novelnext Chapter 317 317: The First Drop
Chapter 317 317: The First Drop
"The Great Sage, Sun Wukong."
Lilith was right; I'd heard about the myth of the Great Sage before. It seems like it was real.
"The two of them became very close and developed a master-student relationship."
So if anything happened to Andros, that Great Sage would surely get involved. This was just another problem for me to worry about. All the more reason why I needed strength.
As I walked, I couldn't help but notice that the vegetation of the forest eerily resembled that of a rainforest. I kept my eyes peeled for any signs of life, but just then I picked up a scent. A human scent.
"There are adventurers nearby," I said, but Lilith didn't seem too bothered by the fact.
Of course, I didn't think they would be any trouble for me, but my instincts were telling me to keep an eye on them. Their heartbeats were racing, and they were shouting in a panic.
Maybe they're under attack.
Curious, I decided to head in their direction and observe from afar. From several meters away, atop a tree, I finally spotted them. They were dressed in various magic crystals which covered their armor. Even their armor didn't seem to be made of metal from our world.
I'm guessing each of those magic crystals held a purpose and protected them from the environment in certain ways.
Their behavior was strange. At first, I thought they were being attacked, but there were no enemies in sight. But the adventurers were flailing their weapons and using their skills. It was as if they were fighting against an invisible enemy.
"What is going on?"
I looked back at Lilith, and she was smiling.
"Are you familiar with evolution and adaptation?" she asked.
Raising an eyebrow at her question, I answered.
"Yes, I am."
"Most of the creatures here on this planet are adept at evolution and adaptation more than most other creatures that exists. Though dragons are the best at it."
"You already told me this before," I said.
"Just think about it. If the creatures here are good at adapting, then what would they adapt to?" she asked.
They would obviously adapt to their environment, and after millions of years of evolution, they would be more compatible with this harsh planet. But that can't be the answer she was looking for.
So what else would they adapt to…
"Their natural predators."
They would adapt in ways that allowed them to survive against their natural predators. But not only that, their bodies would adapt in ways that allowed them to fight back and even cause harm.
"Since dragons were the apex predator on this planet, this meant every species on this planet, whether plants, animals, or even insects, were adapting in ways that would allow them to fight back against or even kill dragons. Plus they were adapting using mana which makes it even more dangerous. There was basically no limit as to what they could develop into. And in turn, dragons are adapting to whatever methods these creatures come up with. This creates a cycle of growth." I theorized.
Lilith nodded her head, seemingly satisfied.
"Yes, you're right. I just wanted to warn you that you are not invincible here. In fact one of those evolutions is being shown right now. Those adventurers were bitten by a special type of mosquito that causes blindness. They should be fine in an hour or two since the venom wasn't made for them. It was made for those of the draconic bloodline."
Just then, something bit down on my neck.
SLAP!
I was bitten.
By the time I reacted, whatever it was was already gone.
"These have also adapted to moving very fast. So fast that their bodies incinerate due to their fast movements. But by coating themselves in mana, they are able to inject their venom into their prey before they incinerate." Lilith said.
Suddenly, my vision began to turn blurry until it fizzled out completely and everything turned black.
"Don't worry, it's not permanent. Your vision should return in a day or two, but there are more mosquitoes out there. Many of them in this forest. Being blind puts you at risk against dangerous predators, so you have to adapt one way or the other to this. Either become fast enough to catch them or develop a resistance against their bite."
Right now, catching them sounded impossible. I couldn't even sense the creature with my other senses before it bit me. It was completely silent in its movements. I tried activating my thermal vision, but everything only turned bright orange.
My vision was completely gone.
Dammit!
"Are there any other dangerous creatures nearby that I should know of?" I asked, as I stood up and tried to tune my senses to the environment. Being blind will draw attention from other dangerous creatures, I'm sure of it.
"In this area, there is also a certain type of butterfly that emits a pheromone that could drive you insane. A few ferocious creatures here and there but that's it."
The storm was near too; I could smell it. Just as those thoughts crossed my mind, I realized something.
I couldn't hear the voices of the adventurers anymore. Coupled with that, there was also a strong smell of blood in the air.
A predator was nearby!
Suddenly, I felt a warm hand touch the side of my face.
"There is a difference between having godlike senses and weaponizing them. Dragons don't have your sense of smell and hearing. It is something that is fully unique to you because of your mutated werewolf gene. If you develop it well, you could gain a sense of omniscience."
Finally, I understood what she was getting at. If my senses were stronger and I had better control of them, I could've instantly figured out the mosquito's speed and the scent of the venom may have told me its purpose.
Bats developed echolocation that allowed them to know the size and shape of everything around them. With my senses, I could take it a step further. If well trained, I could know everything that was taking place in my environment.
I would know the size and shape of everything. I could track something as small as an ant and know every movement it made for an entire day.
If I had the ability to adapt, then it could scale higher, and I could track everything that was taking place on this entire planet. Higher, and my senses could stretch across different worlds. Every conversation, every action would be known to me. That was what Lilith was trying to say.
Just then, as I focused on my senses, I found the predators that killed the adventurers. Coupled with that, I also sensed the first drop of liquid falling from the clouds.