{Day 7- part 2}
After resting for a while, I had only one goal on my mind right now, grinding EXP.
EXP, EXP, EXP today the monsters in this forest were going to become nothing but EXP fodder for me to use! Mwahahaha. Cough. Cough.
Time for some solo levelling!
Today, the breeze was calm, the air cool and ticklish. It was the perfect day to go out on a hunt.
Leaving the safety of my warm lovely home I began humming, as I used my tiny little black legs to skip outside. From an outsider’s point of view this would have looked very odd, I mean a cicada skipping around a forest, now you don't see that every day.
Anyway, whilst to the common eye it might have looked like I was goofing around enjoying the atmosphere I was actually searching the area for any lurking monsters.
I was looking for something around my skill level or lower though, maybe something a bit stronger than me, but nothing darn right crazy. I wasn't looking to die today oh nononono, I still valued my small little insect life.
Anyway, so there I was scouring through the jungle like terrain, looking for a new opponent. A new challenge. In particular I hoped that it would be a new species, in which case I could have the chance to nab a useful new skill using my Void Eater.
However, luck wasn't on my side today and instead of encountering a new dangerous species, I instead found two average sized hulk caterpillars grazing on the grass together. Awwwwh how cute, what a lovely little family.
"Killing time!"
Kekekeke.
Looking at them with a devious grin on my face I gradually crawled closer using my stealth skill to integrate with the surroundings in a full ninja style, hahahaha you might as well call me nincada!
Just as I was about to go in for the attack out of nowhere a large green hulk caterpillar came out of the bushes. No, to call it large would be an understatement, this thing was colossal for its species, even if monsters where enlarged this was a bit over the top.
I quickly glanced at this behemoth looking like monster mountain, which was in front of me, it had the same colour patterns as a normal hulk caterpillar, but its height was of around a junior-sized hockey stick and it was around 1/2 a metre long compared to the normal 10cm long hulk caterpillars.
You've got to be joking.
This was no ordinary caterpillar, right in front of me was a hulk daddy! Yes, that's what I decided to call it from now, hulk daddy.
A creeping amount of anxiety crawled up on me as I gazed at it, sweat profusely leaving my body as if it too had become frightened of the monster in front of me. Whichever Dev God's had created this monster had definitely been taking the piss!
After staring at it in awe for around 5 minutes, I came to a decision. Yes, it looked big, bad and strong but if I couldn't go through with it then how would I ever become stronger?
I reminded myself no matter how big it was, compared to the others it was still a hulk caterpillar. I could defeat it... defeat it ... defeat it, yes, I could definitely defeat it!
Looks like those repeat the phrase to actualise it crap on the internet actually worked a bit, because I started feeling a bit more confident in myself.
From what I knew most of the monsters that I had encountered or had any sort of experience with, which were not many, where extremely stupid and had little to no intelligence, excluding those spiders of course. Yeah, those spiders were an anomaly, a really odd bunch. Compared to those spiders these caterpillars were nothing.
From when I was a human, I'd remembered a fitting phrase for something like this. From, what I could still remember it went something like 'Knowledge is power' if my memory still served me correct, and these caterpillars had no knowledge so in a sense they had no power!
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I quickly opened my status screen.
STATUS.
[Name: None]
[Class: None]
[Species: Common Venom Cicada]
[Level: 5/10 [XP: 126/210 [Status: Prepared]
[HP: 39/39 [MP: 15/15 [Stamina: 100/110]
[Stats:
Strength : 19
Defense : 10
Speed : 29
Intelligence : 36
Luck : -10 ]
[Skills: Weak poison bite (lvl 1), Poison stab(lvl 1), Acidic mucus(lvl 4), Stealth(lvl 1), Bull strength(lvl 1), Water shot(lvl 1), Flame body(lvl 1)]
[Titles: Early Riser, Void Eater, Loved By Mana]
Here my speed was my best asset to use. With it being 29 it would be much faster than those sluggish hulks. Okay after thinking for a while, it was time to unleash my plan. I call it Operation Bertholdt. My plan was quite simple, I was going to use my flame body skill too quickly bash into the average sized hulk caterpillars.
Then after killing them run around the forest being chased by the large one until its stamina run out, at least I hoped it would run out. If not, I would take the aerial root and fly away to rethink my plan.
