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—Boom!!

—Boom!!

—Boom!!

At the side of the mountain, Urgar repeatedly rammed into Malvorrak's body, breaking bones, tearing flesh, and turning him into a mangled mess of blood and sinew.

"Ouch, rest in peace, kid." Five hundred meters away, Cious placed his webbed hand over his mouth, grappling with a mixture of shock, fear, and disgust. He couldn't pinpoint his feelings. Watching Malvorrak being turned to mincemeat stirred an unsettling sensation in his gut.

It was just too brutal; no creature in the subterranean realm could survive such a pummeling.

"Grrr." With blood dripping from his forehead, Urgar towered over Malvorrak's body, witnessing the life slowly draining out of him. He looked utterly pitiful.

Urgar had come here thinking he could win this fight. He had been overconfident, and now, look at him. This was no playground; they were monsters. Malvorrak knew the risks. Besides, if the roles were reversed, he wouldn't have been any kinder.

In fact, smashing Malvorrak into this hot mess was a mercy. Urgar could proceed to eat him, but the smell of his blood was revolting.

Terragor never grew so large; clearly, Malvorrak's blood was mixed with that of some random creature. In other words, he was a mutant. Among beasts, mutants were regarded as the most disgusting creatures in the food chain.

The lesser creatures hated Malvorrak for his temper and brutality, but among the higher ones? They loathed him for being a mixed-blood abomination.

So Urgar turned around and walked off, leaving Malvorrak to die a slow, pitiful death. He would not partake in such blood.

However, as he slowly left, Malvorrak underwent a transformation.

His mangled body began to reattach itself; his bones joined together, and his claws reformed. He felt a bath of cold water fall upon him, nourishing and healing him.

At the corner of Malvorrak's eye, the little white lizard could be seen holding strange magical symbols in the air.

"Winy vhan gien ihn." Words ancient and forgotten rang from his mouth—a spell long since lost in the rivers of time. The use of such magic here was strange.

Cious was employing old, forbidden magic, the kind that could shake the entirety of Yi Mountain if discovered.

In the span of thirty seconds, Malvorrak's body completely healed, allowing him to rise to his feet.

"Hm." Seeing this miracle, Malvorrak turned to the white lizard, confusion etched on his face. This little lizard had healed him from that state? It was nothing short of miraculous.

But as he stared at Cious, the little lizard didn't wave his hands in triumph or carry himself with pride. Instead, he pointed toward the distant figure of Urgar and slid his hand across his neck, as if signaling something to Malvorrak.

"Hm." Malvorrak nodded, then turned toward Urgar, extending his claws and digging them into the ground to focus his entire being.

Water Streamer.

A large ball of highly condensed water formed in front of Malvorrak. But unlike last time, this one was different; it was slowly decreasing in size, becoming more and more compact until—

—Pheee!!

It shot through the air in an instant, barreling toward Urgar.

"Hm?" Urgar, oblivious to what was happening behind him, first felt a cooling sensation on his rear, as if he were sitting in a body of water. In the next millisecond, though, that feeling shifted completely.

An indescribable pain shot through his rear end, decimating his insides.

—Graaaarrr!

Urgar screamed in agony, falling to his side in a pitiful manner. This was an experience unlike anything he had ever felt. He had to figure it out: Where did it come from? What kind of mindless beast could do such a thing?

Urgar tried to turn around to at least glimpse his attacker, but as he did, a claw came slashing down toward his other eye, followed by a flurry of furious strikes.

In the last moment before the attack, he was able to see the perpetrator—it was Malvorrak. That creature he had just reduced to mincemeat was now attacking him from behind and mauling him to death.

He aimed for Urgar's eyes, lower belly, and neck. It was a frenzied assault fueled by hatred and savagery. And before long—

[Ding! Medium-grade gene discovered.]

[Ding! +36 gene points.]

[Name: Malvorrak.]

[Current species: mutant Terragor.]

[Wisdom: 50/100.]

[Gene: 0/45.]

[Rank: Level 4.]

[Gene traits: Devour, Greed Eyes, Water Streamer.]

[New gene trait added: Jade Scales.]

[Jade Scales: The heavyback mammoth is a defensive-type creature with the ability to withstand the strongest of attacks. Its endearing scales help protect it from harm and will do the same for you.]

This was Urgar's most useful trait, one reason he was able to go toe-to-toe with the Yolan village head and emerge unscathed.

If Malvorrak wanted to reclaim his treasures, he needed this kind of defense. By that standard, this could be considered a successful venture.

"Hey, big guy." As Malvorrak stared at the screen's announcement, he heard Cious's voice behind him.

"Hm?" Malvorrak turned to him, puzzled.

"Look over there!" Cious pointed to a glowing orb protruding from Urgar's chest. "This will probably go for some big bucks."

Cious added as he approached.

A creature's most valuable treasure: its beast core