I was mad.

Looking at that tiny glass vial made me extremely angry.

I fought giant crab-demons, ran from a horde of ten-foot-tall gorillas, and nearly got roasted alive all for that?

Not worth it. Not worth it at all.

There wasn't even any food attached. I was stuck in the same situation as before I opened the loot box.

Those Cirilka might be edible, but there's probably a ton of things that could go wrong while eating demons. Also, they wouldn't even give me a source of water.

I turned back towards the pool.

Was I really going to try that?

I walked closer, stopping to stand over the edge. I had to squint and shield my eyes somewhat due to the light.

The liquid definitely wasn't water or anything I was familiar with. The closest thing I could compare it to would be some sort of light-blue sports drink, one that emits huge amounts of light.

I crouched down and stuck my finger into the pool.

It was ice cold, but I noticed that it also made my skin tingle. The sensation wasn't very noticeable at first, but the longer I kept my hand in the stuff the more obvious it became. After around fifteen seconds, it stopped getting more intense.

I still didn't know if it was poisonous or not, but it at least wasn't directly harmful to my skin.

Standing up quickly, I started thinking about my second problem.

My claw-sword hadn't been very damaged from the fireball. In fact, the Cirilka claw barely looked like it had been touched at all. Besides minor blackening on the edges and it feeling a little hotter, it was unchanged. The Cirilka probably had some sort of protection against heat and fire.

Wait, did demons have the same access to skills I did?

Something to think about later.

Right now, I was more interested in the bits of Cirilka meat hanging from the claw.

I was definitely going to have to go out in the heat and take a closer look at the bodies.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

....

The clearing looked just as gruesome as before, with dead Cirilka strewn around and blood everywhere.

I walked up to the closest one, a smaller Cirilka with a damaged shell. Breaking off part of a joint, I held up a small piece of white meat.

Man, being so diligent just isn't my style. If this gives me a bellyache or whatever, so be it. I'm hungry.

I bit off some of the crab.

Tasteless.

Wait no, there was a bit of spice in there.

It was also really chewy, which made sense considering it was raw meat.

Disappointingly, it tasted nothing like an actual crab. I've only eaten crab once or twice, but I really liked it. Instead of that, I get this weird chewy meat fiber that tastes like flour.

I actually took a while to swallow the thing, and my gag reflex kicking in didn't help either.

Iron Stomach: Level 1 Acquired

Honestly, I was expecting to get a level in some kind of poison resistance skill, but I got this instead. It still sounds like it has something to do with poison resistance, but not directly. If I have it, maybe I won't have to worry about bad food making me sick?

Great. That means I can eat more Cirilka.

It took a bit of effort, but I managed to drag the carcass into the cave by the pool. The cave was a lot cooler than the outside, so I was guessing it would take longer for the Cirilka to spoil.

I was nearly finished dragging a second Cirilka inside when a new demon slinked into the clearing.

It was just a bit taller than me, with dark green skin and long sinewy limbs. It appeared humanoid, and corded muscle was visible in its thin arms and legs.

It had a mantis-like head, with slit compound eyes and a wide mouth. A long spike grew from each of its forearms, both over two feet long.

The thing was bent over and moved with something of a limp. It was injured, with black blood dripping down its side from vicious slashes.

Cuspilem: Level 11

Commonly known as the knife-demon, these solitary things will use their arm-spikes to viciously rip through enemies. They enjoy wandering around by themselves and picking fights, but they also hate running away, so if you see one rest assured knowing this thing will not be leaving until one of you is dead.

A level 11 demon. One that will not leave until I'm dead.

Before I could complain about my luck, the Cuspilem let out a snakelike hiss that swept through the whole clearing. It took two steps closer and got into what could only be described as a dueling stance, with its arms up and legs bent.

I was about to get into a fight with a level 11 demon. I had 4 hp. Four health.

Then the Cuspilem staggered, nearly falling to the ground, before regaining its footing and hissing once again.

I took notice of its wound. The slashes were deep and wide, covering nearly its whole side, and huge amounts of dried blood covered its body.

Taking a deep breath, I readied myself and focused. I had a chance here. This thing was heavily injured, and it was having a hard time staying on its feet. All I needed to do was get in a single good hit. That was all I needed to do.

I walked forwards, holding the Cirilka claw in front of me.

The Cuspilem suddenly dashed and stabbed towards my body with both of its arm-spikes.

I threw myself to the left and tried to slash the injured side of the demon.

It jumped back but I managed a shallow cut.

After getting distance, it let out another hiss. This one was louder.

"Come on asshole, is hissing all you can do?"

Then it blurred towards me, too fast to avoid, and stabbed me in the gut.