I’ve said before that I’ve narrowly escaped death.

That was an ignorant statement.

Collapsing and coughing up blood before I came to this world?

I reincarnated in a different body, even though I’m now a lizard.

Fleeing after my tail was cut off by an Oviraptor?

I managed to escape in the end.

Losing consciousness from ant venom?

I evolved from a gecko to a basilisk.

None of that was true death’s terror.

[「Danger Detection LV6」 has leveled up.]

My body trembled uncontrollably. My teeth clattered against each other, and my breath became shallow and rapid.

An overwhelming fear that paralyzed my entire body.

This—this is the true meaning of death's terror.

The dark, nearly black-green skin reminded me of a dragon from myth.

Dozens of razor-sharp teeth, like daggers, dripped with saliva, exuding a presence that left me crushed under its weight.

【Piranha Cayman LV30(+)】

Under normal circumstances, I would’ve been able to see its status.

But I couldn’t.

All I could see was its level and name.

【Piranha Cayman】

It can grow to a maximum of ■□m, and in the case of males, it can weigh up to ■■■kg. True to its name, it primarily feeds on □■□ and has a hostile relationship with □□□. It prefers to ■% its prey in water and is a %■■ hunter.

And even that brief description flickered as if I wasn’t worthy of it.

The Piranha Cayman.

This was the creature I saw when I first arrived in the swamp, watching from afar as it devoured a Microraptor in a single bite.

But that one wasn’t nearly this large.

It was only around 2–3 meters long, with a snout perfectly suited for catching piranhas and small animals, a bit different from the crocodile I had imagined.

I hadn’t paid it much mind back then. After all, I wasn’t planning to stay anywhere near its territory, and while it was bigger than me, I figured I could always run away if needed.

But this one was different.

Its single forelimb could probably cover my entire body.

A grotesquely large creature.

And that symbol after its name…

It meant it was an evolved variant, capable of further evolution.

A Caiman at the limits of its species was an opponent I had no chance of defeating.

Chaaaaaak.

The Cayman’s enormous jaws opened wide.

Its lower jaw touched the ground while the upper jaw stretched toward the sky.

The turtle could only stare blankly at the sight.

It didn’t even try to resist, accepting its fate.

Crunch!

Crack.

The tough shell of the turtle shattered easily.

The Cayman seemed to savor the sensation, chewing the shell until it crumbled into dust.

The turtle's blood dripped from the Cayman’s teeth, turning the swamp water a deep crimson.

The thick, pungent scent of blood filled the air.

The Cayman swallowed the turtle whole.

Its cold blue eyes roved, searching for its next target.

The Cayman’s enormous forelimb sliced through the air.

A massive shadow fell over the toad.

Smash!

The toad was crushed before it could even scream.

The Cayman swallowed the flattened toad in a single gulp.

Its cold blue eyes moved once again.

Both the turtle and the toad were dead.

Next would be the green lizard.

Its massive foot moved closer.

It was as if night had suddenly fallen—everything around me grew dark.

That’s when I realized my fate.

I was about to be eaten by the Cayman.

……

…Why am I just standing here?

[The effect of Cold-Blooded has activated.]

The moment my mind returned, I threw myself aside.

Smash!

Even then, I was still within range of the attack, so I immediately activated Tail Severing.

Splat!

With a sudden burst of speed, I narrowly escaped the attack.

But I didn’t stop there—I activated Dash as well.

I ran away at full speed.

I almost died.

I really almost died.

Was my body frozen by instinctive fear? No, considering how the toad and turtle had died without resistance, there must be something more at play.

Like the hypnotic abilities of deep-sea fish that lure their prey, perhaps this Cayman had similar powers.

One thing was certain—if I hadn’t regained my composure, I would’ve ended up flattened like my severed tail.

The Cayman picked up my discarded tail and swallowed it in one bite.

Crunch.

A grotesque sound filled the air.

I desperately hoped it would be satisfied with just the tail as I kept running.

But it wasn’t.

It immediately turned its head and swam toward me.

Splash!

The sound of water being sliced apart echoed as the distance between us rapidly closed.

It wasn’t just its speed; the sheer difference in size was overwhelming.

At this rate, I’d be caught.

It was time to use my final trick.

I could use Tail Severing twice.

By severing another part of my already-cut tail, I could further increase my speed.

This sudden burst of speed was my plan to throw off the Cayman.

‘Tail Severing!’

Just as I activated the skill, a strange message appeared.

[The level of 「%! Ja■□ LV1」 has increased.]

An incomprehensible message from the status window flashed.

But I had no time to think about it.

Screeeeech!

An eerie sound echoed, and the giant Cayman staggered.

It seemed to be choking on something lodged in its throat.

I didn’t understand what was happening, but I knew this was my only chance.

I prepared to flee again.

Thud!

But then, the Cayman started regurgitating the contents of its stomach.

It looked like the turtle and toad had done something inside its body. However, there was no way those creatures, now reduced to pulp, could have caused this.

