"Kkweeeaaek!"
The noisy alarm clock went off.
It was unnecessarily high-performance.
I stretched my body out.
The dawn of the third day had arrived.
"Kkwek!"
The volume made me want to rip the batteries out.
Last night was hell.
Just when I thought I was finally drifting off to sleep, those two would start their racket again, as if they didn't need sleep at all.
Ugh, I really need to set a day aside to teach that toad and turtle some discipline.
I sharpened my claws on a lotus leaf.
Peeking my head out, I glanced back and forth between the toad's skin and my claws.
What if I kicked off the ground with the Little Dragon's Heaven-Ascending Steps and charged at it?
And then attacked its belly with my sharp claws?
…It probably wouldn't even make a dent.
Look at that strange, golden oil on its skin.
For some reason, I had the ominous feeling that the moment my claws touched it, they would melt with a sizzling sound.
Leaving the toad alone, I turned to the turtle croaking beside it.
If I kicked off the ground, climbed a reed, and used gravity for a headbutt attack, could I deal some damage?
…No, the moment my head hit that golden shell, I'd be turned into a lizard shake.
I pulled my head back into my shelter.
Why are thugs like these living next to my house?
Hoo.
A sigh escaped me.
I'd tried to practice Qi cultivation all day yesterday, but I failed in the end.
It was all because those two wouldn't shut up.
The best I could do was catch a few winks when they quieted down for a moment.
Hwaam.
I opened my snout wide and yawned.
I was starting to get hungry.
My Qi cultivation might have failed, but I could at least look forward to some breakfast.
After a quick glance to check on the turtle and the toad, I slipped out of my shelter with the utmost stealth.
[The level of 「Stealth LV2」 has increased.]
I crept along silently. The two didn't seem to notice I had moved.
Now that I was a good distance away, it was time to go all out.
I planted my two feet on the ground.
Th-th-thump!
Running at full speed, I quickly reached my destination.
It was the place I had named my hunting ground.
A decent number of lotus leaves and reeds.
A swamp large enough to be mistaken for a lake at first glance.
It was the perfect place for me to operate.
I sat down in the lotus position on the leaf of some nameless plant.
The reason I came here wasn't just for food.
Since my Qi cultivation had failed, I needed to find another way to build up my internal energy.
I had a few clues.
「Little Dragon's Heaven-Ascending Steps」
A footwork technique like the steps of a small dragon. You can scale walls as if flying and walk freely on water. It provides a bonus to your base speed and makes it easier to learn other martial arts.
The first clue was this footwork technique.
Perhaps thanks to the existence of a status window, I tended to acquire skills that corresponded to certain repeated actions.
Stealthy actions gave me Stealth.
Getting hit with acid gave me Acid Resistance.
'…makes it easier to learn other martial arts.'
I figured this sentence meant it lowered the requirements for learning them.
If there was a martial art you could learn by throwing ten thousand punches, maybe this would let me learn it after only a thousand.
Training.
I had no choice but to train relentlessly.
That is, if I didn't have a second clue.
「Gourmet LV1」
The more delicious food you eat, the easier it becomes to gain inspiration.
This was a skill I'd gotten after eating piranha sashimi.
It becomes easier to gain inspiration.
Couldn't I substitute the word "inspiration" for "enlightenment"?
It might sound like I'm just playing with words.
But from what I knew of Murim, that's exactly what reaching a new realm was like.
Stories of martial artists stuck at the Peak Realm for decades because they couldn't attain enlightenment were a dime a dozen. Then, just before death, the martial artist would gain enlightenment and split the heavens with his sword. It was a common trope, but a beloved one.
I had to attain enlightenment, one way or another.
That was the only way to move on to the next stage.
My task was set.
I needed to do something that would let me train my footwork while also activating the effects of the Gourmet skill.
Hunting on the water.
"Gekgek!"
I focused my eyes.
[Diving Beetle LV1]
The Eye of the Wild skill was probably the most useful one I had.
Discerning an opponent's information was handy, but being able to find things that weren't immediately visible was even better.
It was a shame the skill was still only level 1.
If the skill level went up, I bet the detailed view would improve.
I fixed my gaze on the diving beetle.
It was at a level where I didn't even need to check for precautions.
I'd say it was about on par with the aphids I saw in the tree.
Of course, the difficulty of hunting it would be much higher than an aphid.
After all, it was an insect that swam in the water.
But that was meaningless to me.
Chwajajak!
I cut through the water and charged toward it.
My hind legs moved at a rapid pace, nearing twenty kicks per second.
My long tail provided balance.
My hands were stretched out toward the enemy.
Steps that tread upon water.
It was the Little Dragon's Heaven-Ascending Steps.
Using my incredible speed, I dug my claws straight into the diving beetle's carapace.
Kwajik!
The diving beetle stopped moving in a single blow.
"Gekgek!"
I looked down at the beetle with a hole in its back, a satisfied smile on my face.
With this much power, shouldn't I be granted a real martial art?
