Chapter 244: Crust-Mantle (1/2)
The killing intent had mixed with his aura, turning it into a weapon with a focus. Earlier, it was just a formless force, lacking any intent, only causing physical suppression. Now, it had intent, also serving a purpose. Thanks to it, the Spiked Lizard fainted, its mental capacity no longer able to endure.
Jyorta maintained his distance, unwilling to come into range of the Spiked Lizard's tongue. His spindle flashed, drilling into the Spiked Lizard through its eyes. The Spiked Lizard woke up with a start, letting out shrieking noises. But, its legs were unable to gather strength, same for its body. Only its internal organs were able to move, thanks to them being shielded by the surrounding muscles. But, except for faint vibrations, they couldn't do anything else.
As the spindle continued to drill into its body, the resistance against his psychic energy decreased. The Spiked Lizard's aura was suppressed by his aura, leaving it unable to resist the seepage of his psychic energy. This was a valuable experience, giving him a couple of ideas to implement in the future.
Soon, the spindle had drilled deeper into its body, managing to kill it. Jyorta placed its Heart Crystal in the pouch, intending to continue with his killing spree. He had already killed five Frenzy Beasts in such a short duration.
Based on what he sensed as his aura affected their bodies, he could guess their Sync Rates, deriving the number of Credits he had amassed through them. ”6, 7, 6, 6, 6; that makes a total of 31 Credits. Not bad, but not good enough either. Do I proceed deeper until I face Tier 2 Frenzy Beasts?”
Killing even a single Tier 2 Frenzy Beast would have netted him twice his current gain. It was efficient to kill them. But, after a moment of thought, Jyorta decided against it. 'I am having trouble with just these Tier 1 Frenzy Beasts. It will be difficult to face opponents that won't be much affected by my aura.'
”I'll head in deeper later after I have enough confidence.” Deciding on his choice, Jyorta walked forth, finding three Spiked Lizards that were on the verge of death. They had fallen on a boulder that was half his height. One was on the top while the other two were slowly sliding towards the ground. There was a small pool of blood on the ground, with thin streams seeping out from their bodies.
Just when Jyorta planned to put them out of their misery, he heard a loud crunching sound to his back. It was frighteningly loud, as if a carnivorous beast was gnawing on a bone, its jaw force breaking them into pieces upon each bite.
Jyorta felt alarmed, deciding to investigate it first. He didn't wish for whatever creature it was to spring upon him while he battled against another Frenzy Beast. Holding his sword before him, Jyorta tiptoed, unwilling to make any noise.
His chakram hovered before his chest, ready to intercept attacks from any angle. His heart beat faster, thumping in increasing intensities. Blood rushed to his head; his adrenaline kicked into overdrive.
The crunching sounds were loud, akin to a pipe of steel broken into two. Followed by faint screeching sounds, the surroundings began to brighten. It was a sudden influx; the Two-Faced Fireflies were returning. Jyorta didn't why they were returning but all he knew was that it didn't bode well for him.
The change in ambient light was too fast for him to adjust. His figure was dimly outlined in the area. As the Two-Faced Fireflies came in the range of his aura, they plopped to the ground, their wings twitching. But, they continued to emit light.
Jyorta finally managed to witness the creature that was the source of the crunching sounds. It was a large Frenzy Beast, spanning a height of 200 centimetres. Its body was long, spanning at least four metres, segmented into 12, with each segment possessing a pair of legs, shaped into a hook, sharp like spikes.
Its body thinned along its tail, ending with two feelers, each around 20 centimetres in length, and possessing a radius of five centimetres. Small appendages grew over it, wriggling every second in search of something.
A hard exoskeleton covered its body, outlining each segment. In the gaps where each segment joined, the exoskeleton was replaced by a gelatinous membrane. At the front of the segmented region was a cylindrical part, fully covered by the exoskeleton—forming strips. The strips seemed to have been riveted, judging by their sliding over each other to facilitate the Frenzy Beast's movement.
Four pincers were on its front, two big, situated at the top, and two small, situated underneath it. The pair of small pincers was positioned right underneath the mandibles. The mandibles were fixed upon tough muscles, each of whose movements seemed filled with power. Lodged on its head were three pairs of eyes: one pair facing the front, and the remaining two facing either side. Finally, hoisted up by an appendage was an eye, underneath of which was a valve connected to a tube-like mechanism.
”Crust-Mantle,” Jyorta muttered. Thankfully, the barrier shielding him negated the sound, preventing the Frenzy Beast from sensing his location. Seeing its appearance, Jyorta was alert.
Crust-Mantles were a Frenzy Beast race that had been discovered in the past decade. Their overall strength and their base of operations were unknown. They lived underground, coming up to the land in search of prey.