For the next skill, Shai did not succumb to using 1 Insight point. She took it as a challenge for herself to learn it without any more help from System Grandpa. Thankfully, she had all the knowledge she needed.

It took her hours, simply because she ran out of energy multiple times on the verge of learning the skill.

[Congratulations! Through perseverance and dedication, you have learned the skill, Empower (E)]

[Empower (E)

Mastery: 1%

Boosts the physical power of the user, spending primal essence. ]

Am I a genius or what, Grandpa?!

Shai experienced a faint sense of empowerment whenever she harnessed primal essence throughout her body. It was elusive, difficult to pinpoint, but in moments of complete exhaustion and powerlessness, it became evident. It was primal essence all along.

Her hunch saved 1 precious insight point. Shai spent a moment on her victory dance and then exhausted her energy to improve her skills, which didn't even take a few minutes, already running low on energy.

Feeling exhausted, Shai retrieved the last few of the mushrooms. She could sense the rich essence within them as she devoured them without rest.

Coiling herself in the gap between the stone cracks again, she began to meditate again. After a few hours of focused practice, Shai drifted off to sleep. Too exhausted to carry on.

Waking up, Shai refrained from surveying the dungeon, and instead, immersed herself in improving her skills. She dedicated most of her time to mastering [Empower], as it didn't consume as much energy as the other skills.

The dungeon remained enveloped in complete darkness, making it impossible for Shai to measure time conventionally. However, she found an alternative method of tracking time. By accessing the Advancement Quest through the system log, she discovered that there were still 21 days remaining.

Her skills were progressing at a steady pace, not exponentially, but sufficient to keep her motivated and satisfied.

[Skills[7/8]:

Advanced Meditation (E) - 12% | Predatory Instinct (D) - 9% | Arcane Shot (D) - 16% | Essence Weaving (E) - 11% | Pain Resistance (E) - 36% | Force Shield (E) - 6% | Empower (E) - 18%]

On the fourth day in the dungeon, Shai's injuries had nearly healed. While she couldn't be certain if her fractured bones were completely mended, she no longer felt any pain. She was back in fighting shape.

Despite her recovery, she dedicated another day to training. Unfortunately, she was at her wit's end for the last skill. It wasn't that she lacked skill prompts, just that none of them seemed like they could give her an edge in a desperate situation.

Well, they were useful skills alright. She accessed [System Log] to check them for one last time.

[Would you like to learn the skill Identification (E)?]

Shai had examined the fruits, mushrooms, and all the peculiar things in her possession when the prompt for the skill appeared. She deemed this skill would let her identify magical items, but Shai begrudgingly declined the skill. Even though the skill would be useful, she did not want to use up her last skill slot on it.

The same was true for the other skill prompt:

[Would you like to learn the skill Night Vision (E)?]

Shai had wondered why all the skill prompts she received were of E-grade skills. Hmm, perhaps the higher grade skill is only possibly attained through a skill evolution?

For her last skill, Shai would want to get at least another D-grade skill. Maybe it was possible to increase the skill slots, but Shai wouldn't gamble it with something like [Night Vision].

Another matter on her mind was [Aspects]. Unlike skills which could be learned, Aspect seemed like something inherited or intrinsic. Her [Poison Affinity (D)] for example.

She still had no understanding of what [Golden Eyes] entailed, aside from her eyes having a sharp golden shimmer. Even when she was human, her eyes possessed a golden hue, prodding her to question the significance behind them. Unfortunately, she had no knowledge regarding this aspect, which left her with no answers.

On the fifth day, Shai woke up to a pleasant surprise, which tempted her to the path of cannibalism.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

[You have achieved a small breakthrough. Your path has grown to Favoured Hatchling Lvl 7. +1 to all Primary Attributes, +1 Unallocated Point.]

So it was possible to gain levels from eating. Maybe she should give up looking for a fight and search for food instead. But no... if it was only about eating, the system should have been broken towards obese people. That was unlikely, which only meant there were various other matters at play.

She cautiously left the pit where she had secluded herself for over five days. It was time for a little dungeon exploration.

The cavern, or rather the dungeon, turned out to be larger than she initially anticipated, with numerous spiralling passageways that went in all directions, resembling a maze. Fortunately, she encountered no traps. If there had been traps, she surely would have stumbled upon them after entering the cavern.

Shai drew a little energy into her eyes, causing a faint aura of light to radiate around her slit pupil, enhancing her vision further. This was how she managed to trigger the prompt for the [Night Vision] skill. But even if she didn't take the skill, this way she could perceive her surroundings with exceptional clarity, disregarding the looming darkness that surrounded her.

