HBWnovel Chapter 3
Chapter 3
**Sprint.**
Finally, a skill that’s worthy of being called a skill.
Though, to be honest, the name "Sprint" wasn’t exactly thrilling. It just meant running fast.
But compared to *Tail Severing*, it was a thousand times better.
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**「Sprint LV1」**
The power of wind imbues the user’s body. Speed increases dramatically.
MP cost: 2
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The description alone was impressive.
It didn’t just say, “Run faster.” It mentioned the power of wind imbuing my body.
Who am I?
The owner of *Sprint*, the mighty Green Gecko LV2.
A chuckle escaped me.
"Ge-ge-geck!"
I let out something like a triumphant roar, savoring the meaning behind the skill.
The power of wind—sounds like something out of a fantasy novel.
But even though the description was fancy, I couldn’t fully grasp its effect just by reading it.
With my HP and MP recovered, it was time to test the capabilities of my new skill.
**“Sprint!”**
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**[The power of wind imbues your body.]**
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Oh.
My body felt lighter.
I experienced a similar sensation when using *Tail Severing*, but that was because I had cut off my tail, reducing my weight. But this time, my tail was still attached. The only thing that changed was my speed.
*Tap, tap, tap!*
I sprinted at full speed. The increase in velocity was clear—I felt at least twice as fast.
Of course, I’d experienced this speed before, using the double-layered *Tail Severing*.
If this was all *Sprint* offered, I would have been disappointed. But what if I combined *Sprint* with *Tail Severing*?
I would become the fastest gecko alive.
**“Tail Severing!”**
The lightness and the burst in speed were instantaneous.
But I wasn’t satisfied just yet.
**“Tail Severing!”**
I did it again—double *Tail Severing*.
Now, I was moving at an incredible speed, so fast I could hardly control it.
*Zing!*
It took me only 5 seconds to travel from one end of the branch to the other.
I could now feel what the "power of wind" truly meant.
At this rate, could I even outrun an Oviraptor in a race?
I had used 4 MP, but it didn’t feel wasted.
This experiment had given me an idea about how to replenish MP.
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**【Green Gecko LV6】**
HP: 24/24
MP: 10/10
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The mightiest gecko has been born.
After a fierce battle against Nephila Jurassic, I became a super gecko.
Well, I didn’t exactly defeat it.
No matter how fast I’d become, I hadn’t grown strong enough to fight that spider head-on. Its web was my nemesis; the moment I slowed down, I’d be dead.
But there was one reason I’d managed to level up so much.
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**【Caligramma LV3】**
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I stole all the spider’s prey.
I did feel a bit guilty, but what could I do?
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**[The effect of Cold Blood has activated.]**
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My blood runs cold, after all.
At least I wasn’t starving. Every time I stole a meal, I left the spider a tail.
With my tails being so plump, maybe it didn’t mind.
In fact, the spider might even prefer lizard tail meat over the dry insects.
Would my own tail taste good?
I shook my head.
If I discovered how delicious my tail was, I might end up like an Ouroboros, eating myself.
...An Ouroboros as a gecko?
Now I was just being ridiculous.
Still, I couldn’t help it. I’d reached level 6 in less than a day. Was that impressive? Or was it average?
Either way, I decided to pat myself on the back. Positive thinking might even earn me a new skill.
...Or maybe not.
Reaching level 6 had taught me several things.
Not only did eating through *Predation* replenish my hunger, but defeating enemies also granted experience points.
When I bit into a still-living butterfly, I gained a level.
Eating for experience felt more like a bonus.
Eating them all wouldn’t result in a level-up anyway.
So why not invest them for tomorrow?
I bit the leaf off the branch and placed it carefully on my tail before heading toward Nephila Jurassic’s nest.
"Ge-ge-geck."
I made a deliberate noise, and the spider appeared, tense and alert.
Even though spiders have poor eyesight, it was staring directly at me.
"Ki-eek!"
It flailed its arms in anger.
Maybe it was mad that I had stolen so much of its food.
I’d be mad too.
I carefully stuck the aphid-covered leaf onto the spider’s web.
"Ki-eek!"
And then I quickly retreated as the spider rushed toward me.
When it reached the
leaf, the spider hesitated.
"Keek?"
It poked at the aphids with its legs, unsure what to make of them.
Since the aphids were already dead, it didn’t need to wrap them in webbing.
The spider glanced at me before hungrily devouring the aphids.
For me, the aphids were too small.
But for survival, they were a great energy boost for the spider. Aphids were basically sugar bombs.
As the spider finished eating, I tossed it a few more aphid-covered leaves.
"Hi-eek!"
Was that a... cute cry? Maybe I was imagining it.
Yeah, eat up.
Eat plenty and get stronger so you can catch even tastier bugs for me.
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Night had fallen.
It was time to sleep.
But I was starting to feel a bit chilly.
I quickly tore off some leaves and fashioned a nest.
It wasn’t perfect, but I wasn’t in danger of freezing to death.
I curled up and tried to sleep.
But I had forgotten one critical thing.
Geckos can’t close their eyes.
With no eyelids, I couldn’t close my eyes even if I wanted to.
Like all wild lizards, I would have to sleep with my eyes open.
This was going to be tough—I’d never done this before.
I chewed through some leaves with my mouth.
I cut them into small pieces and draped them over my eyes like makeshift blindfolds.
Good, now I couldn’t see.
Finally, I was ready to sleep.
...
But I couldn’t.
Why not?
Was I a nocturnal creature?
Then what was I doing being active all day?
Nocturnal or not, now was the time to sleep.
I needed to rest while it was still safe.
One raptor, two raptors.
I started counting dinosaurs instead of sheep.
To my surprise, it worked.
Six raptors, one T-rex.
...Now a full-bellied T-rex.
My thoughts drifted away.
The T-rex... the mech T-rex...
Somehow, the T-rex in my imagination evolved into a golden mech T-rex.
But just as I was about to admire its majestic form, something else came into view.
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**【Acacia Fire Ant LV1】**
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Just an ordinary ant.
Leave Green Gecko LV6 alone and go away.
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**【Acacia Fire Ant LV1】**
**【Acacia Fire Ant LV1】**
**【Acacia Fire Ant LV1】**
**【Acacia Fire Ant LV1】**
**【Acacia Fire Ant LV1】**
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But this was no time to be casual.
The ants were a swarm.