BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

The serpent struck with terrifying speed. Erik threw himself to the side, feeling the rush of air as massive jaws snapped shut where he stood a moment before.

The momentum sent him crashing hard into the concrete wall, his shoulder taking the brunt of the impact. He barely had time to register the pain before he rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding a second lightning-fast strike.

[Why didn't you warn me earlier?!] Erik asked the biological supercomputer. That was all he could think about while dodging another attack that splintered the concrete where his head had been.

[I can only detect them when they channel mana!] the system said as Erik backpedaled down the corridor.

[All creatures leak mana when attacking with their brain crystals. This one consciously controlled its flow to stay hidden. It understood how to counter detection. It deliberately suppressed its mana until the moment it attacked. By then, it was already within striking distance!]

Erik shivered. This creature wasn't just a thaid from Mur, with all its strength implications. Its attacks and mana suppression showed an unsettling level of intelligence.

Whether that was because of evolution, adaptation, or brain crystal powers, it had developed specialized hunting tactics that made it a perfect predator in these concrete ruins. It wasn't just a mindless monster.

The creature's head weaved back and forth, its eyes tracking Erik's movements. Venom dripped from its fangs, sizzling where it hit the floor. Unlike the mindless aggression Erik expected from thaids, this predator didn't look mindless.

Erik's blood ran cold at this realization. He wasn't facing some mere beast—this was an evolved predator that had learned to hunt in these ruins.

What was worse was that the creature didn't waste energy on wild lunges or frustrated thrashing when its strikes missed. Instead, it held its ground, blocking Erik's escape while pressing him with fast attacks he had trouble avoiding.

[This thing is smart!]

The corridor suddenly felt much narrower, and the shadows much deeper. How many others had this creature hunted through these halls? How many had it followed, undetected even to this beast?

<We are in trouble!>

However, the thaid suddenly pulled back, as if something happened or the creature had an idea of the sort. Its large body sliding away in a matter of seconds. Erik blinked in surprise—retreat wasn't typical thaid behavior, not when it had the upper hand.

"What the—"

[Don't let it get away!] Erik didn't make the biological supercomputer repeat itself twice and started chasing the monster.

The problem was that he was playing in the creature's home, and having knowledge of the place, of all its nooks and crannies, it meant it gained distance with each second. Not only that, but the creature moved with incredible agility, its long body flowing around corners and through doorways like liquid water.

[This thing moves like it's got a GPS map of the building installed in its brain. I'd be impressed if I wasn't so concerned.]

<Yeah, it most likely lived here for years!>

[Which raises an unsettling question. Since the way it moves suggests knowledge of every turn, every corridor, could it be that…?]

What the system implied was that this thing might have killed and eaten Erik's friends. But in truth, that was unlikely. A Chimaeric Demon might have been killed from it, but there was no way that a bunch of them, even five of them, failed to find and kill it.

<Let's not think about it… What do we do?>

[We kill it.]

The serpent's tail vanished around another corner, but Erik quickly took it.

Erik was struck by how fast the creature moved. During their fight, its strikes had been precise but slower than this. As if it had been holding back until now.

The contrast was jarring enough to make Erik hesitate for a split second. Was this a strategy? Was the creature trying to lure him deeper into the ruins where it might have an even greater advantage? Or did striking with those massive fangs simply require more control, limiting its speed during attacks?

The fact that the thaid was apparently planning its moves sent chills down Erik's spine. Thaids were supposed to be instinct-driven beasts, not tactical minds.

If thaids on Mur were not only stronger than those on Mannard but were even evolving to become smarter, it would make them incomparably dangerous.

A thaid that could plan ambushes, set traps, and adapt its hunting strategies was a terrifying prospect that could reshape the entire power dynamic of this world.

Erik gritted his teeth. It didn't matter—he couldn't let this thing survive. Whatever its limitations or strategies, he had to end this thing. Even if it meant following it into what could very well be a trap. Yet Erik was losing ground.

[The creature is escaping!]

<I know that, there is no need to remind me!>

Erik pushed himself to run faster, but the beast's serpentine form gave it a tremendous advantage in the confined space. Where Erik had to dodge debris and navigate tight turns, the creature simply flowed through openings like water.

[Looks like we have gotten ourselves into quite a HISS-y situation!]

"Are you seriously making jokes right now?!" Erik snapped, struggling to keep the creature's tail in sight as it disappeared around another corner.

[Sorry, couldn't resist.]

<If you have the itch, analyze that thing as soon as it is in range!>

[Will do!]

By the time Erik reached the next intersection, the creature had disappeared. Only small marks in the dust showed where its scales had scraped the floor.

"FUCK!"

<Where did it go?> Erik scanned the corridors, the alcoves, the surrounding rooms, and even the shadows, but the creature disappeared, and its concrete-colored scales made it nearly impossible to spot at a distance. Besides, Erik didn't know what brain crystal power that thing had.

Based on what Erik saw, it had some kind of venomous ability, and maybe a camouflaging one that allowed it to blend into the surroundings. Maybe the concrete color of its skin resulted from such a power. But Erik couldn't know for certain, and he wasn't even sure his logic was right.

<Something was wrong with this beast.>

[You don't say? Duh. Anyway, I'm not detecting any mana signatures,] the system said. [It's suppressing its power again.]

<Motherfucker…>

The system wouldn't be certain Erik was referring to the thaid or to itself if it wasn't for its ability to read its mind, telling it he was actually referring to the AI.

[Am I this insufferable to you?]

<You are a fucking idiot!>

Erik cursed more and more. Not only because of the biological supercomputer but also because the beast had turned this hunt around completely from predator to prey and back again, moving through its territory with the confidence of a longtime resident.

<Can you give me a hand? Don't you have some kind of function that would help us find the thing?> Erik asked, keeping his voice low as he scanned the shadows. Instability should have worked, but for some reason, the creature wasn't even thinking. It was like it shut off its thoughts and stopped even being conscious to reach a perfect hiding state.

Erik had many alternatives to turn that situation, but most of them would involve bombing this place. The problem was that Erik had to be careful about using his powers inside the building, and he knew it.

Bombing the place would mean weakening the building more, with the risk that it could collapse on top of him. Sure, he could survive thanks to Telekinesis or Absolute Wall, but if he destroyed the place just to kill a thaid, he wouldn't know if his friends passed from here. He would lose all his clues.

"Damn…"

He actually had some ideas on what to do and searched for the biological supercomputer's confirmation.

[We should find a defensible position and use Phantom Veil,] the system said. [The illusions might draw it out, and invisibility will give us an advantage. But...]

<But?> Erik hoped it wasn't going to say what he feared.

[This creature has already shown unusual hunting capabilities. It might have multiple ways to track prey—vibrations, heat, and scent. We can't assume invisibility alone will protect us.]

Both the system and Erik didn't know how close they were to the truth.

<Shit…> That was exactly what Erik was thinking.

Erik considered using his offensive powers. <What if I just blast this whole section with wind blades? Do you think the building would stand?>

[Unlikely, besides, even if it would have resisted, you would have just risked it,] the system said. [Even a single millimeter away from the right point to strike, and the entire building might collapse. Besides, if the others are somewhere in this building, you could bring the whole structure down on them. That kind of destruction would likely attract every predator within kilometers.]

The system paused. [Take also into account that if you leave this place, the creature won't chase you. This building is clearly its hunting ground. If we leave the building, it will simply stay here. These specialized predators rarely abandon their territory, especially when that territory gives them such advantages.]

Erik weighed their options. Staying meant facing an intelligent predator in its own domain, but leaving meant abandoning the search for his companions. Neither choice felt right.