In the highland forest, a dark-purple Nightmare Leopard with red spots walked along a game trail. There were no wounds on him, nor any signs of a struggle.
Red-Spot Colin, named for the red markings on his fur, was a legendary creature of the Samei Rainforest. At thirty, he was an old Nightmare Leopard. By the normal lifespan of the Nightmare Leopard family, Colin should have been buried long ago; he could probably have been Headscar's great-great-grandfather. But as a Furnace-Core Creature, he was in his prime, his physique far exceeding the limits of a Nightmare Leopard.
Red-Spot Colin ruled the mountain forest, roaming mountains a thousand meters above sea level. His life was utterly unlike that of the Nightmare Leopard family in the forest below, so few of his kind ever caught sight of this Nightmare Leopard king. He also disdained to enter the lower forest and associate with his savage kin.
He had fought Golden-Horn Dutt of the horned giant rhino family for nearly ten years. In these foothills, Red-Spot Colin and Golden-Horn Dutt kept to clearly defined territories. Nightmare Leopards were highly mobile, and Colin roamed far more widely than the relatively cumbersome horned giant rhinos. The rhinos' habit of living in family groups made it even harder for Dutt to do anything about him.
But Dutt was clever. His family held the most resource-rich area in the entire foothills, and Colin could neither bypass them nor face Dutt's horned giant rhino family alone.
The two Furnace-Core Creatures fought here.
"You should come out now, kid." Colin turned and looked back at the mist-shrouded forest behind him.
He let out a roar.
At the roar, Headscar slowly emerged. Colin had rescued him in the horned giant rhinos' territory.
The two Furnace-Core Creatures, Colin and Dutt, had merely confronted each other without coming to blows. The price of a clash was too high for them, so they usually each took a step back.
Headscar couldn't understand Colin's language, but he understood the meaning of his roar. It was the simplest signal exchanged between Nightmare Leopards, used to divide tasks and cooperate during a hunt, raising their chances of success.
Colin studied Headscar. "A kid raised without a mother actually grew up this well. No wonder Dutt has his eye on you."
Colin's words were a warning about that abnormal horned giant rhino.
"You can follow me. I'll teach you how a true Nightmare Leopard should survive," Colin said.
It wasn't that Colin had suddenly taken pity on him. He genuinely needed a helper. Headscar was strong, and though he had only just reached adulthood, his physique already showed the makings of an alpha male Nightmare Leopard.
Colin wanted to bring down Golden-Horn and had set his sights on Headscar's potential.
Apart from the worthless ones, solitary Nightmare Leopards were often fiercer. Twenty years ago, Colin had been a lone wanderer himself, roaming the rainforest on his own and fighting from north to south. His name had spread far and wide; even the Typhons of the Mara River knew him.
Headscar didn't react.
Colin growled, signaling him to climb higher. "Looks like you have no idea what this means. Damn Savage Species are such a pain to communicate with."
He pondered for a while. "Maybe I should put you through a baptism."
"Kid, the most precious resource in the Samei Rainforest isn't meat. It's the blessing bestowed by Mother Earth. Those Super Species are powerful because they monopolize these resources, but other living beings aren't without a way forward. With Earth's Blessing, Savage Species can gain power to rival the Intelligent Species."
"Biological furnace core." Colin gave a low roar, trying to convey this information to Headscar.
Headscar finally reacted.
Colin was gratified, feeling the youngster could be taught.
That shit-yellow son of a bitch horned giant rhino had occupied the Land of Earth's Blessing. In the past few years, the horned giant rhinos' offspring would all grow up, and when that happened, Colin would have no chance of winning. He had to crush Dutt before then, which was why he had said so much to Headscar.
"Come back to the mountains with me." Colin felt the time was about right.
But Headscar, who had followed him all the way, stopped where he was.
The body language was simple: Headscar had refused.
Colin looked coldly at the ungrateful youngster.
The fellow had several glaring old scars on his face, and his gaze was clouded and stubborn.