She encountered no creatures within the dungeon. However, she did come across distinctive scars etched into the walls, confirming her earlier assumptions. Magical creatures did inhabit this cavern, much to her relief and horror.

Shai couldn't remain comfortable, knowing such an expansive underground space was devoid of life. Thankfully, that wasn't the case.

Her eyes examined the scars etched on the walls, attempting to interpret what kind of creature could carve them. They appeared to be remnants of battles fought. She couldn't definitively identify the exact characteristics of these creatures. They likely belonged to the insectoid family, like the fire-breathing beetle, but with sharper appendages or stingers. This world possessed its peculiar variety of insectoids.

It didn't take long for Shai to encounter the denizens of this cavern. In fact, it found her first. As she scoured her surroundings in search of creatures to hunt, an unsightly eight-legged spider suddenly dropped from the ceiling, and launched a swift and unprovoked attack at her.

Fortunately, Shai was vigilant, her Predatory Instinct constantly monitoring her surroundings.

She deftly manoeuvred between the creature's sharp appendages. The spider was monstrous with its eight eyes gleaming in a dangerous crimson glint. Its reddish aura was similar to that of the stupid python she barely managed to kill.

But that was when Shai barely knew anything, now with more attributes and skills, Shai stood a better chance.

The spider was unrelenting in its attack, and horribly rude in treating a woman. Well, it wasn't as if she had expected anything less. Releasing a burst of sharp primal essence, Shai leapt between the jagged legs of the Spider.

With the mad fervour the creature was coming at her, Shai couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with every creature she met so far. Why do they go full-hungry murder-hobo mode?

Well, she did initiate the attacks on the beetle and python, but they were already engaged in a life-or-death struggle. She simply helped them on their way out. However, apart from that, the other instances were not her fault.

Granted, many beasts and creatures could exhibit savage behaviour, but there should be a limit to it. Most savage beasts hunted solely to satiate their hunger, and the same applied to the majority of normal creatures. However, these creatures seemed to be of a different sentiment altogether. Well, even my own hunger is unbearable at times...

Shai fired an [Arcane Shot] at the massive body of the Spider. To her dismay, it left a little more than a dent, barely a fleshly wound. She pondered its defensive weaknesses and was about to strike at a crack in its exoskeleton when something shot out from the Weaver's abdomen, rendering her completely immobilised on the ground.

She was ensnared by slimy and sticky ropes like webs. Before Shai could react, her world was tilted. The Spider abruptly twisted its massive body, flinging her along with its clinging web.

Stupid, of course, a spider can shoot webs? Shai could barely berate herself, as she was thrown against the wall. Shai braced herself for the impact, channelling [Empower]. With her body grown over a metre, Shai seemed to feel more of the crash.

Despite her preparation, all her skills split from her grasp as her body crashed into the rough surface of the sidewall. Shai let out a frustrated hiss. Fortunately, the swing severed the sticky web that bound her.

This spider proved to be far more formidable than she had initially anticipated. Thankfully, it wasn't a lost cause like that eagle that almost severed her.

Without hesitation, she scrambled to distance herself from the Spider. The foe pursued, relentlessly launching its sticky web at her.

Shai countered by firing a series of weaker Arcane Shots. She even concentrated her primal essence into a [Force Shield] and contorted her body to evade the remainders of those sticky threads.

Thankfully, there were brief pauses between the Spider's web assaults, providing her with a narrow window to escape.

Shai needed to inflict severe injuries, if not kill, this abomination to free herself from this harrowing creature. She gathered her primal essence into poisonous [Arcane Shots] and launched them at the encroaching creature, while simultaneously making her way towards a steep rise in the rugged terrain.

The [Arcane Shots] inflicted minimal damage, but they kept the Weaver at bay, affording her a moment to launch a more potent attack. Shai coiled her tail behind her, ascending several metres high on the steep incline.

Spotting the creature right on her tail, she swiftly spun around, her tail lashing against the rugged surface like a whip. [Empower] made her body stronger, as Shai propelled herself towards the eight-legged adversary in a blink of an eye.

Still in mid-air, Shai unleashed Arcane Shots into the spider's glowing red eyes. Instead of aiming for its head, she snapped her tail in the air, descending beneath the creature's massive abdomen, which had been her target all along.

Without hesitation, Shai thrust herself forward, biting into the crevice between its head and abdomen. She pierced the creature's tough exoskeleton, digging in with everything she had.

The Spider screeched in agony. Poisson coursed through its system, yet it remained standing. With so many legs, it was too hard to off-balance. However, Shai had struck its blind spot. Those sharp limbs could not reach her, nor could its sticky webs.

The victory was within her grasp. She just needed to bide her time.