Alright, everything was ready, everything was sorted out.
OPERATION BERTHOLDT COMMENCE, PROCEEDING TO DESTROY WALL CATERPILLAR!
As quickly as my legs could move, I rushed my body towards the two smaller hulks, enwrapping my body in flames using flame body on my way. With a Tarzan like yell I rammed into both of them at the same time as they were grazing on the grass unaware of what was happening.
Just like that their fragile bodies proceeded to get burned with a red-hot flame as they slowly became overtaken by the fire. Just to make sure the deed was done, and I repeat again just for that reason, I proceeded to ram into them multiple times again and again and again. I had to make sure they were dead, it wasn’t for any other reason, I’m not a sadist okay! After all, only when they were dead could I gain exp from them. Furthermore, these hulks were quite the persistent couple.
They yelled out a little screech noise, as they looked for help from the big daddy hulk, however by the time it turned around to witness the act all that was left was chargrilled caterpillar pie.
[You've gained 512 exp]
[Congratulations, you've gained 2 levels]
STATUS.
[Name: None]
[Class: None]
[Species: Common Venom Cicada]
[Level: 7/10 [XP: 188/270 [Status: Prepared]
[HP: 45/45 [MP: 25/25 [Stamina: 100/110]
[Stats:
Strength : 19 >> 23
Defense : 10 >> 15
Speed : 29 >> 34
Intelligence : 36 >> 38
Luck : -10 ]
[Skills: Weak poison bite (lvl 1), Poison stab(lvl 1), Acidic mucus(lvl 4), Stealth(lvl 1), Bull strength(lvl 1), Water shot(lvl 1), Flame body(lvl 1)]
[Titles: Early Riser, Void Eater, Loved By Mana]
Done, I turned around to feel an imposing aura.
One look at that thing and I could tell.... it was not happy. Damn I screwed up.
With a fit of rage the hulk daddy, sent me a death glare. As if telling me you’re not going anywhere your life ends now... right here right now. After, glaring me down it proceeded to make odd sounding noises.
"Budulu Bu Bud Bullu!". It said menacingly.
Well, what on the planet of Elicia was it trying to say.
Out of mere frustration as well as mockery I decided to respond.
"Bu Bulula Budulu Buk Bu Bululu!".
After saying that it seemed to become twice as enraged. Oh no why is it getting mad? Immediately after speaking I noticed some changes; its previously green skill had become a glossy satin black colour. Damn this does not look good.
[You've gained a new skill, language of Bu!]
[You have improved the caterpillar language congratulations you've gained a new title, Advanced Caterpillar Conversationalist]
Not now system!
Wait, wait, wait, wait don't actually tell me that nonsense that came out of my mouth was actually their official language. That can't be, that's absolute bullshit, what is going on!
Confused and both frightful of my new language comprehension, I asked the system what it and I had just said, since I now apparently knew the language of Bu.
[Host, it seems that the 'Hulk Daddy', or whatever you call it, asked you why you killed its children and that you needed an especially good reason otherwise it will kill you, brutally.
Wow, it was not happy with me. Fearful of what was coming next, I asked the system to proceed and interpret my response.
[In return you said, suck my ass you filthy motherf*cker, if you don't shut up I'll eat the rest of your children. That is most probably why it is even more enraged.]
Wait... what! Are you actually crazy I didn't even mean to say that! All I was doing was making a few mocking noises, nothing else. How did it get translated into that? Hmm, I see where my -10 luck stat is coming into play.
Berserk and in a frenzy the hulk daddy came chasing after me at bullet like speed. It was obvious that it had enhanced its body with its ability and probably others as well.
Quickly, I jerked my body to the side managing to dodge the cater-train by a millimetre. This caused the hulk daddy to continue accelerating and crash straight into a tree.
"Great, that should kill him, there is no way he survived that impact", I began shouting in glee.
Oh, how wrong I was. What happened next was simple but unbelievable. The tree that the hulk daddy had crashed into made a loud crack sound before toppling over onto the floor.
It was at that moment; I knew I f*cked up! One hit, all it would take was one hit from that thing and I would be dead.
Should I flee? Should I fight? Would I be able to escape this thing? Or would I be able to beat it?