To deal with the rabbits that used the trees to avoid the ground, Lohan decided to use the creatures’ simple minds against them.
Using the [Parallel Processing Core], he orchestrated a sensory illusion maneuver. He summoned three clones via [Partial Division] and used [Pigmentation Mimicry] so that each would take on a form and thermal signature similar to Lisa’s, while the fox’s real body was shrouded in [Umbral Mimicry], making it nearly invisible in the shadows cast by the tree trunks.
Fortunately, he had practiced making fox legs extensively the day before; otherwise, this plan would have been impossible, even if he had made the Slime clones turn white like Lisa.
The rabbits, driven by basic predatory instincts, saw four identical targets and split up. The moment one of the Level 10 rabbits leaped from an oak tree to strike what they thought was the fox, Lohan played his trump card, a [Magic Weaving Lv 2] concentrated to the maximum with Natural Energy!
This was already a Skill that consumed a large amount of Mana; using Natural Energy to fuel it even further was extremely draining for him, but Lohan gritted his teeth and used that energy anyway.
Infusing the threads with Natural Energy, Lohan created an invisible web of filaments between the nearby trees. When the rabbits launched their charge, they didn’t hit their prey, but instead struck an extremely resilient and adhesive Mana web that glowed neon blue upon contact.
Lohan’s [Non-Newtonian Resilience], now integrated into the web, caused the fibers to harden instantly in response to the explosive impact of the monsters’ paws, harnessing the superior power of Natural Energy to absorb all kinetic energy and immobilize them in midair.
"Now, Lisa!" Lohan vibrated.
With the overflowing vitality provided by Lohan, Lisa didn’t fire normal fireballs. She let out a spiritual roar and expanded her [Spiritual Fire] into a circular wave. The flames devoured the rabbits trapped in the web and weakly struck the Level 9 ones in the distance, who were confused by the clones.
[Experience: +190]
The second Level 10 rabbit, which had leaped over the initial net, retreated upon seeing its partner reduced to ashes by the wave of greenish-white flames.
His bloodshot eyes glowed with fury as he pounded his hind legs rapidly against the ground, preparing a full-power charge to break through the encirclement and avenge his partner.
Lohan felt a pang of mental exhaustion pierce his core.
Using [Natural Energy] to overload [Magic Weaving Lv 2] had drained his stamina at an alarming rate, causing his blue gelatin to pulsate irregularly. However, through [Bio-Synthetic Mana Circulation], he began absorbing the smoking remains of the first rabbit, refining the charred biomass into rapid pulses of Mana to sustain the reservoir.
Not knowing if Lisa could see what the rabbit was doing, Lohan explained. "Lisa, the Level 10 survivor is preparing a head-on charge! It’s going to try to blow up the web with a concentrated kick, get ready!" Lohan warned as he focused his [Instinctive Perception Lv 15] to map the trajectory of the kinetic pressure.
The monster charged.
With a near-deafening explosion, the rabbit struck the threads imbued with natural energy with both hind legs simultaneously.
Lohan reacted in the millisecond of contact, activating [Non-Newtonian Resilience] throughout the entire web; the fibers, glowing neon blue, instantly hardened like high-strength steel beams, absorbing the explosive shock that would have shattered any ordinary defense.
The rabbit’s small brain didn’t understand why his companion had been trapped, and he thought that, due to the confidence from his previous dominance in battle, he believed he only needed to use his most powerful attack to break through those threads.
But instead of breaking free from the trap, the rabbit found his paws stuck in the threads’ extreme [Selective Viscosity], just like his companion.
"Now, for the finishing move, pierce him with your flames!" Lohan commanded, activating the [Parallel Processing Core] to coordinate the remaining Mana.
Lisa, driven by the vitality still coursing through her veins, leaped in a perfect arc. Channeling the [Spiritual Fire] into the tips of her front claws, she created a blade of reddish-white plasma. While still in the air, Lohan materialized a [Ice Spike] smaller than usual but extremely dense, which merged with her attack.
The blow struck the trapped monster’s skull. The collision between the compressed ice core and the concentrated flames caused a micro-cranial implosion in the rabbit, silencing the Level 10 beast instantly.
[Experience: +210]
The three remaining Level 9 rabbits, seeing their leaders eliminated, tried to flee by using the trees as desperate jumping platforms.
However, Lohan’s clones, which had previously served only as decoys, clung to the rabbits while alternating their viscosity between super-sticky and zero-adhesion, causing the creatures to lose their balance and traction and crash into the surrounding tree trunks, making the situation even more chaotic.
Mercilessly, Lisa cleared the battlefield with short bursts of flame, while Lohan gathered the bodies into their reservoir, removing only small parts of the corpses to eat, feeling the Biomass replenish his losses.
[Experience: +163]
[Experience: +137]
[Experience: +151]
The experience gained in this battle raised his total experience from 1,230 → 1,982 / 25,600.
He still had a long way to go before reaching level 10, but considering how quick this hunt was, he didn’t worry too much.
Fortunately, these rabbits’ bodies were quite small, so since they were high-level, their biomass density was very high for every kilogram of meat Lohan digested.
Not even the charred carcass was spared.
Keeping only the rabbits’ tendons and ligaments, the valuable parts Intervar had asked them to hunt for, Lohan digested everything, starting with each one’s brain, hoping to gain a useful evolution from these creatures.
The first rabbit didn’t yield any new evolutions...
[Viscous Flow Lv 24 → Lv 25] - 2.09 m/s → 2.29 m/s
The second rabbit didn’t either...
[Membrane Reinforcement Lv 28 → Lv 29]
Finally, with the third rabbit, Lohan received the message he had been waiting for.
[New Matter Digested...]