The next morning, While the pack was still rubbing sleep from their eyes, he was already deep in the spider-infested grove, his movements a blur of calculated violence. He wasn't just hunting for points anymore; he was hunting for specific tools.
He focused on the smaller spiders first, dodging their webs with practiced ease before delivering swift, lethal blows. Each kill chimed in his mind.
Current DP: 48/100
"Almost there," he muttered, his eyes locked on the [Web Slinger] skill. He found another cluster, his claws a whirlwind of obsidian. Finally, the notification he was waiting for appeared.
Skill Available for Acquisition: [Web Slinger] - 20 DP
Purchase? Y/N
"Finally! Yes!" he growled, selecting yes. A strange sensation bloomed in his wrists, like new muscles twitching to life. He aimed at a nearby branch and willed the skill to activate. A thick, sticky strand of webbing shot out, latching onto the wood. A manic grin split his face. "Perfect."
Next, he sought out a larger, venomous spider. He deliberately let it bite his arm, feeling a sharp sting before his [Venom Resistance (Moderate)] neutralized it. The system chimed again.
Skill Available for Acquisition: [Paralytic Venom Gland] - 40 DP
Purchase? Y/N
He didn't have enough points, but that was the plan. He hunted with renewed frenzy, his greed fueling him until he amassed the required DP. The purchase was accompanied by a sickening, yet fascinating, feeling of two new small glands forming in his throat.
Now, armed and dangerous, Seth began his real hunt. He didn't kill his prey. He ambushed a giant boar-like creature, webbing its legs together before delivering a precise, venom-laced bite to its flank. The beast struggled for a moment before its muscles locked up, leaving it paralyzed and terrified, but very much alive. He repeated the process with a large, deer-like animal with crystal antlers.
The sight of Seth returning to camp was one for the ages. He emerged from the treeline, dragging a paralyzed, twitching Giant Forest Boar with one hand and a webbed-up Crystal-Horned Stag with the other. The pack stared, their jaws collectively hitting the forest floor.
The Elder, a frail old owl-man, hobbled forward, his eyes wide with confusion. "S-Seth... Great Hunter... why... why have you brought these beasts back alive? The Stag's meat is tough, and the Boar's—"
"I'm not here to be your personal butcher!" Seth declared, his voice ringing through the clearing. He dropped the paralyzed creatures with a heavy thud. "I'm tired of you all just depending on me! If you want to survive, you need to get strong yourselves!"
His predatory gaze swept over the terrified pack before landing squarely on the largest target. "Gronk! Get over here!"
Gronk, who had been trying to hide behind a woman twice his size, flinched. He shuffled forward, his boar-like ears drooping.
"Y-Yes, Strongest Seth?" he stammered.
Seth pointed a claw at the paralyzed boar, which was drooling helplessly onto the grass. "You. Kill it. Now."
Gronk's eyes bulged. "B-But... it's still... alive..."
Seth's face darkened, his smile vanishing to be replaced by a look of such intense, impatient menace that Gronk felt his blood run cold. "Do. It. Now."
Trembling, Gronk picked up his club. With a terrified yell that was more squeal than battle cry, he brought the club down on the boar's head. It was messy, it was inefficient, but it was done.
As the boar's life faded, Seth's system flared to life. A new, separate window appeared.
Catalyst Function Activated.
Target: Gronk (Razortusk Boar-Kin).
Evolution Progress: +5%.
DP Cost to Initiate Forced Evolution: 950.
Seth's eyes widened, not in shock, but in manic glee. It works! It actually works! He has his own progress bar! The sheer, game-like absurdity of it, the potential for power, overwhelmed him. A loud, unrestrained laugh burst from his chest—a harsh, cackling sound that echoed through the trees.
"HAHAHA! YES! THAT'S IT!"
The pack, who had been watching the grim scene with bated breath, now took a collective step back. Fon stared, a spoonful of berries frozen halfway to her mouth. 'He's... laughing? Why is he laughing like a mad hyena? Is this a new side of him?'
Seth's laughter died down as he looked at Gronk, who was now covered in boar viscera and shaking. The 5% progress was a start, but it was too slow. He needed to grind.
