Rolan went to scour the dungeon, and it was quite vast! There was a forest inside where monsters and beasts were abundant. He scoured the forest for a potential candidate to be his first monster to mimic.
He had been walking for a while when he saw a rabbit and a snake. The snake was huge and had red eyes—menacing, with its fangs bared.
But to Rolan's surprise, the rabbit was not cowering from the predator. It was fast and struck the snake with a headbutt. It dodged very well, and the snake's attacks always missed.
Rolan then decided—he would kill them both.
He dashed and slashed them with a sword he had grabbed from a dead adventurer. The rabbit was attacked first, and he cleaved through its body. It didn't even have the time to notice him.
Rolan attacked the snake and was immediately spat at with venom. He evaded and dashed towards it, slashing its head off as he rotated while passing by.
Rolan sheathed his sword and checked the monsters he had killed. He immediately saw their soul essence and picked them up.
"I have to integrate with them fast!"
He used the skill [Devour], and the monsters went inside his soul realm. Two monsters at once!
[Activate skill: Analyze]
[System Notice: Skill Venomous Bite, Constriction, Blew Poison Mist, Paralyzing Breath, Corroding Breath, Heavy Charge, Spring Bite skill acquired]
[Abysmal snakes were fast and strong monsters. Highly venomous too.]
[System Notice: Footwork, Rapid Dash, Hop, Evasive Maneuvers, Tackle, Piercing Burst skill acquired]
[Wild rabbits had great movement-related skills and were useful for escaping or attacking monsters.]
For now, he focused on his monster hunt. He wanted to gather more skills.
He continued scouring the forest for more potential monsters to mimic. The forest was stirred with chaos after a monster had gone on a rampage,
smashing trees and throwing them over as they were uprooted.
Birds flew into the distance, and Rolan made his way toward where the chaos was. He immediately stopped after seeing a Basilisk, its back corroded with acid.
"Maybe it was attacked by an Abysmal snake," Rolan muttered.
He rushed to see it and found it on the verge of dying. Then, he saw the predator already behind it—an Abysmal snake.
Rolan was perplexed, then drew his sword. The enemy shrieked, and Rolan dodged its attack. It used its Venomous Bite on the Basilisk, and it was poisoned.
Rolan stepped back, waiting for the right time to attack.
The Abysmal snake and the Basilisk entered a power struggle. The Basilisk clawed at the snake's face and bit it. The snake was caught on the neck but still alive.
It then used its skill Constriction, and the Basilisk was grappled. The Basilisk then used Thorny Bramble Back, making the snake release its grip.
They soon broke apart.
The snake bit the Basilisk once more, and the poison grew stronger. The Basilisk retaliated and bit into the snake's body.
The fight turned bloody, and both grew weaker. Rolan approached and stabbed each one in the forehead.
"Two down."
He immediately saw the Basilisk's monster core floating and harvested it. He ate the monster core and felt his stats and mana increase!
He analyzed its soul, and another monster was added.
[System Notice: Bite, Grow Scales, Spit Goo, Thorny Bramble Back, Body Armor, and Camouflage skill integrated]
[Basilisks had tough defenses that could nullify damage.]
Rolan wiped his sweat and went to find more monsters. On the far side of the forest, westward—where Abysmal wolves were mostly found—he traversed and met them earlier than expected.
They were already surrounding him. They hunted in packs, and Rolan was immediately on high alert. After entering their territory, they sniffed his scent, detecting him early.
Rolan drew his sword, and the battle broke out. They attacked with their fangs, and Rolan slashed them one by one.
Some were cleaved in half; others met the same fate. They were eradicated immediately.
With a smile on his face, Rolan gathered the monsters' essence and hastily integrated them into his soul realm.
[System Notice: Bite, Sniff and Hear, Hunter Kill, Shadow Travel, Grow Body, Howl, Growl, and Rage skill acquired]
His next path was the Howling Cave, where screeching bats and demonic spiders dwelled.
He arrived quickly, and the Howling Cave greeted him with a whooshing sound.
He entered and heard the echoes inside. The screeches of bats and spiders filled the cave—they seemed to be talking to one another.
Suddenly, the monsters wailed inside, warning the others of the intruder.
The cave stirred with turmoil as the denizens rushed toward him.
Rolan was attacked nonstop by screeching bats. He immediately shapeshifted into an Abysmal snake and gained its attacks and skills.
He spat acid breath at them, causing them to scatter. Some were hit on their wings and fell, screeching as they hit the floor.
They used [Leech Life] on Rolan, draining him and regenerating their wings, weakening him slightly.
Rolan then used [Blew Poison Mist], poisoning them all. He followed with [Spring Bite]—a spirit of a snake appeared, coiled like a spring, and struck in a burst, biting three at once.
More bats came at him from all directions, only to be swallowed whole in the process. Their numbers diminished quickly, and they retreated, unable to handle the monster they faced.
Soon after, demonic spiders attacked—fast and silent, striking from ambush. Rolan drew his sword and slashed fervently. They used Poison Bite, but Rolan evaded.
They spat webs, binding him. They were tricky to kill. Many spat webs at once, but Rolan used Paralysis Breath, paralyzing them briefly.
"A chance!"
Rolan slashed them apart, culling their numbers. Once they recovered, they retreated into the depths of the cave. Fortunately, some monster soul essences remained.
Rolan harvested and absorbed them into his soul.
[System Notice: Steal Web, Sticky Web, Poison Web, Jumping Attack, Leap, Silent Dash, Silent Hunt, Trap Prey, Poison Bite skill acquired]
Rolan exited after a successful reap. His next destination was the beehive in the east. Since it was nearby, he quickly reached it.
He immediately spotted them—bees with red and black