Rise of Super Beast

"Is this the place?"

Glancing below the cliff, Sam couldn't hold back his excitement.

"I finally found it."

Below the cliff lay the merge point of scorching lava and freezing snow, each holding its own boundary, refusing to let the other intrude.

Suppressing his excitement, Sam materialized his bow and shot an arrow into the lava.

Suddenly, a beast leaped into the air and disappeared back into the lava.

"Lava Salamander!"

His eyes lit up.

"Now I don't have to endure this hellish heat."

Repeating the same process, he shot another arrow, but this time, only the Gadus Beast emerged, breaking through the snow layer before diving back into the freezing river.

Shaking his head, he encouraged himself,

"Better to reduce the difficulty by one point."

Summoning his pet, Sam caressed its fur.

"Still hungry?"

Meow

Chuckling, Sam took out some wood from his inventory and lit a fire. Without hesitation, he retrieved the carcasses of five beasts and hung them over the fire using wooden supports.

Moving closer to Emberfluff, he pulled out a raptor carcass and tossed it to his pet.

"Eat to your heart's content."

Meow

Emberfluff cutely rubbed its head against Sam's leg before digging into the raptor carcass.

Sam gave a slight smile.

"Foodie."

Watching the scenario, he also took out an egg the size of a small bowl.

Ding

He cracked the egg against a boulder and gulped it down in one bite.

[Mysterious Creature Raptor Egg eaten.]

[5 Mysterious Genes obtained.]

He repeated the process, consuming another egg and receiving the same notification.

When he reached into his inventory to take out another egg, he found nothing.

"Oh, I forgot!" Retracting his hand, he glanced at Emberfluff, who was still quietly and happily munching on its carcass.

Perhaps Sam stared too much, Emberfluff quickly hid the raptor carcass behind its body.

Meow

Sam chuckled and gestured toward the carcasses roasting over the fire.

Meow

Feigning cuteness, Emberfluff approached Sam, tugging on his leg with its claw.

"You want me to eat that?"

Meow

"You little foodie! You switch sides so quickly."

He lifted the pet into his arms. While stroking its fur, he tore off a large chunk of meat from the raptor's carcass and fed it calmly, enjoying the solitude of the moment.

He yawned, glancing at the setting sun, which would disappear into darkness within half an hour.

"Today is the second day. It will soon become yesterday," he mused, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

In the past two days, he had hunted 3 Mysterious beasts, 5 Elite beasts, and 10 Beginners, which had put a significant strain on his body.

The real issue was that he didn't have any beasts of higher rank to compete against Perfect-ranked creatures. Mysterious-ranked beasts were already his limit, even after deploying all his abilities.

"My body is aching," he muttered, rubbing his stomach softly. His gaze fell on the bonfire.

"I can't wait any longer," he said, taking the roasted meat off the fire and taking a big bite.

[Elite Creature RockTiger eaten.]

[1 Mysterious Gene obtained.]

Ignoring the prompt, he focused on the taste.

"Ahh! This flavor!"

He took another big bite.

Meanwhile, Emberfluff tossed its raw meat beneath a boulder and licked Sam's face gently.

"I know, I know," Sam said, pulling out another piece of roasted meat to share with Emberfluff.

Descending from the boulder, Emberfluff sat down calmly and devoured the roasted meat.

Time continued to flow, slow yet fast, depending on how one perceived it. The sun had completely disappeared, and the moonlight illuminated the ground with a faint glow, breathing life into the forest.

"I'm done," Sam said, picking up the now-sleeping Emberfluff in his arms.

"Buddy, you're tired too."

Un-summoning the pet, Sam stretched out his arms and took a deep breath.

Maybe I was meant to live a carefree life here, as the cool breeze brushed against his body, his attire fluttering in the air.

Suddenly, he patted his cheek lightly. "Come on! You have a task to complete," he reminded himself before heading to rest. He hadn't taken a proper break since arriving here.

.....

Chirp

Chirp

His eyes snapped open, and he sat up abruptly.

"5 a.m."

Exiting the cave, he stretched his body and moved toward his target.

"Today is the third day. I need to spend the whole day building cold resistance."

Jumping from the cliff, he grabbed a branch.

Crack

The branch broke, and he landed with a thud.

But he managed to land gracefully.

Undressing, he now stood naked.

"This is my first time increasing resistance this way."

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he dived into the freezing river but remained close to the periphery.

"The cold is truly chilling."

He persisted, staying in the water and driving away the beginner fish. Taking another deep breath, he dived deeper and saw an image that made him shudder.

The river seemed endlessly deep, with shoals of beginner fish swimming 500 to 1000 meters away from his position.

Thank God I didn't dive blindly but followed my instincts.

The only good news was that no Mysterious-ranked fish appeared in sight, indicating they were likely much deeper. Trusting his instincts, he closed his eyes and floated in the river, meditating.

Second turned into minutes.

Minute turned into hours.

Hour turned into a quarter of a day.

His body trembled, pale as paper, and his skin bloated from the cold.

His eyes snapped open, and exerted force with his feet to propel himself to the surface.

Reaching the riverbank, he climbed out, his body soaked and the river running crimson red.

But his feet were refusing to come out.