The Supreme Roller
Alright, first things first—let's catalog the chimeras in this place. Pellelian's Dungeon Chimera Archive. There were nine in total, numbered one through nine, each in its own tank labeled sequentially.
The first one, Test Flesh No.1: Meat Blob, was the original prototype. No need to overthink that one—it burned to a crisp already. No legs meant it couldn't escape Isil's hellfire. I was gonna take a bite, but it turned into a lump of charcoal, so no taste test for me.
The second chimera...
A freak with just one leg. Kinda like some yokai or goblin I've seen somewhere. Not a proper body with legs attached—more like a rugby ball with a single pair of legs stuck on. Eyes ringed around its body for full 360 vision, probably. Despite the single leg, it was pretty damn fast. Bolted off in a flash on those stubby feet.
The third was Three-Eyed. Three eyes, three legs. Maybe Pellelian regretted giving the second one only one leg and overcompensated? Anyway, it got swallowed by flames and turned into my EXP.
Skip the fourth for now—let's analyze from the fifth.
Test Flesh No.5: Potbelly. True to its name, a bulging gut on spindly limbs. Pale skin—would've suited baggy yellow pants. Arms ended in tentacle-like things instead of hands, and those were definitely reproductive organs. Baby tentacles were sprouting from a human corpse it gutted. Good thing it burned up. Hope nothing worse comes along.
Okay, back to number four.
Pellelian (the main body) nicknamed it Bloodscale. Makes sense—its body was covered in scales. But not beautiful ones like mine. They weren't neatly grown; they burst through the skin forcibly. Some were ingrown, trapped under the flesh, blood unable to escape. Hence, Bloodscale.
But if it were me, I'd name it something else. More accurately... Rotten Kimbap.
Its body was a long cylinder. The "head" end had hairs and tentacles poking out like kimbap scraps. The stubby, weak legs below matched. Red scales on pale skin made it look moldy. What better name than Rotten Kimbap? If kimbap existed here, Pellelian would've called it that.
Chimera No.4 couldn't walk or run properly due to its build. That's why I thought of it when we passed that stairwell area. And sure enough...
Shh.
'Shh.'
Tick-tock.
We hid a short distance away, watching. There it was—Bloodscale, or Rotten Kimbap.
-Not just can't climb stairs; it can't even walk.
Pellelian muttered. As its looks suggested, Bloodscale couldn't walk right. Instead, it rolled around. Rolled pretty skillfully, too. Faster than my slithering, maybe. But stairs were the problem. Rolling can't go up.
Here, Rotten Kimbap—not Bloodscale—put on a show. It bounced like a fish leaping, jumping up the stairs. Impressive so far. But then... No limbs to brace, so balance sucked. Up the steep stairs on momentum, then it tumbled back down.
Thud!
Must hurt. It shuddered, paused, then tried again. To climb all the way, it'd need ten perfect leaps in a row.
'What a pathetic chimera.'
Intelligence clearly low.
-Pathetic... grr.
Pellelian started to retort, then grimaced, realizing it was weirder to defend it. We kept watching, eyes sharp.
Test Flesh No.4 Bloodscale Lv70
Traits
[Diligence], [Stubborn]...
Diligence fits—relentless effort. Lv70 isn't low. Higher than me, even. No read on aura, so check skills. Doesn't look powerful, though.
[Roll Lv20], [Bounce Lv10], [Poison Scale Lv10], [Impact Resistance Lv10], [Slash Resistance Lv10], [Heat Resistance Lv10]...
Huh! Roll Lv20 stands out. Hitting Lv20 on any skill ain't easy—high-tier or trash. I don't have any that polished yet.
'Roll' seems lame. But sincere Lv20 Roll...?
-Just gonna flop around. Maybe really well, though.
'Don't underestimate it.'
Remembered: Tank layout put Bloodscale near Potbelly, close to us. But when Isil hellfired, it was already gone. That quick? No time for those puny legs to run—must've rolled. Fast roll, then.
'Let's borrow it.'
Lately, Borrowing Horn for high-end skills only—like Thunder Command or Giantification. Downside: Mastering them takes time/effort. So I've been sucking my tail over tempting ones.
'Roll...!'
With Giantification mastered, time to use evolved Borrowing Horn—Steal Crown—on Roll.
But Steal Crown exceeded expectations.
Stealable skill confirmed.
