A python, one extinct for ages, hung high in the trees. Its 12-meter-long body looped again and again, carrying such mass that it looked to be a miracle that the tree could hold it up at all.
Sylas had only just thought that he hadn't seen a single carnivore in the region, only to find one mere minutes from his original location.
Goosebumps erupted across his skin. Without the slightest hesitation, he decisively left. This was not a creature he wanted to get entangled with.
As a researcher, he mostly worked with venomous snakes, and rarely constrictors like this one. However, he had just as much healthy respect for them as the former. This was about the worst kind of extinct creature he could meet, other than maybe dinosaurs themselves.
The only good news was that pythons of that size were very slow. But the fact its Physical was that high despite what was likely low Speed and Dexterity meant that its Strength and Constitution must be off the charts.
This was in part due to the Aether, Sylas was sure. But its evolution wasn't even over yet.
Sylas made a note to himself that his scouting abilities weren't perfect. He was human and he could only use his eyes. He wasn't the only creature that could blend into the environment, and he was definitely the worst suited to doing so on top of that.
Soon, Sylas found another cascading waterfall of Aether.
[Red Fox (F)]
[Level: 0]
[Physical: 17]
[Mental: 0]
[Will: 1]
'Red foxes should be mostly nocturnal, but it's asleep. This is a plus for my theory about the Aether.'
The high Physical stat threw Sylas off, but at this point he had pretty much confirmed that this was the benefit of Aether. As the night went on, these creatures would only get stronger. By tomorrow, he would be surrounded by superhuman-level beasts and his odds of surviving would only plummet.
He moved slowly, making sure to carefully check around the region to ensure that there were no other lurking dangers like the titanoboa. Then he exploded into action.
He raised the femur spear up, activating Blade Aura and preparing to stab down. But then his heart skipped a beat.
Time seemed to slow.
The first thing he noticed were the twitching ears of the red fox. As Sylas' steely green eyes rushed through the night, they picked up on every detail, each one more of a flashbang to his senses than the last.
First it was its ears, then its tail swayed, and by the time Sylas loomed over it, it had hopped to its feet, spinning around with a sharp glint in its eyes.
'Another mistake.'
Sylas was being hard on himself, but that was how he always was. Even so, he didn't slow down or hesitate as he pierced downward.
The fox's body blurred, moving so fast that Sylas' eyes almost couldn't keep up in the darkness. But he still felt something connect.
A yelp came from the fox as a deep gash was torn into its front left shoulder.
Sylas felt its intention to run away immediately. Remembering its Will stat, Sylas put two and two together, realizing that this might be a method of telling the tendencies of these creatures as well.
This timidity only benefitted Sylas.
The red fox turned in an attempt to run, but its injured front leg threw its balance off and it stumbled.
Precisely what Sylas was waiting for.
He raised up the femur spear again and drove it down, this time right through the spine of the red fox.
Another yelp echoed, but it was pinned to the ground and its strength was quickly leaving its body.
Sylas retreated. With its spine damaged, the fox couldn't run away, but that didn't mean it couldn't try to harm him in some way. It was better safe than sorry.
He watched as the red fox breathed its last, his green irises floating in the darkness like eerie orbs of death.
Walking forward, he placed a hand on the red fox.
[Red Fox]
[Gene Detected]
[Fragmented Gene: Dexterity (F)]
[Attempt Assimilation?]
[Yes][No]
Sylas accepted the assimilation. He wondered if, since this was a Dexterity Gene, it would also mean that his Title would activate.
Dexterity had been quite useful to him until now, and it appeared in subtle ways. The more he thought about these stats, the more he felt that they had multiple layers to them.
For example, just now, he used all his strength but still managed to drive the femur spear exactly where he wanted it to go. Someone else's accuracy might have been lacking in that rushed moment.
As expected, Sylas did feel his Title take effect, and he got a 10% boost to his success.
[Gene Assimilation Starting…]
[Gene Assimilation Triggered]
Sylas felt his body seize up for a moment before relaxing.
[Gene Assimilation Successful]
'No wonder there's a choice. If I seize up like that at a bad time, I could die. It's likely that the more intrusive the Gene, the worse the experience will be.'
Sylas exhaled a breath.
He might have been successful, but he didn't forget about the fox waking up as soon as he approached. He didn't think that was a coincidence.
It shouldn't be that the fox had a special ability, though that was a small possibility. Sylas was more inclined to believe that it had been startled awake, maybe even by the Aether itself.
Maybe it wouldn't be as easy as he thought to take advantage of this loophole.
'There's only one way to find out.'
Sylas went back on the hunt, but this time he was looking for another creature similar to the red fox. Preferably small and weak, with abilities that skewed more toward Speed or Dexterity.
