BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM-Chapter 1254: Rescue trip (10)
Erik's illusions kept searching through the area to lure the creature. They searched rooms and checked corners, or better, they went there, apparently to check around, but the truth was they didn't care, not only because they just were illusions and didn't think, but because Erik himself didn't. Their paths inevitably spiraled inward, drawing closer to the room where Erik was waiting in ambush.
What Erik didn't know, though, was that the snake-like thaid was already stalking one. The monster was following after one illusion, slithering over broken tiles and fallen debris to avoid making noise and alerting the illusion.
Even if it didn't, the illusion would have noticed nothing, because they didn't have senses. No sight, no sense of smell, no hearing. They were just images Erik made.
The creature kept its distance, unwilling to strike at prey that triggered none of its usual hunting instincts. It needed to study it more to understand what was going on.
So, it kept the right distance from whatever that creature was. Ten or so steps behind the illusions.
At the same time, the illusion kept a gait that made the creature interested but frustrated because the prey wasn't giving it the chance to strike. Its forked tongue flicked, seeking a scent that didn't exist.
Erik waited. The room he'd chosen had once been some kind of office, with large windows now partially blocked by collapsed ceiling panels.
<A lot of time went on already. Where the fuck is this thing?>
<Patience,> the system's voice echoed in his mind. <The creature's behavior matches known predatory patterns, all in all. It will probably strike soon. You just need to keep still.>
Erik's muscles protested after staying motionless for such a long time. His neck stiffened, his back tensed, and a dull ache spread through his shoulders and thighs. Each passing minute made the discomfort worse, but he had to endure it.
He wanted to move to ease the pain, but he remained still, knowing that any movement would reveal where he was hiding.
Then one of the illusions arrived, just as all the others did before it multiple times. It moved with purposeful steps under Erik's orders and went near the window.
It paused there, as if searching the corners. The illusion's level of detail was astonishing, and Erik left nothing to chance. The illusion remained there for some seconds. So that the creature would think that was the right moment to strike, and doing so, it would reveal its presence to Erik.
The thaid lurked outside the room, hesitating. Though it could have rushed in to attack its prey, instinct warned that something was amiss.
Its primitive yet sophisticated brain struggled between instinct and suspicion—wrestling with both the strange behavior of its recent prey and the urge to kill.
Then it decided on another kind of attack, one that would keep it safe, but also one that would reduce the amount of meat it was going to eat.
Suddenly, almost too fast to follow, the creature's jaws snapped open. Instead of lunging forward, it released a spray of greenish liquid.
Erik's eyes widened as he observed the liquid spray. The liquid had a high concentration of mana, and it was clearly the result of the creature's brain crystal power, rather than a natural secretion.
The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.
The spray was also clearly some kind of venom or corrosive substance. Erik hadn't expected this at all. Given how hard it was for him and the biological supercomputer to detect the creature, Erik thought its brain crystal power had to do with hiding, or at worst, with tracking.
But this completely changed things, because it meant that the Thaid's hiding and tracking abilities were purely on its own and didn't depend on chance.
The deadly green liquid cut through the air where his illusion stood, passing harmlessly through the intangible lump of light and mana.
Erik's heart skipped a beat as he realized how close he had been to death and how narrowly he escaped it. The creature had snuck up on him with ease, and if it had chosen to use its acid spray instead of a physical attack, he would have been dead.
At the same time, the creature entered the system's range, and as soon as it activated its power and circled mana through its neural links, the system detected its presence. Without a visual aid, the system could only determine the creature's position thanks to mana.
However, the beast didn't use it earlier. Now it was different. Not only could the system see where the beast was, but it could also use its analysis power.
—[Analysis]—
-Name: Naxoris
-Physical Description: Snake-like thaid, approximately 4 meters long. Body covered in smooth scales with a concrete-like gray coloration. Like most snakes, it has a forked tongue, fangs capable of spraying corrosive acid produced by its brain crystal power, and heat and vibration-sensing pits. It has a muscular body optimized for silent movement and constriction.
-Brain Crystal Powers: Acid Spray (C96C): The brain crystal power allows the creature to create a highly corrosive venom that can be sprayed as a pressurized stream. The acid rapidly dissolves both organic and inorganic materials on contact. It needs particular body adaptations to be sprayed. In this case, the canals connect the sack in which the acid is stored and that connect it to the fangs and the powerful muscles needed to pump the liquid at high speed.
Thermal Strike (C66C): Launches concentrated heat bursts that can stun and disorient prey. More effective against warm-blooded targets.
{Attributes}
-STRENGTH: 656
-INTELLIGENCE: 17
-DEXTERITY: 452
-ENERGY: 367
{Others}
-Power Level: 1185
-Estimated Experience per kill: 2,107,212,049.90
—[End]—
At that point, Erik understood and confirmed many things. First, the snake coloration wasn't due to a brain crystal power, exactly as he assumed, but depended on evolution.
This species must have been hunting in human ruins for generations, long enough to evolve a cement-like coloration that helps them blend into their surroundings and improve their hunting success.
Its powers were actually two. One was that it made it produce the acid, and one that the beast hadn't used yet.
Everything else belonged to the beast's body, hunting tactics, and intelligence. Looking at the attributes, Erik also understood why the creature had been so problematic earlier.
That thing was slightly stronger than him. Not enough to be impossible to hunt, but enough for it to escape from him easily, thanks to its knowledge of the building.
It also explained why Erik hadn't been overwhelmed by the beast during its previous attack. However, Erik noticed the two main problems this beast had.
The first was that its brain crystal powers were relatively basic and common. The acid spray, while dangerous, was a common ability found in many thaids- in some cases it required a lot of biological adaptations, while it didn't in some others. In either case, it provided limited tactical advantage.
The thermal strike ability was essentially just a short-range heat burst that could temporarily stun prey, but wasn't particularly powerful or unique. It was another power whose usage depended on circumstances.
However, Erik felt it was still outside of character for a beast like this to have this kind of power. It was specialized in avoiding its mana flow being detected to maximize its striking chances.
Yes, it would be able to use the power and attack from a distance with an ability that was a sure way to kill the target, but it still made mana detection possible. A creature like that was more suited to have a brain crystal power that allowed it to escape.
That would happen when things went bad, when the opponent was too strong and had already found it, maybe battled it for some time.
This ability, instead, was a sort of opener, unsuited for such a beast. Of course, this was Erik's opinion. One the system didn't agree on at all.
The beast's second problem was that it had very low mana. That explained why it didn't use this power earlier.
Sure, it might have been because of hunting tactics, but now there was an additional explanation. This thing had so little mana that it couldn't waste it.
Most likely, it used it when an ambush failed, when a predator found it, or when something was not going according to its bestial mind. Maybe this was the case, too.
<Maybe it found out the illusion was a fake…>
The attack might have come because something was weird, even for it.
That got further confirmed to the thaid when the acid passed straight through the illusion, splattering against the far wall and floor. Where it hit, concrete bubbled and dissolved, releasing clouds of noxious vapor.
The acrid fumes burned Erik's nose and throat. He fought against the reflex to cough, knowing the slightest sound would reveal his presence.
Tears welled in his eyes as the caustic fog spread through the room. The acid had eaten deep pits on the floor, still bubbling and smoking.
Through watering eyes, Erik watched the illusion maintain its pose, completely unaffected by the attack that had just passed through it.
However, while Erik struggled to breathe, the beast did something else. It left.
[It's trying to escape! It must have understood this was a trap!]
