He also took the stone

'Isn't that a crocodile? ' He muttered as he examined what resembled a crocodile but had some differences.

This creature was completely blue, like the lake it lived in. It was much larger than a typical crocodile, with the most noticeable difference being the dangerous-looking spikes on its tail.

Raydon observed this creature and noticed the number 1 written on its left hind leg.

''Is this level 1 too? It looks stronger than the previous forest wolf. '' Raydon made a brief comparison of strengths in his head, but then thought that the crocodile was attacking from the water and might not be as strong and fast on land.

Raydon stretched the vine in his hand and grinned as he saw the crocodile start to slowly recover from the impact. ''Let's see how difficult it would be to kill you.''

He looked around and saw a nearby tree, then quickly knotted the end of the vine into a loop. He threw one end of the vine over the tree branch. He left the loop on the ground and held the other end in his hand, waiting for the crocodile to approach him.

''I hope one unsuccessful attack didn't make you give up. '' He made an attempt to provoke the crocodile that was staring at him.

The crocodile must have felt let down by its earlier attack because it was now acting quite irate. The crocodile began to charge Raydon on all fours, though not as fast as in its initial attack or as the forest wolves.

It appears that Raydon's earlier speculation that the crocodile might be even weaker on land than the wolf was accurate. He held one end of the vine in his hand and the other end, which was tied into a loop behind him, as he patiently awaited the crocodile.

The crocodile quickly drew close to Raydon, opened its mouth as wide as it could, and leaped.

Raydon slid to the side to avoid the attack at the perfect time, and then he yanked the vine with all his might.

''Yes! '' Raydon shouted with joy as he observed the loop effortlessly tangle over the crocodile's head. As Raydon pulled on the other end of the vine tied around the crocodile's head, it was hung from the tree like a lamb awaiting its butcher.

The creature panicked and started to flutter wildly when its world, which had been horizontal until now, abruptly turned upside down.

It was unlikely that the crocodile would be harmed or killed by being hung from a tree by the neck. Raydon couldn't get close because the crocodile's tail was circling like a barbed whip. He didn't, however, intend to wait for the crocodile to rip the vine or break the tree branch.

He returned to the spot where he discovered the vines and picked another one from the ground, which he had previously rooted, and turned the end of it into a loop as well.

''I don't have much experience throwing lassos, but how difficult can it be? 'He started to swing the lasso as he spoke. He was aiming for the crocodile's tail, which was constantly spinning and wrecking its surroundings.

He gave up on the notion that it wouldn't be challenging after a few failed attempts. Especially given that his intended target was a fast-moving elusive tail.

Fortunately, Raydon was able to catch the crocodile's tail and quickly secure its body to the tree before it broke the branch.

He exhaled a sigh of relief after tightly tying the crocodile and observing that it was unable to move any further.

''All right now. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can kill you painlessly. 'After speaking, Raydon reached into his dimensional storage to retrieve a stick.

The crocodile's abdomen was also covered in scales, but they weren't as densely packed as they were on the back.

Raydon grabbed a medium-sized rock from the vicinity and pressed the stick's pointy end against the crocodile's motionless chest. He hit the other end of the stick with the stone, which caused it to become stuck in the crocodile's chest.

The creature began to struggle in pain, but it was futile because it was tightly bound to the tree. When Raydon pulled the stick out, blood gushed from its chest, some of it splashing on his face.

The crocodile's blood was all over his face, which he wiped before speaking. ''Indeed, the chest and belly of crocodiles were one of their weak spots.''

''But, I think, I missed the heart. Unfortunately, I know nothing about crocodile anatomy, let alone crocodiles from this world. '' He said as he observed the crocodile, which was still fluttering in pain.

He used the stick to pierce the crocodile's chest once more, at which point he pulled it out and allowed the blood to flow.

Sadly, he realized that he had missed the heart once more. Then he decided that rather than using more energy and damaging the material he would get, he should stop and let it bleed out.

While waiting for the crocodile to bleed to death, he decided to take the last vine he had left. Additionally, other predators might follow the smell of blood, so he at least didn't want to be the first one to be attacked if something happened.

The absence of other creatures in the vicinity suggested that this territory belonged to the crocodile. Still, there was also the possibility that other predators could smell the blood and decide to come and check.

After picking the last vine, he looked at the small lake beside him and thought. ''I think that was the only crocodile living here. Still, it's good to be cautious. ''

As the wolf's body was still around, Raydon tied a vine to it and threw it into the lake. Then he started to watch patiently, like a fisherman watching for a fish to be hooked to his line.

Raydon realized there were no other predators in the lake after some time, and he drew the wolf's body back.

He set the wolf's body aside and walked over to the lake, and he saw himself for the first time since his awakening in the mirror-like clarity of the water.