Chapter 92: Parasitic Gu Crystals
Clayne stared at the crystal lying on the floor while the mantis continued backing away from it as though it had just been offered something unpleasant.
The reaction alone was enough to confuse him because this was the same creature that would normally devour almost anything possessing even the slightest trace of spiritual energy.
Since hatching, it had behaved like a bottomless pit. Whether it was mutated beast crystals, insect crystals, spiritual remnants, or anything remotely edible, the mantis would happily consume it all before immediately asking for more.
Yet now it was rejecting a crystal. Not only rejecting it, but actively avoiding it. That was new.
The mantis immediately began making a series of clicking sounds.
"Krrrk." "Krrrk-krrrk." "Krrrk!"
The mental connection between them translated the meaning.
"Bad." "Not tasty." "Very bad."
Clayne blinked.
"Bad?"
The mantis nodded aggressively.
Then it pointed one of its blade-like arms toward the crystal.
"Bland." "No flavor." "No smell." "No life."
The creature paused before making an expression that somehow resembled disgust.
"Like eating rock."
Clayne picked up the crystal again and inspected it.
To him, it looked exactly the same as every other crystal he had collected. Spiritual energy was present. The structure looked stable. Nothing appeared unusual. Yet the mantis clearly disagreed.
"You can tell the difference?"
The mantis immediately puffed out its chest.
"Of course."
Its thoughts carried a tone of pride.
"Master weak nose." "Master weak tongue." "Master weak bug sense."
Clayne’s eye twitched. The little monster had become surprisingly bold.
The mantis continued complaining.
"The first one was good." "Very good." "Warm." "Alive." "Crispy." "Sweet." "Spicy." "Lightning." "Blood." "Everything."
Then it pointed toward the rejected crystal again.
"This one boring." "Dead." "Sleepy." "Like dirt."
Clayne stared at the crystal.
Then at the mantis. Then back at the crystal. The explanation made no sense to him.
Still, he trusted the creature’s instincts more than his own when it came to these matters.
Without wasting time, Clayne decided to test the theory. He looked at the crystals which obviously came from the animals and pulled one out. Then he tossed it toward the mantis.
The creature caught it. Chewed. Paused. Then immediately spat it out. Ptoo!
The crystal bounced off the floor.
The mantis looked offended.
"Bad."
Another crystal.
Crunch. Pause. Ptoo!
"Bad."
Another. Ptoo!
"Terrible."
Another. Ptoo!
"Boring."
Another. Ptoo!
"Waste of chewing."
Hours passed.
Clayne continued feeding crystals to the mantis.
The mantis continued rejecting most of them. Every rejection came with another complaint.
"No smell." "No blood." "No flavor." "No life." "No lightning." "No excitement." "No good."
At one point the mantis even looked personally insulted.
"Master trying poison me?"
"What?"
"No."
"Then why feeding me bad food?"
Clayne nearly threw the crystal at its head.
He was just testing.
The crystals the mantis hated all originated from ordinary mutated beasts.
Dogs. Cats. Birds. Rats.
Creatures empowered by the red mist.
Clayne knew the crystals his man enjoyed came from entirely different sources, he just wanted to test it. Now, he’s in the main dish.
The insect crystals.
Clayne’s eyes went serious.
Without hesitation, he dug through the remaining collection. Soon he took several insect crystals.
The moment he pulled them out, the mantis froze.
Its eyes widened. Its body trembled. Drool immediately began flowing.
"Oh." "Oh." "Oh."
The mental connection practically exploded.
"Good food." "Real food." "Master finally understand."
The mantis almost tackled him before he tossed the first crystal.
Snap. Gone.
The crystal disappeared into its mouth.
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
The creature visibly shivered.
Then another. And another. And another. The mantis practically danced around the room.
"Good." "Very good." "Wonderful." "Amazing." "Best day."
Its thoughts became increasingly childish.
"Hungry happy." "Stomach happy." "Everything happy." "More please." "More more more."
Clayne continued feeding it.
The insect crystals vanished one after another. Every crystal caused the mantis to become happier. Its crimson shell grew brighter.
Its aura became denser. Spiritual fluctuations continuously leaked from its body.
Yet it kept eating. And eating. And eating.
The entire scene reminded Clayne of a child discovering candy for the first time.
Eventually, the final insect crystal disappeared.
For the first time since he met it, the mantis actually stopped asking for more.
Instead, it sat down.
