Hiding behind a tree in the dark, I try over and over again to bandage my cut and bleeding tentacle with some wild grass and my clumsy 3 other limbs.

Eventually, I manage something passable, at least enough to slow the blood loss and prevent me from bleeding to death in the next few hours.

Still, I feel anemic and hungry from the desperate escape earlier.

Even now, I can hear those annoying ape sounds coming from random places in the dark night forest, no doubt searching for little old me.

I sneer. It's time for the hunt to begin.

I enter my camouflage state. Coupled with the darkness, it's become even harder to see me.

Avoiding the leaves and branches on the ground as much as I could to avoid making any noise that would alert my prey, I approach the nearest ape.

After I ran a certain distance into the forest, the apes lost me. Then, they split up to search for me, making it possible for me to target them one by one.

The ape was looking all around with bloodshot eyes. Whether it's from lack of sleep, anger, or simply the bad hygiene of primitives, I don't know. All I know is that it's soon to be dead.

No greetings. No whispers. I did nothing to scare him. I simply got close until the very moment its gaze landed in my direction.

Then, before it could say or do anything, I shot my drill tongue right at its neck, piercing through its throat.

"Ock!" The ape gagged and coughed out blood. Its blood is red, not blue like mine.

His trembling eyeballs watched his blood dripping down and outlining my tongue, the weapon that killed him.

I pull my tongue back, making him stagger.

Then, the ape fell to the ground, on its side, blood pouring from his neck. Silent coughs came from its mouth, as he tried to say something, but no voice came out.

Killed stage 2 level 10 ko-o warrior. Gain 376 exp.

After the confirmation of its death, I broke open its chest with my drill tongue and started eating its meat and drinking its blood, to sate my hunger and restore the blood that I lost.

As I remembered from that brief taste before, the flesh and blood of these apes taste better than expected. Soon, I realize that it's not the taste of the food itself, but the sensation that comes with it. Something about eating the raw flesh of my freshly caught prey excites my monster instincts, making it taste better than it should.

I checked to see that I was very close to the next level again. Then, I picked up the ape's stone ax and moved on.

From atop a tree branch, I watch as an ape walked across.

I swing my tentacles from branch to branch, tree to tree, choosing strong branches carefully so that I don't make cause any creaking or rustling sounds.

Then, once close enough, I swung the ax at the back of the ape's neck.

"Ock!"

My aim was off and instead, the blade of the ax broke into the ape's skull, killing it right away.

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Killed stage 2 level 7 ko-o warrior. Gain 263 exp. Level +1

Now, I'm level 15.

Leaping from atop a tree, I jump right onto an ape's face, latching onto its head.

"Oooo! Ooof!"

Before it could properly react to my ambush, I plunge the stone sword that I stole from my last victim into its back and out its chest, silencing its cries.

Killed stage 2 level 6 ko-o warrior. Gain 226 exp.

I take its weapon to replace the one I used, so that I don't carry around as heavy a scent of blood.

The hunt continued like this for a while.

I maintained my focus as much as possible, so that I can kill the apes as quickly as possible, with one blow to their vitals each. It helps that although these apes have strong muscles, their defenses aren't as strong.

When an ape passes by a tree, I hack at its neck.

Killed stage 2 level 2 ko-o warrior. Gain 75 exp.

When an ape approaches a bush, I jump out and stab into its chest.

Killed stage 2 level 3 ko-o warrior. Gain 113 exp.

While an ape ran in fear from a large and scaleless snake monster that they encountered instead of me, I clubbed it in the face, knocking it out and letting it be finished by the snake, who swallowed it whole.

While an ape is being harassed by 4-winged bat monsters, I jump into the fray and hack its head.

Killed stage 2 level 10 ko-o warrior. Gain 376 exp. Level +1

Now, level 16.

Rarely do operations go on perfectly though, as eventually I miss my mark.

"OOo! Ooo! Ooo!" The ape, clutching its wounded shoulder, shouts and shrieks, most likely calling for reinforcements.

Not wanting to get surrounded, I immediately flee.

As expected, responses come back soon.

"Ooo!" "Ooo!" "Ooo!"

Apes begin to gather. But by then, I am no longer there.

Eventually, I find the ape, the ko-o warrior that cut off a piece of my tentacle, standing calmly in the dark woods, scanning around with his eyes. His crown and steel sword make it easy to recognize him.

I watch him from afar, glaring and clenching my tentacles in hate.

But my instincts, which I've come to recognize as my wild instincts, or monster instincts, tell me that I shouldn't get close, not unless I want to risk my life.

Just you wait...

I turn around and leave.

Hack!

Killed stage 2 level 8 ko-o warrior. Gain 301 exp. Level +1

Stab!

Killed stage 2 level 11 ko-o warrior. Gain 414 exp.

Smash!

Killed stage 2 level 1 ko-o warrior. Gain 38 exp.

The moment I twisted the head of an ape from behind, I get another notification of a level up.

Killed stage 2 level 3 ko-o warrior. Gain 113 exp. Level +1

By now, the apes have started to panic. I can see them hesitate in their steps, no longer as invigorated by their bloodlust and anger at me. Not only is it due to my repeated hunting of them. No, I can't drive in so much fear alone, not yet. It's also because other monsters have been attacking them in the dark.

"Oooo!" "OOoo!" "Ooo!" Sounds of their cries become more frequent all over the surrounding forest as the night went on.

In the process of hunting the apes, I also nearly clashed with a few monsters myself. These monsters had better instincts than the apes and could sense through my camouflage one way or another.

My adrenaline dying down, even as I broke open the chest of the last ape I killed and drank its blood to quench my thirst, I can feel my stamina lower and my fatigue mount.

"Oooo! OOo!" An ape shouted, having come near while I was drinking and seen its comrade's corpse. It waved its long arm as if inviting others to its location.

I immediately bolt.

Dragging my tentacles, I brought myself home, to the moonlit forest clearing.

I climb over the fence.

Still trembling from the weight of the treehouse, Sara looked in my direction. She seemed confused.

"Meow meow... (Sorry, no souvenirs this time...)" I weakly said.

Sara became shocked. As I came closer, she reached out the longer of her wooden branches, which soon picked me up and gently carried me over, to place me by her side.

She petted me comfortingly, like one would pet a cat.

Hey, who is the master here?

Number 1 and number 2, who somehow wiggled out of their cage, also came over and started crawling over me. I don't even have the strength to punish them right now, so I just give Sara a reminder not to let them escape, to which she nods.

Before long, they locked onto my cut tentacle.

Huh? When did my makeshift bandage fall off? My blue blood is slowly trickling down.

No wonder I feel so tired, and so sleepy.

My eyelids are drooping.

The last thing I glimpse for the night, is number 1 and number 2 spitting out and playing with their silk. Go to sleep, you little brats.

And then dark, pitch-black darkness.