1 New System (4)

After only a few moments, he was able to pin point their exact locations, before shifting his vision to the section of land they were currently standing on.

He was well capable of viewing his entire area at once, however having access to that much information seemed to hinder him, so he had to resort to this.

~More of you pillagers? Have you come to dine on my grass blades as well?~ he asked in spite, as six insects approached. They were slightly bigger than the previous bug he had devoured, and had armor shells covering their entire thorax, with many sharp projections protruding from them.

~You're after my core?~ he asked in a mirthful tone, mere moments from breaking out into laughter. These creatures seemed to have no interest in his grass blades at all, and instead walked straight to his core as if in a trance.

[Creature caught in [Grass Snare]. Retrieving....]

And just like that, three of them were caught in the snares, and dragged towards the core. These creatures didn't seem to have low intelligence, as they just fell into the traps one after the other. Not even realizing that the creature in front of them was being dragged off.

[Armored insect * 3 devoured! +0.06% towards next evolution level]

[No mana detected! +0% towards next core level]

[+0.6 Biomass accumulated]

With that, some of the hunger he had been feeling was relieved. Having his hunger satiated like this was a feeling unlike no other. He could even liken it to the activities certain humans did after a night of drinking.

~If these creatures just walk into my mouth, I won't even have to waste any more traps,~ he laughed, as the remaining three creatures continued on their march.

[Creature caught in [Grass Snare]. Retrieving....]

[Armored insect * 2 devoured! +0.04% towards next evolution level]

[No mana detected! +0% towards next core level]

[+0.4 Biomass accumulated]

There it was again, this time the satiating feeling was a little less intense, however just as good.

~One left. It's a shame there weren't any more,~ he thought to himself as he watched the remaining creature approach.

The creature managed to avoid the remaining traps through sheer dumb-luck. It was a creature so lacking in intelligence that it seemed to almost forget what it was even after. It would stop for a time, look around, before proceeding as if reassuring itself it were heading in the right direction.

~This is how the god's must feel~ he thought to himself in boredom as the creature continued marching towards his core.

He was by no means large, this was just a testament to how small these creatures really were. After a few more moments, the creature was finally face to face with his core. Its entire silhouette being illuminated by the light shining from it.

The creature reached out its fore legs before moving even closer.

~What is it doing?~ he wondered, as the creature came into contact with the pink crystal orbiting his core.

[Skill core {Grass Snare} has been shattered!]

[Skill {Grass Snare} is no longer available!]

~Huh?~

[Armored insect devoured! +0.02% towards next evolution level]

[No mana detected! +0% towards next core level]

[+0.2 Biomass accumulated]

Without even getting a chance to process what had just happened, the insect poofed into dust as it came into contact with his main core.

For several minutes he whispered silent profanities at the idiocy of the forest creatures. To have an entire skill lost to such a creature felt like an insult to his prowess as a hunter. In reality, he was even angrier at himself for letting it happen.

~So that pink crystal, unlike my core can be broken huh. I suppose this makes things more interesting. Every encounter with a creature comes with the risk of losing my skills~ he surmised.

~But does that mean I'll always be one skill short from now on?~ he thought suddenly. Unfortunately, much like everything else in this system, it was something he would have to find out for himself later on.

With the loss of his [Grass Snare] skill, came the loss of all the traps he had set up earlier. His only hope at getting it back now was the defeat 10 quest, unfortunately only two more creatures ventured towards him before it got dark out. He required 2 more to complete the quest.

~This is quite bright, isn't it,~ he commented, noticing just how far the light emanating from his core traveled. Though this seemed like a good thing, as forest creatures would be attracted by the light, he wondered what would happen if a massive creature approached.

~If it's too big to be devoured by my core what will happen? Will my core be shattered?~ he wondered. Though sadly, it seemed he would have to ponder on that later, as suddenly, he felt something crawling along his body.

~This many?~ he thought to himself in eager excitement. There was an army of creatures walking straight towards their deaths. The light from the core acting like a mesmerizing beacon.

Sadly, it seemed the majority of the creatures that were attracted were but small insects. The light being emitted, although far reaching, simply wasn't large enough to draw the attention of the bigger creatures.

He suspected that it was the moon interfering with that. However he wasn't going to complain. For now, he would have to stick with these small creatures until he got a few more weapons into his arsenal.

[Small insect * 12 devoured! +0.12% towards next evolution level]

[No mana detected! +0% towards next core level]

[+0.12 Biomass accumulated]

[Quest complete! {Devour 10 unrated existences.} +1 skill points]

[New Quest available!]

~This could've been my second skill,~ he though to himself in soft grief, before allocating the skill into Grass Snare.

Throughout the night many more creatures fell victim to the light of death. By the break of dawn, his system notifications looked like this;

[Armored insect *7 devoured! +0.14% towards next evolution level]

[No mana detected! +0% towards next core level]

[+0.14 Biomass accumulated]

[Winged insect * 4 devoured! +0.12% towards next evolution level]

[No mana detected! +0% towards next core level]

[+0.12 Biomass accumulated]

[ Worm * 2 devoured! +0.02% towards next evolution level]

[No mana detected! +0% towards next core level]

[+0.20 Biomass accumulated]

To be continued

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