Then it patted its stomach.
Then it released a satisfied clicking noise.
"Krrr..."
The translated thought entered Clayne’s mind.
"Full."
The word almost sounded proud.
Clayne stared.
"You can get full?"
The mantis nodded.
"Very full." "Extremely full." "Never been this full."
Then it yawned.
The sight looked absurd considering it was a giant predatory monster.
Before Clayne could say anything else, something changed.
The atmosphere became strange. The air grew heavier. A familiar sensation spread throughout the surroundings.
Clayne immediately recognized it.
The red mist.
At first it emerged from cracks in the ground like thin strands. Barely noticeable. Then more appeared. And more. And more. Soon the entire floor was covered of it.
The mist crawled toward the mantis. The creature remained completely still. The red mist flowed around its body. Then into its body. Then more followed. The amount became astonishing.
Streams of red mist converged from every direction.
They resembled rivers. The mantis sat motionless. Its eyes slowly closed. Its body stopped moving entirely. The aura around it began growing. Then growing again. Then growing even further.
Clayne stood up.
His attention was completely focused. Something was happening. Something important. The red mist continued pouring into the mantis. The creature’s body gradually hardened.
Its shell darkened. Its movements ceased.
Soon it looked less like a living creature and more like a statue.
A crimson statue. The process continued for several minutes. Then the first crack appeared.
A faint sound echoed through the room.
Crack.
Another followed.
Crack.
Then another.
Crack.
The shell covering the mantis began breaking apart. Long fractures spread across its entire body. Spiritual energy surged outward. The red mist became increasingly violent.
Clayne’s eyes widened.
The pressure radiating from the creature had already surpassed what it possessed before. Then a larger crack formed. Part of the shell broke away. Something emerged.
Not the old mantis.
Something new.
More shell fragments fell.
The creature inside slowly revealed itself. Its body remained mantis-like. Its limbs remained sharp. Its crimson armor remained. Yet its appearance had clearly changed.
Most noticeably, its head no longer resembled an ordinary mantis.
The shape had transformed. The structure had elongated. Two horn-like protrusions curved backward.
Its eyes glowed with intelligence.
Its face now resembled that of a dragon. Not a true dragon. Yet undeniably draconic.
The final pieces of shell shattered.
The transformed creature stepped forward. A wave of spiritual energy swept through the room.
The red mist vanished. The creature opened its eyes. For the first time, its voice entered the mental connection with complete clarity.
No childish excitement. No endless hunger. No simplistic thoughts. Only satisfaction.
The creature stretched its body slowly.
Then a deep thought echoed within Clayne’s mind.
"Finally..."
The dragon-headed mantis looked down at its new body.
Its eyes gleamed.
Then it released a long breath.
And Clayne heard it clearly.
"Finally, I don’t feel weak anymore."
The transformed mantis stood motionless after those words left its mouth, yet the atmosphere inside the room continued changing around it. The red mist that had flooded the entire floor moments ago had completely disappeared, as though every last trace had been devoured during the transformation. Even the air felt different. Clayne could sense it immediately. The creature before him was no longer the same newborn mantis that had followed him around while constantly begging for food.
At first glance, its body still retained the characteristics of a mantis. The crimson armor covering its frame remained sharp and elegant. Its blade-like forearms still possessed the deadly curves capable of slicing through monsters and buildings alike. However, everything else had undergone a profound change.
The creature now stood taller.
Longer. More imposing.
The draconic features around its head gave it a predatory majesty that it previously lacked. Small crimson horns curved backward along its skull. The compound eyes that once held only instinctive hunger now carried intelligence. Genuine intelligence.
Most striking of all was the aura.
Before, the mantis felt like a dangerous beast.
Now, it felt like a ruler among beasts.
The creature slowly stretched its body. Cracking sounds echoed from its joints. Thin streams of crimson spiritual energy escaped from gaps between its armor before dissolving into the air. Each movement carried a sense of explosive power that made even Clayne’s heart skip a beat.
Then the mantis looked at him.
Not upward. Not toward some distant point. Directly at him. The feeling was strange.
For the first time since taming the creature, Clayne felt as though he was looking at someone capable of holding a proper conversation.
The mantis lowered its head slightly.
"Master."
The voice transmitted through their connection sounded clearer than before. The childish excitement remained, but it was no longer overwhelming. The words carried coherence.
Clayne blinked.
"You can speak properly now?"
