Sprint.
Finally, I got a skill that was actually skill-like.
To be honest, Sprint wasn't a great name either. It was just a fancy word for running.
But compared to Tail Severance, it was several times better.
[Sprint LV1]
The spirit of wind imbues the caster's body. Your speed increases dramatically.
MP Cost: 2
The skill description itself was extraordinary.
It wasn't something simple like, "You run fast." It was, "The spirit of wind imbues your body."
And who was I?
None other than the Green Gecko LV2, master of the Sprint.
A laugh escaped me.
"Gek-ge-gek!"
Letting out a roar that wasn't quite a roar, I savored the skill called Sprint.
The spirit of wind. A description straight out of some fantasy novel.
The description was cool and all, but I couldn't tell its exact effect just from the text.
My HP and MP were restored, so it was time to test my new skill's performance.
'Sprint!'
[The spirit of wind imbues your body.]
Oh.
My body felt lighter.
I'd felt something similar when using Tail Severance, but that was likely due to my weight decreasing when the tail dropped. My tail was still attached now. This meant it was purely a speed increase.
Fwoosh!
I tried an all-out sprint. I could clearly feel the increase in speed. It felt like I was at least twice as fast.
Of course, I'd experienced this speed before. I could reach it by stacking Tail Severance twice.
If this was all Sprint could do, I would've been disappointed. But what if Sprint and Tail Severance could be stacked?
I would become the fastest gecko in existence.
'Tail Severance.'
My body grew lighter as my speed increased dramatically.
But I wasn't satisfied.
'Tail Severance!'
A double stack of Tail Severance.
The speed was so great I could barely control myself.
Whoosh.
It took only five seconds to get from one end of the branch to the other.
I now knew for sure what the "spirit of wind" was.
At this rate, couldn't I win a race against an Oviraptor?
It cost me 4 MP, but it was worth it.
Because based on this experiment, I'd found a way to replenish my MP.
Nephila whatever-her-name-is.
Just you wait.
[Green Gecko LV6]
HP: 24/24
MP: 10/10
The strongest gecko in history had been born.
After a bloody battle with Nephila jurassica, I had become a super gecko.
It wasn't that I'd defeated it.
No matter how fast I'd become, I hadn't grown strong enough to face it head-on. Its webs were my natural enemy; the moment I slowed down, I'd die a pointless death.
Nevertheless, there was only one reason I'd grown so much.
[Calligramma LV3]
I stole all the spider's food.
I felt a slight pang of guilt, but what could I do?
[The effect of Cold Blood activates.]
My blood is cold, after all.
Still, it wouldn't starve to death. I tossed it one of my tails for every piece of food I stole.
My tails were plump and meaty, so it might have even preferred them.
Wouldn't plump lizard tail taste better than the subtle flavor of insects?
Should I try eating my own tail?
I shook my head.
If I found out how delicious my tail was, I might unconsciously turn into an Ouroboros.
…A gecko becoming an Ouroboros?
I might be getting a little full of myself.
But I couldn't help it. I'd achieved the splendid feat of reaching level 6 in less than a day. In truth, I had no idea if this was amazing or just average. But I decided to praise myself anyway, figuring it was better to be positive.
You never know. Maybe I'd get a skill for having a positive attitude.
…Apparently not.
While achieving the feat of reaching level 6, I learned several things.
Experience points were gained not only from filling my stomach with the effect of Predation, but also from killing enemies.
I leveled up when I took a bite out of a butterfly that was still breathing.
Gaining experience from eating prey felt more like a bonus.
I'd already confirmed through several experiments that my HP and MP recovered upon leveling up, and I also learned that they recovered very slowly when my stomach was reasonably full.
Whatever it was, I had to put it in my mouth.
That was the only way to get stronger.
The reason I had to get stronger was simple. This place was teeming with creatures that could only be described as monsters. I hadn't gone down the tree, but I had hidden myself and observed my surroundings.
This world was overflowing with dinosaurs.
I saw not only docile-looking herbivores but also raptors hunting in packs. Surviving among such monsters in the body of a lizard was an impossible task.
It would be great if I could escape this lizard body, but I hadn't found a way yet.
What could I do? I was born a gecko.
Still, if I kept leveling up, I might reach a point where I could survive by hiding among those monsters.
__________________________
[Skills]
[Tail Severance LV6], [Wall Climbing LV3], [Cold Blood LV2], [Predation LV1], [Wild Eye LV1], [Tail Severance LV1], [Sprint LV2], [Stealth LV2]
__________________________
My current skill window was very different from when I was level 2. The more I used my skills, the higher their levels grew. And by repeatedly approaching the spiderweb while muffling my footsteps, I gained a new skill called Stealth.
Hunting prey to level up naturally made me stronger.
Now that I knew how to get stronger, all I had to do was put it into practice.
But there was a problem.
I had eaten all the insects caught in the spiderweb.
I considered hunting the spider itself, but quickly gave up on the idea. It wasn't an opponent I could beat one-on-one, and besides, I needed it to keep delivering food to me.
I decided to look for other prey.
That spider wasn't the master of this tree. It only occupied a single branch.
Which meant there had to be other creatures of a similar level elsewhere.
