CHAPTER 44: EVOLUTION (1)

Ray was darting through a place dense with trees and thick undergrowth, a woodland it seemed to be. He was moving ridiculously fast, but his footsteps were light, his eyes held a clear account of his surroundings, and his breathing was steady—highlighting the fact that his physique was incomparable to mortals as well as Iron to Silver rank Tamers, and showcasing his intense mastery over his body.

He was getting closer and closer to the territory of the fearsome Mystical Fire Apes when suddenly, his nose twitched, he picked up a familiar scent and immediately stopped in his tracks, a glint of delight flashing in his eyes.

"There’s another Celestial Grass in the same territory." Ray chuckled, "What a pleasant surprise. The territory of the Monstrous Mosquitoes is really rich in mystical resources. It’s like a paradise for low rank tamers."

He had grown so familiar with the fragrance of Celestial Grass that it was unmistakable. No matter how faint, no matter how far, he would never confuse it with anything else. His steps carried him directly toward it, as anticipation and joy filled his heart.

As he neared the Celestial Grass, his vigilance heightened to the extreme.

Heaven-and-earth treasures never came unguarded!

The incident with the young fiend was still fresh in his mind, so he knew all too well that if he wasn’t careful enough, he could end up just like that arrogant fool, dying before he even had the chance to pocket the Celestial Grass.

His vigilance paid off.

His sharp eyes noticed the faintest disturbance in his surroundings.

The stones a few meters ahead had trembled ever so slightly, vibrating as though something was moving underneath what the eyes couldn’t see through.

Without hesitation, Ray leapt like a eager taking flight, landing on top of a nearby tree with ease.

Boom!

A resounding reverberation rang out as the ground where he had just been standing erupted violently. Soil, grasses, and stones were blasted into the air as out burst a Deep Black Earthworm.

Its body was divided into eighteen huge segments,

and each segment seemed to be thoroughly covered in metallic plates as they glistened under the pale moonlight peeking out from the gap that had opened up between the drifting dark clouds high above.

"It’s bigger than an average Deep Black Earthworm," Ray noticed.

This Deep Black Earthworm was more enormous than the last one he saw, stretching well over fifteen feet, each segment of its body writhed so disgustingly, it scratched at his head.

Its massive mouth opened wide, revealing rings upon rings of needle-like teeth, glistening with saliva.

Then—

Gwaahhhh!

With a deafening roar, the Deep Black Earthworm lunged toward him.

He leaped off the tree and landed on the ground.

Crack~

The tree he was standing on a moment ago shattered as the Deep Black Earthworm crashed into it head first.

However, it barely did any damage.

The Deep Black Earthworm turned around and lunged towards him again.

Whoosh!

Ray’s figure blurred as he leapt away from the rapidly approaching Deep Black Earthworm.

His palm glowed orange-red, producing wisps of flames that swirled and twirled around one another, quickly condensing into a fireball with a temperature exceeding 2000 degrees Celsius. He sent it hurtling towards the Deep Black Earthworm that, in its eagerness to bridge the gap between them and eat him alive, was caught off guard.

At the last moment, the Deep Black Earthworm raised its body. Instead of exploding on its head, the level 2 fireball exploded against the third segment of its body.

Kuwahhh!

The Deep Black Earthworm writhed violently, letting out a mournful, painful screech that was loud enough to be deafening, ringing Ray’s ears, as a massive hole appeared in its third segment and its body caught fire.

From the point of explosion, flames surged outward, threatening to spread across its body and engulf it whole.

Suddenly, the Deep Black Earthworm was faced with the choice between burning alive or discarding the rest of its body below its second segment.

With no time to waste, it made a brutal decision.

With a sickening schlk, it detached everything below the second segment of its body, sacrificing a massive portion of itself to save the rest!

Its size decreased, but its life was preserved.

Ray’s brows furrowed. Seeing how cruel it was even to itself, he knew this wouldn’t be an easy fight.

"Fine. Let’s see how long you last."

He conjured another level 1 fireball and hurled it towards the Deep Black Earthworm. With its size reduced to a pitiful half of what it once was, it had become a lot faster and more agile than before.

It twisted its body with shocking speed. The level 1 fireball missed it entirely and exploded against the spot several feet behind it, creating a scorched crater.

The worm lunged again.

Ray shot to the side, but the Deep Black Earthworm magically changed its trajectory midair like a fish in water, chasing after him relentlessly.

"Fool," Ray sneered with a cold look in his eyes, "You’re just setting yourself up to be abused."

