"Is it just my imagination?" Ga Ga mused, standing by a cluster of plants near the riverbank and gazing out over the river, which locals referred to as the "River of Life." "I recall this river used to be less than a thousand meters wide. What's going on now?"
The river, turbulent and misty, hinted at the past where countless creatures once relied on its waters for life. Many of them were now buried beneath its rushing currents, reduced to dust by the passage of time.
"Could this be the legendary tectonic shift? Perhaps my sense of time differs from reality, allowing me to perceive these changes."
"Is it possible that, over time, the River of Life might become the Sea of Life?" The thought of a simple river transforming into an ocean excited Ga Ga, even though it played no role beyond naming it.
"Alright, after all this reflection on nature's beauty, did my consciousness increase at all?" Calming down, Ga Ga tried to gauge its awareness. "Of course not, as expected. Well, back to hydration and nourishment then, Ga Ga."
※※※
The Kol Beasts were distant kin to the Ga Ga Beasts, having accidentally evolved from a branch of the lightning insects. Unaware of their origins, they had long since adapted to amphibious life, thriving in the river due to their dislike for the dry land and their reliance on electrical abilities.
If Ga Ga likened the tentacle Ga Ga Beasts to becoming tentacle monsters, then Kol Beasts were truly the quintessential tentacle creatures. Their bodies extended over three meters, resembling a large serpentine tentacle.
They had a powerful bite, short limbs for crawling on land, and a sensory system attuned to the electromagnetic fields of nearby creatures, negating the need for sight. Their skin and the outer half-centimeter of their bodies were composed entirely of electrocyte cells, connected to electro-stone “bones.” Beneath, they housed a super stomach capable of storing food five times their body diameter, converting it to fat to fuel their high energy needs.
These adaptations allowed them to become efficient predators despite their small group sizes, rarely exceeding six members, and limited reproduction, typically yielding no more than three offspring.
This morning, Kol Beasts awoke early, using temperature changes to distinguish day from night, as prey was more abundant during daylight.
A head emerged from the water, droplets cascading off its slippery skin. It was nearly noon, judging by the warmth. Aligning with magnetic fields, Kol Beasts slithered towards the riverbank.
As fearsome predators, the weak magnetic fields of small fish and shrimp passing by didn't interest the Kol Beasts. They were not foolish enough to attack much larger creatures, recalling a past incident where one attempted to swallow a massive dragonfish after killing it with electric discharge. The imprudence cost it its life when it became lodged in its throat, and scavengers devoured it.
Thus, the three surviving Kol Beasts learned two lessons: avoid creatures larger than dragonfish, and discharge electricity at the sight of Wogan Fish to prevent another unfortunate incident.
Finally reaching the bank, the Kol Beasts found it clear, as larger predators fled their approach. Another group of four Kol Beasts swam nearby, signaling with a minor electric charge before resuming their watch.
Larger predators, startled by the presence of four Kol Beasts, fled even faster, a testament to their fearsome reputation.
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Meanwhile, dozens of tentacle Ga Ga Beasts that arrived saw only trails of departing predators.
"What’s going on?" Ga Ga wondered, noticing some creatures among the fleeing crowd that had once helped him ambush land dwellers. "Could it be my reputation precedes me, scaring them away?"
The more Ga Ga thought about it, the more convinced it became, joyfully leading its companions to the riverbank and dipping its tail into the water.
Yes, tail, not mouth (not that fishing wouldn’t be entertaining).
The subsequent electric discharges revealed the reason behind the tentacle Ga Ga Beasts' actions. "I’m not about to risk drinking water without caution; after all, I was once a hunter in the rivers."
More ripples and belly-up creatures surfaced, indicating many fearless creatures.
“Too weak, though, nothing to trigger an evolution value task, damn.”
“You there, go drink over there; don’t muddy my clean water.”
