This armor better make everything I hold also light!

Zach heaved the massive alligator’s body onto his shoulder before launching himself upward.

The jump propelled him high into the air, and he reached for a thick branch of a towering tree. His fingers caught hold just in time, but the weight of the alligator almost yanked him off balance. His armor’s weightless effect helped, but it also made controlling his movements tricky. He swayed, nearly losing his grip, before finally steadying himself.

“Damn thing weighs a ton,” he muttered, adjusting his hold.

Below, the walking fish charged toward the tree. It moved faster than anything its size should have been able to, its muscular legs sending mud flying in all directions. The fish stopped at the tree’s base and craned its grotesque head upward, its eyes locked on Zach.

Then it spat.

A glob of greenish saliva shot upward, hissing through the air. Zach ducked, and the spit slammed into the branch above him, immediately dissolving a chunk of it with a wet sizzle.

“Fantastic,” he growled.

More globs followed, hitting the tree trunk and other branches, leaving behind patches of steaming, decayed wood. One spit flew dangerously close, splashing onto the edge of the alligator’s tail.

The sound was sickening—a low, wet hiss as the flesh began to disintegrate. Zach grimaced.

“Guess you’re my shield now,” he muttered to the lifeless creature.

The walking fish continued its assault, spitting more globs of saliva at rapid intervals. Zach shifted the alligator’s corpse, angling it to block the shots. Each hit produced a grotesque sound as the saliva ate away at the tough scales. The stench of rotting meat filled the air, making his stomach churn.

His arms burned from the effort of holding the beast. The weightlessness of the armor helped, but the sheer size of the alligator made it an exhausting task. He gritted his teeth, thankful that his previous injuries had healed during his level-ups.

With a deep breath, he leapt from the branch. He shot upward, soaring higher than before. From this height, the fish couldn’t reach him with its attacks.

Despite the weight of the alligator, it wasn't making him descend at a fast pace.

Zach glanced at the alligator’s massive body. He tightened his grip on his axe and brought it down hard on the creature’s stomach. Each strike made his arms ache, but he kept going until the tough scales and flesh finally gave way.

The walking fish watched from below, unable to reach him. Its head bobbed as it tracked his movements, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

The stench hit him first—pungent and sharp, the unmistakable smell of stomach acid wafted out. Zach didn’t hesitate. He shoved his hand into the cavity, grimacing as the acid immediately ate through the metal of his glove. He barely managed to absorb the melting glove and acid into his body before it could cause serious damage.

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He took the liberty to absorb some fat too.

“Could’ve gone worse,” he muttered, shaking off the faint sting on his skin.

He considered using his quantum entanglement ability to link his skin and armor, but had quickly dismissed the idea. If the acid melted his armor while entangled, like it partially did to his glove, it would drag him down with it. The thought of his body dissolving into nothing was enough to push the idea out of his head entirely.

The walking fish paced below, clearly agitated but unable to reach him. Zach let out a sharp yell, deactivating the weightlessness of his armor. He began plummeting toward the ground. The fish bolted at the last second, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the alligator’s falling corpse.

As Zach hit the ground, he slammed his chest plate to reactivate the weightless effect, cushioning the impact. He let out a breath, adrenaline coursing through him.

“Alright,” he growled.

The fish hissed and charged. Its long, slimy tongue shot out, glistening with its saliva. Zach raised a hand and unleashed an acid blast—a mix of the alligator’s stomach acid and it's fat that he turned into oil.

The concoction splattered against the fish’s scales, the oily acid stuck to it, searing its flesh.

The creature screamed, a horrible, guttural noise that echoed through the trees.

Zach hurled his axe, the head detaching mid-throw and spinning toward the fish like a buzz saw. It struck the creature’s shoulder, burying itself deep.

“Damn it, missed the head,” he muttered, clenching his fist to recall the axe head. It yanked free with a wet, sickening sound, and the fish stumbled in pain.

Zach assumed the detachment worked when it didn't make contact with something while in motion.

He thought, should he try using his quantum skill? No. He would need to make direct contact with that thing, he wanted to avoid that.

Zach plan was simple. He just kept swinging the axe in its direction, watching the blade fly to it and sink into its flesh. And repeat.

The creature flailed wildly, its screeches growing weaker as the pain consumed it.

Zach kept his distance, watching as the fish’s movements slowed. Finally, it collapsed.

He approached cautiously, poking it with his feet a few times to ensure it was dead. The system's notification always seemed to have a bit of a delay or it would just never pop up.

Satisfied, he swung his axe, severing the creature’s head in one clean motion.

[Congratulations! You have defeated: Walking Fish (Level 14)]

[Experience gained]

Zach stared at the head for a moment, frowning. He hadn’t been given a vial or container to collect the saliva. He sighed, hoisting the head up.

Rivulets of saliva dripped from its slackened jaw. The acrid smell made him wrinkle his nose.

He absorbed the entire head, not wanting to touch the acid. That wasn't all. He separated the torso from the rest of the body and absorbed it.

He mainly wanted the acid in its stomach. The calcium phosphate, collagen, and marrow in the ribcage would also be valuable, he figured. The calcium would be used to reinforce matter. Marrow and collagen to assist in recovery.

He tightened his grip and glanced up at the vines swaying above the purple pond. Somewhere among the trees, the predatory bird was perched, waiting.

He imagined its four wings flapping as it dove down, talons itching to shred his exposed face, or worse, a glob of saliva from another walking fish hitting him mid-fight. The idea of dealing with that, plus the possibility of a second ambush, gnawed at his patience.

Zach shook his head. “Not worth it.”

Turning his back to the vines, he strode away.

Pulling out Abram’s map, he traced his finger to the next marked location, a hill. The double-headed caterpillar was his target. Its venom reportedly caused nerve pain so intense it left victims paralyzed and screaming for hours.

His eyes lingered on another marked creature: the blue-tailed ant. The notes indicated it produced a fear gas capable of inducing crippling terror in anyone who inhaled it.

Zach grimaced. He didn’t have a countermeasure for something like that—not yet, anyway.

He rolled up the map and tucked it into his pouch. For now, he had a clear goal.

With his axe in hand, Zach headed toward the location of the double-headed caterpillar.