After entering the fish, she soon came upon a arget, though surprisingly, it was another {Sikeake}.
Realising it was the first time sihe is she would be up against the same oppowice; she found this one was identical in cultivation and size to the previous.
Upon seeihe fish-red eyes fixed upon her dangerously as it began to charge towards her in the same way as its predecessor.
Realising the opportunity to practice her utilisation of {Metal Manipution}.
She began to form those metal spikes as the fish again desded to swim below her to attack her on its ast.
Uhe st time she took the initiative, instead of waiting for the fish to appear in range like the first time, she focused entirely on her Qi, which rapidly solidified as it exited through the pathways in her body to form metal-like spears densed from her Metal Qi.
Fog ily orait, she willed with all her strength to fling these metal spears like a harpoon towards the rapidly approag fish, who seemed startled by the ued objects.
Despite being taken by surprise, the fish was swift and an experienced hunter; it knew danger when it saw it and could escape from being thhly skewered like the st, having time to evade one of the flung spears. However, it still was uo entirely avoid the other as the remaining spear seemed to pierce through its flesh like a harpoon, not killing but gravely crippling it.
Though it survived, the fish barely lived. After the attack, it was now a sitting duck. Tara decided to end its misery, as the thing could barely move.
After finishing the fish, Tara received a notification simir to her first one.
[You have defeated {Sikeake}, gaining 20 EXP. You are now 47/1000 intressing to Level 4.]
She hoped the experience would not astronomically increase further as she progressed.
Though she assumed each stage required even more energy, Tara knew she received an even bigger boost tha each time she progressed, even if it was just a siage, making her realise the advantages a higher cultivation level brings.
Deg to tinue practising {Metal Manipution}, she ate some fish as she recovered her Qi.
She did not even have long to wait as if attracted by the blood, another Pikeake appeared, making her realise she might have stumbled upon their hunting grounds.
Tara had not fully recovered her Qi and found herself in a brief moment of panic as the fish charged at the first sight of her again, as if in a frenzy due to the fresh blood.
‘These things are a nightmare.’ Tara mumbled as she could not muster a defeo the swift fish this time, which used the same tactics, yet uhe other time, she had nothing to impede it. She found the thing's powerful jaws biting into her body as the thing began shaking her around like a doll.
She swiped at the fish with her cws, leaving deep scratch wounds along its soft flesh, but the thing's red eyes did not waver as it tio hold onto her body with all its might, shaking her arouically.
Tara, who began to grant at how quickly she was finishing off the Pikeakes, began to realise the sheer danger of them if you allowed them to close in. It was then she had to once again rely orait that had been saving her sis first mutation as the poison began to secret from her skin; though not as strong with the low Qi reserves, it was still more than enough to slow down the rampant fish who had yet to realise it was rapidly losing strength.
Eventually, the fish wore out, and with her increased resilience due to her rait, she survived until it weakened enough for her to begin her offensive. Sharper and deadlier, her teeth and cws could damage the fish, which seemed uo its prey surviving its absurd bite.
Finally, she was able to reach its vital ans as she put a swift end to the creature, not before once again being on the brink of death.
Finding the notification, as always, indig the moment it drew its st breath.
[You have defeated {Sikeake}, gaining 20 EXP. You are now 67/1000 intressing to Level 4.]
‘Right when I was getting used to not being a meat shield.’ Tara thought, despo at once again relying on the Iron Samander cockroach-like survival ability.
She did not enjoy the stant mauling she received; it ainful and angered her to o be tossed about by her oppo yet again!
Though now learning from her mistakes, she hurriedly bit a few ks from the fish to assist her healing and desded to the bottom of the floor, finding ao recover.
The bottom of the floor was devoid of threatening predators; she gave it a thh look, wary after experieng firsthand the superb camoufge from the Earthray, which blended in perfectly with the murky bottom of the s but found nothing out of the ordinary, realising the Pikakes must have cimed this area as their hunting ground, intimidating any would-be predators away.
Finding a loong the pnts and algae, she sat among the small fish and is that skittered around, feeding on the small ks of fish that had found their way to the bottom.
She found her caution rewarded as another of the Pikakes soon appeared, and another after that; she became nervous at the thought of the duo attag her, yet they seemed relut to approach her, with her realising they did not want to expose themselves leaving them at risk from a potential ambush from below.
Instead, they seemed tent to circle her, waiting for her to asd eventually.
If she were a normal Iron Samahis would be the perfect strategy, as there was a ck of prey to feed from at the depths, and her potential food sources were too small. Yet she was not a typical Iron Samander, and instead, she found a pn f to deal with the Pikakes who remained cirg from above.
‘This could seriously work’, Tara thought, as the equivalent of a sly grin somehow filled her samander-like features.
As her Qi recovered, the thought of downing more stupid Pikakes fueled her.
The things hounded her as a hatg and tio do so even now. She wouldn’t be satisfied until she killed every st one of them.
She would do it to honour her fallen Iron Samanders. Not because of something ridiculous such as her pride beiedly trodded on over and over by the damn things.
‘No way I’m that petty.’ Tara thought, but even she didn’t sound that ving to herself.
