Chapter 20: The Prize of Regeneration

With his tail restored and his body whole, Adam’s confidence returned, but it was now tempered with a hard-earned caution. The encounter with the Arachnowyrm had taught him a brutal lesson: survival wasn’t just about dealing damage, but about enduring it.

The ability to recover quickly from grievous wounds was no longer a luxury, it was a necessity.

“I need a regeneration skill,” Adam stated, his Seismic Sense passively scanning the tunnels as he and Noodle moved. “Not just the slow trickle from leveling up or herbs. Something active. Something that can keep me in a fight after taking a hit from a… from something like that.”

Noodle, trotting beside him, let out a soft “mrrow” of agreement, his horn glowing faintly as his Mana Sense also swept the area.

Their search led them to a familiar environment: a region of geothermal vents where the air was warm and humid. It was here, amidst the bubbling pools and glowing vents, that they found their target.

It was a Magma-Scale Salamander (Level 17), a larger, more potent cousin of the one Adam had defeated before. They observed it from a hidden ledge as it was challenged by a Granite-Hide Lizard encroaching on its territory. The fight was a brutal display of fire and stone. The lizard landed a powerful bite on the salamander’s flank, tearing away a chunk of flesh and scale.

But instead of retreating, the Salamander let out a hiss of steam. A faint, orange glow emanated from the wound, and right before their eyes, the torn flesh began to knit itself back together. Within minutes, the injury was sealed, leaving only a faint, pink scar. The Salamander, now enraged, unleashed a torrent of superheated breath that finally overwhelmed the lizard.

“Perfect,” Adam thought, a hunter’s focus settling over him. “That’s the ability. And now, it’s tired and thinks it’s safe.”

This was the moment. The Salamander was basking in its victory, its guard down, its attention on consuming its defeated foe.

“Alright, Noodle. Maximum stealth. One shot,” Adam projected his intent. The plan was simple: a single, overwhelming, long-range attack before the Salamander even knew it was in a new fight.

Adam slithered into the perfect position, using his Deep Camouflage and the steam from the vents for cover. Noodle positioned himself nearby, ready to act as a distraction or retrieve the prize.

Adam didn’t use Crystal Shard Shot. It wasn’t powerful enough for a guaranteed kill on a Level 17 creature. He needed something with more punch. He coiled his body, focusing his mana. The air around his head shimmered.

He aimed for the Salamander’s head, right where the skull met the spine.

Mantis Slash.

An invisible blade of force shot through the steam-filled air. It was silent until the moment of impact.

THWUMP.

The sound was a wet, crushing thud. The Salamander’s head was nearly severed from its body. It convulsed once, a jet of steam hissing from its mouth, and then collapsed, dead before it even realized it was under attack.

[ Defeated: Magma-Scale Salamander (Lvl 17) ]

[ EP Gained: 45 ]

[ EP to Next Level: 45/85 ]

[ Total Evolution Points: 610/1000 ]

They moved quickly. Adam consumed the Salamander, the heat-resistant flesh and potent life force flooding his system.

[ You have consumed a Magma-Scale Salamander. ]

[ Vitality +1 ]

[ Heat Resistance has reached Level 2! ]

[ Skill Fragment Acquired: Rapid Regeneration (0.8/1.0) ]

“So close!” Adam felt a thrill. 0.8! Just a little more. They spent the next few hours hunting smaller, fire-aspected creatures in the area—Ember Newts and Magma Slugs—until finally, after consuming a particularly large slug, the notification appeared.

[ Rapid Regeneration Fragment: 1.0/1.0! ]

[ New Skill Acquired: Rapid Regeneration (Active) – Cost: High Mana ]

Effect:Dramatically accelerates your natural healing rate for a short duration. Can seal minor wounds almost instantly and significantly mend major injuries.

Adam immediately tested it. He found a sharp, protruding piece of rock and deliberately scraped his side against it, creating a small, shallow gash. Then, he activated Rapid Regeneration. A warm, buzzing sensation spread from his core to the wound. He watched, fascinated, as the cut closed up and vanished within seconds, leaving behind no trace.

