Emboldened by his new stats and the steely resolve of Iron Will, Adam left the scene of his near-defeat with a fresh purpose.
He wouldn't just hunt; he would target monsters that could shore up his specific weaknesses and advance his long-term goals.
His Hunter's Sense was no longer just a tool for finding prey, but a scanner for identifying ideal targets.
His first quarry was a Cavern Gecko (Lvl 10), a creature he would have previously ignored for its low EP yield. But he wasn't after EP this time. He observed it scaling a sheer, slick wall with effortless grace, its toe-pads creating an unbreakable bond with the stone.
Adam needed that. If he couldn't always rely on pure speed, vertical mobility would be the next best thing.
The ambush was trivial. A single Crystal Shard Shot to disorient it, followed by a swift constriction. Consuming it yielded exactly what he hoped for.
[ Skill Fragment Acquired: Gecko's Grip (0.3/1.0) ]
"Perfect. A few more of these and I won't just be a ground-bound threat."
His next target was chosen for its defensive capabilities. A Crystalback Crawler (Lvl 14), a large, armoured centipede-like creature whose segmented shell was notoriously difficult to pierce. This was a test of his upgraded Strength and his Mantis Slash.
The fight was a brutal slog. His venom struggled to find purchase through the thick crystal shell. His constriction was ineffective against its long, multi-segmented body. But Adam persisted.
He used Weasel's Sprint to dart in, unleash a Mantis Slash on a single, vulnerable joint between segments, and dart back out. It was a war of attrition, but his higher Vitality allowed him to weather the Crawler's counter-attacks.
Finally, after a dozen precise slashes, he severed a critical segment, and the creature fell.
[ Defeated: Crystalback Crawler (Lvl 14) ]
[ EP Gained: 35 ]
[ EP to Next Level: 38/55 ]
[ Total Evolution Points: 63/1000 ]
The consumption was rewarding.
[ You have consumed a Crystalback Crawler. ]
[ Vitality +1 ]
[ Strength +1 ]
[ Scale Fortification has reached Level 2 through absorbing compatible materials. ]
[ New Skill Fragment Acquired: Chitin Fracture (0.4/1.0) ]
The Chitin Fracture fragment was a prize. A skill designed to break through heavy armor? That was a direct counter to monsters like the Rime-Tail Scorpion.
For days, he repeated this process, a predator with a shopping list. He hunted more Geckos, raising the fragment to 0.9/1.0. He sought out a particularly large Granite-Hide Lizard, finally completing the Stone Skin fragment, which merged with and enhanced his Scale Fortification to Level 3.
He was becoming a tank.
His Hunter's Sense then led him to something new: a faint, warm, thrumming energy emanating from a side tunnel. The air grew warmer and humid.
Following it, he discovered a geothermal vent, a fissure in the dungeon floor from which heated water bubbled, surrounded by strange, glowing algae. And guarding this resource-rich spot was a Salamander (Lvl 15), a sleek, reptilian creature that shimmered with heat haze.
This was a risk. But the Salamander represented the final piece he needed for his Gecko's Grip fragment, and its fiery nature might offer a resistance he lacked.
The battle was fierce. The Salamander could spit globs of molten rock and its touch seared his scales. But Adam's defenses had never been higher. Scale Fortification (Lvl 3) and Iron Will allowed him to push through the searing pain.
He used the geothermal vents themselves as cover, the superheated water and steam confusing the Salamander's senses. He finally cornered it, using his near-complete Gecko's Grip to scale a wall and launch a devastating ambush from above.
Victory was his. Consuming the Salamander completed his grip fragment and granted a new resistance.
[ Skill Fragment Complete! ]
[ New Skill Acquired: Gecko's Grip (Passive) - Allows for adhesion to most solid surfaces.]
[ New Skill Fragment Acquired: Heat Resistance (0.2/1.0) ]
He was no longer just a snake. He was a creature adapting to conquer every facet of the dungeon.
He found a secure perch high on a wall, using his new Gecko's Grip to cling effortlessly. Below, he could see the tunnels he had conquered. Ahead, the deep darkness where greater challenges waited. He checked his status. His Vitality was now 16, his Strength 14. He was closing in on the prerequisites for his wings.
