Henry stared at his class trait list, then at Magic Mimic’s description, then back to the trait list.

  How am I supposed to get a trait?

  Henry took a bite of his freshly captured fish as he considered things. In front of him, lodged between some small rocks, three cores he hadn’t converted yet softly shone in the cave.

  It sounds like something Magic Mimic should provide. Which means there must be an upgrade to give me more than temporary skills. And if my menu isn’t tailor-made for me, then there must be other ways to gain skills and traits… even if temporarily. Food? Random magic?

  Unfortunately, there was no library at the bottom of the sea and no one to ask, so he only had speculations to keep him company.

  Well, we’ll see if the levels change anything. It’s about time I got some.

  Consume cores to levels or convert to 13 F-tokens?

  Henry pressed Consume.

  The Cores disintegrated into puffs of luminescent smoke, and they rushed into him as if he’d just inhaled all three.

  It felt… somewhat like the boost he’d get from an increase in Constitution. Or Spirit. But somehow deeper and more thorough.

  Henry basked in the feeling. Soon enough it faded, leaving him with a few notifications.

  Undecided Marine Biologist - Level 2 achieved!

  …

  Undecided Marine Biologist - Level 6 achieved!

  1x Stat point awarded.

  Henry eyed the notification for a moment and noticed the stat point awarded. After a quick check, he confirmed it was a free stat point he’d be able to assign to whichever attribute he chose.

  Hmm. This class name is getting old. Anyway, the stat point. To Constitution you go. To… how do I do this?

  Moments later, he figured it out. It was in the Stat Increase menu. Obviously.

  Henry let the surging magic around him cover up his embarrassment. He braced as the magic sunk into him and his limbs. Heat radiated through his flesh, his skin, and then it faded.

  Henry moved a limb tentatively. It felt… solid. Durable. How durable was he?

  He looked down at his arms, and he had an idea. He lined an arm over the point of another, and exhaled. This might be the dumbest move ever, he thought, then activated Razor Arm.

  Henry winced at the pain, and he saw blood come out of the injury… but the arm wasn’t severed. It was cut, yes, almost halfway through. But it hadn’t been severed.

  Henry looked down at the injury. The blood was already slowing and from his experience with Accelerated Regeneration, this shouldn’t take more than a few hours to heal.

  Neat.

  He eyed the spot where the three cores had been. So he could get his stats from the levels as well, huh?

  In that case, it looked like he was about to spend a lot of time outside over the next couple of days.

  A few more levels and I think I can take on the Eel. Then I get Telekinesis and my turtle-home back.

  Things were looking up.

  ***

  Things weren’t looking up.

  Henry had been able to go on one hunting session and had to cut it short when the sharks showed up. Six hours later, they were still around and no matter how he tried to plan or strategize, he couldn’t think of a way to take one of them out without dying. So he kept using Hoard Vitality and building charges while he waited for the bugger to leave this area.

  Do I need to keep trying to lure something to my den?

  Being hidden like it was, it made the den safe for him to rest and sleep. But there wasn’t a lot of traffic. He had to swim a few seconds away to get to a more ‘open’ area where fish could see the bait.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Is it time to try some other spots… no. Absolutely not.

  He had barely begun climbing the local food chain, and at least he knew a couple of the local players. He had no idea what he would find further away from this immediate area. And with Skills involved? Something could gobble him before he even realized it.

  What do I do, then?

  He looked at a passing red-striped shark. If I could get my arms on top of its gills and cut through them… I could kill it. I don’t know if I could reach both at once.

  He also didn’t know what these sharks were capable of and even if he killed one, the others would tear him to pieces. He’d have to isolate one of them. Somehow.

  Henry sighed. It looked like Hoard Vitality–which was already at level 3–was getting some more levels.

  ***

  This is crazy. This is so dumb. What am I doing?

  The last use of Hoard Vitality must have done something to his head, because this was now the second shark he was barely inches away from.