I walked with a dignified stride.
I wasn't crawling.
I was walking.
Standing on two legs and using my tail to brace myself against the ground, I could maintain my balance somehow.
It wasn't a particularly meaningful action.
If I had to find a reason, maybe it was to see a little farther?
It might also have the effect of making my body look bigger to scare off predators.
In truth, it was less about expecting such an effect and more an action born from my lingering human identity.
I moved to the second branch.
There were no guests who had arrived before me.
At least, not to my naked eye.
[Acacia Aphid LV1]
[Acacia Aphid LV1]
[Acacia Aphid LV1]
[Acacia Aphid LV1]
Looking with Wild Eye, I saw what had been invisible.
They were so small I almost missed them.
__________________________
[Acacia Aphid]
A small insect about 1mm in size, it is a representative pest that sucks the sap of plants.
An insect with zero combat power, it digests sap and creates honeydew from the leftover substance, sometimes forming a symbiotic relationship with ants.
__________________________
Oh.
Aphids.
If they're Acacia Aphids, does that mean this is an acacia tree?
It doesn't look like one.
Aren't aphids the epitome of weakness?
My first opponent being an aphid was such a letdown.
There was no need to use Tail Severance.
It was time for a massacre.
Chomp.
Five or six aphids were swept up by my tongue at once.
Their small size was unsatisfying.
But they tasted pretty good. They had a popping texture and a sweet flavor. It seemed I had to hunt these things not just to level up, but for their texture and taste as well.
The aphids began to scurry away.
Watching them flee from me, I felt an inexplicable sense of omnipotence.
To them, wasn't I a dinosaur?
I extended the tongue of the Green Gecko-saurus and swept them up.
It was half water, half fish—no, half leaf, half aphid.
I savored the sweet taste that filled my mouth.
…But no matter how many I ate, I couldn't get full.
It felt like I'd have to eat about a thousand of them just to level up.
They might be nutritious enough, but I wasn't hunting them just for nutrition.
Still, food is food.
Chomp.
After devouring the trembling aphids, I patted my slightly-less-than-full belly.
A cluster of aphids was gathered on a single leaf. Before finishing them off, I had a good idea.
Eating these won't level me up anyway.
Let's invest in tomorrow.
I bit off the leaf with my teeth.
Placing it on my tail, I headed for Nephila jurassica's nest.
"Gek-ge-gek."
I made a sound on purpose, and the spider appeared, looking extremely tense.
It was a creature with poor eyesight, but it was staring intently at my location.
"Kieek!"
It swung its forelimbs as if angry.
Was it because I'd stolen too much of its food? Well, I'd be angry too.
I gently placed the aphids I'd brought onto its web.
"Kiek!"
Then I immediately backed away, because the spider was rushing toward me.
The spider, having quickly reached the aphids, tilted its head.
"Keek?"
As if confused, it wiggled its legs and poked at the aphids I'd offered.
The aphids were already dead, so there was no need to wrap them in silk. After a glance in my direction, it began to eat them greedily.
It was an insufficient amount for me, but for a creature eating purely for survival, that many aphids would be a great help. Aphids are basically sugar lumps, after all.
Just as it was finishing, I tossed it the rest of the aphids still on the leaf.
"Hiek!"
Was it just my imagination, or did its cry sound a little cuter?
That's right, eat up.
You need to eat a lot and get strong so I can steal high-quality insects from you.
Night fell.
It was time to sleep.
But my body felt a little chilly.
I roughly tore off some leaves and made a nest.
It was still cold, but I didn't think I'd freeze to death anymore.
I curled up and tried to sleep.
But I had overlooked a fatal flaw.
Namely, that geckos can't close their eyes.
They have no eyelids, so I couldn't close them even if I wanted to.
Like wild lizards, I had to sleep with my eyes open, which was incredibly difficult.
I'd never slept like that before.
I diligently tore at a leaf with my mouth.
I cut it to a suitable size and placed it over my eyes like a patch.
Good, now I can't see.
I can finally get some sleep.
….
I can't sleep.
Why?
Don't tell me geckos are nocturnal.
Then what was I doing being active during the day?
Even if they are nocturnal, now was the time for a deep sleep. I had to sleep while it was safe.
One raptor, two raptors.
I decided to count dinosaurs instead of sheep.
It was more effective than I thought.
Six raptors, one tyrannosaurus.
…Now one well-fed tyrannosaurus.
My stream of consciousness flowed on.
Tyrannosaurus… Mecha Tyrannosaurus….
Before I knew it, the tyrannosaurus in my imagination had evolved into a Golden Mecha Tyrannosaurus.
The moment I focused my eyes to get a better look at its majestic form…
I saw something strange—and it wasn't the glowing breath of the Golden Mecha Tyrannosaurus.
[Acacia Fire Ant LV1]
It's just a normal ant.
Don't disturb your big bro, the Green Gecko LV6, while he's sleeping. Scram.
[Acacia Fire Ant LV1]
[Acacia Fire Ant LV1]
[Acacia Fire Ant LV1]
[Acacia Fire Ant LV1]
[Acacia Fire Ant LV1]
But this was no time to dismiss it.
The ants were a legion.