Something like Little Dragon's Heaven-Ascending Strike, or Little Dragon's Heaven-Ascending Fist.
No matter how hard I stared at the diving beetle, nothing changed.
You can't expect to be full after the first bite.
I immediately began to prepare the beetle.
It wasn't difficult to peel off the soft exoskeleton and pull out the plump meat.
Chomp.
I took a large bite.
Hmm…
Maybe it was because I had sashimi yesterday, but it didn't taste all that great.
It tasted exactly like I'd expect a diving beetle to taste.
Nothing more, nothing less.
It was decent for a bug, but the beetle's unique smell was a bit strong.
I couldn't call it a gourmet meal.
Still, I shouldn't waste food.
It would probably raise my level, at least.
"Gekgek!"
I devoured the diving beetle in no time.
One just wasn't enough.
My eyes flashing, I stared at the water's surface again.
I wanted to catch a fish if I could, but I had a gut feeling that the piranhas I saw yesterday were holding a grudge.
The moment I dipped my tail in to fish, I felt like I'd be dragged straight into the water.
If I had some other tool, I might be able to catch a fish.
A reed would be useless, and it would be nice to have something like a fishing line…
I guess I'll just have to stick to hunting these easy-to-catch diving beetles.
Chwajajajak!
Splash!
I dashed forward at high speed and captured another diving beetle. This time, for a change, I managed to knock it out by whipping it with my long tail.
Maybe I'll eat this one later.
Since it's just knocked out, I can keep it like preserved food.
Good.
Let's catch a few more.
It would be nice if I could spot a shrimp or something.
It was just as I was about to catch the remaining diving beetles.
I felt a gaze on me, the feeling of being watched.
I quickly moved my body and turned my head.
But I couldn't see anything.
I focused my eyes.
[Anthracomartus LV3]
[Attercopus LV.4]
Two names I had never seen before in my life.
__________________________
[Anthracomartus]
An ancient, small spider with a body length of about 3cm.
It has a flat body and large front legs, and it hunts its enemies with two venomous fangs.
It has a timid personality and will play dead if it senses danger.
__________________________
__________________________
[Attercopus]
An ancient, small spider with a body length of about 4cm.
It has an appearance that is a mix between a spider and a scorpion, and is characterized by its non-venomous tail.
It can produce highly waterproof silk, but exhibits the unusual behavior of not building nests with its webs.
__________________________
As I confirmed the information on the two spiders, a welcome message arrived.
[The level of 「Eye of the Wild LV1」 has increased.]
[Anthracomartus LV3]
[Status]
「Scared」「Hungry」
[Attercopus LV4]
[Status]
「Naive」「Hungry」
Eye of the Wild had evolved.
Now I could even see the target's status.
The source of the gaze was two spiders.
They were tiny, so small it was almost an insult to compare them to Nephila Jurassica.
"Gekgek."
Be careful. If I were any other lizard, you'd have been eaten by now.
If it weren't for my connection with Nephila Jurassica, I might have swallowed these two in one bite.
They looked a little fluffy and appetizing.
Whatever. I'll pretend I didn't see you.
I turned my head away.
But then, they started approaching me.
"Kieee…"
What's with you two?
I'm a lizard, and you're spiders.
Why are you coming toward me?
…Wait a minute.
[Green Basilisk LV2]
HP: 55/55
MP: 24/24
[Title]
「Beloved by the Spider」
I remembered the title I possessed.
The ability to not be attacked first by spiders.
In other words, to them, I was currently branded as a likable lizard.
"Kioong!"
The two were waving their front legs around.
To think they get along so well despite being different species.
I wish my neighbors would learn a thing or two from you.
"Gekgek."
I did my best to communicate with them.
It was a rare thing to meet a creature that didn't harbor any hostility toward me.
"Gekgegegek!"
The slightly larger spider, the one I'll call Pus, came a little forward.
"Kioo…"
It rubbed its abdomen.
"Kiieng…"
The one with the visible fangs, Tus, was also whimpering.
Were they trying to say they were hungry?
I had confirmed it with Eye of the Wild earlier, so that must be it.
I glanced down at the diving beetle pinned under my foot.
Pus jumped up and down.
"Kiong!"
So you are hungry.
Without hesitation, I pushed the diving beetle toward them.
The two spiders just stared blankly.
"Gekgek."
Have you only ever been deceived?
It's okay to eat.
"Kioong!"
The big spider rushed to the diving beetle first, and the small spider followed.
Yeah. Eat up.
Nephila Jurassica, are you watching?
They may not be the same species, but I'm glad I can repay even a little of the kindness you showed me.
I'm not the kind of lizard who cries over things like this, but tears were welling up for some reason.
I wiped my eyes with my tail.
"Gekgekgek."
Hey guys, enjoying your meal?
"Hioong…"
The diving beetle was trying to chew on the spiders.
Tus and Pus!
Smack!
I swung my tail and quickly subdued the diving beetle.
"Kioong…"
Having escaped death, Tus and Pus clung to each other, trembling.
…Seriously, how in the world did you two survive out here?