Reincarnated as a Land Shark???

Chapter 11: Messing with the Local Wildlife

As the swarm leaves, I take a moment to do some research... in other words, spam my Status Inspection into the swarm.

Each status inspection comes back with the data of a very low-leveled Nanaue. The highest level amongst them is level 6, so far as I can tell with that brief scan. Maybe the higher level ones passed before I got the chance to scan, or swam higher up?

No, part of me thinks that this isn't a coincidence at all.

None of the other Nanaue have gotten to be quite as big as I am. When I study my own appearance, I can say that I'm well over ten feet long at this point, nearing the point of eleven feet but not quite hitting the threshold yet. Nanaue can get to be huge, and I've still got room left to grow.

Then there was another concerning factor I noticed.

The higher leveled Nanaue in the swarm that I managed to get a glimpse at all had the status of Starving. That means they really are running out of food. Cannibalism was highly likely in that case, as was the possibility that many Nanaue were starving to death before they could reach my own level.

Then why hunt on land? The sea has plentiful food...

Well, it wouldn't for long if they all started eating the reef creatures. I'm pretty sure that would deplete all the life here rather swiftly.

And then there's one other possible answer.

EXP.

In a massive swarm, Nanaue are highly dangerous. A large group of low-leveled Nanaue could easily overwhelm one high-leveled one in order to both devour it and gain its strength for themselves. That means that I am now a high priority target for lower leveled Nanaue if I'm caught up there.

That means the stakes are higher.

Nighttime consists of watching for a while before I fall asleep, and when I wake up I am, as usual, surrounded by other sharks.

Little Shark isn't back yet.

Immediately, worry fills me. Normally Little Shark is adamant about staying right by my side and getting back to it as soon as possible if it ever does get separated. If it went out in the swarm and didn't come back...

Little Shark is about level eight by now, nine if it managed to hunt anything.

I shake my head. I can't allow myself to think like that. I'm sure Little Shark will be back in no time.

But...

I'm still worried.

Now's as good a time as any to go back to the surface. If Little Shark is still up there... still alive up there, I'll find it.

I swim for the shore with purpose, managing to make it in record time. Probably because I'm higher leveled... my abilities increase every time I do, so it's no leap to imagine that my physical attributes like strength and speed do as well.

I explore around for a bit, finding bone fragments jutting out of the ground here and there. I don't need to use status inspection to know what they're from or how they got there.

This place... it seems even more barren than the last time I was here, but that may just be because I spent so much time in the reefs where it's teeming with life. Everything seems so much quieter...

Even the birds seem quiet today. I walk beneath the rustling pines, venturing further inland than I ever have before. My dryness resistance could use a bit of work, but the amount my water meter can contain is certainly helpful at keeping me going longer.