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After a long while, the notification sounds in Jack's ear finally stopped.
Jack realized he had earned over 60,000 gene points from hunting that group of megalodons—an unprecedented haul.
"So hunting exotic beasts is worth it," he murmured to himself.
What he had gained in just one night was equal to what he'd usually earn over a week or even half a month.
It was the perfect time to upgrade his genetic abilities.
Without wasting any time, Jack upgraded all his advanced subgenes to level 2, balancing internal and external enhancements, improving his body structure, and his special abilities.
"Open my status panel."
[Name]: Jack
[Age]: 11 months
[Race]: Indominus Rex (Male)
[Life Level]: Exotic
[Physical Data]: Length: 55 meters | Height: 27.5 meters | Weight: 6,500 tons
[Fused Genes]: Electric Ray, Box Jellyfish, Mantis Shrimp...
[Genetic Abilities]: Million Volts Lv2, Nerve Mist Lv2, Millisecond Attack Speed Lv2....
[Gene Points]: 150
After eating his fill, Jack left with the remaining megalodon carcasses.
He figured this small group was unlikely to be the only megalodons in the Pacific.
Many more prehistoric marine creatures were probably hidden beneath the thermocline near the Mariana Trench.
His next goal was simple: hunt more of these exotic beasts.
Not only would they satisfy his hunger, but they would also provide more gene points.
The thick scent of blood in the water had begun to attract other marine life.
A giant squid arrived, lured by the pungent smell.
It quickly discovered chunks of megalodon meat still scattered on the seabed—a rare feast—and began devouring them without hesitation.
But while it was eating, it failed to notice a massive black shadow silently approaching from behind.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, the seawater churned violently.
Several enormous tentacles shot forward and wrapped tightly around the unsuspecting squid.
When the squid realized it was under attack, it was too late.
The power in those tentacles was overwhelming.
No matter how much it struggled, it couldn't break free.
It could only watch helplessly as it was dragged toward the source of the tentacles.
As it got closer, the squid finally saw what had caught it—a giant octopus, but one unlike anything it had ever seen.
On its massive head were two eyes as large as bronze bells and a bloody maw lined with ring-shaped, knife-like teeth.
Pale yellow corrosive saliva dripped from its jaws, hissing and bubbling as it touched the surrounding seawater.
This monstrous octopus had more than a dozen powerful tentacles, each up to 100 meters long.
Their surfaces were covered in suction cups, and at the tip of each one was a fleshy, flower-like structure that opened to reveal a grotesque mouth lined with three layers of sharp fangs.
It was a nightmarish predator—far more terrifying than any normal octopus.
The terrifying face of the giant octopus was the last thing the giant squid saw before it died.
In the next moment, it was shoved into the monster's bloody maw and swallowed alive.
This giant octopus was no ordinary sea creature— Exotic beast.
It was linked to a top-secret file from the 2020s held by Monarch.
Back in 1998, a luxury cruise ship named Argonautica was sailing through the South China Sea.
(T/N: Deep Rising 1998 Movie)
On board were wealthy elites, surrounded by opulence—jewels, champagne, and high society.
But suddenly, the Argonautica was attacked by a deep-sea creature of unknown origin.
Most of the passengers were devoured.
Only a handful survived the carnage.
Monarch quickly launched an investigation after hearing of the disaster.
But by the time they arrived, the creature had vanished.
All they could learn came from the accounts of the traumatized survivors, who described a nightmarish monster with dozens of octopus-like tentacles.
This monster used its long, flexible limbs to hunt at will, wrapping around its victims and consuming them alive.
After feeding, it would spit out the bones.
The main hall of the cruise ship had become a bone-filled graveyard, a chilling and gruesome sight.
Monarch named the creature "Octalus".
Monarch theorized that this monster may have originated from Skull Island, an isolated region that houses ancient and monstrous species.
It was suspected that Octalus had escaped the island and found refuge in the vast Pacific.
However, since the creature never resurfaced, the file was gradually forgotten and eventually sealed in the archives.
No one realized that the Octalus had been hiding in the Pacific Ocean, growing, evolving, and silently becoming more powerful.
More than a decade later, it had grown to a truly monstrous size, far surpassing its former self.
After casually devouring the giant squid, the Octalus stirred its tentacles through the thick, blood-stained water, searching for something.
It found it.
Without hesitation, the Octalus turned and swam in the direction Jack had gone not long ago.
Jack was hunting strange beasts. But a strange beast was now hunting him.
Who would be the hunter, and who the prey? Only their eventual encounter would tell.
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One month later, in the Western Pacific.
Unknowingly, Jack had crossed the entire Pacific Ocean, traveling from the waters near Isla Nublar in the east to the seas of Southeast Asia in the west.
Over the past month, Jack had relentlessly searched for traces of exotic beasts.
And he found plenty: schools of megalodons, Basilosauruses, giant squids—even species long believed extinct.
But as Jack saw it, if they've already gone extinct once, they won't mind going extinct again.
So, he slaughtered them without hesitation.
In doing so, he unintentionally caused the second extinction of these ancient marine creatures.
The gene points he gained now exceeded 500,000.
With such a vast reserve, Jack's genetic abilities soared to a new level. All of his subgenes were now upgraded to Level 3.
Among his upgrades, the [Infinite Growth] trait from the Brachiosaurus gene had now reached Level 4, causing Jack's size to increase again.
His body length now exceeded 70 meters, his height stood at 35 meters, and his weight had surpassed 10,000 tons.
At this stage, Jack had officially entered the ranks of Titan-class monsters—a category generally reserved for creatures weighing over 10,000 tons.
[Ding! The host's current physical attributes have reached the upper limit of the current life level. Spend 100K gene points to complete life-level evolution.]
[Next stage: "Titan Rank"]
"Evolution!"
"I've finally reached the evolution threshold!" Jack exclaimed, energized and pleasantly surprised.
His next goal was clear: Continue accumulating gene points and push forward to the next stage of life evolution!