Wondered what that meant. Steal Crown evolved from Borrowing Horn. 'Borrow' vs. 'Steal'—different. Why so brutal...?
I could outright steal its Roll.
Stealing Roll Lv20.
Acquired Roll Lv10 temporarily.
Like old Borrowing Horn. Even low-tier jumps to Lv10—better efficiency? Anyway, Steal Crown's real power:
Target's Roll Lv20 temporarily reduced to Roll Lv13.
Whoa! True theft. Temporary debuff on foe. Awesome skill. Can't use stealthily, though.
"Duluk."
Weird cry. It turned "head" my way. That's when I spotted the eyes—black orbs amid wild tentacles and hair, like kimbap guts spilling.
"Dururuluk!"
Furious, no doubt. Charged with Roll.
But not what I expected. Not side-roll only—curled into a ball, wheeled forward like a tire. Speed beyond imagination. Racing car incoming. If I hadn't Rolled aside, tough dodge.
Bloodscale smashed past into the wall.
Kwang!
Felt my speed, shuddered. 'Insanely fast!' Predator Leap level.
Long bodies like mine? Rotation's gold.
-Dodge!
Bloodscale Bounce-flew at me. Easy—Predator Leap superior. But predicted? Indoor, walls everywhere. Roll + Bounce = unpredictable ricochets off walls. Like hurling a rugby ball in a room. That bulk zipping mad.
Thung, thung, thung, thung, thung!
Crushed flat minimum. Plus Poison Scale—poison on hit. Efficient style.
Dodging fast, but grazed eventually.
Sizzle.
Crystal Scales + Black Scale. No contest vs. its half-assed ones. It got hurt.
Thwoong!
Stopped in corner. Gonna squash me flat? Coiled like inchworm for thrust.
I stood firm, glaring. Experience told timing.
...Now.
Thwoong!
As it rushed, I waited till collision imminent. Then leaped—timing so it couldn't twist. Straight onto hidden longsword behind me.
Celestium longsword sharp enough. Its speed plenty.
Splurch!
Pierced from maw. Sunblade sank deep, invisible.
Flap, flap!
Thrashed, then died.
Easy hunt, but demonic essence jackpot.
Level increased!
Level increased!
Two levels at once. Lavish for high-level needs. Thrilling rush.
Status check.
Crystal Crown Python Lv45
Epithet
Ouroboros, Heart-Eater Serpent
Traits
[Unbreakable Will], [Diligence], [Crown]
Heh, Lv45. If evolution at 50, summit's near. Serpent soon?
Steal Lv4: Roll Lv10, [Overcome Lv2], [Dominate Lv1]
Learned Steal Crown's potential. Thought best for top skills, but trash ones too. Roll? Easy mastery.
[Beginner Elemental: Fire Lv8], Earth Lv7, Water Lv5, Wind Lv6
[Transparent Hand Lv14], [Lightweight Lv5]
Mage Snake training steady... Elemental skills up lately; Transparent Hand/Lightweight from sword practice.
[Giantification Lv2], [Iron Lion Knight Swordsmanship Lv2], [Perang School Dagger Arts Lv4], [Ray Lv3], [Thunder Command Lv2], [Predator Leap Lv4], [Neurotoxin Lv5], [Poison Scale Lv2], [Tail Strike Lv3], [Slash Lv5], [Mana Sense Lv3], [Acceleration Lv7]
[Resistances]: Poison Lv7, Bleed Lv3, Pain Lv8, Heat Lv12, Cold Lv1, Petrify Lv1, Lightning Lv1, Impact Lv2
[Survival Instinct Lv7], [Black Scale Lv3], [Swim Lv1], [Hold Breath Lv10], [Stealth Lv10]...
Plenty more skills, but levels lagging vs. quantity. Reflection time. Too tunnel-visioned? Need dedicated training.
-Told you: Master magic, world's yours.
Elf standards. Proper mastery? Century-plus.
[Guard Captain Slayer], [Centipede Friend], [Goblin Sworn Brother], [Monster Pack Leader], [Monster Wave Stopper], [Demon Slayer]...
Glorious list grown. Evolve to Serpent, done.
Tick-tock.
Isil leaf-nudged me. Wrinkled yellow, shriveled. Hellfire strain + hunger.
'Alright! Home for chow!'
Menu: Two-gu-two-gu. Chimera kimbap. Dragged corpse back to control room.