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One week later.
The nameless lake, embedded within the lush green forest like a flawless sapphire, remained just as calm and peaceful as ever.
Not a ripple disturbed its quiet surface.
Beneath the water, colorful Water-type Pokémon still wandered through the dense underwater vegetation, searching for food to fill their bellies.
And just like before, the Magikarp with their rough orange-red scales drifted lazily through the lakebed in loose schools, their dull, vacant eyes staring blankly ahead as their pale white tails swayed slowly through the water.
However, if a creature familiar with this lake were to observe closely, it would quickly notice something different.
Compared to seven days ago, the number of Magikarp in the lake had clearly changed.
There were… fewer of them.
Splash!
A sudden rush of turbulent water cut sharply through the otherwise tranquil lake.
The muffled sound of disturbed currents echoed softly through the depths.
Hidden within the dark shadows nearby, a faint transparent silhouette flickered into view.
Blurry.
Unremarkable.
But incredibly fast.
In the blink of an eye, the transparent figure slipped silently through the water and arrived near the edge of the Magikarp school.
Smooth.
Fluid.
Aside from the subtle shift of currents, there was not a single sound.
Clearly, the dull-witted Magikarp had not noticed the cold killing intent flowing through the water.
Even though a strange atmosphere had been spreading among the group lately and several of their kind had mysteriously vanished, their limited intelligence prevented them from reacting in any meaningful way.
Perhaps they simply swam a little closer together.
It didn't matter.
For the cold assassin lurking in the shadows, the weak clustering of cowards was like the chocolate shell coating an ice cream bar in summer.
It looked firm.
But with a little pressure, it shattered easily, exposing the soft sweetness inside.
Buzz!
A strange humming sound suddenly echoed across the lakebed.
It resembled some eerie cry from a warped space.
In an instant, chaotic sound waves spread outward, engulfing the entire Magikarp school.
Their heads spun.
Their bodies slowed.
A deep instinctive sense of danger rose from their blood, urging them to flee.
Their tails began to move in desperate attempts to escape.
But under the influence of the strange sound waves, every movement they made felt as though time itself had slowed to half speed.
Everything was painfully sluggish.
Whoosh—
Two brilliant streaks of white light shot through the water like meteors tearing across the night sky.
With the sharp tearing sound of splitting currents, they raced toward two orange-red bodies that were struggling to move.
Shhk! Shhk!
Two savage sounds of flesh being pierced followed.
Blood burst into the water like a red mist, rapidly staining the clear lake crimson.
Splash! Splash!
Strong fins thrashed wildly.
Clusters of bubbles mixed with dark red blood churned through the dim lakebed.
The fleeing school of Magikarp paid no attention to the two of their companions that had already flipped belly-up behind them, their bodies dissolving into fading white light.
Driven by the pressure of that cold killing intent, they fled desperately in blind panic.
"Ding!"
"Defeated Pokémon: Magikarp."
"Experience gained: 9."
"Defeated Pokémon: Magikarp."
"Experience gained: 7."
The crisp, bell-like system notifications rang inside Kael's mind.
The pitifully small amount of experience didn't stir even the slightest ripple in his emotions.
Floating quietly in the water, Kael watched the fleeing Magikarp school.
His azure eyes looked somewhat numb.
He knew that with his current speed, he could catch up with them in mere seconds.
But he didn't move.
Over the past week, his relentless hunting had pushed his level from Level 2 to Level 10.
Thanks to the plentiful experience provided by Magikarp, Kael had advanced at an astonishing rate of roughly one level per day, rapidly escaping the fragile newborn stage.
Now he had entered the early stages of physical growth, where his development curve had begun to stabilize.
He was finally laying the foundation for his future evolution.
Unfortunately, because of Magikarp's cowardly nature, the battles had been far too easy.
Even though their levels were still higher than his, the lack of resistance meant the experience he gained from them had now become extremely small.
At this rate, the easy stream of experience would soon dry up completely.
But Kael didn't feel disappointed.
For him, the original goal had already been achieved.
He had successfully survived the vulnerable early stage of life.
Further growth couldn't be achieved simply by farming Magikarp anyway.
He had no interest in that.
During this week alone, the number of Magikarp that had died at his hands likely exceeded twenty.
And yet…
He felt nothing.
Only numbness.
That didn't mean Kael had turned into some emotionless killing machine.
Despite the countless lives that had been lost beneath his hands throughout his many journeys across worlds, he still retained something deep within his soul.
A piece of the innocence that once belonged to a human.
In simpler terms, regardless of his identity or circumstances, he still had his own moral boundaries.
Even though Magikarp were technically Pokémon, their intelligence was nearly nonexistent.
Aside from their slightly tougher bodies, they were no different from ordinary animals.
In Kael's eyes, they couldn't truly be considered his "kind."
Only beings with genuine awareness, emotion, and intelligence qualified as individuals worthy of his moral restraint.
Magikarp, to him, were no different from the chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep humans raised in his previous life.
Sometimes people showed kindness toward them.
But when survival demanded it, they were slaughtered without hesitation.
A kind of living resource.
A tool.
There was no contradiction in that.
When overwhelming power is combined with a wilderness free of any authority or regulation…
The consequences that followed were something most people could never imagine.
Compared to many other transmigrators in distant worlds who abused their power without restraint…
Kael believed his own behavior had actually been rather restrained.
Lifting his gaze, he looked toward the sparkling lake surface above, where sunlight poured through the water in dazzling rays.
Quietly, he began thinking.
He had already achieved his initial goal.
This small lake was safe.
But safety alone wasn't enough.
It couldn't provide the resources he needed for true growth.
"I need to start planning my next move."
Kael reached that conclusion silently in his mind.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!