Level 2!

"Wow..."

The rhythmic assault of waves on the sandy shore left frothy white remnants scattered like tossed pearls.

Ryan, his face a mask of concentration, watched as a beach crab, its movements quick, skittered toward him. His recent neural enhancement had sharpened his reflexes; in moments of intense focus, the world around him seemed to slow, granting him the precious seconds needed to react with precision.

The crab brandished its strong pincers, oblivious to Ryan's halted retreat. To the crab, the reason behind the sudden cessation of movement from the "despised upright monkey" mattered little, it saw only an opportunity to strike. Its bulky frame shifted sideways with startling speed, its presence as menacing as a truck barreling down a highway.

As the gap closed to a mere three meters, Ryan exploded into action. His legs, coiled tight like springs, propelled him forward with astonishing speed. To an onlooker, he might have appeared a foolhardy man, recklessly challenging a juggernaut with sheer brute force.

"Boom!"

The crab's pincer crashed down, whipping up a gust that tousled Ryan's hair. In that heartbeat, Ryan's forward surge morphed into a swift lateral dodge. This perilous ballet step, borne from his previous encounter with these giant beach dwellers, was due to his evolving survival instincts.

Despite his enhancements, Ryan knew he couldn't outmuscle the formidable crustacean. However, he was faster then the crab. The crab, burdened by its bulky form, struggled with rapid turns, reliant on its pincers which were now committed to offense.

Its heavy carapace, a natural shield against rear assaults, made it formidable. Yet, what it faced was no mere predator but a cunning adversary dubbed by the cancer as the "terrifying upright ape." Ryan, with his enhanced human intellect and nimble frame, was ready to exploit every weakness.

As the Beach Crab struggled awkwardly to turn itself around, Ryan's gaze intensified, muscles coiling as he advanced with a poised blade.

With a muted whoosh, his sharp sword plunged into the Beach Crab's eye with surgical precision. A grotesque squelch echoed as the tip sank into the soft tissue.

Reeling from the assault, the Beach Crab entered a frenzied state. Its shell flushed with crimson veins, and its movements, previously sluggish, now had a manic quickness. Its claws snapped furiously, casting eerie shadows across the sand. Ryan, however, had anticipated this violent backlash. He swiftly backed away, maintaining a safe distance of two meters from the creature's flailing pincers.

This wasn't his first encounter with such ferocity. The initial skirmish had left him wounded, reminderinf him of the crab's unexpected vigor. But this time, Ryan was prepared; he wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.

With the crab now thrashing in its enraged state, Ryan took no chances. He spun on his heel and dashed away, the enraged crustacean hot on his heels. Yet, this chase echoed their first meeting, only now, the frenetic crab couldn't match Ryan's speed.

This shift in dynamics was clear, Ryan had the upper hand.

Leading the irate Beach Crab in a dizzying chase, Ryan circled the sandy stretch near a cluster of palm trees. Despite its fury-enhanced state, the crab's bulky form hindered its agility, particularly during sharp turns. Ryan knew that this frenzy had to have its limits; such explosive energy was unsustainable.

Lap after lap, they raced, around the palms, across the powdery beach, until they had completed five full circuits. After what felt like an eternity but was merely a couple of minutes, the crab's violent energy waned. The ominous red veins receded, and its formidable body slumped into the sand, utterly depleted. It appeared incapable of even a defensive snap of its claws.

Gasping for air, Ryan halted, a victorious grin spreading across his face as he watched the once fearsome predator now reduced to a harmless heap.

"Looks like you've finally met your match," he panted, the adrenaline of the chase giving way to triumph.

To be honest, Ryan hadn't anticipated that the Beach Cancer's rage would endure for a full two minutes. It was far longer than he had expected.

"This creature's fury lasts a bit too long," Ryan muttered, eyeing the behemoth warily.

"Now, the hunt truly begins!" he declared, tightening his grip on his long sword.

Stealthily, Ryan approached the massive crab from behind, maneuvering to its blind spot with practiced ease. In a swift, decisive motion, he thrust his sword forward, piercing and blinding its remaining eye.

An explosion of sand erupted as the crab thrashed wildly, crashing heavily onto the beach. Positioned strategically behind it, Ryan was safely out of the creature's limited attack range. Moreover, as the crab's frenzied state waned, it was clear it had exhausted nearly all its strength, its body now only capable of feeble tremors.

Observing the defeated crab, Ryan confirmed a crucial piece of tactical information: after exiting its violent state, the crab retained some strength if interrupted midway, but once the rage fully subsided, it was rendered utterly helpless, collapsing in exhaustion. This exhaustion phase lasted exactly two minutes.

Ryan's thoughts raced, but they did not hinder his actions. Seeing the crab completely incapacitated, he mercilessly plunged his sword deeper into its eye socket, stirring roughly to ensure a fatal blow. As the internal organs were disrupted, the Beach Cancer's life ebbed away amidst its convulsions.

——

[Level]: 1 (47%)

[Spiritual Value]: 170

——

Ryan glanced at the stats displayed on his panel, his brow furrowing in thought. He recalled his first encounter with a Beach Crab, where defeating it had catapulted him from level 0 to level 1, leaving him with a 7% experience surplus. However, this time, his victory only netted him a 40% increase in experience, leaving a significant gap of 53% to reach level 2.

"Does the experience diminish as I level up, or do individual differences among the monsters contribute to this?" he pondered aloud. "Or perhaps, the higher the level, the more experience needed to advance?"

Shaking off his musings, Ryan refocused and cast his gaze toward the direction of the crab's nest scattered along the beachfront. There was more hunting to be done, and he was just getting started.

If one Beach Crab wasn't enough to level up, then the solution was simple: "take down another".

With each encounter, Ryan's understanding of the Beach Crabs deepened, reducing the complexity of hunting them. After advancing to level 1, his physical capabilities had enhanced significantly, and he approached each battle with a newfound tranquility.

This time, he dispatched another Beach Crab without sustaining a single scratch.

Sword in hand, Ryan advanced towards the nesting ground of the Beach Crabs, his steps measured and confident.

---

Three hours later.

With a precise thrust, Ryan withdrew his long sword from the eye of another fallen Beach Crab. He watched indifferently as the creature's spasms subsided, its once vibrant red veins dimming into lifelessness. He turned his attention to the display panel before him.

[Level]: 2 (40%)

[Spiritual Value]: 470

"Level 2..." he murmured, a sense of empowerment coursing through him. A slight smile played at the corners of his mouth.

It was evident that these Beach Crabs were adept at concealment.

For three exhaustive hours, Ryan had combed the outer beach, finally locating and eliminating three more of these crabs.

After slaying the second crab, reaching level 2 brought an ease to the subsequent encounters. With agility that far surpassed his opponents, he exploited the crabs' frenzied state, swiftly blinding them before methodically dismantling their vital organs. Each victory made him more adept at navigating and controlling the rhythm of battle.