Capítulo 9: Unreliable
Did you know that most mammals can't, in fact, sweat? It just wasn't required of them within the environments they developed for millions of years.
Dogs, for example, have developed a way to evaporate moisture from their respiratory tract, including the mouth, tongue, and upper respiratory passages, which helps dissipate heat from their bodies.
Basically, they rely completely on panting to cool down their bodies.
It's not a bad decision per se since sweating works so well for humans due to their lack of fur. Sweat can easily evaporate off our skin, while for dogs it would be impossible due to their fur getting in the way.
This seemingly insignificant little trick of humans makes them able to outrun cheetahs, wolves, and even horses in long-distance running...
.
"So who the fuck thought it would be a good idea to make a monster-dog chimera and NOT give it sweat glands?" I spoke aloud, my voice echoing through the silent caverns of the second floor.
I barely spared a glance at the fallen kobold, wheezing like a rat struggling for breath in a sewer. Its chest rose and fell like a busted accordion, each breath a pathetic wheeze.
'All of this after what...15 minutes?'
I glanced down at my body, assessing the many new bleeding scratches on display. My hands and chest were the worst off as my T-shirt had finally been turned into an unrecognizable tattered rag after this last battle.
Still, these were merely scratches and I barely felt discomfort when I moved my extremities...which meant that I was still good to go. My pants were seemingly still holding on but I didn't know...
*Growl*
I sighed as I turned my attention toward the source of the sound.
Despite its sorry state, the kobold was making a feeble attempt to rise again, all the while its limbs trembled like twigs in a gale. It almost made me feel sorry for it...nah...
But this wasn't even its fault, not really. This creature, even if it had surface counterparts, was clearly the result of unintelligent design.
When I came down to the second floor and found him prowling around, I was quite thrilled. It actually exceeded my expectations during the first few minutes of our fight, attacking ferociously and relying on its instincts to dodge or counterattack.
I could have maybe ended the fight much quicker but I chose to use him as sparing for a bit like I did with Goblin No.3, as while its claws could cut through my thickened skin, he couldn't inflict dangerous wounds.
After all, it had no comprehension of attacking any weak spots besides my throat and/or face.
"Everything was going so well, too..." I complained to the monster as it finally managed to rise to its feet. "You are faster than me but not overwhelmingly. You are a bit stronger physically and while your defense is weak, you are good at dodging...the dungeon must have really hated you to make you tire so damn easily..."
Demonstrating either sublime self-control or a complete inability to understand human speech, the monster took a menacing step in my direction... then stumbled and collapsed, a spray of crimson painting the floor beneath it.
It made some gurgling sounds as it rolled on the floor, desperately gasping for air before the light finally faded from its eyes.
I shook my head again in disappointment as I glanced at my blood-stained claws.
"Not even able to react to your own throat being cut after a mere few minutes of fighting... it's no wonder your species is ranked as barely above goblins..."
Shaking away, any distracting thoughts, I kneeled in front of my prey, ready to feast.
I was actually quite thirsty, which was interesting.
The goblin I consumed through my "core removal" experiment didn't seem to provide any nutrition whatsoever. If anything, eating its magic stone only made me hungrier.
This basically confirmed my hypothesis that my body could survive solely by eating monsters, but this didn't mean I was immune to hunger and thirst.
What I seemed to be immune to, though, was needing to go to the bathroom. I was sure I had been in this world for more than 12 hours now, yet I hadn't felt the need to...
*Creak*
My useless thoughts were immediately forgotten the moment heard a wall creaking behind me.
My claws were immediately in front of my face in a guard position as my body took a deep combat stance.
My gaze shot across the dim cavern, taking in the shadows and shapes within it, and I instantly saw it.
A new kobold, in the process of being birthed by the dungeon, maybe 10 meters away from me.
The hairs on my back stood on end as I pushed against the ground, my feet propelling me toward it at my fastest speed.
Arms outstretched, claws extended, I wanted this fight to be over in an instant.
The New Kobold didn't even have time to look at his surroundings before I body-slammed it, driving it backward with all the force of a battering ram. Its body smashed against the very wall it had just spawned from, the sound of impact reverberating through the cavern like a thunderclap.
Dazed and concussed, coupled with more than a few broken bones, the only thing the kobold's primal instinct urged it to do...was to scream.
Whether it was begging for mercy or attempting to scare me off, I didn't care as I shoved my hand down its now vulnerable throat, my claws tearing through its esophagus before its jaw could snap shut, biting my hand off.
I pulled it out immediately as the creature choked on its own blood. New Kobold fell on its side, desperation, anger, and incomprehension mixing in its gaze as it struggled to find a way to stay alive.
I paid it no mind whatsoever. Its death was already set in stone the moment it interrupted my meal.
This wasn't me being a maniac or developing personality disorders (or so I hoped), but I knew from the anime that a monster would turn into dust the moment it died.
I also had this feeling which I thought was coming from the depths of my very soul, telling me that absorbing the essence of monsters that had already turned to dust was a fool's endeavor and would do jack shit.
I sighed for maybe the tenth time in the last ten minutes glancing towards the spot where I left the old kobold, the one with the torn throat, to die.
I knew intellectually that the only thing I would see would be some dust scattered where its body used to lay, but it was annoying wasting resources like this.
'Eh, whatever, it's not like there is a limit to these guys, now, is it?' I thought to myself. 'I even got to practice a fast takedown with the New Kobold so it's not like I lost...anything...'
My mind slowly screeched to a halt as I saw the clearly dead old Kobold sprawled peacefully on the floor. The vacant gaze of its lifeless eyes stared blankly ahead, and from its maw, the tongue hung limply.
It was, as mentioned, clearly fucking dead, and yet...
I stood silently in the cavern, many thoughts floating through my mind.
After two minutes, the New Kobold, the one who spawned from the wall, died as well due to blood loss.
Just like the other one, its corpse remained intact, not turning into fucking dust.
After another minute, an unlucky goblin spawned from the walls.
I tore off its head and threw it away, keeping only its torso raised in the air. Then, with a quick movement I tore a hole through its chest and ripped out its magic stone.
Only as I looked at the glowing pebble held between my claws, did the goblin's body begin to disintegrate, turning into shimmering dust beneath my eyes.
"I guess we aren't playing by anime laws, then..." I muttered, looking at the still intact kobold corpses laying at my feet.
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