Chapter 12 Core Color System

Ethoss sat patiently inside of his burrow. He had killed and eaten two more armored hedgehogs gaining two more biomass however none were containing a monster core.

It wasn't even an hour that passed and soon enough there was movement at the dirt hill. Just like before, out came one of the white rodents. It would walk a couple of steps and then stop to listen to its surroundings, if it didn't pick up anything it would continue its movement again.

Ethoss had moved from his first position and was inside another hole closer to the left side of the hill, which was a blindside for the white rodents. Just like before though, the creatures never closed the opening that was visible on the hill.

To Ethoss It was obvious what their hunting strategy was. He watched and waited as the white creature got further and further away.

After watching for about six minutes the rodent had gotten far enough from the hill, Ethoss rushed out of his hole, activating his camouflage all in the process.

[Camouflage has reached level 4]

He ignored the voice and concentrated on catching up to his target without being spotted too fast. It wasn't until he had reached approximately 2 meters away from the rodent that it heard his movements, it instantly turned around.

He had specifically made sure to stay in front of the dirt hill opening direction, giving it no chance to get past him without direct contact. When Ethoss got close enough he twisted and threw his body with all his force.

Tail Whip!

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This time, the white creature morphed its two arms and tail into a blade and struck back, trying to block the incoming large tail. As the tail made contact, sparks flew in every direction, his green scales were hard enough to deal with the blade without being injured.

Ethoss then countered, lifting his claws and reaching for the rodent's long torso. Due to the small creature's low defense, as soon as the Ethoss's claw touched its body it tore its chest open. He could feel the rib bones being broken and snapped as he cut through each one.

Blood seeped out of the small rodent's body, its snowy white fur slowly being dyed crimson red. It wobbled on its two feet, finding it hard to keep its balance, yet, its dot-like emotionless eyes made it seem as if it felt no pain.

However, Ethoss cared very little for the sentiments, all he wanted was to stop his prey from resisting. He clawed at the white rodent again.

Claw Swipe!

[Claw Swipe has reached level 4]

His claws went through the monster's fur and skin like butter, cutting it completely in half this time. Its intestines hung from its upper body and the organs littered the ground like trash. It had finally died, yet it never even made a peep.

No cries, no grunts, nothing. It seemed odd to Ethoss, all the other monsters that fell to him cried and grunted in pain, yet this small creature hadn't made a sound.

This was important, however, he still had to eat his fill. He grabbed the two halves of the monster's body and tucked them in his mouth, his jaw was flexible to the point where he could just swallow the monster whole.

[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Ferrum Ferret, you are rewarded one Biomass]

[Basic profile of the Ferrum Ferret unlocked]

[You have defeated level 5 Ferrum Ferret]

[You have gained XP]

[You have achieved level 2, One skill point awarded]

[You have been awarded one Biomass]

Ethoss gulped down the creature, now known as a ferret, he didn't even need to chew due to how small the monster was. He turned around and moved back towards the tunnels that were around the hill.

He entered, simultaneously licking the air, sensing if anything had entered the tunnels. No luck, the tunnels were empty. Now that he had saved up 6 biomass he wanted to level up his mutations.

He looked through the status in his mind and decided on which body parts he would mutate this time. His new goal was to get all his mutations to + 2 now.

[Do you want to purchase Teeth +2, Eyes +2, and Claws +2? This will cost 6 biomass.]

He confirmed.

The frosty sensation flowed through his mouth, upper head area, and claws. It felt odd having the cooling sensations on some of his most sensitive spots, yet it wasn't a bad feeling. He let out a low his, it was like he was getting rejuvenated.

Just as fast as it came, it soon disappeared, leaving Ethoss a little sad his relaxation couldn't last a longer. He pulled up his status menu for a quick peek.

Name: Ethoss

Level: 2 (Red Core)

Strength: 30

Toughness: 33

Cunning: 50

Will: 27

HP: 25/25

MP: 10/0

Skills[Attack]: Venomous Bite level 3; Tail Whip level 3, Claw Swipe level 4

Skills[Support]: Dash level 4, Deep Night Vision(II) level 1, Camouflage level 4, Dig level 3

Mutations: Jacobson's organ +2, Legs +1, Eyes +2, Scales +2, Claws +2, Teeth +2

Species: Aeternus Lacerta Hatchling(Male)

Biomass: 0

Skill Point: 2

Glancing at the status he noticed something he hadn't peeped the first time around after his evolution. Red Core? Then it hit him, he also had a red core tucked away in his cave.

Could it be that the red core was the first core that all monsters got? Then did that mean the core would change the color later on?

[Monster Cores are the life force that holds mana for a monster. Absorbing other monster cores allows the core to condense more mana and grow larger along with the monster, gaining more MP in the process. As the core grows larger and becomes denser, it starts to change color. The colors change in the order stated below:

Red(I)

Orange(II)

Yellow(III)

Green(IV)

Cyan(V)

Blue(VI)

Violet(VII)

White(VIII)]

Ethoss felt enlightened after hearing this information. He was learning more and more about his status every day.

With this newfound information he wanted to absorb a core as soon as possible, he looked towards the dirt hill being reminded of the 30-minute wait had to endure in order to get one of the ferrets to come out.

He didn't feel like waiting here anymore, he had a core in his cave that needed absorbing. His excitement wasn't allowing him to have the patients to wait another 30 minutes for a single ferret. Making up his mind he walked out of the hole and walked in the direction of his cave.

Unknown to Ethoss there was another scaled creature stalking him as he walked away from the hill. Saliva drooped from its mouth and its teeth shined with from the light.

***

[Monster Profile: Ferrum Ferret, Blade Ferret. A small monster preferably used as bait for the family, It is a puppet of its queen. Don't be fooled by its cute appearance, watch out for its scythe-like hands and tail. Can be found on the first and second stratum of the Great Aeternus Labyrinth.]