EP.15
I made a statement about having survived life-or-death situations.
That was a thought rooted in ignorance.
Had I coughed up blood and collapsed before coming to this world?
Though I was a lizard, I had reincarnated with a different body.
Was I fleeing as my tail got severed by an Oviraptor?
In the end, I managed to escape.
Did I lose consciousness from the poison of an ant?
I evolved from a gecko into a Green Basilisk.
What I experienced was far from the fear of death.
[The level of “Crisis Detection LV6” is increasing.]
My body trembled. My teeth clashed against each other, and my breath quickened.
An overwhelming fear that I couldn’t control my own body.
This is what they call the fear of death.
The nearly black-green skin resembled a dragon from mythology.
Dozens of sharp teeth akin to daggers, with drool dribbling down between them. Just its presence was overwhelming.
【Piranha Cayman LV30(+)】
In normal circumstances, I would be able to see its status.
But I couldn’t.
All I could see was its level and name.
__________________________
【Piranha Cayman】
It can grow up to ■□m in body length, with males weighing up to ■■■kg.
This species preys on □■□ and is in a hostile relationship with □□□.
It is a %■■ hunter that prefers to ambush its prey in the water.
__________________________
And just a bit of explanation.
Even that seemed a bit too much, flickering as if it were unstable.
Piranha Cayman.
This was the creature I had seen from a distance when I first arrived in this swamp.
I had witnessed it devour a Microraptor in one bite.
But that individual wasn’t this massive.
At most, it was around 2 to 3m. Its snout was optimally shaped for catching piranhas or smaller animals, slightly different from what I imagined a typical crocodile would look like.
Thus, I had no particular interest; I didn’t plan on going near its territory anyway. Though it was bigger than me, I thought I could always flee if it came down to it.
However, this creature was different.
It was so enormous that my entire body felt as if it could fit into one of its front paws.
An abnormally large size.
And that symbol attached to its name.
It indicated that it was a creature capable of evolution.
The Cayman that had reached the limits of its species was an opponent I could never defeat.
Gwaaaark.
The giant maw of the Cayman opened wide.
The lower jaw touched the ground while the upper jaw reached for the sky.
A turtle stared blankly at that sight.
Without a thought of resistance, it accepted its fate.
Crack!
With a crushing sound.
The sturdy shell of the turtle shattered far too easily.
The Cayman seemed to enjoy the taste, chewing until the shell turned to dust.
The turtle’s blood flowed between its teeth, staining the waters of the swamp red.
An unbearably fishy scent of blood.
The Cayman swallowed the turtle whole.
Its blue eyes moved in search of the next target.
The giant front paw of the creature rose into the air.
The shadow cast by it enveloped the toad.
Crack!
The toad didn’t even have time to scream before being crushed.
The Cayman swallowed the flattened toad in one bite.
Its blue eyes flicked around once more.
Now both the turtle and the toad were dead.
Next would be the green lizard.
Its massive paw drew ever closer.
In an instant, the surroundings darkened as if night had fallen.
It was only then that I realized my fate.
I was going to be eaten by the Cayman.
…
…Why was I just standing there?
[The effect of “Cold Blood” is activated.]
The moment my senses returned, I hurled my body forward.
Crack!
Even so, I was within the range of that attack, immediately performing a tail cut.
Swish!
In an instant, I escaped its attack at an amplified speed.
Not stopping there, I activated my sprint.
I fled at the highest speed I could muster.
I almost died.
I truly came close to death.
Was my body frozen in instinctive fear? No, seeing the turtle and toad succumb without resistance was surely a sign of something greater.
Like some deep-sea fish that lures its prey, this crocodile might possess similar abilities.
One thing is certain: if I hadn’t found my composure, I would have ended up flat like the tail lying there.
The Cayman lifted my long tail and swallowed it whole.
Chomp.
A grotesque sound echoed.
Desperately hoping it would be satisfied with just that tail, I continued to flee.
But it was not satisfied.
It immediately turned its head and swam toward my location.
Swish!
With the sound of splashing water, the distance quickly closed.
It wasn’t just its speed; the size difference was overwhelming.
At this rate, I would surely be caught.
It was time to use my last resort.
I had two uses of my tail cutting technique left.
I could use it in addition to the severed tail to increase my speed.
By creating a sudden change in velocity, I could shake it off.
That was my plan.
“Tail Cut!”
The moment I used the tail cutting technique.
[The level of “%! Tail Cutting LV1” is increasing.]
A message from an unknown status window appeared.
But I couldn’t afford to pay attention to that.
Gwaaargh!
That horrendous sound should not have happened, then the giant Cayman began to falter.
It seemed as if something was caught in its throat.
I was puzzled for a moment about what was happening, but knowing this was my only chance, I tried to keep fleeing.
Sploosh!
Just before the Cayman spewed out everything it had swallowed.
It seemed the turtle and toad had accomplished something from within. However, considering they had already turned to mush, it was impossible for them to achieve such a feat.
Among the things the Cayman vomited, there was something familiar in shape.
It clearly must have been in its belly, yet it was a relatively intact object.
