Chapter 207: Predator Among Predators
I stepped out of the pool, took a deep breath, and scanned the treeline.
I activated [Essence Engine].
Violet light pulsed from my chest as Essence flowed out in sharp bursts, responding to my will.
My body hummed with power, the pressure around me thickening. It didn’t take long for the Essence to fully cycle.
With a nod to myself, I rushed forward, deeper into the woods. I didn’t bother to hide my presence. In fact, I made it obvious. I wanted attention, just not in the place Ana was hiding.
The forest grew darker as I progressed, the trees denser, the air thicker. The sound of insects and distant growls accompanied me until I paused, hearing a distinct rustle.
The ground vibrated. A moment later, the creatures emerged from the shadows.
[Black Web Spinner – Level 130]
[Black Web Spinner – Level 133]
[Black Web Spinner – Level 137]
[Black Web Spinner – Level 140]
Four massive spiders, each easily the size of a large carriage. Glossy black shells. Shimmering eyes. Poison dripping from long, curved fangs. Nasty things.
They hissed in unison and lunged toward me without hesitation.
I didn’t wait either.
I dashed forward, closing the distance between me and the first one—Level 130. My fist smashed into its side with a crunch. It skidded across the forest floor, crashing through a thick tree trunk.
The other three launched sticky webs at me, fast and sharp like blades. I twisted mid-air and used a burst of Essence from my feet to shift sideways. The strands sliced into the trees behind me.
One spider tried to flank from left. I shifted sideward and let it slide over, then followed it with a kick to its soft underbelly. It screeched as the impact cracked its shell.
The Level 140 spider charged straight at me, venom spraying from its mouth. I summoned Essence to coat my forearm and blocked the attack. The acid hissed against the barrier but failed to burn through. I grabbed the spider’s leg and swung it hard into its companion.
They collided with a sickening crunch.
One spider tried to skitter away, possibly to launch another ambush. I extended my hand and fired a sharp spike of condensed Essence—piercing through its eye. It dropped instantly.
Three left.
The strongest among them spun rapidly and released a barrage of threads meant to trap me. I let it approach, then kicked off a nearby tree and shot myself toward it.
With a roar, I drove my fist into its head.
[Seismic Burst]
Boom!!
Its exoskeleton fractured. Violet cracks spread through its skull before it exploded in a mess of green ichor.
The last two tried to retreat, but I didn’t let them.
I raised my hand, and a sharp wave of cold air surged forward. Essence shifted, drawing moisture from the air. In seconds, frost clung to the body of the Level 133 spinner. It hissed and tried to leap away but its joints locked mid-motion.
I stepped forward, gathering speed, and launched into a spinning kick. My heel slammed into its frozen body with a crack.
The entire spider shattered into jagged pieces, scattering across the forest floor like glass shards.
The final spinner shrieked and lunged straight at me. I didn’t move aside.
Instead, I clenched my fist, Essence flooding into my arm. Just before it reached me, I stepped in and drove my punch into its skull.
[Seismic Burst]
BOOM!!!
The moment my knuckles touched its head, the force exploded outward. A violent shockwave burst from the impact, shattering the spider’s face and sending seismic ripples through its body.
Its exoskeleton cracked in a hundred places before the shock traveled into the ground, tearing apart the forest floor beneath us.
The creature’s twitching body crumpled, then collapsed into stillness.
I heard level up notifications from their deaths as my stats improved and body adjusted to them.
Breathing steadily, I looked at the mess of shattered limbs and acidic blood steaming around me.
I turned around and began moving back toward a slightly lower-level area. I needed some alive. I planned to allow Steve to level up.
It didn’t take long to find what I needed. A few hours of patient stalking later, I had located and knocked out ten abominations ranging between Level 90 and Level 110—wolves, boars, even a large hawk-like creature. All stunned and bound with Essence threads.
And easily, I stored them inside my storage ring given by the Holts.
“Your turn, Steve,” I said under my breath, cracking my neck.
Refocusing, I shifted directions again. This time, I returned to the area I had just cleared and moved even deeper into it. A fresh trail of broken trees and claw marks hinted at the presence of stronger abominations nearby.
I followed it.
It didn’t take long before I found them.
[Scaled Death Lizard – Level 135]ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
[Molten Spine Lizard – Level 138]
Both stood guard near a cracked cliff wall, thick ridged scales shining under the filtered forest light. The Scaled Death Lizard had venom dripping from its fangs, its body twitching with poison charge. The Molten Spine radiated heat, steam rising from its armored back like a living furnace.
I exhaled and let go.
The violet Essence inside my body surged outward in waves. It burst from my skin in flares, twisting and spiraling. The air shivered. My hair lifted slightly, caught in the current.
In the next moment, I focused my will and pushed.
The world fell quiet.
Like a ripple across the forest, my presence pressed down on them—my Psynapse and Essence syncing together, forming an invisible field of intent. The lizards froze for a heartbeat. Their eyes darted in confusion, their legs tensed but hesitant.
They felt it. The weight of my will pressing on them.
The Molten Spine snapped first, roaring and lunging at me with its lava-wreathed tail flaring like a comet.
I didn’t move.
Instead, I raised a single hand. Violet energy pulsed into my palm and coalesced into a needle-thin stream.
[Essence Lance].
The bolt launched from my fingertips with a screech, spiraling mid-air like a drill of pure condensed pressure. It tore straight through the lizard’s shoulder, spinning out the other side in a spray of molten blood.
It staggered but the Scaled Death had already reacted.
It hissed and spat a cloud of green mist—paralysis gas, thick and glowing.
I stepped forward and swirled my hand.
[Essence Vortex].
The violet Essence spun outward from my palm, forming a twisting spiral of force. It sucked in the toxic mist and crushed it mid-air, the gas imploding as if squeezed by a collapsing star.
Before the lizard could retreat, I reshaped the Essence again.
A sphere of compressed Essence formed in front of me—dense, trembling with violent force.
I hurled it at the beast’s legs.
The moment it touched the earth, it detonated.
The shockwave flipped the lizard mid-run, its limbs torn apart by the blast. Before it could recover, I activated:
[Havoc Sfera].
A blazing, spinning fireball formed in front of me. I fired it instantly at the lizard. The burning sphere howled through the air and slammed into its exposed chest.
Boom.
The explosion was sharp and brutal. Flames engulfed the creature’s body. It thrashed violently, trying to put out the fire—but its movements slowed with each passing second. The scent of burning flesh filled the air.
A few seconds later, the Scaled Death Lizard stopped moving.
The second one, Molten Spine Lizard, let out a rasping hiss and charged, claws digging into the dirt as it accelerated.
The violet Essence in my body flared out, wrapping around me in a soft glow.
[Wind Blade].
From the gesture of my hand, a compressed blade of air erupted forward, invisible but sharp. It cut across the charging lizard’s side, drawing a deep line from shoulder to thigh. It shrieked but didn’t slow.
Its fangs ignited with fire as it leapt into the air.
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!