Taking a closer look at the Archaeopteryx, I noticed it had a reptilian frame. Its body was covered in feathers, which were black and asymmetrical. While that was in tune with the Kerink's plumage, it appeared to be the only similarity.
Instead of a beak, the Archaeopteryx had a long, narrow snout lined with small, sharp teeth. It was a predator, its eyes forward-facing and alert. Or so it must have been when the monster was still alive.
The most curious, however, was its long and bony tail. Feathers fanned out from both sides of the tail, forming a flat, feathered surface rather than a compact tail plume, but there were also growths that caught my attention.
"Are those thorns?" I mused, studying the corpse up close.
Overall, the Archaeopteryx looked wild, yet elegant and… ancient. Primal in a way. Reminiscing about the fight with the monster, it was also obvious that it was not as graceful as the Kerink had been. Instead, it carried raw power, driven by nothing more than instincts.
And I shifted into it, ignoring the bad headache as best as I could.
Xavier Halur
Core: Tier-1 (29%)
Primary Power: Shift
Racial Trait: Sonic Boom
Racial Trait? The corner of my lip curled up. Was that what the Archaeopteryx had used against me earlier?
Curious, I tried to replicate its power. With my maw wide open with the intent to kill an imaginary opponent, Sonic Boom triggered. First, nothing happened. Then something traveled up my throat. It raced up to my maw, gathered, and burst forward in a straight line. A semi-translucent shockwave of… something. Honestly, I couldn't tell what it was even as it tore through the air and impacted, tearing a hole into the targeted bush.
After that, nothing happened. It was anticlimactic. Shift ended a few moments later, and I returned to my main form, feeling once again weaker than before.
"Sonic Boom, huh?" My eyes drifted from the corpse to the meagre damage the racial trait had caused to the tree. The trait hadn't physically hurt me either. Or, at least, it didn't hurt my skin and flesh, and instead targeted something much deeper.
Interesting, yet not really, considering it wasn't even strong enough to knock me unconscious.
My mind was still reeling after all that, so I rested a little longer and ate a quick bite. But when I emptied my pouch–gobbling down enough jerky to feed a group of three for a full meal–and I was still hungry, something had to change. Hence, I shifted into the old human soldier with the Conjure Bread Power and used it twice before Shift's effect wore off.
The bread was still not the best, but it filled my stomach.
"Do they have jam in the grove? What about cheese?" I wondered quietly. "A grilled cheese sandwich would be amazing."
If I hadn't just devoured two entire bread loaves, my stomach would have growled. Alas, I was full and felt much better already.
Without further ado, my feet carried me through the forest, my mind lingering on racial traits.
Even though its Core wasn't all that saturated, it nearly killed me. All because of Sonic Boom.
The racial trait still affected me after several hours had passed. That only confirmed the plan festering in my mind.
I had to find more monsters with racial traits.
The next monster I encountered was a one-meter-long centipede. It burst out of a hole, which could have been a rabbit's den in the past, and attacked. As far as I was concerned, the centipede didn't appear all that strong. I wouldn't have to use my Power to crush it, but all the stories I'd heard about all those who underestimated monsters helped me stay at the top of the game.
There was a reason everyone said that humans without combat-oriented Powers should stay away from monsters. They were that much stronger on average.
Hence, I squashed my ego before it could cause me any harm and used Shift. My skin rippled and I shrunk a little in size as I turned into a Hnoll. Unsheathing my steel swords, I engaged the centipede in combat, using superior agility and strength. The monster skittered toward me, but I slashed the side of its head, severing a dagger-sized mandible. The centipede shifted and spit something at me even as it let out a wailing screech.
A moment later, my blade found purchase, piercing eye and skull in one go.
Teora Centipede has been slain. Shift has been updated.
Shift ended, but I transformed into the Teora Centipede I'd just slain, only to find that it didn't have a racial trait. However, I learned that it was stronger than my main form was. Not by much, but it made me wonder.
Monsters with less saturated Cores aren't attacking me.
The Eserian forest did not seem to have many monsters with Cores below a saturation rate of 10 percent, yet that did not mean there were none. I'd seen quite a few, yet none attacked me.
Could they sense my strength? Probably not. Or, if they did, said monsters had to be able to perceive the strength of all the other monsters as well. Acquiring the shift of such a monster would be quite useful. That was if it was an inborn ability to sense the power level of others rather than a method these monsters learned to survive.
"One more thing to add to the things I have no idea about." I chuckled to myself and continued to hunt.
The next monster in my path was a butterfly the size of my head. Then there was yet another small swarm of Kerink birds. However, those were far from all the monsters I encountered. If anything, it felt like I was attracting more monsters the longer I stayed out–Fern's scent on me was growing weaker.
Was that really all there was? If so, was it a good thing I was drenched in Fern's scent, or did it slow my progress?
"Her scent's probably saving my life, you idiot." I lectured myself for the mere question. If not for her scent, I'd probably be dead now. Today alone, I would have died a dozen deaths. Maybe? I guess. Probably.
I shrugged and went on my way after making sure my foes were dead and that I wasn't being followed.