Unfortunately, after consuming the other four Cores, nothing else interesting had turned up. Still, his Quick Strike had already got to 93% progress towards its next level. Dominic was curious as to how it would change the ability. More speed? Less stamina cost? I guess I'll find out.
After levelling up, the only other important change to his status sheet related to his choice of enhancement.
- Carnivore Constitution level 2 (350 HP) +20% regeneration
It was his first time choosing to enhance his digestive system, but he was pleased with the results. An extra 50 HP was already more than he'd expected given the original increase of 15 SP he'd had when increasing that; the addition to his regeneration rate was a welcome extra.
It also answered a question he'd had: if he could only increase his HP on level up, he could see that getting difficult as time went on. It hadn't escaped his notice that the Prey Points requirements for each level were increasing. A percentage increase, he had to guess, since the original difference between level 1 and level 2 had been only 5 Prey Points, but the difference between level 7 and level 8 had been 8 Prey Points.
Not a big difference, not yet. But if the distance kept widening, he could end up needing some crazy amounts of Prey Points to level up and if he needed to do that to heal, he could be in a sticky situation later. Then again, I suppose the Prey Points I earn have also been increasing too. Perhaps faster than the increases required for my levels. Though that had come hand-in-hand with risk.
In his first fight with the trodils he, at level 0, had been under very little real threat against a pack of seven level 1s. It had felt like a major battle at the time, but that was mostly because he was newly in an unfamiliar body which he'd struggled to control. Even just moving had been difficult, let alone attacking.
But the trodils had barely come halfway up his legs, and they'd struggled to reach any real vulnerable parts. Sure, they could have brought him down eventually by hobbling him until he was forced to the ground and then getting at his throat or spine from there. Or even just by making him bleed enough: a death by a thousand cuts. However, he'd have had to almost let them do that.
Now, though, the most recent mini-boss, at the level just below his own, had been pretty much the same size as the lion, fast and strong. Although Dominic was pretty sure he'd got bigger, he hadn't grown at anywhere near the same rate as the trodil.
Is that because I focused on other options for enhancement? Dominic wondered. Although he hadn't seen an enhancement option related to size, maybe it was the byproduct of one, just like slowing down was a byproduct of choosing to harden his skin?
Or is it because something's different about dungeons? The human-turned-lion couldn't forget that he was actually in a dungeon; if the dungeon-core novels he'd read before the apocalypse had told him anything, it was that those areas were often held to different rules than the normal world.
In the end, he just shook his head, feeling his straggly mane-fur flop around his ears. Ultimately, the point was that when he'd entered the dungeon at a level 2, fighting the trodils at a level 1 had been easy. Although they'd also been solitary, he doubted he'd have had a problem if they were in small groups.
His last two fights, however, had proven that he needed to be more careful now, even if the level difference was the same. And I still have the most difficult group to come, he thought with a bit of trepidation.
Suddenly, he felt a wave of scornful confidence get sent his way from his leonine passenger. The sensation surprised Dominic – Leo had been rather quiet recently, only offering his opinion at odd moments. Not that he'd ever wondered if the original occupant of this body had disappeared completely – he'd been able to feel that nothing had changed on that front. No, it had been more of a...watchful silence.
Either way, this sudden vote of confidence was surprising. Dominic waited, but nothing followed it. Alright then, he told himself, a little baffled. With his health and stamina pools full, he saw no point in delaying.
Grabbing the four keys he'd collected so far proved to be a bit of a challenge. Not for the first time – or the twentieth – he wished that he had pockets. Grabbing four keys at once was really awkward. Yet he had no desire to have to go hunt them down again when they were assuredly stolen.
Once the key pieces were settled in his mouth, Dominic started padding off, heading for where he knew the most difficult camp to be: on the side of the cavern directly opposite the entrance. He could only think that that was intentional, giving credence to the idea that this place wasn't designed just to automatically kill those who entered it.
Unfortunately for Dominic, the final camp didn't have the same topographical features as the previous. For a normal human or group of humans that would probably have been a relief; for Dominic who had definitely appreciated the ability to divide and conquer his enemies, it was disappointing.
The key-holder was still raised a little above its guards, but only on a small hill. The five guards were stationed at equal distances about halfway down the hill. Dominic sighed. This is going to suck isn't it?
With no real way to control the battleground, he was going to have to attack head-on. Injuries were inevitable. Feeling unsure, he reminded himself that if his health started dropping too low, he could run away and lick his wounds.
Either find enough low level trodils to level up again, or just wait: the new addition to his status screen at least promised him he would heal over time. How much time was another question, but he'd cross that bridge when – if – he came to it.
Preparing himself mentally, he drew on the calm patience of his leonine passenger as he had done a number of times already. It wasn't that Leo was offering him anything, it was just that Dominic figured that if Leo wasn't worried, why should he be? Leo knew his own body and its capabilities a lot more than Dominic, after all.
