With his skills' duration now extending to five seconds, Mav's options in battle had significantly broadened. Today, he was hunting a particular Daimoniki: the Gatling Slug.
Name: Gatling Slug
Appearance: A small, slow-moving Daimoniki with a long, soft body and no legs. The Gatling Slug's skin is exceptionally moist, often covered in a thin layer of slimy mucus. It's about three times the size of an average adult human head.
Habitat: Gatling Slugs primarily inhabit forests, favoring moist environments near water sources.
Diet: Humans, Daimoniki, Grass, Mushrooms
Flame Affinity: Red Flame
Attack Pattern: Due to their slow movement, Gatling Slugs compensate with rapid long-range attacks. Once locked onto a target, they unleash a barrage of Red Fireballs from their mouths. Despite their sluggish movement, their attacks can change direction swiftly.
Mav's target now stood before him, its slimy body inching along the forest floor. He picked up a small rock and threw it to get the creature's attention. The slug was facing away from him, so it took its time to turn around—a slow, laborious U-turn that tested Mav's patience.
The moment the Gatling Slug spotted him, its mouth opened, and a red glow began to form within. A barrage of Red Fireballs rapidly shot towards Mav, each one aimed with pinpoint accuracy.
Before the first fireball could reach him, Mav invoked, "Dark Green Invincibility." A dark, green flame enveloped his entire body, forming an impenetrable shield.
The fireballs hit him with incredible speed, about four per second, but as usual, Mav felt nothing. The flame shield absorbed every impact flawlessly.
With only a second of invincibility left, Mav swiftly activated "Dark Yellow Transcendence." In a blur of speed, he darted sideways, the barrage of fireballs trailing behind, unable to keep up with his new pace.
He curved around, closing in on the Gatling Slug. With a powerful kick, he struck its soft body, sending a splatter of slime across the ground. Within moments, the remains of the slug disintegrated into dust.
Gatling Slug Core x 1 Acquired
Gatling Slug Mucus x 3 Acquired
Mav grimaced at the sight of the sticky substance in his item box. "Mucus? Ugh. What am I supposed to do with this? Can I even sell it?" He tapped the Gatling Slug Mucus, and it materialized in his hand—a slimy, sticky mess that clung to his fingers with a squelch.
He flung it at a nearby tree, where it stuck with a wet slap. "Maybe I could use this to distract enemies," he mused, shaking his hand to rid himself of the remaining slime.
Determined to level up his skills, Mav hunted more Gatling Slugs, falling into a rhythm. Absorb the barrage with Dark Green Invincibility, finish them off with Dark Yellow Transcendence. The routine became almost second nature, and while it was effective, the repetition began to wear on him.
After dispatching several more slugs, he checked his skill levels:
Skill Name: Dark Green Invincibility (Maximum) lvl. 8/120
Duration: 8 seconds
Skill Name: Dark Yellow Transcendence (Maximum) lvl. 8/120
Duration: 8 seconds
"Not bad," he thought, but the thrill of the hunt was fading. He decided it was time to move on to another Daimoniki: the Puffer Frog.
Name: Puffer Frog
Appearance: Puffer Frogs have protruding eyes, no tail, and strong, webbed hind feet, ideal for leaping and swimming. Their hind legs are more than twice as long as their front ones, enabling powerful leaps. Their smooth, moist skin adds to their agility. They're about three times the size of Gatling Slugs.
Habitat: Puffer Frogs favor forests, particularly areas with fresh water and swampy terrain.
Diet: Humans, Daimoniki, Water Lilies
Flame Affinity: Green Flame
Attack Pattern: Puffer Frogs are stealthy, preferring to sneak up on their targets. Once they're close, they charge their hind legs, preparing to leap. In mid-air, they puff up their bellies, covering them in Green Flames, and aim to crush their prey beneath them. Although easily dodged if anticipated, they rely on their stealth for surprise.
Anticipating their moves was easy for Mav, even without seeing them attack firsthand. After spotting one, he approached cautiously but didn't get too close. Instead, he sat with his back against a rock, feigning sleep, and made loud noises to draw the creature's attention. He waited for a specific sound—the unmistakable noise of its legs coiling for a leap.
The moment he heard it, Mav activated "Dark Green Invincibility." As the frog's puffed-up belly collided with his flame, the creature's inferior green flames shattered upon impact, sending the Puffer Frog bouncing away. This gave Mav enough time to trigger "Dark Yellow Transcendence" and finish the creature off.
Mav repeated the process with several more frogs, leveling up his skills again. As he dispatched them, an idea sparked in his mind. "This is getting too predictable," he muttered. He quickly scrolled to his skill "Dark Yellow Transcendence" and read the description once more.
Description: Envelops one's entire body in a dark yellow flame, uniformly enhancing physical capabilities to the combined strength of 1200 times what one is capable of.
"Let's see if this works," Mav whispered, suppressing a grin. He began searching for the perfect scenario.
After a bit of scouting, he found exactly what he was looking for—a Puffer Frog poised to strike, with an unsuspecting Gatling Slug slowly crawling ahead of it.
"Perfect," Mav murmured, creeping closer without making a sound.
He waited as the Puffer Frog bent its legs, ready to leap. Just before the frog could launch itself, Mav cast "Dark Yellow Transcendence"—but not on himself. This time, he cast it on the Puffer Frog.
Instantly, the familiar dark yellow flames enveloped the frog. When it leapt, it shot into the sky with such force that it disappeared from sight. Mav stood there, waiting, until a distant splat echoed through the forest. His item box displayed:
Puffer Frog Core x 1 Acquired
Puffer Frog Meat x 1 Acquired
"So I've learned two things from this," Mav said to himself, pacing as he processed the new information. "If I can cast Dark Yellow Transcendence on other creatures, I should be able to do the same with other skills like Dark Green Invincibility. That could make me pretty valuable in a party. I haven't tested it on other humans yet, but it's a start."
"Second, that Puffer Frogs cannot survive a fall like that even with the power of the Green Flames," he chuckled at the thought of the Puffer Frog's unfortunate fate. "But that sure was funny."
Satisfied with his discovery, Mav checked his current skill levels:
Skill Name: Dark Yellow Transcendence (Maximum) lvl. 10/120
Duration: 10 seconds
Skill Name: Dark Green Invincibility (Maximum) lvl. 10/120
Duration: 10 seconds
Then he checked his mana:
38/120
"Time to wrap up today's level-up session," he decided, turning to head back. "If only I had a mana potion, I could keep going, but it is what it is."
"I'll save what I have left for emergencies."
Just as those words left his lips and he began to relax, a deep, resounding growl echoed through the forest, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
Mav froze. His instincts screamed at him to move, to do something, but the growl had rooted him to the spot. The air felt thicker, heavier, as if the forest itself had shifted into something more ominous.
"Hey, you," a voice called, deep and commanding.
Mav's heart pounded in his chest. The voice wasn't one of the creatures he'd encountered before; this was something else, something... different.
He slowly turned toward the source of the voice, every muscle in his body tensed, ready to react.