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Chapter 718: 718

Name: Odin Malum

Level: 4 (I)

Might: 45

Toughness: 36

Cunning: 31

Will: 32

HP: 58/72

MP: 0/0

Skills:

Demonic Convergence (I) Level 1; Penetrating Bite (II) Level 2; Advanced Demon Claw (II) Level 3; Crawl (I) Level 1; Mana Sense (I) Level 2; Leaping Strike (I) Level 3;

Mutations:

Demon Eyes +1; Infernal Claw +5; Purgation Maw +5; Tar Hide +1; Pocket Stomach +3;

Species: Initial Demon Larva

Skill points: 1

Biomass: 6

Clinging to the wall, I take a few moments to breathe . Thirty metres up, I was mostly clear of the ruckus below, though I knew that at any moment more of my species could emerge and begin to fight . After the second fight, things had taken a downhill turn and conditions in this area had deteriorated at an alarming rate . It turned out that Initial Demon Larvae were innately hostile to each other . Not only had I been jumped by the creature which had emerged from behind, forcing me to engage in a sudden battle to the death, others had emerged at the same time or shortly thereafter and had immediately set about a noisy melee, clawing, biting and screaming at each other .

Which would have been manageable, except that the noise attracted more larvae and in less than a minute’s time, the entire plateau of blasted rock on which I’d emerged was covered in a roiling brawl in which absolutely no quarter was given . That’s not how I operate . I like things to be a little more planned, a little more orderly . Without any option, I was forced to get my hands dirty and seize what I could as I fought my way out . I’d sustained wounds in the process but I found that they healed at an accelerated rate after I consumed further Biomass, which I did whenever I could . It was difficult though, since the moment a fight was won, every larva nearby would abandon their own conflict to rush over and try to seize the Biomass for themselves . The moment nothing remained, the brawl would break out all over again . What little food I’d managed to gain had been used to fuel my recovery and upgrade my weapons . Offense trumps defence .

After fighting clear of the mess, I climbed the nearby wall and now I finally have a chance to survey the area . Looking down I can still see hundreds of other demon larvae locked in mortal combat, every crevice of black stone home to at least one such battle . They were bestial, mindless creatures, without any sort of cunning or strategy . All they did was fight, seemingly without end and without purpose, though I believe I may discover something in the near future which might shed some light on the matter . Already some of the creatures below were beginning to show some level of dominance . Strong enough to win a fight and seize some of the spoils and develop themselves, using the Biomass to enhance their strength and press their advantage further .

If this natural cycle played itself out, then most of the larvae that had come to this plateau to fight would become fodder for the few, perhaps even the one, survivor .

And it was a plateau . I’d originally thought the wall to my side was the edge of whatever space I was in, but it isn’t . I was reborn lower down on this wall on what amounted to a ledge, jutting out of the side of a tall pillar rising toward the ceiling impossibly high above . It had been hard to notice before, since my attention was directed inward and at my immediate surroundings, but now that I take in the broader picture I’m slowly becoming aware of just where I am . In order to get a better view, I decide to continue to climb this wall until I reach the top . I can see the edge from where I am, possibly another seventy metres above .

My arms are powerful, and although my body is a large fleshy sack, they are enough to keep propelling me toward the top, although they are trembling and weak by the time I reach the ledge . Pulling myself over the lip, I dominate my weakness and force myself to dive into cover without pausing to rest . To my relief, there are no enemies present to take immediate advantage of my temporary weakness . Once my strength returns, I drag myself out and begin to poke my noseless face about . What I see is a narrow, mostly flat stretch that is roughly circular that terminates less than a hundred metres away in a sheer drop . All around me, a vast, underground expanse stretches outwards to the limits of my vision .

Feeling stunned by the bizarre, illogical geography around me, I turn back to the edge behind me and look down . I can see below me the ledge on which I was born, still swarming with demons battling against each other . Beyond that, the ground drops away several hundred metres more to what I believe must be the floor of this vast, vast cavern . As far as I can see, in every direction, I see exactly the same thing . Blasted rock . Boiling lava . And demons . So, so many demons . The little fleshy bags with arms that are my fellow demon siblings are everywhere . Thousands . Tens of thousands . Hundreds of thousands . To the horizon of my sight, where things grow fuzzy and blurred in the distance, I can still see them .

What’s more, stalking amongst them, I can see larger demons of several different forms, slaying the smaller larvae with ease and engaging in running battles against each other . Further off, emerging from the floor are pillars rising high into the air, perhaps miles high, to connect the floor to the distant ceiling . Nothing that I see makes sense from an Earth perspective, the very idea of something such as this existing underground makes completely no sense .

And yet here I am .

I’m not sure exactly what is happening, but it’s clear that there is some sort of race on . A race to fight, consume and grow . Only the winner would be allowed to survive . This blasted landscape covered in demons . Am I sure this isn’t actually hell? No matter, it’s perfect . This is the perfect environment for Odin Malum to thrive . I destroyed others to live in my past life and I’ll do the same in this one .

The voice mentioned that I can mutate when I reached +5, which is apparently the limit for my level of evolution . I need to mutate immediately, seize whatever advantage I can, then return to the ledge and fight for resources . I’ll need to be strong if I’m going to traverse the floor below . This was going to be a challenge .