Exploding into a run, Dominic charged at full speed towards the biggest trodil at the top of the hill.
The bare space around the small rise gave the trodils enough time to see him coming, but little of it to prepare. In fact, the key-holder trodil had only just got to its feet when Dominic leapt on it.
They thumped heavily to the ground together, the trodil taking the brunt of Dominic's momentum. About a fifth vanished from the trodil's health bar and Dominic took full advantage of its semi-dazed state to savage its throat with his teeth.
Pain shot through him in several places even as he saw another chunk disappear out of the mini-boss' red bar. The minions had quickly caught up with him.
One snapped its teeth around his back leg; another lunged and tore a chunk from his side. A third snapped its jaws in his face, forcing him to rise to meet it jaws to jaws or risk it getting his eyes.
That opened up his throat to the trodil he had pinned. It lunged as best it could with his forepaws holding it down, managing to rip away a chunk of skin at his throat.
This isn't working! Dominic snarled in pain and released his prey, coiling his muscles to leap out of the throng and land a good body-length away from the nearest member. They're going to rip me to shreds, he thought to himself with a hint of panic.
A quick glance at his health bar revealed that he was already a good chunk down. Not quite a quarter, but getting there. And although he'd dealt a couple of good blows to the key-holder, the other trodils were unharmed and vicious.
Dominic dodged backwards as the minion trodils tried to surround him again, lunges with Quick Strike only barely avoided through luck and his own increased speed.
He was retreating towards the grass-line, perhaps unconsciously wanting a bit of time to regroup and work out a different strategy. The key-holder remained on its hill, standing over its key-piece, snarling and bleeding.
And then it clicked. I'm doing this wrong, Dominic thought with a sense of epiphany. I need to combine my strategies, not do one or the other.
If he went for the mini-boss first, he'd have to kill it while having chunks taken out of him by its minions. If he killed it last, he'd have to deal with a much more powerful foe. Solution? Don't kill it last. Kill it second last.
The five level 5 trodils surrounding him were a challenge, but if he didn't have the level 7 there too, it was already an improvement. Time to even the odds further, he decided.
With his decision made, he smoothly changed strategy. Instead of going for the kill, he aimed blows to injure, at best cripple. Instead of trading his own injuries for a greater one on his opponent, he preferred failing a blow than getting injured.
It was a bit of a frustrating game of cat-and-mouse. Where using the rocky outcrop had almost been amusing for him, though infuriating for the trodils, this was just irritating for everyone involved.
Here, instead of jumping up and down on rocks, he backed away in a careful circle around the hill. He didn't want to get close enough to the hill to risk the key-holder making an opportunistic attack. Equally, not wanting to leave the combat zone and risk the encounter resetting, he didn't dare venture into the grass, though that would certainly offer a better environment for him.
He was using his claws more than his teeth, not wanting to put his head into range of other trodils' jaws. The damage done was negligible each time, but it added up.
Swipe, retreat. Dodge, quick opportunistic bite. Success or failure, retreat. Repeat.
When a lucky blow to the hindquarters of a trodil set it limping and trailing behind the group, elation filled Dominic's heart.
With renewed hope, he continued the process.
*****
It seemed to take way too much time, and he was starting to run low on stamina, but he was finally making noticeable progress. His own health bar was still above half, and he'd managed to completely cripple two of the trodils to the point that they were unable to keep following him. They still tried, fruitlessly pawing at the ground in hope of using the friction to push them forwards.
As for the other three trodils, two were limping and slower than the third which was still relatively fresh. It hadn't been by design, but it had proven better at dodging his swipes than the other trodils. A nasty bite on its flank showed that it hadn't come away from their clashes completely unscathed, though.
It's time.
With a surge of aggression, Dominic engaged Quick Strike to lunge towards the least-injured trodil. It was taken by surprise, the sudden change from his previous defensive tactics taking it off guard.
He slammed into the beast and pinned it as he had done with its leader earlier. Savaging its throat, he did his best to do as much damage as he could in the second he had before the other two mobile trodils caught up.
By the time they lunged at the lion, Dominic was ready for them and leapt back from his prone target, their attacks missing.
The previously most-healthy trodil was not looking so good any more, its throat and chest bloody and torn, its health bar dropping like a stone.
Even as Dominic exchanged blows with the other two trodils, he saw a notification quickly flash before his eyes.
[You have killed Trodil (Basic Beast level 5)]
[You have earned 33 PP]
Not allowing his satisfaction to distract him, Dominic struck and bit at the two trodils now attacking him. Hampered by their own injuries, it didn't take too long before he was standing victoriously over their corpses too.
It wasn't without a price, though. A glance at his health bar proved that he'd taken too many blows, the red bar down to about a third. Still he had an easy way to address that.
Keeping a careful eye on the three trodils which still lived, Dominic consumed the three corpses he had just made.
With his health and stamina both significantly better, the young lion decided that it was time to finish this. Locking eyes with the key-keeper still upon its hill, he snarled a challenge.