'If so, what was the reason I am leveling up this fast? Is it because the monsters here are all high levels?'

While I was trying to solve this mystery, I am also munching on the frog as fast as I could. But in the midst of eating, my Detect Malice warned me of incoming danger. Trusting my skill, I activated Haste and leaped out from my position at a breakneck speed. And that decision definitely saved my life. Because while I was still midair, I saw a long black blur dive into where I was before.

Probably pissed that its surprise attack had failed, a huge black snake was hissing at me with murderous intent. It was the true identity of that long black blur. And looks like while I was stalking the frog from behind, this thing was also cleverly sneaking behind me. 'This monster is dangerous!! My Detect Malice only managed to pick it up during the last second!' In hindsight, the snake probably had a skill that can counter detection type skills. Moreover, If I didn't have Haste, I would probably be dead right now. It was a stroke of incredible dumb luck, and for the first time since I received it, I gave thanks to that loathsome title.

Because this was my first time seeing such a monster, I used Assess on the snake. And just like before, the information it displayed was the obvious [Snake]. 'Well, at least it will rise in rank if I keep on using it.' As I was thinking such things, I felt a sudden wave of fear. But for some unknown reason, it only lasted for a moment, and it disappeared rather quickly.

I didn't know if it was connected to that momentary fear, but the snake became more pissed after that. Then with terrifying speed, the snake launched itself towards me.

I hastily activated Haste and got away from the snake. But the next thing I knew, the snake had already closed the gap between us. Honestly, the snake was incredibly fast. It was to the point that I needed to keep Haste active just to keep up with its speed. To make matters worse, I couldn't find any opening to attack. It was a problem with physiology. If I tried to strike it with my fangs, the snake would surely coil around me and crush me to death. Of course, I'm sure it also has an incredibly deadly poison. 'Damn it! What should I do?!'

I ran and the snake would follow, it was a deadly game of tag. A game in which the loser would become the nutrition for the winner. And During that game of tag, I also considered simply running away like I always do. But with the snake's speed, turning my back to it would mean certain death. 'Shit, I'm starting to feel tired. Looks like keeping Haste active for too long isn't a good idea!'

I desperately tried to keep Haste active even though my body was getting heavier by the second. Yet despite my best efforts, I slipped up. For just a split second, I lost control of the skill, and it deactivated. But I knew. For the snake, that split second was enough. And just like what I had thought, the snake caught up and it bit me near the neck.

Of course, before the snake managed to coil around my body, I reactivated Haste and moved away fast. But unlike before, the snake didn't try to chase after me. It just stopped a few distances away from me as if assured of its victory. And the snake was right on the money. Because it didn't take too long for my body to feel numb. As I desperately tried to stand on my shaky legs, I saw a notification blinking on the corner of my vision. And it read as follows.

[Status: Poisoned]