  Henty figured that he could catch a regular fish, put it up on a small ledge on top of some coral, then perch on top of a higher reef, camouflaged, and wait for something to come and bite.

  He did it two feet away from a new hiding hole he’d scouted. He had to make sure the sharks couldn’t detect him through his camouflage and thankfully, it really did seem that they didn’t see him. Henry bet the dead fish he served them also helped with that.

  The first shark had been too big to try anything. The second was even larger, and it’d been a challenge not to spam Inkjet and run.

  The third was perfect.

  [Riptide Shark (F) - Lvl 19]

  It was small enough that he was sure he could wrap his arms around both gills and Bite through its back. The problem was, he still didn’t know what they could do. Did it have something to do with riptides?

  He looked up. There were some sharks around, but they were a bit far. They were mostly dark shapes further away in the briny sea, and even his improved perception had trouble making them out.

  I could back away. I could do nothing.

  The shark maneuvered itself to pick the fish. Its gills were a foot away. Facing him. Calling him.

  This is… too impulsive. Like chasing the turtle.

  He took another look around, mind in overdrive. Safety. Or levels and powers to get out of the ocean.

  The shark hung still as it bit and swallowed the fish, and Henry let himself drop.

  His arms spread under him and as soon as they touched the slick-smooth skin of the beast he activated his suckers.

  He expected it to immediately buck and swing… but it didn’t.

  I’m too light? Well, I’ll take it.

  Henry let two arms drop on top of the gills, one on each side, and readied himself. Every other arm was securing him to his prey’s back.

  The shark kept working its final meal down its gullet, and Henry used Bite. He bit down with as much strength as he could manage, activating the first two Razor Arms in quick succession as he shoved them into the shark’s gills.

  The shark violently twisted, spreading out a thick cloud of blood all over the area.

  Shitshitshit.

  The shark began to swim away, thrashing its head and blindly biting around. Henry’s own Bite barely got through the skin, and obviously it hadn’t reached the spine. But he still hung on, activating Razor Arms again once the skill had deactivated and continued scouring the shark’s gills. Darker blood surged, and suddenly water slammed into Henry as the world blurred all around him.

  The water pressure threatened to tear off his arms.

  It was barely two or three seconds, then the shark slowed and Henry’s heart dropped as he gazed around the infinite emptiness that spread all around him.

  The shark twitched once. Twice. Then it went still, blood still steaming out of its torn gills like smoke from a chimney.

  Henry looked behind, skin crawling. He looked down, and saw nothing but inky darkness.

  He could see a temporary skill notification at the edge of his vision, but he didn’t dare do anything.

  He couldn’t even tell which way was back.

  Light coalesced around the shark, and a bead of reddish-silver dropped in front of Henry’s arm. He immediately converted to Tokens and started swimming toward what he prayed was the direction they’d come from.

  He was pumping his arms, pushing water through his siphon when his worst fear came true.

  A bassy growl filled the ocean. Henry felt his insides literally squirm and vibrate along with it. It kept going, heralding whatever it was that lived here.

  Henry desperately looked at the temporary Skill he’d gotten from the shark and tried to activate it, but it didn’t work. He tried again, unsuccessfully. The darkness of the underwater world closed in on him, choking the light out of his mind.

  The ominous growl grew in intensity. It was getting closer.

  Henry had mana. There was an ache, but it wasn’t bad. Why wasn’t the new skill working?

  Please work...

  Some light appeared ahead. Rocks. The shallows.

  Henry chanced a look backward, and his heart stuttered.

  He could only see a vague outline. He couldn’t see the shark, but he felt the water move around. Buffeted by whatever that was.

  Henry swam as hard as his limbs could take him, ignoring the pain he could feel through them and through his siphon.

  He didn’t think it would work. But he managed to activate Identify when he saw the outline, and he didn’t like what he saw. Not one bit.

  [? (?) - Lvl ?]