Episode 4: An Unexpected EnemyTime passed.
By goblin activity standards, five full days had gone by.
My routine continued monotonously.
Hide beneath rocks until nightfall.
Emerging at night to eat the cockroach carcasses set as bait.
Even in death, I could still absorb their traits.
I replaced the cockroaches with pieces of my own body as bait.
Rats couldn't smell me when uninjured, but wounded flesh gave off a scent.
I quickly regenerated my body and retreated under the rocks.
Within ten minutes of waiting, scent-driven rats would appear.
These stupid rodents never learned - even after watching companions die the same way.
Clank.
When a rat got trapped, I'd emerge.
The rat would go berserk upon seeing me - not from being trapped, but from realizing it had consumed part of me.
Ignoring the frenzied rat, I'd climb atop the trap.
Securing the high ground before attacking.
The rat could only helplessly endure my assault.
During attacks, I'd switch traits to dual Agile Bodies.
Even when my STR-END-AGI stats were 0.00211, I could catch them.
Now that I'd reached single decimal digits, hunting became trivial.
First strike to the torso.
Then to the head while it's disoriented.
Just two hits to knock the rat unconscious.
Occasionally stronger rats appeared that could break traps, but they shared the same fate.
I'd grown strong enough to fight rats head-on outside traps now.
Kill the rat. Devour the corpse.
Agile Body became a guaranteed acquisition.
Stronger rats yielded Agile Body+.
With luck, I'd gain Rapid Metabolism.
A unique trait like the cockroach's Tenacious Vitality.
Collecting ten identical traits allowed upgrades.
After five days of this, my status had transformed.
[Name: Lee Chan-hwi]
[LV1]
[Class: Predator]
[Strength:0.2511]
[Endurance:0.2511]
[Agility:0.2511]
[Mana:0.0001]
[Stamina:MAX]
[Traits]:[Agile Body×9],[Agile Body+×8][Rainbow Shell×3] [Sturdy Insect Shell×5],[Insect Shell×23],[Tenacious Vitality×9],[Rapid Metabolism×3]
Equipped Traits:[Agile Body+],[Agile Body+],[Sturdy Insect Shell]
[Predation LV2][81%]
Predation approached its next level. Like how LV2 granted enhancement abilities, LV3 would bring new powers.
I'd also gained a new trait - Death's Countdown from equipping Rapid Metabolism.
[Death's Countdown: Consumes energy to quintuple physical stats. Drains stored energy. Complete depletion causes fatal shock.]
Overclocking metabolism to surpass physical limits.
Though rats naturally have high metabolism, mine worked differently.
Forcibly accelerating my heartrate to push past bodily constraints.
My trump card.
A game-changer against powerful foes.
Quintupled stats would breach decimal limitations.
With surprise attacks, I could potentially kill small goblins now.
'Huhuhuhu. Smooth sailing.'
Everything progressed smoothly.
Preparations for hunting goblins advanced steadily.
My plan:
Keep hunting rats.
Collect Agile Body traits for enhancement.
Upgrade Agile Body+ to Agile Body++.
Equip Agile Body++, activate Death's Countdown, then ambush a small goblin.
The 5x stat boost would surpass decimal limitations.
With the element of surprise, handling small goblins became feasible.
'Just need to raise my stats a bit more before hunting goblins.'
I suppressed my impatience.
Grow stronger first before advancing. Minimize risks wherever possible.
Squeak! Squeak-squeak.
Mid-contemplation, another rat got trapped.
Abandoning thoughts, I rose. Hunting time. Emerged from my nest.
The rattling trap held a prize catch.
Judging by experience, this rat likely carried Agile Body+.
I climbed atop the trap.
The trap mustn't break. Lately, beating intensity kept increasing.
If this trap broke too, the small goblin was dead for sure.
'I must be the one to kill the small goblin.'
This was the safest stepping stone for starting goblin hunts.
Among known goblins, the small one had lowest death risk.
Squeak. Squeak-squeak.
The rat reacted like all others.
After eating my flesh, its eyes rolled back. Stared vacantly at me.
Some leaped toward me, but none ever succeeded.
All met their end against my tentacles.
This rat would share its predecessors' fate.
I focused power into my tentacles.
Key to rat hunting: deny reaction time.