The sudden electrical activity startled the Kol Beasts lurking below. The intruders matched them in electric and magnetic prowess. Hesitant, the Kol Beasts were disrupted by the sound of something heavy entering the water overhead.
Hiss?!
Ga?!
Focused on what appeared to be a simple white pebble, Ga Ga reached down to drink, sensing a faint electromagnetic field from it.
Sensing the imminent presence of prey, the Kol froze its indecision. When food is literally at your mouth, how can you let it slip? (Just like the Kol Beast that tried to swallow a dragonfish before, perhaps motivated by similar rationale.)
Both reacted almost simultaneously. Ga Ga tried to back away, while the Kol unleashed a lunging bite with its coiled body.
Ga Ga was a second too slow, backing up without raising its head.
"My nose!"
Ga Ga jerked its head upward in pain, flinging the Kol from the water. The Kol clung to Ga Ga's upper jaw, wrapping around its body during the wild thrashing.
Flailing with its electrified tentacle claws, the Kol's forelimbs collided with Ga Ga's left paw. Feeling the contact, Ga Ga seized it with one set of tentacles, using another to grab the Kol's neck.
But the Kol unleashed its electric charge.
Ga Ga!
Ga Ga was in agony. If the Kol's discharge had struck elsewhere, it might have been merely numbing, given its nature as an electrical entity. But on the nose?
Tears flowed from Ga Ga's eyes.
Still standing?
The Kol marvelled at its opponent's resilience, not collapsing under its powerful shock. (As for tears, the Kol couldn’t see, so it wouldn’t know.)
“I have what you have!”
Recovering slightly, Ga Ga ignored its tangled body, unable to bite or pierce the enemy with its horns, but it still had tentacles.
The three tentacles behind Ga Ga wrapped around the Kol's body, squeezing tight.
Electricity! Electricity!
Both unleashed electrical discharges simultaneously, amplifying each other. Ga Ga and the Kol were both momentarily paralyzed, though Ga Ga suffered more severely.
Ga! Hiss!
Both cried out in temporary exhaustion.
But Ga Ga benefited the most. Its nose finally free.
"I’ll bite you to death!" Body still paralyzed, Ga Ga lunged to finish the Kol.
This time it was stuck! Landing in the water, the current eased its pain, and the Kol quickly assessed the situation, vanishing into the waves without hesitation.
"Huh?"
Ga Ga, regaining its senses, found the Kol had vanished.
[Kol Beast Hunting Mission
Objective: Hunt 5 Kols (1/5)
Reward: 200 (Evolution Points)
Fat Component]
"Eh?!"
[Kol Beast Hunting Mission Completed, Rewards Granted.]
"What the heck?!"
Ga Ga, still groggy from pain, was startled by the sudden completion of a mission it hadn't intended to start.
Shaking its head to clear its thoughts, the reality became apparent.
The other tentacle Ga Ga Beasts had already torn apart several chunks of glistening white-blooded meat, resembling the Kol Beasts. Counting them, there were exactly five.
Elsewhere, three dead tentacle Ga Ga Beasts lay on the riverbank and river.
"The sudden attack and then overwhelming the enemy to death, huh." Ga Ga pieced together the events with a wobbly head.
During a moment of drinking, the five Kols, oh wait, one escaped (actually, two escaped), ambushed, and over four tentacle Ga Ga Beasts faced an attack.
Other tentacle Ga Ga Beasts, realizing the situation, rushed in to help, ultimately dismembering five Kols. Yet the powerful foes still claimed three Ga Ga lives.
However, grouped with Ga Ga, the completion of the Kol Beast mission counted all five Kols as victories, yay—
“….”
“Why didn’t anyone help me?!”
Realizing it fought alone, Ga Ga glared furiously at the nearby tentacle Ga Ga Beasts, roaring in frustration.
The others returned blank stares, as if to say, "As the main consciousness, you held your own against a Kol." (Naturally, Ga Ga imagined this.)
It conveniently forgot that it had previously shooed others away to have a private drinking spot.