Seeing that the highly toxic water projectiles had no effect on Logan, the Royal Ludroth kicked hard against the trunk and charged forward once more.
Though Logan didn't understand why it harbored such deep hatred toward him, it didn't stop him from launching a ferocious counterattack. He quickly lowered the tail shielding his face, spread his dustpan-sized claws wide, and slapped forward fiercely.
The thick paw pads collided with the sponge-like frill in a muffled thud. Large amounts of pale purple venom splashed outward like water droplets. Accompanied by crackling electric currents, some of the venom rapidly evaporated into wisps of rising smoke. The air instantly filled with a pungent odor.
The scene was almost a replay of their previous battle. Without sturdy armor or sharp claws, the Royal Ludroth was quickly overwhelmed by the now-even-larger Logan.
After all, the Royal Ludroth's close-combat ability hadn't qualitatively improved over a regular Ludroth—its threat level remained a modest three stars. It couldn't beat Logan before; now it had no chance at all. In that sense, trading lifelong happiness for this power seemed like a bad deal.
But that only applied to creatures with toxin resistance. The Royal Ludroth's body brimmed with deadly poison that deterred ordinary predators from even biting. It also granted wide-area killing potential—nothing to scoff at against normal creatures.
Unfortunately, Logan didn't fall into that category. His tightly packed scales—over three centimeters thick—acted like light tank armor, making it nearly impossible for the Royal Ludroth to wound him and inject toxin.
Even if venom occasionally reached mucous membranes like his mouth, his strong resistance allowed him to endure it.
...
Logan subtly retreated step by step, maintaining suppression while cleverly luring the Royal Ludroth toward the shore. This time, he was determined not to let it escape. Since he wasn't confident in a one-hit kill, he needed to cut off its retreat first.
Blinded by rage, the Royal Ludroth remained oblivious to its gradual approach to land. It simply flailed wildly, ramming with abandon. Just as they neared the dawn redwood's roots, a tail swipe from the Royal Ludroth gave Logan the opening he needed.
He raised one foreclaw to meet the incoming tail, deliberately taking the blow. His other claw shot forward like lightning, seizing the tail firmly.
Logan's almost-human but slightly stubby foreclaws possessed enough dexterity for basic gripping. As his electricity-generating organs went into overdrive, massive current surged like a flood, rapidly stimulating muscle cells. The magnetic dust within expanded violently, unleashing astonishing strength in an instant.
"ROAR!!!"
With a furious bellow, his scales flared open from bulging muscles, exposing flushed red skin beneath. He reared up on his hind legs like a human, thick tail acting as a tripod for balance. Claws over 20 centimeters long dug deep into the bark. Then he yanked backward with explosive force.
The 15-meter-long, 20-plus-ton Royal Ludroth was swung like a rag doll, tracing a semicircular arc through the air before crashing heavily onto the shore.
Its massive body smashed into the soft grass with a boom, carving a deep crater. Momentum carried it tumbling farther, flattening a wide swath through the dense weeds.
The impact left the Royal Ludroth dazed and reeling. Before it could rise, Logan charged like a tiger, leaping high. His thick foreclaws—carrying immense mass and acceleration—slammed down toward its head like a collapsing mountain.
At the critical moment, the Royal Ludroth snapped back to awareness and rolled desperately, barely evading the claws. But the meter-long wrist blade sprang out at that instant, slashing deep into its shoulder. The irregular serrated edge tore through skin with a rip, embedding deeply into flesh under the falling force.
The strike carved a massive wound spanning its entire chest—flesh curling back, white bone exposed. Blood mixed with purple toxin gushed like a fountain, rapidly spreading a shocking purple-red stain across the ground.
Intense pain surged like a tidal wave, wrenching a miserable howl from the Royal Ludroth. Finally sobered from its rage, it scrambled frantically toward the water, desperate to flee.
Given the tenacious vitality of this world's monsters, escaping into the water might actually let it survive. Unfortunately, Logan was dead set against giving it that chance. From the moment it came ashore, its fate was sealed.
Logan yanked his right claw—buried half a meter into the ground—free and whipped into another spinning tail sweep. The long, powerful tail lashed like a steel whip, whistling through the air and striking the Royal Ludroth's hind leg with a dull thump. Soft skin and flesh burst open; a faint crack of snapping bone echoed.
One hind leg crippled, the Royal Ludroth's forward charge veered sideways, balance lost. Then a ferocious shoulder charge slammed into its flank, sending it airborne once more—like a kite with cut strings.
After the iron-mountain ram, Logan pursued relentlessly. Dazzling arcs crackled on his massive claws. With popping currents, he slapped the creature's face—tearing away a large patch of scales and knocking several teeth flying.
Slaps, scratches, slashes, tail whips… On land, the Royal Ludroth was utterly dominated, powerless to fight back.
Massive blood and fluid loss slowed its movements; even struggles grew feeble. Finally, seizing an opening, Logan drove his meter-long wrist blade deep into its throat and sliced downward with brutal force. With a wet splat, trachea and major arteries severed cleanly.
Blood sprayed uncontrollably—this strike ended the Royal Ludroth's life for good.
Pale blue text flashed before Logan's eyes: Hunted Royal Ludroth, Evolution Points +7.
The same yield as the Tobi-Kadachi—fitting, since their strength was comparable. Both sat in the lower-mid tier of the ecosystem—not particularly formidable creatures.
But what to do with this Royal Ludroth carcass? Logan circled the massive body, hesitating. He had some toxin resistance, but eating too much poisoned meat at once would still overwhelm him. Yet leaving it untouched felt wasteful.
After a moment's thought, he decided to invest all the new evolution points into toxin resistance.
The familiar warm current surged instantly, flowing through his liver, kidneys, and gallbladder.
Special enzymes and proteins emerged in his liver—possessing super-strong decomposition, reduction, and adsorption capabilities. They could directly break down organic toxins and bind inorganic heavy metals.
His kidneys developed layered mesh structures—like powerful filters. Every pass of blood was akin to dialysis.
Intercepted toxins were routed to the gallbladder. Some were refined further, wrapped in special oily fats, and sent to poison sacs in his tail.
The unusable remainder would simply be excreted with other waste.
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