When I blinked, it almost glowed in my mind, that feeling of prey that covered the wounded beast.

I would do this.

My knife was in my hand and I extended the spear. My eyes focused on the creature below. Even with the camouflage, I felt its location in my mind. The prey sense broke the distortion.

It slept. Its breathing had evened out, its eyes were closed, and its chest barely moved.

A smile covered my face. The farfetched plan had worked. Now was the time to hunt. Before I seriously thought about it, I leaped into the air. My cloak billowed out behind me, and the cool rain splashed my face. All I wondered about was what it would taste like.

Time sped up as I slammed down on the Carnitor. My jump had been off, the target for the spear tip had been behind its neck, where I could, hopefully, hit the spine. The wind and rain had thrown me, and I missed. My spear tip glowed as it sunk a foot into the monster’s hip joint.

The Carnitor jerked and roared in pain. I flopped around, holding onto the spear to keep my footing, and the white-hot crystal blade cut to one side. The Carnitor’s head snapped in my direction, and I let go of the spear, rolling into the underbrush. The giant tail just missed my head and I tried to use stealth, moving behind a fern.

The Carnitor roared again, this time softer.

I peeked out from my hiding place several feet away as I heard movement.

Growling, the beast tried to get up, but it couldn’t put weight on the hip that my spear had cut into, and it slammed back to the ground in pain. My spear was still stuck into its side, doing more damage during the creature’s struggle to rise. Its head snapped out at the spear, yanking it out. It went flying into the bushes, but I didn’t dare move. Not yet. The Carnitor tried to get up again and slipped in the mud. Its leg didn’t move at all this time.

Bingo.

Quickly, I raced through the underbrush in the direction the creature had tossed my spear. I needed the weapon if I had a chance at actually doing this. Finally, I spotted the end of the metal shaft snapped in half, leaving an extra long knife instead of a spear. The tip of the crystal also snapped off at an angle, which was unfortunate. It was still sharp, but didn’t have a nice point anymore. I didn't see the rest of the metal shaft, and I didn't have the time to search.

Damn.

The growling behind me grew louder, and I twisted about to see what the dinosaur was up to. It still lay near the tree, resting against it using its upper shoulder. The giant head swiveled back and forth. Its tail knocked down the nearby ferns that it could reach, though the bite marks on its tail were still raw. Blood covered the ground near the carnivore’s injured leg.

The rain lessened and the wind died down a bit. It hadn’t spotted me, and I quietly crept around the tree. I had a plan. I needed to remain smart.

I waited to approach from the rear until the trunk was between its head, full of sharp teeth, and me. Once its tail headed in the opposite direction, I quietly moved forward, crystal held at the ready.

It must have known something was up. It twisted, its head snapping in my direction, but it wasn’t able to reach, and I stabbed it again with the glowing crystal. It didn’t slide in as easily as normal with the broken point, but it still dug deep. The creature roared. My hand shook as I yanked it back out then stabbed again.

Teeth snapped close, so close, but I remained steady.

Blood gushed to the ground each time I yanked the crystal back, not using the heated ability because I didn’t want to cauterize the wounds.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

Eventually, the Carnitor’s movements slowed down, and I relaxed.

Something slammed into my back, sending me stumbling forward. Pain rolled down my spine, and I couldn’t put weight on my left leg. I leaned toward the trunk, falling in that direction even as the critically wounded predator tried to bite me.

It missed.

Its head hit the ground at an awkward angle, panting.

I lifted my spear one last time and stabbed into its eye.

It couldn’t try to dodge.

[You have gained bonus experience from combat for surviving against a Carnitor above your level.]

[You have gained an Achievement: Badass: You killed a greater creature before your first class evolution. You gain additional bonus experience from kills at a higher level than your own.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

I yanked my spear out of the Carnitor’s eye and slumped against the tree. My left foot was completely numb. My spear tumbled out of my hand as I gasped to catch my breath.

It was dead, and I’d freaking killed it.

I grabbed a hunk of meat out of my inventory and swallowed it, followed by another. If I wanted even better rewards, I had to get to its heart, which was on the other side of the tree. I grabbed my broken spear back up and leaned on the dead dinosaur for support as I hobbled around it. The rain still came down, but it was lighter now, and I couldn’t remember the last blast of thunder or lightning. The storm must have passed, thankfully.

Eventually, I made my way around the tree, feeling slowly coming back to my foot. The pain in my back lingered. I needed to feast.

The size of the Carnitor shocked me. I knew it was big, but standing next to it showed me just how big it really was. There wasn’t a chance I'd fit the thing in my inventory crystal.

I knelt next to it, in front of its chest, and I got to work. While I needed the heart, that didn’t mean I couldn’t eat other pieces from it. Each cut of the knife hurt my back, giving me the impression it was getting worse with the movement, not better.

As soon as I cut off a layer of scales, I stuffed my mouth with meat from underneath. Cut, swallow, cut, swallow, repeat. The action became routine as I carved deeper and deeper into the carcass for my reward. Was this how all of my major fights would end? Me stuffing my face full of raw meat to heal frantically from my wounds? Did I really care, as long as I won?

Slowly, whatever was wrong with my back stitched itself back together. The pain disappeared, leaving behind my growling stomach, even with what I had already eaten. My hands shook and I fought to not let myself be taken over with the urge to just eat more and more. The urge to gorge.

That whispering voice was back. I found myself leaning forward with my mouth open, hovering over the creature, but I straightened my spine. I was not an animal. I would control myself.

The rain lessened even more as I reached my target. The heart wasn’t as big as I thought it should be. By my estimate, given how big human hearts were relative to our bodies, this sucker should be giant. Yet, once I found it, I could carry it fairly easily in my two hands.

My mouth watered as I cut it into multiple pieces, then I chewed on the first.

Flavor burst across my tongue, reminding me of the meal we’d had before we left for the cold sleep chamber. Slightly spicy, with a texture like a steak, but it fell apart as I chewed. I frantically ate a second and third piece, before forcing myself to slow down for the last couple.

[You have devoured a Great Carnitor and unlocked a potential skill: Great Leap. You are at the cap with ten skills. Do you want to merge Great Leap into Tree Climber?]

I paused as the notification appeared. Now I knew what happened when I reached ten skills and another came up. Great Leap had to be the skill the Carnitor had used to get out of that crater when I’d mocked it. It’d also tried to use it to catch the shuttle, but the river monster had interrupted it. I wanted this skill, yet I didn't want to merge it into Tree Climber. Not yet, anyway. I'd rather it combine with Free Runner, the skill I’d unlocked dashing through the forest. I thought about that, and selected no.

[Do you want to merge Great Leap into Free Runner?]

This time I quickly selected Yes.

[Free Runner has improved: Free Runner: You have a minor increase in Quickness, Flexibility, and Constitution running or leaping between obstacles while on the ground. You can focus on leaping farther using built-up energy. Pathways between objects become clearer.]

One part of the description bothered me, the part about being on the ground. Could I merge in Tree Climber to change that? The option popped up, and I accepted it to merge the two.

[Free Runner has merged with Tree Climber: You have unlocked Free Spirit: You move through the trees or on the ground with ease, spotting better paths to take and moving faster than normal. You have a minor increase in Quickness, Flexibility, and Constitution when running or leaping. Using built-up energy, you can move or leap faster or farther than normal.]