"Idiot." A deep rumble sounded in Colin's throat, and his dark-purple fur bristled slightly. The blood-red spots seemed like flowing blood in the gloomy forest light, setting off his violet fur in an extraordinarily eerie display.
"I'm the only king here. Stay, and you can have a share of the sweetest marrow and lick the hot blood flowing from Mother Earth deep in the cracks between the rocks. Leave, and you'll be nothing. A lone Nightmare Leopard—anyone can lord it over you."
Though Headscar couldn't understand Colin's words, the full weight of his commanding presence bore down on him.
Headscar stared at Colin, tucked his tail between his legs, and slowly backed away.
Colin stared back, watching him retreat to a safe distance before plunging headlong into the forest mist. Headscar was cautious, but Colin found it laughable. The mist couldn't block his sight, and Headscar's scent was even more obvious.
Colin followed him.
Headscar's attempts to follow in his footsteps had been crude and clumsy. Colin was truly like a ghost. The animals of these foothills should have been grateful that this Nightmare Leopard king didn't hunt often, or he would have been a nightmare looming over the place.
Headscar had no idea Colin was following him. He ran at full speed through the mountains until he returned to familiar ground, the forest mist gradually receding behind him.
Colin stood in the mist.
A stubborn kid, but Colin had come to appreciate him a little.
This was still horned giant rhino territory. It was only because Colin was there that those big-horned, shit-smelling fellows hadn't shown themselves.
Colin turned and raised his head to look toward the other side of the foothills.
There lay a mineral-rich hot spring shallows, a blessing from the earth. Golden-Horn Dute's family occupied it, and Colin could only take a detour downstream to intercept a little of the mineral-rich spring water. But that was just a cup of water on a burning cart.
He had to find another way.
Famu left the dry land behind. Moisture filled the air ahead, and the shallows and deep water of the Mara River lay exposed beneath the scorching daylight.
He slipped into the river and swam steadily toward the deep water.
Only if he avoided disturbing Muerjia here could Famu treat this place as his hunting ground.
Murky waves broke across the surface. An adult elephant fish over six meters long was hunting in the deep water. It was the fiercest freshwater marauder in the Samei waters, its body covered in heavy scales as hard as iron, its mouth packed with dense teeth like steel needles. It was extremely aggressive.
Its prey consisted mainly of fish, shrimp, and frogs, though it sometimes hunted snakes, turtles, and insects.
At that moment, the elephant fish had set its sights on a turtle lying on the riverbed.
Little did it know that, behind the dark-green curtain of water, a pair of pale eyes had fixed on it too.
Famu poked his head out.
The water churned as Black Typhon clamped down on the elephant fish, his sharp teeth piercing its scales and sinking into its flesh again and again.
His jaw muscles flexed, and a cloud of blood blossomed before Famu's eyes.
He had bitten through the elephant fish's belly. A great gash opened in the soft, pale flesh, revealing writhing organs and lengths of intestine drifting in the water. The adult elephant fish lashed its tail wildly, slapping Famu across the face.
A large fish like this could lash its tail with tremendous force, sometimes enough to knock out a capybara at the surface. But striking Famu's face only strained the muscles in its tail.
Famu's mouth was full of blood, and his taste buds came alive.
"Crack!"
It was a one-sided, crushing hunt.
Famu bit down a second time.
He was trying out his new body.
His dragon-transformed interlocking vertebrae supplied explosive power, and his neck shot forward like a spear. The moment his broad jaws closed, his jaw muscles unleashed several tons of bite force. Heavy scales that could withstand a crocodile's bite were like thin paper before Famu, and the hard skull and spine were crushed in a single bite!
Blood spread through the water. Famu dragged the elephant fish's carcass ashore and began swallowing its tender flesh.
His strengthened neck gave Famu tremendous tearing power. He could even pull free the tough fish bones. He devoured the flesh and organs down to the last scrap, then crushed the bones and swallowed them too.
Blood smeared Famu's face as he surveyed the inlet.
He was still hungry. Now that he was awake, he intended to eat his fill.
Synthesizing heteromorphic teeth required plenty of calcium, so prey with thick bones was his first choice.