Chapter 124: Chapter 124: Encounter With Poison Purple Toad He moved like a shadow, flowing between trees, vines and branches scattered around. Every step was calculated, his Ash Gray senses creating a spherical radar around him. The "lens" through which he viewed the world had sharpened. Before, it was like looking through dirty glass. Now, the glass was clean. He searched around into the Western Zone, hunting for his next target, as he had felt that he hadn’t gotten the experience he needed from the previous encounter. Suddenly, he froze. Five feet away, a large beetle, the size of a dinner plate with iridescent green wings, was crawling along a branch. Normally, insects in this zone scurried away the moment a large mammal approached. But the beetle continued to munch on the bark, completely oblivious to him. Sol narrowed his eyes. He leaned in closer. Closer. He was within arm’s reach. He could hear the crunch-crunch of its mandibles. He could smell the acidic scent of its secretions. But it still didn’t see him. It didn’t sense him. "Incredible," he breathed, amazed. The absorption of the Cobra’s soul hadn’t just given him energy; it had transferred its essence. He was becoming a part of the background. He left the beetle undisturbed and continued An hour later, he really found something interesting enough for experience. The terrain had turned boggy by now, the ground squelching softly under his feet. The air smelled of sulfur and stagnant water. And there, sitting in a muddy depression near a stagnant pool was a nightmare made flesh. A large Toad. It was the size of a large dog, squat and grotesque. Its skin was a vibrant, toxic purple, wet and slick with mucus. But it was the back that made Sol’s skin crawl. It was a honeycomb of gaping, pulsating holes. Each hole was filled with a thick, white fluid that bubbled slightly. It was repulsive. A trigger for primal disgust. "Trypophobia trigger," Sol grimaced, feeling a shiver of revulsion. The Poison Purple Toad. Sol knew this creature from the memories. They are found near water sources and are said to have Neurotoxin, which can paralyze the prey much bigger than it. The tribe had given serious warning to stay away from it. Once a hunter in the tribe was attacked by it, leaving him paralyzed and writhe in extreme pain, until he finally died. He scanned the area around the beast. And indeed, found several large dragonflies and a small lizard lay motionless in the mud nearby. They weren’t dead; their eyes were open, twitching frantically, but their bodies were frozen stiff. Seems like it’s really a Neurotoxin, Sol analyzed. Touch it, and it’s game over. But he still didn’t back down, as even though they have strong neurotoxin, they are very lethargic and slow, and don’t like to move much. So, if he was careful, he could manage it somehow, and he had a devious idea with its neurotoxin. He crept closer, blending into the shadows of the ferns. The toad sat motionless, its bulbous yellow eyes scanning the perimeter. It was both alert and lazy at the same time, its throat sac puffing in and out with a wet, rhythmic sound. Sol gripped his wooden spear. He knew he couldn’t get into a melee with this thing. The skin was poison; the breath was probably poison. He circled around, moving behind the creature. The Cobra’s stealth combined with the cloak made him invisible to the toad’s motion-sensitive vision. He blended into the dark hues of the tree trunks, his breathing shallow. He was ten feet away. Eight feet. Squelch. His foot sank slightly into a hidden pocket of soft mud. The Toad froze. Its massive, bulbous eyes rotated independently, swiveling backward. CROAK. The sound was like a wet boot hitting concrete. It spun around with shocking speed for something so bloated. It saw him. Or rather, it saw the movement. THWIP. A pink blur shot across the clearing. But he was already prepared and combined with his heightened reflexes. He side-stepped, twisting his torso, the cloak flaring like wings of shadow. The toad’s tongue... a thick, sticky rope of muscle... slapped the air where his chest had been a millisecond ago. SPLAT. The tongue hit a tree trunk behind him. The sound was sticky and heavy. The toad yanked, and a chunk of bark was ripped clean off the tree. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 "Fast," Sol hissed, amazed but not afraid, as he could clearly see its tongue coming, like bullet time. The toad retracted its tongue with a wet slap and croaked, a sound like grinding gears. It hopped, clearing the distance between them in a single bound, landing with a heavy splash that sent toxic mud flying. It swiveled, aiming its mouth at him again. Sol didn’t run. He did the opposite. He took a step back into the deep shadow of the fern, exhaling slowly, willing his presence to vanish. He tapped into the cold sensation of the Cobra’s soul within him. Become nothing. Become wood. Become shadow. To the toad, he vanished. For a second, the toad paused, its tongue halfway out, its yellow eyes darting around in confusion. It had seen prey. It had attacked prey. But now... the prey was... gone? "Where...?" the toad seemed to wonder, its eyes darting around, scanning for heat or movement. It croaked heavily in anger, scaring away birds and insects in the surrounding, using this chance Sol slowly moved circling towards its back. Now. He lunged. He didn’t scream or roar like a chunibuyo, he moved in silence. He stepped out of the shadow, closing the distance in two long strides while the beast was croaking around angrily. He drove the wooden spear downward with both hands. SHUCK. The tip pierced right through one of the disgusting holes on the toad’s back, bypassing the thickest outer hide and skewering the organs beneath. SQUELCH. SCREEEHH! The toad let out a high-pitched shriek. It thrashed around violently, its powerful legs kicking out, trying to dislodge him. White foam bubbled from the holes. The tongue whipped around blindly, seeking a target. Sol didn’t let go. "Die!" He grunted, planting his feet in the mud. He twisted the spear. Crunch. Squish. The toad tried to hop, tried to turn, but Sol used the leverage of the spear to pin it to the ground. He leaned his entire body weight onto the shaft, driving it until it hit the dirt beneath the monster. The thrashing slowed.The legs kicked spasmodically... once, twice... and then went limp. The tongue fell limp, lolling out of its mouth into the mud. The yellow eyes glazed over. Sol held the position for a full minute, panting, making sure it was truly dead. "Haa... haa... got you." Seeing it not move, he got closer and stood over the kill, breathing hard. It had been cleaner this time. Less panic. More precision. He moved closer to the bumpy, disgusting head of the toad... careful not to touch the slime. Feast. The connection snapped into place instantly. Unlike the struggle with the snake, there was no resistance. Sol’s mind, strengthened by the previous harvest, tore the soul from the toad with terrifying ease. He pulled. WHOOSH. A rush of cold, gray energy flooded his system. "Oh..." Sol gasped, his head tilting back. Just like before, it was refreshing and cool. Suddenly he noticed a change. A/N: Still no gift? sigh Seems like I gotta bribe you guys... For a castle I will upload 5 extra Chapters. Happy now?