Day 3
Moonlight filtered through the dense canopy of trees, casting eerie shadows on the forest floor. I stumbled over gnarled roots and tangled underbrush, my stomach growling like a caged beast.
"I'm so hungry!" I complained for the past two days. Normally, I was quite the science nerd and watched so much Animal Planet and Crocodile Hunter. But all that knowledge seemed distant and useless now as I struggled to keep my bearings in this seemingly endless forest.
"Ugh, why couldn't I have paid more attention to Bear Grylls?" I muttered to myself, desperately scanning the surroundings for anything edible.
"Hey, come on," I tried to reason with myself. "You're practically a walking' encyclopedia about plants and animals. You can figure this out." My mind raced as I recalled facts about which berries were safe to eat and which ones could kill me in an instant. But knowing' something' in theory and applying it in practice were two entirely different things.
"Okay, deep breaths," I told myself, feeling the panic rise like bile in my throat. "Focus."
This forest is entirely crazy, I thought, as I took in the sight of twisted vines, gnarled trees, and the cacophony of unfamiliar sounds from hidden creatures. The environment felt alien and hostile as if nature itself was conspiring against me.
“Because talkin’ to yourself is helpin' matters, mate,” Dashi said, much to my annoyance. The dragonfly was unhelpful and constantly made jokes and ran away from whatever more giant and scary bugs, monsters, or walking' plants that came by. Both Deav and Dashi are not helpful at finding' food!
[You are hungry! Hunger: 40%]
"We know," the three of us screamed at the floating' text. I tried everything to sate my hunger. I tried the many different plants and fruits I could find and even tried rocks. The [hunger] meter didn't budge an inch.
All I got was Hunger and Poison resistance. I unlocked those two when I tried this weird fruit with little stars on it next to colorful frogs bigger than a house. Thank you, all-mighty, cause those things like eating the fruits bigger than a house.
Yeah, this forest is enormous. But I did get an excellent notification for doing that.
[Monster Bio: Dragons, Dinosaur, Kaiju: Carnivore, Carnivore, Carnivore: Consume the remains of fallen creatures as food.]
I always wanted to try an all-meat diet, but I loved rice too much to give up.
Hunger Resistance (F): Level 1 -> Level 5
Due to exposure to the Sun for massive periods, you gain Heat Resistance (F), which reduces damage from all heat sources.
"Well, I'm boned. Meh, you win some, you lose some." Dashi deadpanned at the hunger resistance going' up by four levels. Usually, it takes days even to level up once. Too bad they're going to die in about twelve hours for that rapid growth to even matter.
"Just point me to find food, you stupid jerk." At least I feel less hungry than before. I should check my HP.
Status:
Codex:
Name: Dracul Vespasian
Race: Primeval Eggling
Subrace: Elemental Dragonling (Eastern, Western), Zilla Kaiju (Reptilian), Dinosaur (Archosauromorpha, Archosauriformes)
Health: 40/120
Mana: 150/150
Class: Fighter, Lv: 1
Traits: 12
Attributes:
Strength: 16
Vitality: 14
Agility: 12
Dexterity: 10
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 8
Charisma: 8
Willpower: 12
Skills:
Shell Bash (F) - Level 1: Propel yourself forward and bash into an enemy with your hard shell, dealing physical damage and potentially stunning them.
Mana Cost: 10 MP
Camouflage (F) - Level 1: Blend into your surroundings briefly, making it harder for enemies to detect you.
Mana Cost: 15 MP
Elemental Ball (F)—Level 1: Unleash a small burst of elemental energy from your mouth. This will deal damage based on your chosen element (fire, ice, lightning, etc.) and cause a minor elemental effect (burn, freeze, shock, etc.).
Mana Cost: 20 MP
Traits:
Imbue Hard Shell (F)
Regenerative Bulk (F)
Titanic Strength (F)
Savage Instinct (F)
Blood Sense (F)
Savage (F)
Rampart (F)
Blood Absorb (F)
Primeval Discipline (F)
Poison Resistance (F)
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Hunger Resistance (F)
Level: 5
(New) Heat Resistance (F): Reduces damage from all heat sources.
At least it's easier to read this time, and it looks like I gained information on new skills only once.
I should start hunting, but it's hard to do when I'm a crocodile egg thing?! I stayed far away from any monsters that were very close to my rank, which didn't show up for some reason. I don't have to worry about finding' drinking' water. My body is able to take both salt and fresh water. I tried bugs and other insects, but they did nothing for me. Granted, I never tried to eat anything bigger than myself.
Primeval Egglings suck, man. I don't feel like a dragon or kaiju. Dashi and Deav keep going on and on about how special my race was, but it's not that good.
I don't even know how to level up. Do I have to defeat monsters? There was no way I could do this! I can't even move sideways. What the heck is even an Eggling?
I can't even hunt. I don't think a shell bash can kill anything! This skill is not good; it's just me running my hard shell and a big mouth. Maybe I should hunt the more significant bugs?
"Ugur."
"What the heck was that?" the three of us said simultaneously. I turned around and saw the ugliest thing ever—a big, fat, disgusting, pink thing with four legs. The smell was so bad that I almost fainted.
"What the heck is that?" It was about the size of a car, but it had a giant hole in its belly with tentacles on the inside. "Um, Dashi, what is that thing?" I mentally asked the dragonfly in my mindscape.
