It took all of time to improve Mana Manipulation to level 5. It was longer than the times to improve to 2 and 3 and 4 all together. Hunter had practiced how to move mana into their antennae and let it out, and how to move it to their legs, to only one leg (this was hard), to move it to their mouth and let it out, to move it to their mouth then grab hold and bring it back to their core - all of the ways they could think of on how to manipulate mana that was inside them. It was fine though, because it was done. Hunter got too hungry one time to continue to practice then rest then drink mana water then practice, and had to go find prey before they could continue. That prey was three crickets, and the fight had been harder than when prey was only two, but now all of their parts were at +2 except for their Infused Stinger, which was at +5. They also still had one Biomass left over. The last part they improved to +2 was their antennae, which seemed wrong because those were a very good part, but then again they had thought carefully each time before spending biomass so maybe it was right after all. In any case, they were happy that now all of their parts were strong and had improved twice while their stinger was very, very strong. They were good at sensing, running, not dying when prey tried to hurt them, pinching with claws, and probably the best of all centipedes at stinging.

Hunter finally had reached level 5 in Mana Manipulation. They wished a little that they had chosen a different plan, because probably by now they could have been huge and strong like the monsters with brown fur streaked with green who had big mouths with large teeth if they had hunted for biomass instead. It had taken a very, very long time. Hunter knew boredom. Still, it was fine because it was over.

The problem was that as far as they could tell it was still not useful in a way that mattered to be able to manipulate mana that was inside you. There might be a skill that would make it useful, but even with all of the Big Head Crickets that they hunted, they still had not leveled. They had to be very, very close.

Hunter hunted.

An Emerald Monitor came near Hunter's hiding place along the path to water. First Hunter sensed with their Tomosvary organs the vibrations the monitor made as it moved. Then they saw it with their eyes when it turned a corner and mushrooms stopped hiding it. Hunter though was very good at hiding, and the monitor could not sense them.

[Advanced Stealth has reached level 3]

They had to do the thinking on if this was prey to hunt very quickly. There was little time. On their first hunt an Emerald Monitor with three legs that worked and one leg that did not had been very dangerous prey. That one had turned one kin to biomass very quickly. Hunter was much stronger now though. Survival Instinct said that to fight this one would be a part safe and a part dangerous.

They had to obey the Noble, of course, but Hunter decided that still counted as safe.

Mana poured into their stinger as they waited for the monitor to pass. When prey was in the right place, Hunter sprinted out in a very fast way and stung hard where prey's big tail met its body. The mana infused stinger sunk deep into prey and pumped much venom as quickly as Hunter could pump. Prey was fast though, and twisted to bite. Probably prey would have been faster if it was not surprised and did not have poison spreading through it. Hunter dodged and grabbed hold of the underside of prey's throat with a Pincer Snap. This was Strong One's favorite trick, and it was good if one had strong claws and was skilled at Pincer Snap and Dodge. Hunter now had these things, and so it was good for them. In this position prey could not bite, and this type of prey did not have legs that were good to kick with. Instead it tried to hit Hunter with its tail, but its position was not very good for this either. Hunter could not dodge in a way where it would miss completely, but could dodge so that it glanced off their exoskeleton at an angle. It still hurt a little though, and cracked Hunter's exoskeleton a bit while it jiggled the insides of two body segments in a bad way. They did not want to be hit like that more times, so Hunter twisted to sting prey where its body met its front right leg. Then their venom gland was empty and they grabbed hold to the underneath of prey with all of their legs.

Prey still could not bite, and tried to hit with its tail again. It was weaker now though because Hunter's venom was doing the thing venom does when it is inside of prey. The venom was very good, and Hunter had worked hard to infuse the gland part of their stinger with mana when they made it.

[Dodge has reached level 3]

Hunter did not have any venom left, but still did have a stinger and a bit of mana left in their core. They put that mana in their stinger and used it to punch two holes in the underneath of prey, near its tail. Prey was very weak now, and Hunter gripped it with two claws and thirty legs. It could not do any thing that would hurt Hunter in a bad way.

