Chapter 4 - Razor-tooth Eel
With the introduction out of the way, she feels none too happy with the situation.
Tara has always been pragmatic, though she felt it odd how quickly she adapted.
Though it all made sense when that wack-job immortal admitted to influencing her.
Judging by the introduction, the immortal has been adapting based on trial and error, using 'candidates' like her to change their methods.
They even made it clear the only way to escape their influence was to grow stronger.
However, if you persist down that route, you indirectly benefit them by doing exactly what the immortal intended.
It superbly targeted a human desire to rebel against authority.
Tara thought it perfectly described the immortal character as ruthless and callous. The immortal only cared about results, likely having plenty of 'candidates' like her because they were utilising them.
Even knowing she was playing into the immortal's hands, she still wanted to progress, even if it meant utilising the tools they gave her.
It's not like she has many other options; though the immortal is not the most trustworthy, she knew they were likely telling the truth about humans in this world's attitude towards magical beasts.
That meant she had to be solitary and not trust anyone until sufficiently strong.
Using the immortal as an example, she still hoped to return to Earth since it showed that it was possible if one had sufficient strength.
Deciding to look back at the interface, she realised it had changed.
With the introduction complete, she could select and view a description of her species and traits.
Having her name remain as 'Unselected' bothered her, so she rectified this by selecting Tara.
Satisfied with her current information, she brought up the tab.
[Name: Tara
Species: Iron Salamander
Level: 1 {5/10 EXP to Lvl 2}
Cultivation: Qi Gathering 1
Species Traits: Regeneration {1}, Iron Bones {1}, Skin Secretion {1}
Mutations: None.]
Finding she could select a description for species, she brought up the information.
[Iron Salamander: A mutated variation of the Salamander species, it has developed claws, teeth and bones with the strength of iron. Influenced by a high concentration of draconic and saturated Qi, they are larger, territorial, and stronger. Genuine magical beasts, when fully grown, an adult typically reaches a limit of Qi Gathering 6. Usually preferring an aquatic-based environment, they live in swamps, which are generally near the territory of a draconic species.]
'Did that just say dragon?' She thought, feeling perturbed at the thought of a dragon moving about; she moved on to the trait section.
[Regeneration {1}: You can regenerate complex limb structures such as your limbs and tail over time, increasing recovery time based on consuming Qi-saturated items.]
Feeling relief that the problem of her missing limb would be resolved eventually, having such a skill, she moved on.
[Iron Bones {1}: The durability of your bones has increased. You have developed claws and teeth with the strength of iron. Your bone structure increases your bodily attributes.]
Finding this trait was likely the one that gave her the edge against the bugs, she continued.
[Skin Secretion {1}: You can secrete a slimy mucus membrane, keeping your skin moist and more slippery, making it more challenging to be grabbed and grasped by attackers.]
Feeling the trait was more in line with the Salamanders she knew of on Earth, she tried to see what else she could view. She found mutations currently locked and that cultivation offered a general increase in base attributes, which could be increased with level.
However, something new to the system was that it offered {Insight}, a feature where she could view essential information about beneficial, known spirit fruits implanted by the immortal.
It seemed she could gain improvements to her traits not only from the system but also from actively hunting for resources.
She could also use {Insight} to peer at the strength of other beings, but it warned that she should avoid using it on more intelligent, stronger beings since it was a form of divination.
Since it was using her soul, she would receive backlash if she failed to identify them, as all beings can actively resist such scrying if it is stronger than the scryer.
Considering that, she decided to vacate her little cave for some EXP.
However, she seriously needed to consider something she could eat while she was at it.
She had not eaten anything since awakening as a salamander and felt starving.
Instinctively, she also felt, going by the itching where her missing limb was, that the skill {Regeneration} likely required fuel from somewhere.
Moving out of the cave, she again followed her instincts, moving her tail side to side and gently paddling with her webbed feet.
{Iron Salamanders} were clear natural swimmers in the water, perfectly adapted to such an environment. She had no idea if it was an illusion, but she even felt she was moving far faster than she ever could do as a human on Earth.
