[You have reached Level 19.]
[You have reached Level 20.]
[You have reached Level 21.]
What…?
Seven Levels? Just like that? And Level fifty-three! Just how evolved was this monster? If I think about it, my max Level should be forty right now. So this monster is at least one evolution beyond me. There’s a chance it’s more though. A strong chance.
Holy crap. We took on something like that and survived? What the hell was I thinking! Just because we evolved again, I thought I was the bees knees, cock of the walk, the big cheese! There’s still a long way to go before I’m truly strong.
Not that I think monsters this powerful are common. Not at this Level. Unless I miss my guess, this big fellow must have been fairly old. Old enough to pile up a ton of Levels and Biomass…
Biomass.
Just how much Biomass will we be able to get out of this thing?
Gulp!
[Tiny, are you able to move?]
He just grunts in reply, his eyes still on the fallen croc.
[Get over here and eat. You need to regrow your leg.]
As he starts to pull himself forward with his hands, I look about for Crinis.
[Crinis? Are you alright? Where are you?]
[I’m here, Master.] Her voice echoes weakly in my mind as I see a tired tentacle wobble into the air a few metres away from me.
I drag myself over and find a withered bundle of tentacles collapsed in a heap around her spherical main body. She’s badly burnt.
[Here, grab a hold of my antennae and I’ll take you to the food.]
[Is the enemy defeated?] she asks.
[He’s done for it. Eat and heal yourself. We can talk later.]
I feel slightly ashamed when her tentacles tremble as she reaches up to grasp my antennae. Her grip is feather light, nothing like the strength she should be able to exert. I carefully use my antennae to lift her off the ground and carry her toward the croc before letting her down.
“Time to eat, senior?” Vibrant asks cheerfully.
I sigh.
“Yes, Vibrant, time to eat.”
Out of all of us, it’s Vibrant who came out the least hurt. Mind you, she still has a long crack in the side of her carapace that is yet to heal. At least the wound is no longer deep enough that I can see the muscle attached to the inside of her exo-skeleton.
Weary to the bone, the four of us crawl to the still remains of the massive croca. How much Biomass would a creature of this age and evolutionary Level contain?
Tentatively, I reach forward to take a bite.
[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Garralosh Praeceptorem. One Biomass awarded.]
[You have unlocked the basic profile of Garralosh Praeceptorem.]
[Garralosh Praeceptorem: Garralosh Commander. Among the oldest of Garralosh children, the commanders are powerful melee combatants. They feature two fire glands which are often mutated in complementary ways. Beware their powerful regenerative abilities and incredible physical strength. These creatures were personally reared by their parent to be leaders of her offspring and carry potent auras. Approach with caution.]
Among the oldest of the children? So not necessarily the oldest? And what else is this? Personally reared by the big croc itself? I guess that explains why the thing is so tough if it had a big bad monster looking out for it from a young age.
Does that mean Garralosh is going to come here for revenge? Surely not!
Please, for the love of Gandalf, let that not happen.
Suddenly nervous, I tuck into my food with increased gusto, vigorously chowing down in the hopes of healing my physical wounds and dispelling my nervousness. As I eat, something remarkable begins to happen.
[You have gained one Biomass.]
[You have gained one Biomass.]
[You have gained one Biomass.]
So fast!
I can feel it as well. As the food is consumed, it feels heavy, dense even, inside my stomachs. Whatever magical process goes on in there, the pure essence, whatever it is that creates Biomass, is flooding into my body with every bite.
This isn’t food. It’s gold!
Pure gold.
Greedily now I chow down and notice the frenzy with which the others are eating has also increased tenfold. Even Crinis, a withered husk of herself only moments ago, is now tearing huge chunks of food off with every bite.
Oh no you don’t!
With the Mana I have in my core, I activate Infused Mandibles to enable me to cut off larger chunks of food and increase my eating speed.
I won’t be outdone! Gimme dat Biomass!
OM NOM NOM.
122. The Spoils and Return to the Surface
We feasted on the croc until there was nothing left. Our stomachs were full to bursting and our wounds gradually closed. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t too smart of us to eat until we were completely comatose, but oddly enough it turned out fine.
With the commander and its oppressive aura gone, the creatures of the Expanse began to slowly regain their former bustle. Around us, the growling and clashing of the normal, frenetic pace of the Dungeon during a wave began to reassert itself. In contrast, the croca-beasts were nowhere to be found. As we ate and then lay about recovering, we didn’t see hide nor scale of one.
My theory is that they must have retreated after the aura from their commander faded, but some scouting will be necessary to confirm this. After I’ve digested of course.
Speaking of digestion. The sheer amount of Biomass gained from consuming this creature was absurd. When you consider just how many mutations it must have had, not to mention the complete lack of Biomass intake penalties due to evolutionary tier, perhaps it isn’t so surprising I was able to gain almost 310 Biomass just from my share.
310!
A staggering number. The others must have gained close to the same. I think Crinis and Vibrant will be able to max out their mutations at this point. A situation I’m extremely envious of! This trip will have gone some way to relieving that stress. Combined with the food I’ve eaten during our assault on the Expanse I’ve managed to pile up close to 400 Biomass!
Not to mention, I’m more than halfway to my next evolution. Level 40 is creeping closer into sight!
Speaking of evolution…
I roll over onto my stomach and painfully crawl my way toward the remains of the croca commander. Not a whole lot is left to be honest, not even a complete skeleton. As I drag myself, I eventually come within range of the gem.
[Compatible rare core detected. Would you like to reinforce your core or reconstitute a monster?]
A rare core.
Not special.
Rare.
The gem is significantly larger than the special cores I’d seen before. Sitting amidst the remains of the gigantic croca, the spherical gem glitters with a red light, the energy within swirling madly.
This is some valuable stuff.
Feeling out myself internally, the tightness and pain caused by absorbing the last special core has almost completely faded. I’m not entirely sure if that means I’ll be able to carry out my plan and absorb another special core before evolving, hopefully. I’m a bit stuck on what to do with this thing though.
I’m not sure if I can use it. Trying to absorb a core and popping from the inside isn’t necessarily the way to go. I’ll have to think on the appropriate use of this treasure.