I gasped heavily for air.
Huff, huff, huff…
The wound on my back wouldn’t stop bleeding.
I could clearly feel myself growing weaker and weaker.
«Proficiency reached a certain level.
Acquired skill <Pain Resistance LV.1>.»
I obtained <Pain Resistance> just like that?
No, I can’t go on like this.
I have to find a way to heal my injuries.
Since I’m a reincarnator, I should also have a reincarnator-exclusive setup like in the original story…
Leveled up, and my state might fully recover.
Thinking this, I turned to look at the rest of the cave.
The slaughter was still ongoing.
In the best-case scenario, I would get a chance to reap the rewards without lifting a finger, but I couldn’t drag this out any longer.
The more time passed, the more disadvantageous it would be for me.
I quickly searched for a target, and soon reaped a harvest: two lizards that had mutually destroyed each other.
One had a huge hole torn in its abdomen, blood gushing out like a fountain as it lay on the ground breathing its last.
The other was in terrible shape as well, with both front claws practically broken and one eye gouged out.
Even so, it still stood half-erect on the ground, guarding its “prey,” unaware that it was about to become someone else’s prey too.
Taking advantage of the moment its gaze left my side, I gathered the last bit of strength in my body and charged forward wildly.
It reacted half a beat late.
Just as it tried to assume a defensive posture, I had already rushed right up to its face!
*Thud!*
I slammed a heavy headbutt straight into its abdomen, knocking it off balance and sending it tumbling backward onto the ground.
Naturally, I wasn’t going to miss such a golden opportunity.
So, I took advantage of the momentum to mount its body, looking down upon it from above.
Sorry about this~
I abruptly thrust my front claws, stabbing them hard into the lizard’s neck!
In an instant, blood gushed out, dyeing half my body red.
The lizard’s eyes bulged round and wide, as if unable to believe what had just happened.
Using its very last thread of strength, it strained its body upward, opening its mouth to expose its fangs toward me—fangs still stained with wet blood and leftover scraps of flesh.
Oh, still trying to bite me?
Hurry up and die already!
I stabbed my claws even deeper, and then sliced outward with force, completely tearing its neck open.
It twitched twice, collapsing onto the ground, motionless.
Huff, huff…
This should be enough EXP, right…?
«Experience reached a certain level.
Individual “Small Elroe Basilisk” leveled up from LV.1 to LV.2.»
«All basic attributes increased.»
«Acquired skill proficiency level-up bonus.»
«Proficiency reached a certain level.
Skill <Petrifying Evil Eye LV.1> leveled up to <Petrifying Evil Eye LV.2>.»
«Proficiency reached a certain level.
Skill <Sharp Claws LV.1> leveled up to <Sharp Claws LV.2>.»
(LanLi: Word used is Sharp Claws but there’s no Claws skill in Kumo des but Author said since they are not clear about all the skills and stuff they will use some of their own creative freedom to fill the gaps which tbh is true cuz the Kumo wiki etc stuff is a mess.)
«Acquired Skill Points.»
*Crack…
crack…*
A layer of skin peeled off from my body.
Yay, pure perfection!
Fully restored to peak condition!
I swished my tail, feeling my body become light and nimble, comfortable as if I’d just had a full-body massage.
Is this what leveling up feels like?
Oh right, skills leveled up too!
I extended my forelimbs, examining my claws closely.
Earlier there was a skill called <Sharp Claws>—mm, seems like they got a bit sharper.
I then tried moving them a few times.
This feeling was kind of like fingers…
Pretty flexible, actually!
(Compared to a spider’s claws~)
And then there’s this skill…
<Petrifying Evil Eye>.
If I remember correctly, this is an innate skill of the <Elroe Basilisk>.
Looking at it this way, my birthplace really is the Great Elroe Labyrinth—the largest, most dangerous labyrinth in the whole world.
Ooh~ Looks like I share the same starting point as Kumoko~
Ahem…
Also, my species, <Elroe Basilisk>—I still have a bit of an impression of this monster.
Though the original work barely wrote about it, its unique petrification ability was quite memorable.