"Good! But that was too easy!" Seth declared, his eyes gleaming. Before anyone could react, he stomped over to Gronk, grabbed him by the arm with his new, spider-silk-strong grip, and started dragging the massive boar-man towards the forest.
"W-Wait! Strongest Seth! Where are we going?!" Gronk yelled, his feet digging furrows in the dirt.
"Field trip!" Seth announced cheerfully, his tone a stark contrast to his actions. "We're going hunting! You're not coming back until you can break a goblin's spine with your pinky!"
Gronk looked back at the pack, his eyes wide with sheer panic, silently mouthing "HELP ME!"
The pack could only watch in a mixture of horror and morbid curiosity. The Elder slowly raised a hand in a feeble wave. A mother covered her child's eyes. Fon simply sighed and whispered a small prayer to the Beast God.
"Please... let Gronk survive whatever... that is."
Gronk's life didn't flash before his eyes. Instead, it was a single, pathetic thought that echoed in his panicked brain: I never got to apologize properly to little Kitten for stealing his spider leg...
They were in a nightmarish clearing. One moment, Seth had been casually smearing a foul-smelling, glowing paste on a tree. The next, the forest had erupted. A pack of snarling Timber Wolves, a hulking Rockbear, and even a swarm of aggressive, oversized hornets descended upon them, driven into a frenzy by the mysterious bait.
And Seth? Seth was in his element.
"HAHA! THAT'S THE SPIRIT! COME ON, YOU OVERGROWN CHEW TOYS!" he roared, a whirlwind of claws and webs. He moved like a demon, webbing the hornets to trees, sidestepping the bear's lumbering charge to deliver a paralyzing bite to its flank, and using a wolf as a bludgeon to hit another wolf. His laughter was a constant, maniacal soundtrack to the chaos.
Gronk, meanwhile, was frozen solid, his massive club held in front of him like a tiny twig. A wolf snapped at his heels, and he let out a high-pitched squeal, jumping onto a nearby log.
'I just want to go home! I want my mom! This isn't training, this is a mass execution.'
Seth, after effortlessly disabling the Rockbear with his venom, landed beside the trembling boar-man. He wasn't even panting. He looked at Gronk's pristine, unused claws, then at his terrified face, and sighed with theatrical disappointment.
"Hey. Hey. Gronk," Seth said, his voice deceptively calm amidst the ongoing snarling. "Didn't I tell you to use those big claws of yours? What are they for, opening coconuts? You've fought goblins before! Don't let those perfectly good weapons go to waste!"
Gronk's lower lip trembled, his huge body shaking. A single, fat tear rolled down his snout. "B-But... they're... they're so s-scary..."
"Scary?" Seth repeated, his manic grin returning. "They're lunch! Now, be a good Razortusk and HUNT!"
He gave Gronk a not-so-gentle shove off the log, right towards the one wolf that was still circling. The wolf lunged. With a final, desperate sob, Gronk squeezed his eyes shut and swiped his claws blindly.
"WAAAH! FORGIVE ME, MR. WOLF!"
He felt his claws connect with something solid. A pained yelp followed. He cracked one eye open. The wolf was stumbling back, a deep gash across its muzzle. Gronk stared at his own claws, now tipped with blood, in a mixture of horror and awe.
Target: Timber Wolf.
Biomass Quality: Low.
Devour Points (DP) Gained: 8!
Current DP: 71/100
Catalyst Function: Target Gronk's Evolution Progress: +8%. Total: 13%.
Seth's system chimed, and his smile could have powered the entire sun. The DP was nice, but seeing that evolution percentage tick up was the real prize.
The math was simple: more violence from Gronk = faster evolution = a stronger meat-shield for Seth.
"SEE?! THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT!" Seth cheered, clapping enthusiastically as if he was watching a toddler's first steps and not a traumatic, life-or-death struggle. "You made it cry! I'm so proud! Now, let's find more!"
Gronk, still crying but now with a flicker of confused confidence, looked from his bloody claws to Seth's ecstatic face. He let out a wet sniffle.
"O-Okay..." he whimpered.
Seth's eyes scanned the forest, already looking for the next source of "experience." He patted Gronk's heaving back, his voice full of manic encouragement.
"Don't stop now! The day's still young!"