Among the things the Cayman spat out, I noticed something familiar.

It had been in its stomach, but surprisingly, it was still relatively intact.

It looked like part of a perfectly spherical object.

A fragment of something valuable.

「Fragment of a Superior Inner Core」

An inner core!

And not just any core—a superior one.

It happened to fall right in front of me, and I instinctively grabbed it.

The Cayman quickly started devouring its regurgitated contents, focusing on the inner cores it had swallowed.

But as it gulped down its meal, it seemed to realize something was missing.

It let out a furious roar.

“Craaaack!”

The ground shook with its roar.

If it caught me now, there was no way I’d survive.

But I had already gained some distance.

At this point…

Splash!

There was no way. How could something so big move that fast?

I leaped into the air and landed in a nearby waterhole.

Then I ran.

Tap tap tap tap!

Even though I ran with all my might, the Cayman was closing in.

Maybe if I threw the inner core and ran in the opposite direction, it would stop chasing me?

No. I couldn’t do that.

Even if it worked, I wouldn’t.

I had nearly been eaten.

My fear had blossomed into something else.

A boiling feeling in my chest.

Yes, it was anger.

Running away now would mean conceding defeat to that monster.

I couldn’t accept losing to such a mere beast.

Of course, that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to flee.

No lizard in its right mind would face that monster head-on.

But there was a way to escape without losing.

I could steal something precious from it.

【Piranha Cayman LV30】

The symbol that had been beside its level was now gone.

If it couldn’t reclaim the piece of inner core I’d taken, it would suffer a significant loss.

Chomp.

I opened my mouth and swallowed the fragment of the inner core in one gulp.

I had no time to savor it.

I couldn’t even absorb its energy properly.

I just stuffed it into my mouth in a hurry.

“Craaaaaaaa!”

The Cayman roared furiously.

I had just burned my bridges.

Now, the only way for the Cayman to retrieve the inner core was to eat me.

Not that it wasn’t planning on doing that anyway.

“Kek kek!”

I let out a defiant cry to match its roar.

Enraged, the Cayman charged at me, completely losing control.

Even a light graze from it would be fatal—no, a light graze would kill me.

I activated my movement technique.

Dodging just enough to avoid being caught was my specialty.

But I had no room for error with this thing.

I had to keep my distance.

I kicked off the water’s surface, grabbed onto a vine, swung through the air, and landed on solid ground.

I ran along paths only I could traverse.

But obstacles meant nothing to the Cayman.

Crash!

It simply smashed through them.

No ordinary barrier could stop it.

Unless it was a massive tree from a jungle or a boulder larger than its body.

This was a swamp.

There weren’t many large trees, but there were a few massive boulders.

I pushed myself harder.

My speed was equal to the Cayman’s.

But the effect of Tail Severing was wearing off.

Dash was still available, but I couldn’t use Tail Severing again just yet.

At this rate, I’d be caught.

Outrunning it was impossible.

“Craaaack!”

Screeeeech!

The Cayman opened its massive jaws.

It thought it had me now.

Summoning the last of my strength, I kicked off the ground.

Dragon Ascension Steps, a movement technique that mimics the steps of a small dragon.

Dragons can fly.

I leaped to a height that felt like soaring through the sky.

I tucked my head down and shifted my weight forward.

Thud!

I landed farther than expected.

But my stance was unstable, and I felt the impact of the fall.

The Cayman’s teeth snapped toward me.

Everything was in place.

It was time to use my hidden technique.

A secret technique.

Rolling Caterpillar.

I rolled away like a pillbug curling up.

As grand as the name sounded, all it meant was rolling my body away. But if it kept me alive, who cared?

Chomp!

I heard the sound of the Cayman’s massive jaws biting down on nothing but air.

The Cayman tried to attack again, but it was too late.

I had already escaped to safety.

A crevice in a large boulder.

I could fit inside, but the Cayman’s sharp claws couldn’t reach me.

“Craaaaaaack!”

The Cayman let out a furious roar.

Phew.

I exhaled heavily, catching my breath.

No matter how strong the Cayman was, it couldn’t easily move a boulder bigger than its own body. If I stayed here and waited, it would eventually leave.

Thud!

The Cayman slammed its body against the boulder in frustration.

Crash!

The noise was loud, but I knew it was futile.

This place was practically a mountain of rock.

There was no way this massive boulder would collapse from that.

Boom!

Stop wasting your energy and go away.

Think of that superior inner core as your settlement fee.

Consider yourself lucky you got off with just one fragment.

“Kek kek.”

I chuckled to myself.

Crack.

…But I had overlooked a few things.

Even if the Cayman’s actions couldn’t destroy this mountain of rock, they were effective in places where the ground was weak.

And it just so happened that the weak spot was right where I was standing.

Crack crack crack!

The ground beneath me collapsed in an instant.

“Keeeeeek!”

I plunged into a seemingly endless abyss.

No, I was still falling.

Just how deep is this place?