It appeared to be a piece of a complete sphere.
A shape that looked like a fragment of something.
“Piece of Advanced Low Qi”
Low Qi!
And it was an advanced piece.
Perfectly positioned right in front of me, I instinctively picked up the piece of Low Qi.
The Cayman immediately started to eat the contents it had just spilled.
Excluding the toad dumplings, it focused on the Low Qi it had consumed.
As it frantically gobbled up the remaining pieces, it seemed to realize something was missing and let out a loud roar.
“Kraaaak!”
The roar resonated throughout the area.
If I were caught by that beast, I surely wouldn’t die in peace.
But I had managed to create a sufficient distance.
With this much….
Swish!
That size with that speed is utterly unreasonable.
I leapt into the air and landed in a puddle.
I ran desperately.
Thud, thud, thud!
Yet no matter how hard I tried to escape, the distance to the creature only shrank.
If I threw the Low Qi and fled in the opposite direction, would it stop chasing me?
No. That wouldn’t happen.
Even if I could, it wouldn’t let me go.
I almost died at its hands.
The feeling of fear morphed into something else.
A bubbling feeling stirred within my chest.
Yes, it was rage.
Running away like this would be equivalent to losing to it.
I could not accept being defeated by a mere creature.
Of course, that didn’t mean I wouldn’t run away.
No sensible lizard would challenge such a monster to a direct confrontation.
While escaping, there was one way I could avoid losing to it.
By stealing something precious from it.
【Piranha Cayman LV30】
The symbol that had been attached to its level disappeared.
If I couldn’t return the stolen piece of Low Qi, it would suffer a significant blow.
Gob.
I opened my mouth wide and swallowed the piece of Low Qi in one go.
I barely had time to savor the taste.
I couldn’t even absorb its energy.
I just shoved it into my mouth in haste.
“GRAAAAH!”
Once again, it let out a huge roar.
I had essentially painted myself into a corner.
Now, if it wanted to recover the Low Qi, it would have no choice but to eat me.
Even if it weren’t for that, it would try to eat me anyway.
“G-gak!”
I let out a fierce sound that matched its roar.
The Cayman seemed to be enraged, charging forward without a second thought.
A mere brush could deliver a fatal blow—no, just grazing me would mean death.
I activated my movement technique.
Avoiding capture was my specialty.
However, there was no luxury in dealing with this creature.
I needed to put as much distance between us as possible.
I kicked off the surface and clung to the vines.
Weaving between the vines, I landed on the ground.
I fled down a path only I could traverse.
But to the Cayman, obstacles meant nothing.
Kraaang!
It bulldozed through recklessly.
No ordinary barrier could stop it.
At least something like a tree fitting for a jungle or a boulder larger than its size might do the trick.
But this was the swamp.
There weren’t many large trees here.
However, there were a couple of massive rocks.
I accelerated.
The speed of the creature and I was comparable.
But the effect of the Tail Cutting technique was steadily diminishing.
While I could sprint, I couldn’t afford to use Tail Cutting again in my current situation.
If things continued like this, I would be caught.
Evading through speed was impossible.
“Kraaaaak!”
Gwaaargh!
Its gigantic jaws opened wide.
It clearly thought it could eat me now.
I summoned the last of my strength and pushed off the ground.
Little Dragon Ascending Step, a technique mimicking the movements of a small dragon.
Dragons can soar through the sky.
I leapt to a height that could be considered flying.
Bending forward, I shifted my center of gravity.
Thud!
I landed slightly farther than my intended point.
But my posture was unstable, and I felt every bit of pain from hitting the ground.
The Cayman’s teeth were targeting me as they lunged.
All the conditions lined up.
Now was the time to use that hidden skill.
Secret technique.
Roll maneuver.
I rolled away like a bug scuttling for safety.
It may look grandiose, but rolling was all I needed to do if it meant survival.
Thud!
I heard the sound of its massive jaws chewing the air.
The Cayman attempted to strike again but failed.
I had already escaped to safety.
It was the gap between gigantic rocks.
I could fit in, but the Cayman’s sharp claws could not reach this natural fortress.
“Kraaaak!”
The Cayman let out a furious roar.
Huff.
I exhaled roughly as I caught my breath.
No matter how fierce it was, the creature couldn’t easily deal with a rock larger than itself. I could stay hidden here and wait for it to retreat.
Boom!
It smashed its body into the rock in frustration.
Kraaang!
The sound was thunderous, but I knew it was ineffective.
This place could very well be termed a rocky mountain.
There was no way this massive boulder would crumble so easily.
Kraaaang!
Don’t waste your effort; just go away.
Consider the Advanced Low Qi as compensation.
Think of one piece as a cheap buyout.
“G-gak.”
Just then, it emitted a rather adorable sound.
Crack!
…There were several things I had overlooked.
Even if the Cayman’s actions couldn’t bring down this massive boulder, they could be effective in some weak point on the ground.
And that weak spot happened to be right where I was standing.
Suddenly!
The ground beneath me gave way in an instant.
“Geeek!”
I fell into an endless abyss.
No, I was still falling.
Just how deep was it?
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