[Red Fox (F)]
[Level: 0]
[Physical: 18]
[Mental: 0]
[Will: 2]
Sylas hid behind a tree and the first thing he did was throw a rock. It soared just over the ears of the red fox.
It didn't react.
Sylas prepared another rock. This time, he threw it similarly, allowing it to soar just over the head of the red fox. However, he took a lot of power off of it.
The rock fell just a meter or two away from the red fox, landing in the soft grass.
It still didn't react as though it was too lost in its dreams.
'Is it really because of me?'
The noise of that rock wasn't significantly softer than his footsteps had been.
After some more thought, Sylas picked up a larger rock, about two inches in width. He threw it again, but this time at a tree on the opposite side of the clearing the red fox was sleeping in.
TA!
Once again, it didn't react.
'I see…'
There was no way to tell for certain unless he moved forward himself, but it was as he feared. The animal was shaken awake by his appearance specifically.
'It must be the case that the Irish Elk didn't react to me because it had only just started its evolution?'
He wasn't sure. He had managed to land a hit on the elk before it woke up, but these foxes…
'A gamble.'
Once again, the moment he made the choice, he acted.
He burst through the clearing. Adrenaline pumped through his body as he raised the femur short spear.
The moment he got within three meters, he sensed it all again. The twitch of the ears, the sway of the tail… but this time, it was all just a little bit faster.
Even so, while the stats of this red fox were better, Sylas was far more prepared. He threw a rock as hard as he could with his off-hand. For as long as he could remember, he had been able to use his left and right hands interchangeably, and at this moment, it came in handy.
This rock was easily four inches in diameter and it had a great heft to it. It slammed down on the head of the red fox just as it tried to get up.
The fox's spin was delayed by just a half measure, allowing Sylas the time he needed to thrust down with the femur short spear.
It was all so perfectly laid out. Unfortunately, Sylas was quickly learning that not everything in this world was under his control.
The fox's hair suddenly stood on end and its body shivered. In that split moment, it looked almost as though it had caught a bout of cold fever.
Sylas' short spear stabbed down and hit nothing but air. The red fox seemed to phase through it, appearing just a meter to the side.
For Sylas, who had based his whole life on logical deduction, he felt as though his senses had short-circuited. What just happened?
An almost cat-like growl echoed as the fox bared its teeth toward Sylas.
With quick movement, Sylas pulled the short spear out of the soft grass. His off-hand pulled out the elk antler piece, clutching it tightly as he faced off against the fox.
The good news? He had confirmed that this system wouldn't allow him anymore easy kills. Last time, he had been within two meters before the fox reacted. This time, it was at three.
As these evolutions continued, he bet that the range would only extend and he would only get more and more helpless.
The bad news? As though the "good" news wasn't tinged with enough angst, he now had to actually face off against this animal head-to-head without any tricks to rely on.
Oh… and his Blade Aura's timer was already ticking.
Sylas could distinctly hear the rhythm of his breath. The crunching of the grass beneath his bare feet and the slight rustle of the chilly wind felt amplified a hundredfold.
His usually steady and calm heart sped up, blood rushing through him and flushing his skin red.
He was completely on high alert, the tingling sensation of his small hairs rising to attention and goosebumps crawling up his skin feeling as visceral as a sudden dump in a cold lake.
Even as he circled the red fox, he realized that it was hesitant to attack as well. Its body continuously shivered, as though it was hesitating between running away and charging forward to rip Sylas' throat out.
At that moment, Sylas keenly remembered the cowardice of the first fox he had come across. It hadn't even tried to fight back.
This one had a will that was slightly stronger, but it seemed that that cowardice was ingrained into its very bones.
The moment Sylas made this deduction, he realized he needed to take the initiative.
He spread his arms out wide, revealing the most vital parts of him to attack as he swept toward the red fox.
The small creature froze for a moment, distinctly feeling just how much larger Sylas was than it.
The fox wasn't even half a meter from its paws to its shoulders, its overall body length not even reaching an entire meter. Compared to Sylas, who was well over six feet, it was truly small.
Sylas' approach could only be said to be crude beyond compare. He distracted the red fox with his arms, flailing them out and flashing his pair of bone weapons. Then, in that final moment of approach, his leg flashed.
The red fox's eyes were darting between the bone weapons and didn't even seem to notice as a foot hit it flush in the jaw.
Sylas' jaw set into a flexed position. He had a working understanding of the common martial arts, but kicking against something with his bare feet like that wasn't something that he was used to by any stretch of the imagination.
The red fox released a yelp. First a stone had hit the back of its skull, and now a strong kick from an existence over 20 times heavier than it had sent it flying. How could it not feel the aftereffects?
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