It even caused quite a bit of damage to Kumoko in her first fight against them.
However, that beam can be blocked by obstacles.
That being said, if hit directly, monsters without healing magic have practically no way to deal with their own petrified bodies.
Of course, things like <Petrification Resistance> do exist, and following this system’s logic, any skill related to “Resistance” will eventually evolve into the corresponding “Nullification” skill.
Still, there probably aren’t many creatures who can train their <Petrification Resistance> all the way to <Petrification Nullification>, right?
Looking at it this way, my species might actually possess decent hunting capabilities.
In terms of direct head-on combat, among the low-tier monsters in the Upper Stratum of the Elroe Labyrinth, it should be considered pretty top-notch.
(Should at least be stronger than a spider~)
Though if the opponent has cover, I’d probably be pretty troubled.
Yet compared to a spider, the shortcomings are just as obvious.
A spider’s silk functionality is insanely strong—not only high in toughness, but also super sticky.
Low-level monsters, once caught in a thread trap, can’t escape at all.
The venom is also incredible.
If a potent spider super-toxin erupts inside a monster’s body, even monsters a whole tier higher in level than the spider wouldn’t be able to handle it.
The former helps spiders accumulate EXP fast, while the latter allows spiders to challenge higher-level monsters beyond their rank.
Looking at it like that, my species feels a bit mediocre in comparison.
Let’s not overthink it for now.
First, let me test out my species’ exclusive skill!
I stepped off the corpse I was riding on and slowly walked over to the other dying lizard nearby.
It seemed to have reached its limit, without even the slightest intent to keep struggling.
Then let me send you on your way.
…How do I use the skill?
Mm…
Like this?
I looked at the lizard, forming the intent to cast the skill in my mind.
Suddenly, a strange sensation spread through my eyes, and light erupted from my eyes, shining onto the lizard’s body.
Under the illumination of this light, half of its body gradually began turning into light-gray stone.
Ooh?!
It worked!
That is so cool!
Just as I wanted to keep using it, I found I couldn’t cast it anymore no matter what.
At the same time, an intense wave of dizziness swept over my brain.
Losing my footing, I stumbled and tumbled to the ground.
Ouch, ouch, ouch…
Why can’t I use the skill anymore?
Ugh…
Probably out of MP.
However, my current Appraisal level is too low, so I still can’t check my own status.
Maybe I should learn from Kumoko and keep Appraisal on constantly!
I reached out a small claw, patted my own head, and silently recited <Appraisal> in my mind.
«Lizard Nameless»
Mm, as expected, I didn’t get any useful info at all.
Hehehe, but for reincarnators, the Appraisal result here hides a little Easter egg~
I examined the Appraisal output closely, and sure enough, I found a tiny detail.
Above the word <Nameless> on the system panel, written in a tiny font, was my name from before reincarnation.
Everything really was just as I thought.
By the way, what if I give my current self a name?
The original work never mentioned a plot line like this, but I still want to give it a try.
What should I be called…
Hmm…
Let’s go with “Little Lizard”!
I think a simple name is pretty nice.
Yep, it’s definitely not because I couldn’t come up with a better name.
As I pondered this in my head—
*Rustle…*
Suddenly, the <Appraisal> system panel flashed.
The original <Nameless> slowly faded away, turning into the two words: <Little Lizard>.
Ayo, the name change actually worked!
Even though it’s totally useless, that is.
Oh, right, right!
Can’t leave my prey behind!
After stacking the two lizards I had just sent off together, I hurried back to the original spot and found the previous lizard corpse.
Thank goodness, my first prey was still “waiting for me” in its original spot~
I grabbed its tail with both hands (claws) and slung it over my shoulder, slowly walking toward my “second battlefield.”
…The slaughter was still going on, but it was drawing to a close.
The surviving lizards on the field were estimated to be less than a fifth of the original count, and the number was still dropping.
Looks like my start isn’t easy either, huh?
The guy behind me was dragged by me all the way, blood leaving a long trail behind me.
Just like that, I walked down a path soaked in blood.