"A monster, of course. It's a Slime, an advanced species of Ooze."
"A slime?"
"Yep, and an advanced one at that. The pink means that it is a wind slime."
How the heck does pink mean wind? Can I even see its stats?
"That would be my job," Deav said, taking control of the conversation.
Race: Slime
Subrace: Pink Ooze (Wind)
Health: 20/20
Mana: 8/15
Traits: 6
Attributes:
Strength: 5
Vitality: 11
Agility: 2
Dexterity: 3
Intelligence: 1
Wisdom: 0
Charisma: 0
Willpower: 7
Skills:
Bubble (F) - Level 4: Release a stream of bubbles that damage enemies and have a chance to put them to sleep.
Tentacle Lash (F) - Level 4: Whip out a tentacle to strike an enemy, potentially stunning them.
Traits:
Acid (F) - Level 3: A thin acid layer covers the skin.
Water (F) - Level 4: Water mana makes up 85% of its makeup.
Poison (F) - Level 3: Poisoned mana makes up 20% of its makeup.
Regenerative (F) - Level 3: Allows it to heal one health per second.
Ooze (F)—Level 2: Ooze is part of its body. When damaged, pieces of ooze fall off. When reabsorbed, it can recover 3% of its HP.
Magic: Wind Magic (F)—Level 2 allows it to control the air and wind around it.
Title:
Egg Hunter: A person or thing that hunts for eggs. When fighting eggs, they take 50% more damage.
When the three of us heard that the monster's name title was Egg Hunter, we dropped our jaws in shock.
I'm an Eggling. Does that mean—
"Yeah, it will try to kill us," Dashi said.
"But it's smaller than me!"
"As I told you before, monsters are not a thing of logic but of chaos. It does not matter that you are larger or have higher attributes. You are an egg, and it will attack you without hesitation."
"So how am I supposed to beat this thing, then?!" It was slime, and I'm a physical attacker.
I don't even open my jaws that wide.
"You are a dragon. Use your claws!" Dashi screamed out.
Taking a deep breath, I readied myself. The slime oozed closer, its tentacles writhing menacingly. I had to act fast.
"Shell Bash!" I roared, propelling myself forward in a straight line. My hard shell collided with the slime, sending it rolling back, but the impact activated Rampart, increasing my momentum and knocking it further than expected.
The slime quickly reformed, its tentacles lashing out. I barely dodged one, feeling it graze my shell.
The slime retaliated, releasing a stream of bubbles. One hit me, and I felt a strange drowsiness wash over me. I shook it off, focusing on the fight.
"Careful, those bubbles can put you to sleep," Dashi warned.
With my claws, I lunged at the slime, slashing through its gelatinous body. It screeched and retracted its tentacles before lashing out again, wrapping one around my leg and pulling me towards its gaping maw.
I struggled, using Titanic Strength to pry the tentacle off. With a roar, I activated "Power Strike!" and delivered a mighty blow, feeling the satisfying crunch as the slime recoiled.
"Good hit, Dracul. Keep the pressure on!" Deav encouraged.
The slime's tentacles whipped towards me, and I dodged as many as I could, but one hit me hard, knocking the wind out of me. My Imbue Hard Shell absorbed most of the damage, but I could feel the strain.
"Focus, Dracul. Use your claws!" Deav's voice echoed in my mind.
I summoned all my strength and lunged at the slime, claws outstretched. "Savage Instinct!" kicked in, increasing my damage and resistance. I slashed at the slime, tearing through its body. It writhed and screeched, its form losing cohesion.
The slime retaliated again, releasing another stream of bubbles. I dodged, but not quickly enough. One bubble hit me, and I felt my limbs grow heavy. I fought through the drowsiness, focusing on the slime.
"You're doing great! Keep it up!" Dashi encouraged.
I felt a surge of adrenaline. The slime was weakening, and my Blood Sense sharpened, increasing my speed and power. I closed in, determined to finish it off.
With a final roar, I activated "Elemental Ball!" and unleashed a burst of fire. The fireball hit the slime, causing it to sizzle and shrink. I followed up with another "Shell Bash!" propelling myself forward and hitting the slime with overwhelming force.
The slime screeched and exploded into a gooey mess. I stood there, panting, covered in slime. The forest was silent once more.
"Well done, Dracul," Deav said, his voice filled with pride.
"You kicked its butt!" Dashi cheered.
I felt a surge of satisfaction. I had won. I had defeated the slime. But I knew this was just the beginning. There were bigger and tougher challenges ahead. For now, though, I allowed myself a moment of triumph, feeling my Regenerative Bulk slowly heal my wounds.
[You have leveled up! Level: 2]
[Attributes Increased!]
Strength: 16 -> 18
Vitality: 14 -> 16
Agility: 12 -> 14
Dexterity: 10 -> 12
Intelligence: 10 -> 12
Wisdom: 8 -> 10
Charisma: 8 -> 10
Willpower: 12 -> 14
[Health Increased: 40/120 -> 55/150] + 15= 55/155]
[Mana Increased: 80/150 -> 90/160]
I felt the surge of energy as my wounds healed faster and my body grew stronger. The system notification confirmed my progress, and I knew I was on the right path.
"You're growing' stronger, Dracul. Keep it up!" Dashi exclaimed.
"Remember, with each battle, you gain experience and power. Use it wisely," Deav advised.