Crawling slowly out of his base, Adrian's back almost scraped against the edge of the narrow entrance. His body had grown after evolving, and the rocky opening that once felt spacious now seemed almost restrictive. He had to lower himself carefully and slide forward at an angle to avoid catching his scales against the jagged stone.
He would soon need a new home but it would do for now.
Once outside, he paused.
The night sky stretched endlessly above him, dark and cold. No moonlight filtered through the heavy clouds, and the forest below lay draped in deep shadow. Adrian lifted his head slightly, tasting the air.
He would have to be careful tonight.
When the sun was absent and the warmth of daylight no longer heated his blood, his movements could become sluggish. As a cold-blooded creature, temperature mattered. If his body cooled too much, his reaction speed and strength would suffer.
However, as he began to move forward, he quickly noticed something different.
As Adrian entered the tree line, weaving past thick shrubs and the bases of towering trunks, he realized he did not feel nearly as groggy as he had the last time he hunted at night. His muscles responded smoothly. His coils tightened and released with far less stiffness than before.
It seemed that with his most recent evolution, he had become less reliant on external heat. While he could still feel the chill in the air, it no longer crippled him. He could operate at close to his full capabilities even in the darkness.
That realization alone strengthened his confidence.
He flicked his tongue repeatedly, gathering scent particles from the air. Each flick carried information, traces of animals, damp earth, rotting leaves, distant water.
He moved cautiously, hugging shadows and slipping between brush with minimal sound. His hunger was still present, gnawing at him from within. It wasn't unbearable yet, but it was persistent. He did not want to risk making a mistake because of it.
A reckless move could be fatal.
For nearly half an hour, Adrian searched.
The forest was unusually quiet. Occasionally he detected the faint trails of smaller prey, but nothing worth the energy expenditure. His hunger sharpened his focus. His thoughts remained clear, but the dull ache in his stomach had intensified.
Then, he caught a scent.
Adrian froze mid-motion.
His tongue flicked again, slower this time.
Yes. There it was.
A scent he did not recognize.
It was unfamiliar, musky and sharp, layered with something faintly metallic. It was not one he had encountered before. Normally, he would avoid unknown creatures unless he had a clear advantage.
But he was hungry.
Very hungry.
The ache in his stomach flared again, more insistent this time. Waiting for a safer target might take too long.
He decided to investigate.
Moving silently toward the scent's source, Adrian activated [Conceal].
The surrounding darkness responded instantly.
Shadows thickened around his body, wrapping him in a thin veil of obscurity. His scales seemed to drink in the absence of light, blurring his outline against the forest floor. In the dim night, he became nearly invisible.
As he maintained the skill, he immediately noticed something.
The MP drain was significantly lower than before.
He could feel it clearly. The steady pull of energy that once accompanied the skill was now faint, almost negligible.
This was the effect of his new passive ability: [Shadow Affinity].
In darkness, his magic consumption was halved.
A faint sense of satisfaction stirred within him. This environment favored him completely.
After a minute of careful movement, Adrian finally laid eyes on his prey.
It stood in a small clearing ahead, partially illuminated by faint starlight breaking through the canopy. The creature was roughly the size of the fox he had fought before. However, its appearance was far more intimidating.
It possessed silky red fur streaked with jagged black stripes. Its body was lean yet muscular, and its claws were long and razor-sharp. Its fangs protruded slightly even when its mouth was closed.
Adrian studied it silently.
Before his evolution, he would never have considered hunting something like this alone.
But now…
His hunger burned fiercely, and he could feel the power in his strengthened muscles.
He decided to take the chance.
Adrian slowly coiled his body, positioning himself for the first strike.
He activated [Dark Needle].
A thin needle of pure darkness formed in front of him, hovering silently in the air.
Then, recalling something he had been considering for days, Adrian focused again.
He activated [Dark Needle] a second time.
Another needle formed.
Then a third.
Three pitch-black needles floated before him in a tight formation.
Before his evolution, he would not have had the MP to sustain multiple casts effectively. But now, under the night sky and empowered by Shadow Affinity, the cost was manageable.
His experiment had succeeded.
Satisfied but focused, Adrian waited for the perfect moment.
When the creature turned its head slightly, exposing a clearer angle, he released all three needles at once.
They shot forward soundlessly.
Before the creature could react, one needle pierced its left eye. The other two drove into its neck.
Blood immediately began to ooze from the wounds.
However, to Adrian's surprise, the creature did not collapse or retreat.
Instead, it reacted instantly.
It let out a furious roar, its body tensing as it spun toward the direction of the attack. Its fangs suddenly ignited with flames, and fire flared around its eyes, wrapping them in a burning aura.
As the flames surrounded its injured eye, something shifted.
Its gaze locked directly onto Adrian.
It could see him.
The creature roared again and launched itself forward with explosive speed.
Adrian reacted immediately.
He shot to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature's flaming fangs as they scorched the ground where he had been moments earlier. Heat washed over his scales, but he avoided direct contact.
He pivoted smoothly, already preparing his counterattack.
Activating [Shadow Bind], Adrian surged forward, mouth open and fangs ready.
As the creature turned to face him, pitch-black chains erupted from its shadow beneath it, wrapping around its legs and torso.
The monster snarled and struggled, attempting to break free.
But this time, the chains held firm.
Adrian arrived at its side in an instant and sank his fangs deep into its smooth fur.
He injected his venom and retreated immediately.
He expected the creature to shatter the chains quickly.
But to his surprise, it struggled far more than anticipated.
Adrian recalled the mechanics of [Shadow Bind]. The strength of the chains depended on his own strength.
After evolving, his physical power had increased significantly.
That meant the chains were stronger now as well.
Seeing the opportunity, Adrian lunged again.
He bit into the creature's body once more, injecting additional venom before retreating again.
Only then did the creature finally break free.
Approximately five seconds had passed.
The monster staggered, regaining its footing. It prepared to charge again, but suddenly froze.
A sharp, excruciating pain erupted along its side.
The creature glanced downward.
Sections of its flesh had begun to blacken. Dark veins spread outward from the bite wounds, crawling beneath its skin like living shadows.
The corruption had begun.
The pain intensified rapidly.
Yet the creature refused to surrender. Driven by adrenaline and fury, it lunged forward again.
But it was futile.
Adrian had already assessed the situation.
This creature was no longer his equal.
He bound it once more, the strengthened chains restraining it with ease, and delivered several more precise bites. Each injection of venom accelerated the spread of darkness through its body.
Its movements slowed.
Its strength faded.
Within moments, the creature collapsed to the forest floor, lifeless.
A system notification appeared.
[+23 Evolution Points]
Adrian observed the number with satisfaction.
However, his hunger returned with renewed intensity.
Without hesitation, he approached the corpse. Unhinging his jaw, he began to swallow the creature whole. The process was slow, but he persisted steadily, forcing the large body down.
Once he had finished his meal, Adrian remained still for several moments, allowing his body to begin digestion.
The forest had grown quiet again.
Satisfied and exhausted, he turned back toward his base.
He would rest now, digest the large meal and recover from the lingering fatigue caused by his evolution.
Tomorrow would bring new hunts.