A sense of unease crept over me as the dense fog swallowed the forest.
Even so… there was a strange thrill beneath it.
Something laced with fear and caution.
The wind was harsh. Relentless.
I found myself instinctively analysing the surroundings.
Only then did it hit me—the others had already moved ahead into the forest.
So I followed.
The ground was soaked from the constant rain.
Every step sank slightly into the mud, making movement irritating.
Thick clumps of dirt splashed onto my clothes with each step.
The swamp wasn't deep… but it was incredibly annoying.
I suppressed my disgust and pushed deeper.
Despite the filthy mud, the forest carried a clean, refreshing scent.
Dew clung to the trees.
And the sight of rain sliding down the leaves… was strangely mesmerising.
I kept moving through the swamp—
Then suddenly—
I stepped on something.
Crack.
The sound of bones snapping echoed beneath me.
A sharp pain shot through my leg instantly.
I looked down.
At first… I couldn't even see the creature.
Only its mouth.
White and red teeth are packed tightly together.
A massive jaw reeking of rot.
Its body blended perfectly with the grey mud—impossible to notice unless it opened its mouth.
I immediately stopped the bleeding using my control over blood.
Suppressing the pain, I drove my claws into its body with full force.
Within seconds, it began writhing violently.
I didn't stop.
I pushed deeper… tearing through flesh until I reached its head.
Then I crushed its brain without hesitation.
Its muscles loosened at once.
Its jaws slackened… allowing me to pull my leg free.
In the blink of an eye, my leg regenerated completely.
As if nothing had happened.
Still… I no longer dared to walk through the swamp.
I could feel it now.
There were more of them beneath the surface.
All it took was a moment of lowered guard—just a second of distraction—and I nearly lost my leg.
If I didn't have such high pain tolerance…
Panic would have swallowed me whole.
I grabbed the corpse and leapt onto a tree, settling on a high branch to rest.
That's when I decided to try something I had been planning for a while.
But before that… another idea crossed my mind.
"System, evaluate this corpse."
[Understood, Master.]
[Evaluating…]
Ding.
[Swamp Worm – Beginner Second Tier]
"…That's it?"
I frowned.
Why was the evaluation so basic?
I had expected something more detailed.
Something that explained its uses, its weaknesses… maybe even its value.
More importantly…
Why was a second-tier creature this weak?
I hadn't even used my core abilities.
Just raw physical strength.
[Master, your body is exceptionally strong. You rank among the strongest within your level. You are, by nature, physically dominant.]
[Additionally, the Swamp Worm is a weak creature. It relies entirely on ambush, aiming to disable its prey in a single strike.]
[Vampires are naturally suited against this type due to their regeneration.]
[Any ordinary vampire caught in that attack would have lost their leg… though it would eventually regenerate.]
"…I see."
So that's how it is.
Finally… my efforts were paying off.
All that training.
All that suffering.
After a short rest, I began my second experiment.
A bright green flame engulfed the corpse.
Within seconds… nothing remained.
Ding.
[Congratulations, Master. You have obtained 110 units of raw energy.]
For a moment, I couldn't process it.
…Over a hundred?
One hundred and ten?
From that weak worm?
"…Damn it."
I had really been an idiot.
If I had known this earlier… I wouldn't have fallen behind like this.
I might have already reached the third tier.
I couldn't hold back my excitement.
Finally… something good happened.
This means my training will accelerate.
And then—
Something pierced straight through my shoulder.
"…Damn it. Not again."
I turned—
And met a pair of slit green eyes.
The moment I saw it, all irritation vanished.
I ran.
At full speed.
I dashed across the trees like a bolt of lightning.
While running, I glanced back—
The sight was almost absurd.
A massive black snake with terrifying green eyes… staring in clear shock.
It,s clear that he hadn't expected my speed.
I'm not stupid enough to fight a snake.
It had already made the first move.
If I fought it, the poison would wear me down.
And in the end… it would win.
I didn't care that my body had resistance to toxins.
Resistance only buys time.
It doesn't make me immune.
I activated my bracelet and took the antidote—without stopping.
Honestly… I had been planning to come back and kill it.
Without its poison, it would be much weaker.
Whoosh—
I barely avoided a claw aimed at my head.
Rolling across the ground, I turned toward the attacker.
A hawk.
Steel-like talons.
Sharp, arrogant eyes.
The moment it missed… it flew back into the sky and disappeared.
Frustration flooded me.
Do all the monsters here rely on ambush?
"Can't you bastards give me a second to breathe?!"
ROOOAR—
A deafening roar shook the forest.
…Shit.
I froze for a split second.
That overwhelming pressure—
Third tier.
I could hear trees breaking in the distance.
It was moving this way.
…Did my shout attract it?
Without hesitation, I turned back toward the snake.
I ran even faster than before.
Within seconds, I reached it.
I pulled out a long spear from my spatial bracelet.
In a single motion—
It pierced straight through the snake's eye and exited from the other side.
Its head was the weak point.
Attacking the body would've been useless—its scales would stop the strike.
I left the corpse behind.
Bait.
That should buy me time.
Then, a kilometre away, I buried myself deep into the mud.
I shifted my skin colour to match the swamp.
Blending in.
I activated concealment.
I stopped moving.
Stopped breathing.
Completely still.
A faint rustling sound echoed nearby.
Then—
Heavy impacts shook the ground.
Not sharp. Not explosive.
More like… something slamming the earth over and over.
I understood instantly.
…It worked.
It didn't come my way.
Relief barely settled in before something else crept in.
A faint ache in my chest.
That corpse…
…No.
My life is worth more.
I don't want to die.
Even if I'm certain that, at best, I could leave a single wound on it…
It would tear me apart.