26. The Escape from Hikky Project
Several days had passed since the serpent was defeated.
Inside the dungeon, it was impossible to gauge the passage of days. Exactly how long had it been? Impossible to say.
During this time, life had consisted solely of eating and sleeping.
The serpent proved difficult to finish consuming. New prey kept snagging on the net, rendering movement impossible.
At first, it had been intended as a brief respite. But this might be a problem.
If this continues, I may regress back to being Hikky!
A quick glance at the pile of prey slain over these past few days.
A pile. Yes, a pile.
Not Mount Yamada.
Then again, there had been a Yamada-kun in my previous life’s class.
No, no—irrelevant now.
Regardless, the prey had accumulated into a mountain.
Each monster caught in the net had been dispatched in turn. This was the result.
When I was at home, I ate what I caught right away. But since I couldn’t touch the snakes until I’d finished them all, I decided to store them for now. That’s how it turned out.
No predator broke through the thread like a serpent. The capture was effortless.
Some were high-level monsters—level six, quite strong. But now they’re part of the mountain.
Level doesn’t guarantee strength, though.
My level is nine.
By level alone, I match the serpent.
But in combat ability, the serpent is overwhelmingly superior.
In fact, I have no confidence in defeating lower-level monsters without the thread.
Perhaps the most important factor in measuring strength is species.
Even at the same level, if the opponent’s species is inherently superior, victory is unlikely.
The difference in strength based solely on level seems to apply only when facing the same species.
Take an extreme case: even if the giant spider I know of—likely the strongest in my experience—were at level one, I would still have no chance of victory.
At level one, that massive body would end me with a single strike, no matter how hard I tried.
Level should be considered only as a rough reference.
Given that, the gap between me and the snake was greater than a mere level difference.
I managed to survive only because I had a makeshift shelter prepared. Without any preparation, an encounter would have meant certain defeat.
I was fortunate.
The snake currently has three-quarters of its body inside my abdomen.
Should I consider this as having consumed three-quarters of its body, or as still having one-quarter remaining?
Some of the monsters’ corpses are piled as high as mountains. It might be more accurate to say a quarter remains.
With such a stockpile, they may begin to rot before consumption.
Still, I possess Corrosion Resistance. Even if I eat something rotten, my stomach will not be disturbed.
In fact, a slight degree of rot might even be beneficial for skill progression.
Taste?
After enduring foods that are toxic or disgustingly bitter for so long, I can certainly tolerate a little rot.
Yes.
I cannot move from here until I fully digest this entire quantity of ingredients.
Once I manage to finish even the snake, the other monsters are not large enough to be a significant burden. I can reduce their numbers gradually.
Otherwise, if I do not eat them all, I might truly regress back to Hickey’s state.
This place was supposed to be a temporary home, but due to the extended stay, it's growing to the same scale as the previous one.
Hmm?
Wait a moment?
If the home is becoming more elaborate, won't that attract prey more easily?
Hmm...
No.
Even monsters wouldn't dare attack a home clearly fortified with Durability.
The previous home was designed specifically to catch prey—so the threads were kept as invisible as possible. But this current one is defense-oriented, and such tricks aren't used.
Just as I thought, a vibration from the threads.
Something else seems to have caught in the net.
Oof.
Food supply is increasing again.
Never imagined I’d face the problem of overabundance.
For now, head toward the caught prey.
It's struggling with considerable force—maybe a large one got caught after all.
That would just extend the period of withdrawal again.
I suppose it'd be better if it were small—what a luxurious problem to have.
『Failed to鉴定 Elrolandanel LV3 Status』
『Failed to鉴定 Elrolandanel LV3 Status』
『Failed to鉴定 Elrolandanel LV4 Status』
Three monsters had been caught.
Ah—this is the same as the three that got caught back at the previous base.
Are these monsters always in sets of three?
But the quantity might exceed even what’s caught from a large specimen.
Primarily in terms of meat yield.
For now, reinforce the bindings with additional threads and carry all three monsters together within the net.
This technique—removing the net as a whole—was learned since arriving here.
No need to sever parts of the net individually. Convenient.
Reposition the new net and return to the center of the home, carrying the monster.
U—even three of them is heavy.
Should’ve just carried them one by one without complaining.
Darn it!
Ah—was heavy.
My body hurts, didn’t it?
Besides, my HP is decreasing slightly.
Damn it—this rage will be repaid by them personally.
It feels absurd, but I don’t care.
So, gulp, gulp, gulp!
[Experience points reached threshold. Individual: Small Lesseratalect, level 9 to level 10.]
[Base stats increased.]
[Skill proficiency level-up bonus acquired.]
[Skill points obtained.]
[Condition met. Individual: Small Lesseratalect eligible for evolution.]
…What?
Added Q&A section to the activity report.
Going forward, I will submit reflections and feedback as part of the activity report.