A massive, genuine grin spread across his face. This changed everything. He could take a hit and keep fighting. He could recover from an ambush. He was no longer just a glass cannon or a sturdy tank; he was becoming a persistent, enduring force.

He looked at Noodle, who was watching him with curious eyes.

“We’re one step closer to being unstoppable,” Adam thought, the memory of the Arachnowyrm’s screech now feeling a little less terrifying. “We can’t beat it yet… but now, we might just be able to survive it.”

Adam’s newfound Rapid Regeneration was a comfort, but it didn’t make him reckless. His Seismic Sense, now constantly active, painted a detailed picture of the deep dark, and one particular reading made his scales crawl.

It was a vibration so deep and slow it was almost imperceptible, like the heartbeat of the dungeon itself. It came from a massive cavern system to the east.

Focusing his sense, he could make out the form—a long, segmented body, coiled upon itself, with countless legs. It was a Centipede Titan, a creature that radiated an aura of ancient, slumbering power that, while not on the same nightmarish level as the Arachnowyrm, was still far, far beyond him.

“Another one,” Adam thought, a weary acceptance settling in. “This place is a nesting ground for things that shouldn’t exist. Let it sleep. The day I’m strong enough to even think about challenging that… well, that’s a problem for Future Adam.”

The memory of the Arachnowyrm’s sticky, inescapable web was still vivid. His near-death wasn’t just because of the spider’s power, but because of its web. He had been rendered helpless in an instant. He would not let that happen again.

“Priority shift,” he communicated to Noodle, who was sniffing the air cautiously. “We’re hunting spiders. Anything that spins a web. We’re finishing that Web Resistance fragment. Now.”

Noodle let out a determined chirp, his Mana Sense already scanning for the tell-tale magical signatures of webbed traps and lairs.

They found their first target quickly: a colony of Crystal Shard Spiders. But Adam was no longer the creature who had cautiously farmed their juveniles.

He was a Level 16 Stalker Shadowscale with a vendetta. He didn’t bother with stealth. He strode into the edge of their webbed domain, allowing the sticky strands to brush against his scales.

The moment they touched him, he felt the familiar, horrifying pull of the adhesive. But this time, he was ready. He activated his Mantis Slash, not at a spider, but at the webs binding him.

The skill’s force sheared through the strands easily. He then deliberately walked into another patch, letting the webs entangle him before using Constrict to simply bulge his muscles and snap the threads.

It was grueling, deliberate work. He was testing his limits, feeling the fragment’s progress with every strand he broke. He consumed the spiders that attacked him, each one adding a tiny fraction to the fragment.

[ Web Resistance Fragment: 0.9/1.0 ]

So close. They needed a stronger web.

Noodle, using his Void Step to bypass the worst of the webbing, led him to a different lair. This one belonged to a Tunnel Weaver, a Level 14 spider that created thick, rope-like webs strong enough to hold much larger prey. This was the final test.

Adam deliberately triggered a web trap. Thick, anchor-line cables snapped around his body, pulling him off his feet and suspending him in the air. The Weaver scuttled out, mandibles clicking in anticipation.

Panic tried to surface, the ghost of his past trauma screaming in his mind. He shoved it down.

“NO. Not this time.”

He roared, pouring his Strength and the power of his Constrict skill into the struggle. The thick strands stretched, creaked, and then began to snap, one by one. POP. SNAP. CRACK. He tore himself free, landing on the ground just as the Weaver lunged. A single, point-blank Mantis Slash cut it in two.

As he consumed the Tunnel Weaver, the final notification appeared.

[ Web Resistance Fragment: 1.0/1.0! ]

[ Skill Upgraded: Web Resistance has evolved into Web Immunity (Passive)! ]

A profound change swept through him. He walked over to the remaining webs, and the once-gluey strands now felt like loose thread against his scales. They could not stick to him. He was utterly immune.

A weight he hadn’t fully acknowledged lifted from his shoulders. He would never be trapped that way again.

He looked over at Noodle, who was proudly sitting on the dead Weaver’s carcass.

“One less thing to fear,” Adam thought, a grim satisfaction in his heart.

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