Chapter 30 Vengeance
“Kiieeek!”
Pus and Tus trembled as they looked at me.
Yeah. It’s been a while, so it’s kind of nice to see them.
They were alive, after all.
That’s a relief, but what is going on?
Why were they with that crocodile?
They were almost trampled, too.
It wasn’t enough to nearly kill me; they tried to kill those little ones too.
It wasn’t a hunt to eat them either.
Those little ones wouldn’t have filled their bellies.
Let’s not think about anything else.
Focus on the enemy in front of me.
Thud!
I pushed the Caiman away.
At the same time, I gently nudged the spiders with my tail.
Being too close would be inconvenient in many ways.
Stay somewhere safe.
【Piranha Caiman LV30】
【State】
「Fury」
I stared directly at the Caiman.
It tilted its head, trying to figure out who I was, then roared loudly.
“Kraaaah!”
It must have realized who I was.
I had its core in my body.
Piranha Caiman.
The first Piranha Caiman I saw wasn’t this big.
Reaching level 30, this one must be a unique individual.
Besides, it wouldn’t have been strange for it to evolve if I hadn’t stolen its core, so it wasn’t surprising it had grown this big.
But I wasn’t intimidated.
It was different from that stormy night.
I wouldn’t retreat anymore.
“Growl…”
I growled lowly.
Splash, splash, splash.
The Caiman rushed at me.
It couldn’t swim at full speed due to the shallow water, but it was still fast.
That speed with that size.
Truly a formidable force.
I braced my hind legs against the ground to withstand its charge.
Crack.
The Caiman must have been surprised.
Who would confront that thing head-on?
Rumble.
Its weight, far more than any millipede, pushed against me.
But now, I could endure it.
Screeech!
Its attack didn’t end with just a headbutt.
Its massive teeth aimed for my neck.
If it hit, I would die.
Snap!
With quick reflexes, I dodged the teeth by tilting my head.
The teeth bit into the air instead.
And as it closed its mouth, the chance to attack was mine.
It was foolish to expose its head so naively.
Boom!
My claws, sharp as dragon’s talons, struck its snout hard.
Given its size, it might not be fatal.
But if I kept hitting it, it would eventually break.
Boom!
It didn’t just stand there taking hits.
In such close quarters, neither of us could use our mouths freely.
It raised its front legs and began attacking me in the same way.
Crash!
I could handle it.
It was just a brute-force attack, so it didn’t hurt much.
The damage I inflicted was far greater.
But if this continued, I would eventually fall.
Even if my attacks were stronger, its absolute durability was superior.
Slash!
I quickly jabbed my Dragon Claws twice into its neck.
Its tough hide prevented serious damage, but it was enough.
I hit its head with my tail and leaped back to create distance.
Thud.
The slugfest ended there.
I had learned what I needed to.
The strength of its leg muscles.
The durability of its neck.
And its situational awareness.
I wasn’t stupid enough to fight the way it wanted.
Its strength and durability were superior.
My advantage was speed.
I planted my two feet on the ground.
Its speed wasn’t slow either.
The Green Basilisk’s top speed matched the Caiman’s.
Now, I was even faster, and it remained the same.
Which meant.
I was faster than it.
“Kraaaah!”
With distance gained, the Caiman had space to use its mouth.
It charged at me, jaws wide open.
Dash!
I jumped onto its jaw.
My landing point was the Caiman’s tail.
Crunch!
I grabbed the tail’s tip with Dragon Claws and bit into the middle.
Crunch!
The teeth of the Crocodile King Lizard were sharp enough to pierce even a crocodile’s hide if they bit down properly.
“Kiieeek!”
The Caiman screamed in pain and thrashed about.
I didn’t miss the opportunity and injected poison into its body.
It didn’t stay still.
As it flailed its tail wildly, my grip loosened.
Just a bit more.
One second, two seconds, and three seconds.
Thud!
My grip loosened, and its tail struck me.
Boom!
I crashed into the ground.
Although the swamp’s slight water reduced the damage, it wasn’t negligible.
My whole body tingled.
Indeed, it wasn’t an opponent to be underestimated.
But I achieved my goal.
【Piranha Caiman LV30】
【State】
「Rage」「Poisoned」
The Caiman was poisoned.
Its tough hide couldn’t prevent the poison from affecting it.
But the amount I injected wouldn’t be enough to bring it down.
However, it would be enough to bother it.
I evaded its attack and kept chipping away at it.
The Caiman’s tail flew at me.
I immediately leaped and bit its hind leg.
Crunch!
After injecting poison, I quickly retreated.
Yes.
If I kept this up, I could take it down.
