The “slaughter” inside the cave gradually ceased.
Blood flowed like a river across the scene, with shattered bone fragments littering the ground.
A few full-bellied lizards stood dazed in place, wet blood still clinging to the edges of their mouths and the tips of their claws.
Ugh, you guys are finally finished, huh?
Every lizard currently able to remain standing on the field possessed some real talent without exception.
After all, only by being like this could they survive such fierce slaughter just now.
Phew…
I began to re-examine the giant lizard that had brought food back for us.
Right now, it was still lying to the side of the entrance, eyes slightly narrowed, its gaze sweeping back and forth across the few remaining lizards on the field, looking at its “results” with considerable satisfaction.
Is this your true goal, “Mother”?
To select more superior offspring, you deliberately brought back an insufficient amount of food.
The already starving hatchlings, once their appetites were stoked, became even harder to restrain.
And in this wretched place, after the brought-back prey was eaten, the only thing the hatchlings could eat was other lizards.
If they didn’t eat, they could only watch helplessly as their SP depleted entirely.
If they wanted to eat, they had to kill other lizards and turn the other hatchlings into the meal on their plates.
At first, no one acted rashly.
No one dared to attack recklessly, all waiting for a suitable opportunity.
But there would always be that one guy who couldn’t hold back and made the first move.
Once this fragile balance was broken, all the hatchlings no longer had any misgivings, recklessly beginning their hunting feast.
This is the so-called “broken windows theory.”
How clever, actually thinking of using mutual slaughter to temper us…
Sigh.
Maybe this happens to reflect the cruel nature of survival in the Great Elroe Labyrinth from another angle.
There is no place for the weak here, and the Elroe Basilisk isn’t some inedible, highly venomous monster either.
There are bound to be countless predators outside, glaring hungrily at the newly born little lizards.
Rather than going out to be eaten by other monsters, it’s better to become a stepping stone for someone else’s growth right here.
Mm, if this kind of thing wasn’t happening to me, maybe I’d even want to heap praise on it.
But right now, I just want to curse out loud…
Ahem…
Alright, not overthinking things anymore.
Complaints end right here.
I’ve gained growth at the very least, haven’t I?
I even got enough food to fill my belly.
Thinking this way, I turned to look at the three lizard corpses to the side.
Hehehe, maybe it’s time to enjoy the fruits of my victory~
…
While stuffing the last piece of meat into my mouth, I pondered where my future lizard life should head.
Chew, chew, chew…
Mm, tastes so bad.
So fishy and foul, like chewing on rubber tires.
It’s a miracle I can even swallow it.
I lay sprawling diagonally on the ground, scratching my belly with the tip of my claw.
Speaking of which…
feeling full doesn’t seem to be determined by how much food my body size can hold.
In that case, feeling full can only be determined by the recovery level of my SP.
Because after eating all three lizards, I only just started feeling full…
Additionally, while eating, I was frantically spamming Appraisal on the things around me, but there didn’t seem to be any sign of a level-up yet.
Oh right, I still have nearly 50,000 Skill Points available to use!
If I can put them to good use, my strength will definitely experience a leap forward!
Hehehe…
While daydreaming happily, I didn’t forget to keep observing the situation inside the cave.
I noticed that aside from me—who had completely restored my condition through leveling up—the other lizards all bore varying degrees of injuries.
At this moment, they were basically all lying on the ground resting.
I felt a slight sense of distress.
Slacking off here won’t do…
Time in the early game is extremely precious.
I have to hurry up and raise my strength, but it’s very dangerous outside…
Ugh…
No!
I can’t have such retreat-minded thoughts!
How can one speak of growth without going through trials?!
What’s more, I currently hold a plenty supply of Skill Points.
After going through a round of organizing and learning, I can definitely boost my survival capabilities significantly!
Heave-ho!
With a carp kick, I flipped up from the ground.
Decided!
I’m going out to venture into the world!
Looks like it’s time to say goodbye to this “home” for which I hold little affection.
Silence reigned all around, save for the even breathing sounds of the lizards.
I quietly crept my steps toward the entrance, glancing from time to time toward the giant lizard.
Like a statue, it lay motionless on the ground with its eyes closed.
Nice, nice~
Just as I slowly slipped to the doorway, thinking my escape plan was going to be completed flawlessly—
Suddenly, I felt a chill down my spine, a hair-raising sensation creeping over me.
I turned around stiffly.
The giant lizard’s eyes had opened at some unknown moment, and it was now staring dead at me.
….
However, it had no intention of stopping me, remaining lying in place motionless.
It made me feel utterly uncomfortable all over.
So, I tried taking another step toward the entrance.
It still lay in place, unmoved.
I’m leaving now…
I’m really leaving, okay…?
Alright!
Since you encourage your child to venture out so much, I’ll respectfully comply!
I turned around swiftly and lunged into the rock passage, running at top speed with everything I had.
…
Huff…
Huff…
My heart was pounding frantically.
As I ran, I heard the howling sound of wind coming from ahead.
Just up ahead!
Spurt forward with everything!
I’m…
I’m out!
…
Sigh, if I’d known, I shouldn’t have run so hard just now.
Isn’t that just wasting my SP?
Talk about asking for trouble.
I have to quickly find a way to hunt.
That being said, I was still wandering forward aimlessly.
At the very least, I need a goal first—like finding a suitable place to use as a home or something.
Speaking of which, it’s so dark here…
What kind of godforsaken place is this, really…
«Proficiency reached a certain level.
Acquired skill <Night Vision LV.1>.»
Eh?
Obtained a new skill, huh?
<Night Vision>?
The most common skill among monsters in the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
After all, to survive in a place with practically no light sources, you can’t get by without some tricks.
But so this thing wasn’t innate after all, huh?
Ooh, feels like the surrounding environment really isn’t that dark anymore!
Alright then!
Since I’m no longer troubled by the dark environment, I’ll work hard to achieve my goal!
First, go find a place to settle down!
Let’s go, let me go~
And so, I continued walking toward the deeper parts of the labyrinth.
…
Interlude: Monster Encyclopedia file.01 Small Elroe Basilisk
Lv.
02
Status:
HP: 65/65 (Green) MP: 35/35 (Blue)
SP: 65/65 (Yellow) 65/65 (Red)
Average Attack Capability: 38
Average Defense Capability: 38
Average Magic Capability: 35
Average Resistance Capability: 35
Average Speed Capability: 30
Skill:
<Petrifying Evil Eye LV.2> <Petrification Resistance LV.1> <Sharp Claws LV.2> <Night Vision LV.1> <Acid Resistance LV.2> <Poison Resistance LV.1> <Poison Fangs LV.1>
(LanLi: Author forgot about <Pain Resistance LV.1>.)
Description:
A hatchling individual of the Elroe Basilisk, under one meter in body length.
However, it seems this monster already possesses the unique skill “Petrifying Evil Eye” during its hatchling stage.
Its fangs carry a tiny trace of toxicity, but it cannot release Earth Magic like adult specimens yet, and its own attack power isn’t strong.
One only needs to watch out for the petrification beam to easily subjugate it.
Danger Level is E.