She could not grasp the size of her body yet since she lacked a point of reference to compare to. Still, despite being the clear hatchling she was, she instinctively felt that an {Iron Salamander} was likely far more significant than full-grown Salamanders on Earth.
She could only imagine how big they got fully grown, not that she would have to since she would have first-hand experience of that.
She searched around the water, not forgetting to watch for predators, and the large predatory fish was a big reminder. She was relieved she was not the most diminutive creature in the water.
Now, having had time to admire it, she found the sight beautiful.
She always enjoyed diving as a human since being that close to nature was thrilling, though from the perspective of an underwater creature, and it was something else.
The sights were amplified to the extreme so she could make out everything, and the view was magnificent.
Assortments of fish, amphibians, and various colours littered her surroundings. She knew this was a world of pure fantasy with creatures beyond Earth, but the sight was magnificent.
She was so lost in the picturesque view that she almost failed to notice the snake-like fish approaching with bad intentions.
Staring at the thing, she found it was twice her length, yet despite this, she felt no sense of crushing danger, similar to what she felt from the large fish that had tried to eat her previously.
Feeling it was a good time to try {Insight}, a description of the fish came up.
[Species: Razor-tooth Eel
Cultivation: Qi Gathering 2]
The eel gave her a strange look after she used {Insight}. It felt uncomfortable and irritating, but she had no intelligence to think further.
Not dissuaded, the {Razor-tooth Eel} continued its swift approach, a hungry, predatory glint in its eye.
Given the eel's speed, she would never outrun it, so instead of fleeing, she decided to meet the eel head-on.
Having {Regeneration} made her bold; she would use the eel as fuel to recover from the wounds; however, she found her thoughts naive when the eel attacked.
The {Razor-tooth Eel} was far more robust than the {Winged Nymph} and contrary to where she outclassed the insect, and the eel did to her.
It was far more cunning than the insect. Knowing the danger of Tara's claws and teeth, it used its speed to dart in and out.
Before she knew it, the eel clamped its powerful jaws around her body, perfectly evading the swipe of her claws and using its sleek body to change direction abruptly.
The amount of pain she felt at that moment was indescribable, yet the adrenaline allowed her to bite down and ignore it.
Rapidly thinking of a solution, the eel dragged her, trying to initiate its 'death roll'.
At that time, she instinctively secreted thick mucus from her skin to dislodge it.
At that moment, the eel made a mistake and ventured too close to her claws, allowing her to take a swipe.
When she caught the Eel, she felt its flesh give away as rivets of blood erupted.
Eeeekh. The eel made a horrifying sound not before ripping a good deal of flesh from her, its 'death roll' a partial success.
However, despite her losing a great deal of flesh from the exchange, the eel seemed to be worse for wear.
The eel was primarily an ambush predator, excelling in killing its prey in one bite. The only reason it ventured out for her was that it sensed her weaker cultivation and was starving.
Magical beasts like the eel were always desperate to consume fellow magical beasts since it was one of the means to improve their strength.
The {Razor-tooth Eel} gave her a hate-filled glare as if it debated whether finishing her off was worth the risk.
Yet Tara had already made up her mind, as completely bloodied and appearing half-dead, she charged at the thing with murder in her eyes.
She had no idea if it was from the innate aggressiveness of {Iron Salamanders}, but she became crazed at that moment in time.
And despite the {Razor-tooth Eel} having higher cultivation, it all proved useless as they erupted into a tangle of limbs exchanging bites, with her digging her claws along its body.
The eel was agile, and its bite was more potent than hers, yet her pride and stubbornness refused her to give in. In the end, despite the eel's superiority, she was the victor.
And Tara received a notification to announce that victory.
[You have defeated {Razor-tooth Eel}, gaining 5 EXP. You are now 10/10 into progressing to Level 2.]
The notification was then quickly followed by.
[Congratulations, you currently have enough experience points to level up. Would you like to progress to level 2?]
Ignoring the prompt for now, she decided to drag the eel carcass hurriedly back to the cave, deciding to reach the safety of her den before levelling up.