Chapter Thirty Five

As Bob physically observed his enemy for the first time, he couldn’t help but find himself a bit… disappointed.

He’d spent an additional week grinding at his Skills whilst attempting to ‘unlock’ some form of magical ability. Spending hours spamming ‘Lifeless Disguise’ while focusing on the expenditure of mana and how it flowed through his body. Especially after his supply of ‘roof crabs’ ran dry.

Though, to be fair, they’d already lost their usefulness by that point anyway. None of his ‘E’ rank Skills seeming able to gain their last level while facing off against ‘F’ rank opponents.

Which was why he’d finally broken quarantine. Venturing to the second story in order to perform some reconnaissance on his more powerful enemies and, perhaps, see if he felt up to facing any of them. Not able to figure out any other way to get his Skills past this bottleneck.

Only to find… This.

He’d had to check ‘Treasure Sense’ multiple times just to assure himself that the crab in front of him was, indeed, ‘D’ rank. There appearing to be little to no difference between it and any of the lower ‘E’ ranks he’d crushed to chum over the last three-or-so weeks.

And even among them, it would have been considered to be more on the smaller, weaker side of things. Its slightly shorter legs and mildly streamlined appearance inspiring nowhere near the fear and horror that its ghastly aura had earlier.

And eventually he realized that, in all likelihood, that very same aura was the reason why. Whatever ability allowed it to originally hide from ‘Treasure Sense’ had probably been the focus of its ‘D’ rank evolution. Leaving it otherwise not much more powerful than a higher leveled ‘E’ crab.

And leaving Bob very, very tempted.

He’d planned for the possibility of combat from the very beginning, after all. Only coming down in the first place because, for once, the lower leveled of the ‘D’ ranks had actually been alone. Its more powerful partner having migrated downstairs for some unknown reason.

And now that he was here, seeing it look like that, he was having a hard time not immediately going through with it.

Especially given how much he could potentially gain. Each level ‘nineteen’ Skill screaming at him from within his mind.

Besides, despite his misgivings, he was going to need to test the strength of the ‘D’ rank combatants sooner-or-later anyway. It was probably better for it to be now. In a situation he felt at least vaguely in control of.

And against an opponent he was beginning to feel very confident in defeating.

Confident enough that he decided to act.

Ding!

Taunt (E) Has Leveled up!

19 – 20

Taunt (E) has reached maximum level!

Taunt (E) is able to be evolved!

It was a challenge not to accidentally end ‘Lifeless Disguise’ due to breaking into a massive smile. His decision to attack already proven to be the right one. Bob persevered, however. Canceling out the list of possible evolutions before it could fully manifest, eye focused on the charging form of an angry and confused crab. A charging form which was moving surprisingly quickly.

Though, he realized a moment later, perhaps not as quickly as it could have been.

As he watched the otherwise average looking crab begin scurrying frantically down the hallway, Bob was surprised to feel an unexpected surge of empathy for his soon-to-be victim.

Because they both seemed to be suffering from the same problem.

Though, as he watched its feet claw uselessly fast at the tiled flooring – more swimming than walking, as the tips barely touched the floor – Bob figured it might be ‘Constitution’ rather than ‘Strength’ that it was missing. The monster lacking a certain ‘heft’ needed to keep it grounded.

That said though, it wasn’t like a slight sense of comradery was going to save it.

Bob prepared himself as the crustacean paddled past him. Using the extreme turning radius granted by his Species to spin and launch an attack on its back in a single motion.

Only to be shocked when he barely succeeded.

The crab’s claws lashed out almost instantaneously; reacting far faster than any other had during Bob’s time here. Not quickly enough to get a grip of his tongue, but with enough power to at least bash his coils off-course. Its many legs then blurring through the water as it tried to dash further away.

Only to lose out in a battle of dexterity.

Bob’s tongue recovered in the space of a moment. Its coiled form folding back on itself as it pursued the fleeing crustacean, whipping around it to grasp hold of its left arm and a few of its legs.

Which it then did its level-best to crush into a smooth seafood pâte.

Bob ignored the telepathic screams that raked against his mind as two of the crustacean’s legs were torn from its torso. Them giving way unfortunately allowing the monster to escape with a mostly unharmed arm.

And a far worsening attitude.

‘Tear! Rend! SHRED!’

At this point Bob was well-used to the invading voices. Focusing the entirety of his attention instead on the crab’s attempted counter attack.

Which was good. Because it was coming at him far faster than he expected.

The arthropod ripped towards him at a feverish pace. Its claws seeming to slice through the water surrounding them with zero resistance, causing Bob to quickly activate ‘Dodge’.

Unfortunately, it simply wasn’t enough.

Alert!

– 9 Health!

Despite his attempt at evasion, the crab’s claw chased him through the water before impacting. A sickening ‘crunch’ echoing through his body as its pincher slammed closed in the same moment. The hard, chitinous shell crushing straight through the iron and wood of his forward-right corner.

He wasn’t given a moment to lament losing over a tenth of his Health, however. As the attacks kept coming. Bob’s mind stilled to silence as every thought was focused on his enemy’s next action.

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He felt ‘Dodge’ level up and near-instantly brushed the notifications aside. The increase was useful, however. His mind somehow able to read just that extra moment ahead. His reactions just that little bit faster.

The ‘calm’ increased as well. Granting him a strange peacefulness even while on the backfoot and engaged in blisteringly fast combat. The speed of the strikes seemed almost to help, in fact. Or maybe just the inability to be distracted. His foe’s blows coming so fast that he simply couldn’t allow himself to focus on anything else. The noise of the world muted by necessity.

He immersed himself in the sensation. His focus narrowing even further as the crab’s blows seemed to slow by the slightest degree. As its intentions became that much easier to read.

He was about to spring a counter attack when he felt something ‘click’ into place inside him. The feeling of an incoming alert from the system informing him that he’d finally managed to acquire the Skill which had been floating just beyond his reach for the last several weeks.

And it unfortunately couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Alert!

– 12 Health!

Seeming to sense his distraction, the crab let out another strike which seemed unhindered by water resistance. Its claw crushing through a good portion of his lower ‘lip’ before he even realized it was coming. And also leaving him in a precarious position for dealing with its second blow. One which, while not as obviously affected by ability use, was coming in fast enough that Bob felt unsure of his ability to dodge.

So, he decided not to.

At level nineteen, ‘Toothless Grasp’ had made his ‘mouth’ more malleable and dexterous than ever. And Bob proved that when he stretched it wider than he ever had before, swallowing not only the incoming blow, but also the crab’s other arm and the entirety of its face.

He felt the faintest sensation of a breeze inside him as the crab swung away in the massively increased space. Its speedy arms unable to reach any of his four ‘walls’ from its current position.

Then he wrapped his tongue around the greater portion of its torso, and began to squeeze.

Its tiny legs kicked frantically, their speed actually beginning to push him back along the tiled floors. Unfortunately for the crab, however, they could do nothing to stop what was happening inside of him.

And neither could the bits that happened to be inside of him. The crab’s claws were snapping together so powerfully that he could actually feel the shockwaves. However, with it still unable to reach anything, that’s all he felt.

A statement which, as Bob’s tongue coiled ever tighter, he didn’t believe the crab was also able to make.

After that, it was really only a matter of time. Unfortunately, it was far more time than he would have preferred. Despite its small size and seeming fragile shell, the monster’s carapace felt harder to crack than the crab he’d first fought at the base of the tower. His tongue almost sliding across the surface of its body as he tried to get a firmer grip.

Something which boded ill for his chances against its larger friends.

Still, eventually he managed to secure his grip enough that, only a moment or two later, the crab finally ‘popped’