It charged at me again.
I dodged to the right to avoid a frontal collision.
I saw the wound I had inflicted on its neck earlier.
A bite there would be critical.
Crunch!
I used all my remaining MP to expel poison.
This should be enough to…
Crunch!
Damn.
Somehow, my left hind leg was in its mouth.
It wasn’t torn off immediately after being bitten.
But.
Rumble!
As the teeth clenched, the Caiman started to spin its body wildly.
The crocodile’s deadly move.
The Death Roll.
I had to be grateful if my leg was the only part torn off; my entire body could get caught up.
The only way to survive a Death Roll was to spin with it.
Crunch!
While spinning, I didn’t stop attacking.
I kept biting its neck and scratching its eyes with my claws.
Crash!
After several rolls, the Caiman’s mouth naturally opened.
I quickly withdrew my leg and created distance.
Not good.
The leg was still attached, but it had lost its function.
I had to assume my leg was gone.
Most of my mobility was lost.
The Caiman seemed to realize this, not appearing regretful despite failing to sever my leg.
“Growl…”
My left leg wouldn’t move.
My remaining option was close combat.
Yes.
Come on.
“Kraaaah!”
It roared and charged at me.
I advanced as well.
To avoid those teeth, I had to either widen the distance or engage in close combat.
With my injured leg, I couldn’t widen the distance, so I got closer instead.
A slugfest began with both our bodies raised.
Boom!
My Dragon Claw, filled with inner power, struck its head accurately.
Blood spurted from the Caiman’s nose.
Its condition was far from good compared to the beginning.
I still had a chance.
Slash!
Its front paw slashed my side.
Argh…
Having injured my side when it bit my leg doubled the pain.
I couldn’t back down now.
Just a bit more.
Boom!
Just a bit more!
Crack!
I kept landing effective hits.
Though I sustained considerable damage, I couldn’t fall.
Thud!
The Caiman suddenly spun, swinging its tail.
I had no choice but to evade.
I leaped back, creating distance.
…Yes. The distance had widened again.
That meant its bite attack was effective again.
And in my current state, I wasn’t confident I could avoid it.
Crunch!
The Caiman’s speed had significantly slowed too.
But it wasn’t something I could dodge with one leg out of commission.
It opened its massive jaws.
Its sharp teeth aimed for my neck.
This couldn’t be avoided.
Crunch!
Its teeth mercilessly chewed into my body.
What it bit was my tail. Instead of my neck being severed, I quickly rotated my body, sacrificing my tail.
It happened so fast I couldn’t use Tail Cutting.
Intense pain surged through me.
“Growl…”
The pain of flesh being torn apart.
Blood dripped from my tail.
Crunch, crunch.
The Caiman greedily chewed on my tail.
It looked down at me arrogantly.
It must have been certain of its victory.
My stamina kept dropping while it replenished its energy by eating my tail.
The Caiman slowly approached me.
[HP is insufficient!]
The status window and my instincts screamed that my life was in danger.
If this continued, I would die.
All that remained for the crocodile was to toy with an exhausted lizard.
…It must have thought so.
“Kiieeek!”
The Caiman screamed in agony and spat out blood.
【Piranha Caiman LV30】
【State】
「Deadly Poison」「Critical Condition」
My tail, wrapped in colorful threads and straw.
It wasn’t just a decoration.
It was a poison mass soaked with the venom of the Silver Dragon Cave’s poisonous insects and my own poison.
It was concentrated for a week.
And the Caiman swallowed that poison.
“Kiieeek!”
Deliberately engaging in close combat to gauge its resistance.
Continuously creating distance to deplete its stamina.
Letting it bite my tail in the end.
It was all for this moment.
With its stamina drained, I expected it to chew on my body as soon as it tore it off.
Strong, but simple.
That was its downfall.
Stagger.
Boom!
I struck its skull with Dragon Claws.
Crack!
I relentlessly kept striking.
I didn’t choose the Water Monitor but the Crocodile Monitor because I was conscious of this one.
A watcher of crocodiles, a rival to crocodiles.
The first object of my fear.
I have overcome you.
I bit down on the neck of the disoriented Caiman.
Crunch!
My sharp teeth pierced its hide.
I applied so much force that my teeth nearly broke.
Snap!
Its thick neck bone shattered.
The sound of breaking bones was oddly satisfying.
[Level has increased.]
[Level has increased.]
[Level has increased.]
…
I won.
I defeated it.
I placed my foot on the Caiman’s corpse.
Now, I am the master of this swamp.
I looked up at the sky and roared.
“Gegegegek!”
…I keep making mistakes.