As soon as his words fell—

He unleashed a volley of attacks.

Wind blades slashed through its flesh, sending dark green blood spraying into the air.

Fireballs screamed like meteors before exploding all over its head.

A few even went inside its mouth before exploding, shattering its teeth.

The force of the explosion sent shards of teeth flying in all directions like shrapnel from a hand grenade. Jagged fragments stabbed through the inner lining of its mouth and pierced its brain, making it feel a rush of pain it had never felt before.

Kuwaaaakhh!

It lost its reasoning, badly beaten by Ray.

Unlike the Demonized Alpha Wolf Ray had killed before, most demonic beasts weren’t cunning or calculating. This Deep Black Earthworm was no exception.

Overcome by fury, it abandoned all sensible thought. It lunged again and again, hoping to devour him, never realizing that every failed attempt only brought it closer to death.

Each time it lunged, Ray dodged by a hair’s breadth.

Each time it missed, he countered with another barrage.

Wind blades sliced its body, sending blood spraying into the air, while level 1 fireballs burned huge chunks of it away.

Bit by bit, Ray whittled it down with a relentless stream of attacks while kiting it until finally—

Bam!

The Deep Black Earthworm collapsed, its body twitching in its final death throes before going still.

♦️ You have killed an advanced stage Deep Black Earthworm. You have gained +50,000 EXP!

♦️ For killing a beast far above your level, you have gained additional EXP!

♦️ You have leveled up. You have gained +2 stat points.

"Finally, it’s over."

Ray exhaled, but just as relief had settles in, the ground beneath his feet trembled ever so slightly. He picked up a faint vibration, and his pupils shrank.

"Another one? Damn, I jinxed myself."

Without hesitation, he leapt upward, landing atop another tree branch.

Boom!

From the spot ten meters away, a Deep Black Earthworm with a 7 feet tall body burst out from the ground. It lunged towards the spot where he had stood only moments ago as he watched silently, a thoughtful look flashing across his face, an important realization striking him like lightning.

"While tunneling through the earth, the Deep Black Earthworm detect their preys through the vibration produced by their footsteps."

This was his important realization.

He didn’t give it a chance to scan its surroundings and strike again. He jumped from the branch, landing squarely on the worm’s metallic back. His chest heaved as he inhaled deeply, then breathed out terrifying hot fire, melting its head, immediately killing it.

Deep Black Earthworms could survive as long as their head wasn’t destroyed. However, they would die the second their head was destroyed. Their head was their greatest weakness!

It instantly died as Ray melted its head, its headless body crashing to the ground, raising dust and dirt, colouring the air brown, while Ray stood atop its corpse in silence.

♦️ You have killed an initial stage Deep Black Earthworm. You have gained +15000 EXP!

♦️ For killing a beast far above your level, you have gained additional EXP!

♦️ You have leveled up. You have gained +2 stat points.

Ray was distracted.

Were there more Deep Black Earthworm in the territory of the Monstrous Mosquitoes? It was hard to tell.

He decided to adopt utmost caution to avoid a fatal encounter and snatch the Celestial Grass.

From his experience, he had learned the following things about the Deep Black Earthworm:

When their speed increased, they could sacrifice a portion of their body to decrease their volume and increase their agility, making them much harder to hit.

Their only weakness was their head. No matter how much you injured their body, if their head wasn’t destroyed, they would survive. In a sense, they were basically immortal.

While traveling through the earth, they located their prey through vibrations in the ground. Once they surfaced, they relied on their eyes, but it took them time to adapt to the brightness of the surface since they always lived deep underground unless lured out by an unsuspecting passerby.

Ray classified them as Assassin-type demonic beasts!

He could use their weaknesses to avoid them altogether.

He collected their corpses into his interspatial ring before hopping from tree to tree, quickly reaching the tree nearest to the Celestial Grass.

Hanging upside down from a branch, he extended his hand and plucked the Celestial Grass straight from the soil.

Without hesitation, he consumed it on the spot.

♦️ You have consumed a Celestial Grass.

♦️ Your Stamina has reached 11.

♦️ Your Agility has reached 13.

♦️ Your magic power capacity has increased greatly.

♦️ Your Strength has reached 10.

♦️ New Trait Unlocked: Consecutive Lucky Shots

Effect: The Maximum Force you can muster will be imbued in each of your physical blows.

♦️ All basic stats have crossed the first threshold.

♦️ Your First Limiter is being Unlocked.

♦️ You will now undergo evolution!