"I'm coming for you,"
His Hunter's Sense swept the tunnels, seeking not just a challenge, but a specific one.
He found it in a domain of ash and heat. The air was thick with sulfur, and the floor was littered with brittle, molted shells. His tremorsense picked up a slow, powerful, grinding movement.
The name that floated into his perception sent a jolt of both fear and excitement through him: Ash-Scale Wyrm (Level 17).
A level difference of seven was immense. A direct confrontation was suicide.
"Okay, no head-on fight," he thought, his mind racing. "But look at this place. It's molting. It's vulnerable. And it's a creature of fire and earth. My Heat Resistance is minimal... but my Gecko's Grip and Mantis Slash are for precision."
He spent hours observing from the shadows, using Deep Camouflage and Hunter's Sense to map the Wyrm's behavior and the terrain.
He noticed a key detail: a recent molt had left a patch on its neck, just behind the jaw exposed, not yet covered by the new, ashen scales. It was a tiny weak point on a colossal creature.
He also noted the cavern's structure. The ceiling was unstable, riddled with fissures from the Wyrm's constant burrowing. This wouldn't be a battle of power, but of demolition and a single, perfect strike.
He prepared meticulously. He used Crystal Shard Shot repeatedly, not on the Wyrm, but on a critical-looking fissure in the ceiling above the Wyrm's usual resting spot. He fired shard after shard, chipping away at the rock, causing small cracks to spread. It drained his mana, but he persisted.
When he was ready, he initiated his plan. He didn't attack the Wyrm directly. Instead, he launched a final, powerful Crystal Shard Shot at the weakened ceiling fissure.
With a loud crack, a large section of the cavern roof gave way, crashing down directly onto the resting Wyrm. It wasn't enough to kill it—the Level 18 monster was far too tough—but the tons of rock pinned one of its sides and dazed it, causing it to roar in confused pain.
This was his only window.
Adam activated Weasel's Sprint, shooting across the cavern. He scrambled up the pile of rubble using Gecko's Grip, right next to the Wyrm's trapped head. The beast saw him, its eyes blazing with fury, and tried to bite him, but its movements were slowed by the rock and its disorientation.
Ignoring the searing heat emanating from its body, Adam focused everything on that one, raw patch on its neck. He coiled for leverage and unleashed a Level 2 Mantis Slash, putting all his Strength into the attack.
The invisible blade of energy sliced deep into the unprotected flesh.
The Wyrm screamed, a horrific, guttural sound. It thrashed violently, freeing itself from the rubble. But the damage was done. A major artery had been severed. Adam, knowing he had one shot, had already sunk his fangs into the same wound, pumping his entire reserve of Paralytic Neurotoxin directly into its bloodstream.
The combination of massive trauma and a full dose of neurotoxin was too much, even for the Wyrm. Its thrashing became weaker, its movements uncoordinated. It was a slow, agonizing death for the great beast, brought down not by a stronger foe, but by a smarter one who exploited a moment of vulnerability.
[ Defeated: Ash-Scale Wyrm (Lvl 17) ]
[ EP Gained: 80 ]
[ EP to Next Level: 43/55 ]
[ Total Evolution Points: 143/1000 ]
[ Ding! Level Up! ]
[ You are now Level 11! ]
[ EP to Next Level: 0/60 ]
[ Skill Point: +1 ]
He was utterly drained, mana and stamina depleted, but alive. He consumed the Wyrm, the tough meat granting immense rewards.
[ You have consumed an Ash-Scale Wyrm. ]
[ Strength +2 ]
[ Vitality +2 ]
[ Heat Resistance Fragment: 0.5/1.0 ]
[ Skill Fragment Acquired: Dragon's Might (0.1/1.0) ]
The stat boosts were monumental. His Strength jumped to 16 and his Vitality to 18. He was now incredibly robust. The Dragon's Might fragment was a tantalizing glimpse of future power, and the Heat Resistance fragment was a crucial survival tool.
He allocated his new Skill Point to Mantis Slash, bringing it to Level 2.
Resting in the conquered lair, he knew this victory was a fluke born of preparation and circumstance.
He couldn't rely on such tricks often. But it proved a vital point: with enough intelligence and the right tools, even a massive level gap could be overcome.