Strike swift and hard like whack-a-mole.
'Now!'
Seized the moment of rodent carelessness.
A long, crimson mass of flesh shot forward.
The optimal tentacle thrust perfected through experience!
Stab!
The rat uttered brief death throes. Killed in one strike.
"Huhuhuhu. Time for Predation?"
I'd grow stronger than this.
One never tires of becoming stronger.
Anticipating greater power, I moved toward the trap's interior.
Shiiing!
Something sliced through air.
Cockroach? No. Larger. Bigger than any rat I'd eaten!
Tried dodging. Too late to react.
"Fuck!"
Intense pain hammered me.
First such agony since becoming this creature.
Chewing through pain, I checked my body.
As expected, half my mass was gone.
Overwhelmed, I collapsed into the trap.
Identified my attacker.
A rat. Three times larger than forearm-sized sewer rats I knew.
The rat lunged.
Crash!
The trap shook violently - nearly shattered by impact.
Fortunately, it held.
"The bullying paid off."
The big goblin's harassment had an upside.
During that time, the trap toughened. Saved my life.
I regenerated. Restored lost biomass.
Immediately consumed the rat. Equipped Rapid Metabolism.
[Trait Death's Countdown activating.]
Metabolism skyrocketed. Core overheated.
Rats have high metabolism.
High metabolism means rapid digestion.
[Acquired Agile Body+.]
Already partially digested despite recent consumption. Enhanced traits immediately.
Screeeeeech!
The Giant Rat howled. Thoroughly enraged.
Unclear if from camaraderie or insult.
One certainty: its furious charge shattered the trap.
The Giant Rat pounced.
Massive teeth threatened to tear me apart.
[Acquired Agile Body++.]
[Equipped Agile Body++.]
[Trait Death's Countdown activating.]
[Death's Countdown: All physical stats quintupled. Consumes stored energy. Complete depletion causes fatal shock.]
[Trait Hardness activating. Skin toughens based on Strength stat.]
But the teeth couldn't penetrate - thanks to Hardness trait.
I grappled the rat. It lost the strength contest - Death's Countdown's effect.
My quintupled stats surpassed decimal limitations.
Against goblins? Maybe not. But never against mere rats.
Crash!
The Giant Rat slammed into the trap. This time, it shattered.
The cave wall collision dazed the rat only momentarily before it charged again.
I stood my ground.
Strength favored me. No need to retreat.
Thud.
Grabbed the charging rat and slammed it down.
Thud.
Finish it now. Slammed it down again.
Overpowered, the rat lay helpless.
I felt its strength waning.
"Final blow!"
Prepared to deliver the killing strike.
Raised my tentacle for the smash.
Vision suddenly swam.
Side effect of Death's Countdown.
Stored energy neared depletion.
'Shit...'
Glanced downward. The rat corpse was nearly fully digested.
Staying put wasn't just confidence - the corpse served as emergency energy storage. Now exhausted.
Squeak
During my lapse, the Giant Rat broke free.
Despite the beating, it seemed unharmed.
Disgusting durability matching its size.
"Fuck. Retreating forward!"
I retreated forward. Not fleeing from some rat bastard.
Strategic withdrawal to regroup.
Squeak-squeak!
The rat pursued but couldn't match my speed.
Death's Countdown's effect lingered.
Squeak! Squeak!
Reached my nest. Swiftly deactivated Rapid Metabolism.
Energy reserves hung by a thread.
Death's Countdown's penalty was shock death upon energy depletion.
Nearly died from side effects.
'Need to manage energy distribution better.'
Sighed in relief. Without that dizziness warning, shock death might've claimed me.
No guarantee the final blow would've killed the Giant Rat either.
Squeak-squeak!
The Giant Rat scratched near my nest.
Seemed overflowing with vigor - unlike its weakened state moments ago.
Its clawing tantrum proved futile.
The floor was stone, not dirt.
Undeterred, it scraped until claws broke.
Only at dawn when goblins appeared did the rat relent.
Tap. Tap.
The Giant Rat's footsteps echoed through caves.
"Keeeeek!"
Goblins spotting the rat gave chase.
"Haa... So hungry."
Intense hunger struck belatedly.
First true starvation since becoming this monster.
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