Chapter Twenty Nine

As the crab neared the doorway to an empty room, it briefly stopped; feeling confused as to why it was about to head inside. Its antenna could detect no trace of food coming from within. Or even the presence of a lesser rival. One it might defeat and consume.

It was about to turn around, still able to detect some lingering remains of the recent battle scattered further down the hall, before a strange sensation overtook it.

Suddenly, despite its antenna being unable to detect it, the crab was filled with a certainty that there was something delicious inside that room. Something which, if it didn’t move quickly, would soon be snatched up by one of its countless siblings. Taken away before it was even allowed a taste.

The monster’s legs moved almost independently. Dragging it through the doorway as the crab’s eyes darted back and forth across the room, searching for its promised rewards.

Disappointment was barely allowed to form in its tiny mind before thick lashings wrapped themselves around its surprisingly brittle body.

Ding!

You have destroyed a ‘LV: 5 Lesser Mad-Crab (F)’

(2) Experience gained for Class: ‘Treasure Hunter (B)’

Ding!

Constrict (F) Has leveled up!

7 – 8

Ding!

Taunt (E) Has Leveled up!

8 – 9

Bob had been busy.

Quite busy, in fact, as with this he was only five experience away from reaching level three in ‘Treasure Hunter’. As well as having mostly succeeded in ridding the second floor of all of its lower ranked crabs. His secret for doing so also happening to be his most maligned skill.

Given all the bad memories associated with it, a greater portion of Bob hadn’t been interested in ever using ‘Taunt’ again. In fact, the only reason he’d even had it equipped was because the system had automatically done so when he’d gained his last species level.

Something he couldn’t help but feel grateful for now, as he carefully picked up the mostly-mashed crab and shoved its remains through the room’s only window. Trying to prevent a repeat of his prior near day stuck in stasis mode.

Unfortunately, Bob’s brief moment of ‘alone time’ following the crab-feast hadn’t lasted terribly long. Him barely making it three doors down before he was once again forced to use his newest ability. After which, he found near zero opportunity to ever again discontinue it.

While the bigger crabs had taken away the larger, choicer pieces to their den’s downstairs, that hadn’t meant that the area was fully cleaned of the remaining ‘scraps’. And unfortunately, once their more intimidating cousins had vacated the floor, all the lesser bottom-feeders had come out of the woodwork.

Only now, perhaps due to the recent attack, they rarely traveled alone. Each moderately sized crab being trailed by two or three of its smaller brethren. All of them following so closely behind their ‘protectors’ that their auras almost blended into one. That is, until a few of the ‘clingier’ auras throughout the manor suddenly disappeared. After which, the remaining ‘lesser’ threats seemed content to spread themselves a bit further out.

The funny part was, what primitive defensive tactics they’d managed to cook up would have done nothing to protect them from the octopus. It was simply too fast and powerful. Capable of crushing all of them before even one could make an attempt at escape.

It certainly managed to stymie Bob something awful, though.

He’d had to sit there, stuck, watching as the surrounding area was infested with smaller crustaceans. All of which he could easily kill. But all of which also happened to be easily within sight of another crab. Which itself was in sight of another crab.

Ad nauseum.

Part of him thought it wouldn’t matter. That, if the crabs were stupid enough to forget about him immediately after one of their fellows stopped screaming about his existence, they also wouldn’t connect the living box they had been chasing with the inanimate box that had replaced it.

The rest of him wasn’t quite so willing to test that hypothesis.

For an entire day, he was driven insane by it. Crabs wandering nearly too far away from their companions. Entering almost too deeply into a room Bob was occupying. But always turning around. Never quite lingering long enough for him to insure he wouldn’t be seen.

Eventually, it became too much. With Bob making what was objectively a very stupid decision.

But, for once, one that actually worked out for him.

As Bob watched a crab drift further and further away from the rest of its party, he found himself remembering taunting the fish at the beginning of his journey in the dead city. How he was able to affect it – and only it – even after it had already turned away from him. His ability seeming to go from a radius effect to a targeted strike. Neither of which, looking back, seemed fully reliant on visual stimuli.

He pondered the idea as he continued to observe. The thoughts existing more in his subconscious, than anywhere else.

That is until he saw, for what felt like the hundredth time, the little crab start turning around just before Bob could get away with killing it.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

At which point, it felt like it just slipped out of him.

He almost didn’t believe he’d used the Skill until he noticed the crab reverse its steps. Ignoring its fellows as they traveled further down the hall and instead crawling its way through the doorway Bob was lurking behind.

He’d tried to quickly reactivate ‘Lifeless Disguise’, thinking that the use of a Skill would have ended it, but was pleasantly surprised to find the ability still active. Apparently, ‘Taunting’ the crab not counting as ‘movement’.

Something which, moments later, marked the demise of an oblivious crustacean.

Life for Bob had been far more entertaining – and lucrative – since. The only real hiccup with his current strategy being that ‘Taunt’ didn’t seem to be able to draw in the larger crabs. At least not at distance and operated through ‘Treasure Sense’ like he was doing with the smaller ones.

Not that this bothered Bob terribly much. Since, after all the annoying small-fry were taken care of, it would be relatively easy to ambush them one by one.

In fact, the only real issue he was currently having was that he was actually too successful. His cup runneth over.

And for once, Bob meant that near-literally.

The crab finally tossed down to be devoured in the sands below, Bob turned his attention to the only real aggravation in his life.

The pile of patinaed copper nicknacks tossed angrily into one of the room’s corners.

With the majority of the lesser crabs exterminated, it had become far easier for Bob to make his way into certain sections of the second floor. Certain sections where the sunshine feel of further treasure had been radiating from.

Further treasure which, in total, would easily take him to the next level.

That is, if he could fit it all inside him.