In a little time, prey became biomass.

[You have defeated level 2 Young Emerald Monitor]

[You have gained XP]

[You have achieved level 2, one skill point awarded]

[You have gained one Biomass]

[You have gained one Biomass]

Hunter checked their status, and found they had lost a few HP in the fight, but it was fine. They had been right that the hunt was more safe than it was dangerous. The important things were that they stayed alive, prey became biomass, they gained a level and a skill point that came with it, and the two new biomass added with the one they already had to make three, which was enough to improve a body part from +2 to +3 or to improve antennae to +2 and have one biomass left.

The crack in their exoskeleton was small, and they felt it begin to close and heal even as they munched happily on Biomass. It was fine, and would be all better soon. Then they returned to the safe place by water where none could hunt to think and upgrade a body part afterward, and then think and use their skill point.

All of their parts but their stinger and antennae were at +2, so it was an interesting question which should be upgraded first. But it was part of a bigger problem, which made it some hard. The bigger problem was that they could either upgrade each part to +3 next, or they could pick one part to upgrade +3 +4 +5. It would cost nine biomass to either upgrade three parts from +2 to +3 or to upgrade one part from +3 to +5.

So what was better, to have no parts that were weak or to have a few that were very strong? The mutation to their stinger when it got to +5 was good good good. A stinger they could put mana in was almost a whole new and better thing compared to a stinger that had no mana in it. However, they had only one core. It was maybe not so good to have many parts to put mana in when there was only one core full of mana to use. There had been other mutations that seemed good though. Hunter decided that it would be better to upgrade one part all the way to +5 next rather than one part to +3 and then three more parts to +3.

This was only a little bit because a mutation when a part reached +5 was the best feeling that could possibly be felt.

The problem then was not what part would be best to upgrade to +3 next, but what part would be best to upgrade +3 +4 +5. After a small time Hunter used to think and heal, they decided this was really not so hard of thinking at all. One's stinger killed, and was thus the best part. But one's exoskeleton kept one from dying, and so was the second best part. It also made much more prey safe to hunt when fewer things could crush one's body segments. A strong, mutated exoskeleton could even let Hunter use the trick Strong One did to get much biomass, some that had been prey and some that had been kin. It was a very good way if one could be sure of not becoming biomass oneself.

Spend Biomass. Upgrade Exoskeleton to +3.

[Do you want to improve your exoskeleton to +3?]

Yes.

Hunter again knew pleasure as all over their body their exoskeleton hardened and strengthened as the upgrade did its work. It was over too quickly.

They took a moment to move all of their legs in a happy way and then drink some water full of fire that was mana.

The next thinking was on how to spend their precious skill point. Hunter knew they could upgrade the Sting skill, which was a very good skill, but also had worked very very hard on Mana Manipulation. They hoped so, so much that there would be a skill that would make all they had sacrificed, in time and work and hard thinking and condensing a monster core instead of evolving into a stronger centipede right away, finally useful.

When they checked skills available for purchase they knew surprise though. There were not just two upgrades that would be good ways to use their skill point.

There were whole new skills available that seemed very good.

These were the choices:

[Sting -> Deadly Sting, this advanced skill improves Sting's ability to target weak points, penetrate defenses, and to discharge venom more rapidly]

[Mana Manipulation -> Mana Shaping, this advanced skill increases the ability to control mana into specific shapes and forms required for casting spells]

[Forceful Mana, increases the ability to release significant amounts of mana in a shorter span, with greater impact]

[External Mana Manipulation, grants the capacity to control and manipulate mana outside of the users' body]

[Mana Sensing, gives the ability to sense bodies of concentrated mana using the monster core]

There were other new skills available to buy also, but they did not upgrade Sting or make one's core useful and so were less good.

It was very hard though. Which of the good skills should they choose?