Chapter 9: | The Difference of Skills
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My form sliced through the water, in a silent, predatory streak, before flickering into a blur.
My fanged maw ripped into its hide, a gruesome rending sound echoing in the murky depths.
Rip!
A gaping chasm exploded in its hide, flesh pulping beneath the single, swift motion as I snapped my head sideways, like that of a living blade carving through the water.
Without a breath for it to recover, my form dissolved into a ghastly, phantom streak.
Crash!
My teeth clamped down on its tail, shattering its bone on contact, and I heaved, slamming its massive body into the ground in a devastating arc.
Dark, viscous blood gushed from its gaping wounds as my form blurred.
CRACK!
My tail hammered into the ground in a downward slam, its head cracking deeper into the earth, a dull thud reverberating through the water.
The impact gouged out a fresh crater.
My fangs, now empowered by 'Sunder Maw,' shredded its gills in a single, swift motion, a gurgling gasp escaping as its life was drained from its eyes.
I spat on its form, its dying tremors fading, as I drank in the raw mana pulsing, hot and vibrant, from its cooling body.
I hoped to obtain its core, for I needed it to face a classed Whark.
My maw devoured its flesh, crushing its bone and sinew again and again until nothing remained, not even a shredded fragment.
Its flesh was as rich and gamey as ever, as a primal satisfaction sent shivers from my spine.
What I'd just killed was an 'Obsidian Hulk Whark' with a core.
It was probably a three-star, variant.
But so what?
I'd killed it with ease by unleashing a barrage of combos that it wouldn't be able to process.
With its meager brain.
My physique was superior to its, but with its mana enhancing its body, it was still slightly superior to me.
A hologram flickered into existence before me in celebration, and a low chuckle rumbled from my lips.
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[You have slain.]
• S: 1 | T: 2 | Level 6 | Volcanic Sentinel Whark [3★]
[You have gained.]
[10,000 - EXP.]
[You have gained a level.] x1
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[You have gained a mana.]
[You've obtained.]
• [A Mortal With Mana?!]
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[You have devoured.]
• S: 1 | T: 2 | Level 6 | Volcanic Sentinel Whark [3★]
[You have gained.]
[+ 17 - Health.]
[+ 7 - Stamina.]
[+ 0.34 - Physique.]
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[Skills Devoured.]
• Igneous Nexus [Tier 9]
• Telluric Skeleton [Tier 8]
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[Grotesque Physique would like to devour this skills.]
• Igneous Nexus [Tier 9]
• Telluric Skeleton [Tier 8]
[Yes] / [No]
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Igneous Nexus [Passive | ▪︎]
A pulsating, molten core deep within the Whark's chest, the Igneous Nexus is its central furnace. It continuously draws geothermal energy to supercharge the Whark's defenses and cataclysmic attacks. If ruptured, it explodes, disintegrating the Whark and devastating the area.
Telluric Skeleton [Passive | ▪︎]
Its skeletal structure is composed of solidified telluric energy, making it denser and more robust than any known material. This internal framework is the source of its immense structural integrity, granting it complete invulnerability to internal trauma or crushing forces.
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I closed my eyes, sinking into the glorious rush of power surging within me.
My form was mutating, becoming something vastly more grotesque, yet exquisitely potent.
My flesh, bones, and the ambient mana I'd devoured writhed and converged, a churning vortex deep within, coalescing into a densely packed sphere, humming with otherworldly power.
A true...
Maybe a false monster core ignited inside my body.
Then, pure mana surged, a molten current, invigorating my entire being.
The pleasure was intoxicating, a fiery thrill coursing through my blood vessels, vibrating through my bones.
They flowed frantically, each pulse passively enhancing my strength.
My skeleton then groaned and shifted, mutating as it merged with the existing structure, and yet it couldn't truly fuse into a singular entity.
The dimensional record didn't allow the fusion of false skills without a medium, which I was going to use.
A deep, guttural moan escaped me, a frantic expression of the profound satisfaction from this new journey.
I waved my tail as the fusion table appeared, and I dragged the skills that I deemed useful.
I clicked 'Yes' for their fusion.
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[Would you fuse this skills?]
• Razor Maw + Crushing Granite Bite
• Obsidian Carapace + Granite Shell
• Telluric Skeleton + Adamantine Framework
[Yes] / [No]
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Adamantine Carapace [Passive | Ascension I | ▪︎]
The Whark's hide ascends to an extraordinary level of resilience, forming an incredibly dense, interlocking shell of nigh-indestructible material. This Adamantine Carapace grants the Whark exceptional resistance to all forms of physical damage—bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing—and renders it completely immune to poison.
Shatter-Rip Maw [Passive | Ascension I | ▪︎]
The Whark's jaws are transformed, now possessing a devastating combination of crushing power and shearing sharpness. Its teeth are exceptionally numerous and rock-hard, allowing it to effortlessly splinter stone and shatter steel while simultaneously ripping flesh from bone. Any creature grappling with or constricted by the Whark suffers continuous bludgeoning and grievous tearing damage.
Terra-Core Skeleton [Passive | Ascension I | ▪︎]
The Whark's skeletal structure ascends into a truly formidable internal fortress, composed of an incredibly dense, virtually unbreakable framework imbued with solidified telluric energy. This grants it unparalleled structural integrity, making it completely invulnerable to internal trauma and any crushing forces. Its immense weight is effortlessly supported by this internal bedrock.
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Ahhhhh!
I moaned in a torturous ecstasy, my body an unstable equilibrium of searing pain and intoxicating pleasure as it mutated, twisting, reshaping, to become stronger, to become greater than before…
This wasn't just a metamorphosis, it was the violent recreation of my entire being.
As I felt the impurities in my bones scoured clean, expelled from my very essence.
My form contorted, solidified, becoming something monstrous, something demonic, for I was destined to become the grotesque culmination of records.
Perhaps with these skills, killing a Lord-class Whark should be possible…
My body went still for but a moment, as I recalled that terrific moment inside my mind as I shook my head.
No…
This won't be enough, for I am far too weak, and their skills are too much for me to handle at this moment.
I needed more skills to polish my strength, to push it to its absolute limit, to truly fight a Lord-class.
I closed my eyes and listened.
The faint rustling of the cliff face, the distant, percussive sounds of their clash, a symphony of power.
I would not hide as a mere coward.