So why then, did I not get the experience from eating the mosquitoes. Were they simply too weak for me to eat with additional benefits?

Ugh…

I banged my head into the side of the worm.

Splurt.

It was starting to get gross to sit inside the dead worm. The heat I’d felt when I first dived in was gone, and now I was just sitting in a cold and moist mouth.

It was probably time to dip.

I approached the opening to the worm’s mouth, bending down to where the light bled in.

Turning my head so my nostrils wouldn’t press into the worm, and suppressing my sense of smell by holding my breath, I glanced out into the world.

It must’ve been the day after, because when I hid, dark was falling. But now, it was bright once more.

At least that meant I could see better if there were any xaptors near by.

I watched the small area outside the mouth for a few minutes, dipping away from the opening to breathe.

No xaptors passed by. Had they left? Well if that was the case, then I’d better take advantage of the opening.

I ducked between the massive sharp teeth of the worm, taking care to scout more of the area as it became visible. Still no xaptors.

The ground pulsed as I climbed out. Footsteps.

Heavy ones.

Swiftly, I grabbed as much meat as I could carry from the slices on the worm’s side, and ran towards the woods.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

I dove to the brush and turned to see what monster had arrived.

Sailboat himself stood above the worm, prodding it with one of his muscular arms.

“Skraaw!” came the familiar calls of the Deotrexaptors.

Oh no, I thought. They’re gonna face off!

Seven Deotrexaptors came sprinting out of the undergrowth, crowding around the monstrous Sailboat. They hooted and clicked their teeth together as they ran around the massive lizard.

I squinted at Sailboat, using my skill to observe him.

Djanak, Jungle God [Lvl ???]

Sailboat is a Jungle God?!?!

Sailboat’s head had been tilting up to roar, before suddenly, it snapped down in my direction, looking straight at the bush I hid within.

“GYAAAAOOOOOOHHHHH!!”

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His roar shook the ground, and the trees blew forcefully in the wind that emanated from him. I stumbled backwards as I tried to observe the ability.

[Observant] isn’t a high enough level to obtain any details.

Great.

The xaptors that had been running around Sailboat paused as he roared, and their heads all turned towards me.

That was my cue to run.

And run I did.

I burst of the bush, in the opposite direction of the Jungle God. Evidently, the xaptors were not going to face off against Sailboat. In fact, they were probably working together!

Must be nice to have a clan.

I dodged low branches, jumping over large rocks, and avoiding anywhere I heard dino noises.

I could hear the pack catching up behind me.

I realized then how much larger I was. Previously, I’d probably stood at three feet. Now, I think I stood at five.

It made sense, since now I was actually able to touch the branches on the trees without jumping. And many of them I had to duck under.

I was actually close to the height of the Deotrexaptors now. But they were still faster than me.

Clicking echoed out behind me as they called for my blood.

I ran only faster.

Your [Flee] has leveled up. It is now level 3.

I felt myself pick up speed a little bit at that message, but whether it was hope or an actual improvement, I didn’t know.

Snapping teeth bit near my tail. I could feel the hot breath of one of the xaptors as I vaulted over a boulder.

How had Sailboat known where I was??

Your [Flee] has leveled up. It is now level 4.

I used my speed to slide underneath a tangle of branches, vines, and bushes. The agitated and angry calls shouted out in irritation as they stopped running to find their way around. I just kept sprinting as much as possible.

You've developed a new skill: [Slide Lvl 1].

If I tried to fight any of them, I’d probably lose. They weren’t babies, and they certainly weren’t level one.

I broke through the treeline as I stumbled away from my pursuers, and crashed into a brown pillar of muscle tipped with talons the size of my head.

I fell to the ground, the extra meat spilling everywhere, and looked up into the glaring yellow eyes of what I could only imagine was another Jungle God.

The head of the monster was nearly the size of Sailboat’s. Without accurate metrics, there was no way for me to say for sure, but he must’ve been a little bit shorter.

Except this guy reminded me of a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

He was brown, with black spots dotting his chest and head, giving him a sort of tribal hunter look. Two wicked and spiked horns sprouted from his skull, curling around his head like a deadly halo, and a thick white scar ran down the side of his face. His mouth was wet, dripping droplets of water down upon me, and he was the only one at the watering hole, at least until I’d shown up.

A fearsome thunder began in his bulky chest.

As I stared at him in fear, the magical boxes lent me some clarity.

Rexcelsis, Chaotic Monarch [Lvl ???]

What kind of bad luck do I have to have to run into two of these titans in one day!?

I didn’t move, simply dooming myself to the whims of the behemoth before me.

Then came the hooting and the clicking.

Within seconds, I was encircled by the furious xaptors, as they glanced between the meat and me.

I don’t even know if they registered the giant behind some of them. They were so focused on me.

Well, if I’m going to die one way or another… Might as well go out fighting...