Chimera Papnachacha

After wrapping up a fruitful day's labor, stretching out my legs took me right back to the comfort of my hometown bedchamber. I hummed the melody swirling in my head as I worked. Well, technically, it was just a soft hiss.

The job was simple: butchering the swamp alligator I'd caught. The beast was far bigger than me—swallowing it in one gulp was out of the question. Normally, I'd have pierced its soft underbelly and devoured it from the inside out. But today, I decided to reward myself for all my hard work.

It had been a few days since I escaped Pellelian's dungeon. Aside from sleeping, I'd focused entirely on leveling my skills. Finally, after Beginner Elemental Magic: Earth, I'd claimed Beginner Elemental Magic: Fire as my own. There were probably water and wind spells too—hopefully I'd snag those someday.

And being able to wield fire meant I could cook my meals. That's right. In a stroke of luxury, I planned to grill the alligator. Call me gluttonous if you must, but I'd held back until now despite dreaming of this since acquiring fire magic. Shouldn't I get praise instead?

If anyone was watching me, a little applause would be nice. I'd even taken special care to avoid billowing smoke. I dug a pit, gathered dry branches, lit them up, then wrapped the severed tail in mud and buried it in the embers. I'd seen this cooking method on YouTube once—a survivalist's video from some foreign channel. It was chicken back then, not alligator, but they said the texture was identical. Should be fine, right?

Drool pooled in my mouth. Yeah, time to rest while the meat cooks. A quick nap wouldn't hurt.

My status screen had grown even more impressive over the past few days.

Once I hit level 10, no more level-ups. I'd braced for that. Max level meant no gains until evolution. A shame after all that hunting, but I accepted it.

Still, persistent hunting triggered a weird message.

After that, the + appeared after my level. Must be good. But the real star was the skill window.

Hahaha, not only had the number of skills increased, but their levels had shot up too. Right now, Borrowing Horn was borrowing Cut—learned from a mantis the size of a wild dog with scythe-like claws. Thanks to Diligence, even I could pick it up despite lacking claws. A flick of my tail sliced through soft flesh. Essential skill. That's how I severed the alligator tail.

Why keep hunting without level-ups? Not just for skill proficiency—there was more.

Quickstep evolved into the ultra-fast Acceleration at lv10. What about Poison Fang? It was the alpha and omega of my offense. Surprisingly, Beginner Elemental Magic: Fire's damage was underwhelming. Max output right now was like five lighters—easy to dodge, hard to burn.

Thus, evolving Poison Fang was my top priority. And now was the payoff.

Hold on—first, taste the alligator. Hot hot, delicious. So juicy.

Alright, evolve time.

All that stored essence from skipped level-ups shone now.

Here we go!

Yes! Deadly Poison—such a romantic name. But the romance didn't end there.

The options made my heart race. Few chances in life to choose freely? Unlike Acceleration, Poison Fang branched two ways: Deadly Poison: Neurotoxin or Deadly Poison: Hemorrhagic Toxin.

I knew the differences roughly. Not all venomous snakes pack the same punch. Sea snakes or cobras usually carry neurotoxin, paralyzing nerves. If it spreads to the central nervous system, the diaphragm fails—breathing stops. Dead as a doornail.

Hemorrhagic toxin is nightmare fuel too. The bite site basically melts. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I saw a YouTube experiment mixing viper hemorrhagic toxin into human blood—just one drop in plenty turned it to jelly. Imagine that at the wound: instant burning pain as cell membranes dissolve, skin purpling and necrotizing. It can spread through veins for the kill. The agony eclipses neurotoxin.

Flashy, painful hemorrhagic vs. lethal, quiet neuro. My choice...

No sadistic streak in me to revel in suffering. Hemorrhagic has perks, but neuro suits me better now. Best if I could wield both like some vipers, but who knows?

Great, Poison Fang evolved. Time to check off today's to-do.

Lately, I had a daily routine: observing a certain monster. No voyeuristic kink, but it was unavoidable. This thing was no ordinary beast—it was a chimera crafted by a fairy grand mage.

I'd encountered it once before, crashing into the basin with the mixed jaguar. Fled without a name then, but learning about it made me crave a rematch. Tracking it proved tough. How do you find an underground crawler in this vast basin?

Pondered long, but the clue was close: the first sighting. Check the basin's edge where the jaguar fell. No nostalgic traces left—just sheer cliff and barren ground. Man, that drop was steep, nearly vertical. Unclimbable. Even borrowing flight might drain my mana first.

Wait, was I doomed to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠live here forever? Nah, it'll work out. Prep time.

* * *

I hid atop a massive tree. Previously on a rock, but it felt iffy, so tree it was. Where the jaguar lay now rotted a huge wild boar—my handiwork. Not dropped off the cliff; hunted fair and square. Easy prey.

Snuck up with Stealth, nipped its rear. Enraged, it bucked wildly. Lured it cliffside, where it panted itself to death. Underestimating a venomous serpent? Just a boar, not even a monster. Might seem cruel, but...

I treated the corpse specially: bit the carotid before it cooled. Upgraded Bite made it possible. Blood gushed from the neck, pooling and seeping into the soil. Matched the jaguar incident perfectly.

No guarantee it'd come, but yesterday it worked. Today too.

Dudududu—the approach.

Smelled the blood? Acting like it's Michelin-starred.

Dududududu—earth shaking, closing fast. Hungry, huh? That bulk makes the boar a snack.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Come on. Eat the boar. My feast for you.

Dudududududu—brushed past the tree, shaking it hard. Nearly flung off.

Finally, it burst from the ground.

Eight legs first—tarantula mix? Spiderish, armored with spikes. Embraced the boar in a thrilling hug.

New sight: moved like an upturned spider, but mouth centered on its body. Starfish-style, gulped the boar whole and burrowed back.

Perfect. It scarfed my hard-earned boar but I wasn't mad. I'd injected neurotoxin deep inside—like laxatives in frozen food for cafeteria thieves. Drained my glands headache-level; it'd suffer big.

Sure enough, it didn't vanish. Surfaced, twitching. Poison hit? Seemed intoxicated.

Then it vomited from its maw.

"Kuweeeek! Kuwek!"

Wish it was hematemesis—nope. Spewed bones like a fountain.

"Kkeuk."

Thundering belch, then gone. Like "thanks for the meal~". No full poisoning. Disappointing, but expected. Neurotoxin isn't omnipotent, especially ingested.

Sigh, Plan A failed. But my interest was clear.

That Dragon Bloodline trait. Suspected it matched one of my special evolution conditions.

Damn, its status is terrifying. I couldn't help but marvel.