Chapter 13: Absolute Absorption

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Absolute Absorption

​Krono realized the threat immediately. Without delay, he started swimming upward as fast as he could.

​His upgraded 18 points of Agility allowed him to swim twice as fast as a normal human.

​The giant seahorse gave chase at once. And its speed was much faster, since it had been accustomed to the environment for years.

​Seeing it closing the gap so rapidly, Krono’s heartbeat sped up uncontrollably.

​But his Willpower allowed him to calm his racing heart.

​There was no benefit in panicking. He had to think wisely to survive.

Suddenly, his gaze locked onto a familiar silhouette. One of the big magical swordfish from earlier was cruising directly into their path. Seeing its razor-sharp bill instantly sparked a ruthless plan in his mind.

Instead of swimming away to safety, Krono intentionally changed his direction. He swam directly toward the magical swordfish.

​The giant seahorse was completely blinded by its rage. And thus it didn’t notice the change in his tactics. It only saw the human who had killed its offspring, so it charged forward with even more ferocity.

​As Krono rapidly closed the distance, the swordfish sensed the aggressive magical energy approaching. It instantly felt threatened by the massive seahorse rushing up right behind the human.

Because of that, the swordfish lowered its razor-sharp bill and rushed forward to defend its territory.

​Right now, Krono was caught right in the middle of two deadly predators rushing at each other.

​10 meters. 5 meters. 2 meters.

​Just as the giant seahorse opened its jaws to snap him in half, and the swordfish thrust its magical bill forward, Krono pushed his 18 points of Agility to the absolute limit.

​He twisted his body, and slipped upward out of their path.

​Squelch!

​Unable to stop its momentum, the giant seahorse crashed directly into the charging swordfish. And the swordfish’s magical bill easily pierced through the seahorse’s thick green scales. It sank deeper into its chest.

"Kaaa-ckk..."

​Feeling the sharp and searing pain in its body, the giant seahorse let out a agonizing shriek.

The real fight had only begun.

The water around them instantly turned cloudy with blood as these two aquatic creatures began to fight for their lives.

Krono remained hidden while that happened.

After a few tense minutes, the thrashing stopped and the water finally settled. And Krono emerged from his hiding spot.

The scene made his eyes wide.

​Drifting in the blood-clouded water were two massive aquatic corpses.

​Krono’s mouth watered at his lips as he imagined the rich ans concentrated energy contained within their flesh.

What kind of massive stat boosts or rare skills would high-level predators like these drop?

Carrying them to the surface us impossible.

​So, without wasting any more time he started dragging the corpses to his side to eat them.

​Eating them whole was impossible. So, he had to cut them using the sharp edges of his training sword.

​Soon, red tender meat and green foul meat were seen in his grasp.

​The tender one belonged to the magical swordfish, and the green one belonged to the seahorse.

​Both of them are edible fish, but seahorses are rarely eaten since the taste is not liked by many.

As soon as he took his first bite of the magical swordfish, his tastebuds practically exploded with its rich flavor. And the moment the tender meat hit his stomach and digested, a powerful sensation spread rapidly through every single cell of his body.

​Ding!

​[ System Alert: You have digested a portion of an Elemental Swordfish. ]

​[ Stat Reward: +0.5 STR (Strength), +0.4 AGI (Agility) ]

​It wasn’t just a one-time reward. With every single bite he tore off and swallowed, he received a steady stream of attribute points, mostly focused on increasing his raw Strength and Agility.

​Alongside the stats, he was also rapidly racking up Skill Fragments.

​After wolfing down 20 bites of the tender meat, the system chimed once again.

​Ding!

​[ System Alert: 10 Skill Fragments have been successfully accumulated. ]

​[ Would you like to merge them to create a random Elemental Swordfish Skill? (Y/N) ]

​"Yes," he commanded silently, though he was practically shaking with excitement.

Ding!

​[ Skill fragments merged successfully. ]

​[ You have obtained a new skill: Deep Sea Predator (Passive - Rank: E) ]

​[ Description: The instincts of a sharp marine hunter have been ingrained into your senses. This passive skill drastically enhances your perception underwater, allowing you to detect movement, slight water vibrations, and the scent of blood from enormous distances. ]

​Krono blinked, and suddenly the ocean felt completely different.

​Before, the water had been a silent murky void.

But now, it was alive with information.

He could feel the faintest movement of a crab scuttling across the seabed fifty meters away. Also, the smallest change in the water pressure told him exactly which direction the current was flowing.

​It was incredible. He didn’t even need to use his eyes anymore to know exactly what was happening around him.

​With a satisfied smile, he turned his attention back to the remaining feast. He had finished the tender red meat of the swordfish. Now, it was time for the giant seahorse.

Just as he expected, the giant seahorse’s flesh was incredibly tough. He had to put all his strength into the metal training knife just to saw off a single chunk.

​The meat was completely green, looking more like a block of hardened, foul-smelling goo than actual food.

​A wave of repulsion washed over him, but as always, he refused to let a little disgust stop his progression.

​Tossing the chunk into his mouth, he bit down hard.

​Instantly, his jaw throbbed. The meat was like rubbery stone; he couldn’t even leave a scratch on it with his bare teeth.

​He paused and let out a dramatic sigh, spitting the green block back into his hand and glaring at it.

​"How the fuck am I supposed to eat this? And if I can’t eat it, how am I supposed to digest it?"

​Just as he found himself stuck in this frustrating dilemma, a striking, brilliant golden notification suddenly flashed across his vision.

​Ding!

​[ System Alert: Your core Devour Ability has levelled up to Stage 2! ]

​[ Trait Upgraded: Absolute Digestion → Absolute Absorption ]

​[ Absolute Absorption: The Host is no longer restricted to oral consumption. You can now directly absorb the physical essence, stats, and skills of a target through mere physical touch. ]