Alexia

I completely ignore the idea of jumping around this annoying gravity-distorted mess of platforms by teleporting through them instead. Which makes it a bit easier to deal with the monsters.

Monsters that are in the form of strange scorpions. Ones with three tails, two of which are tipped by stingers and the third an eyeball for some reason.

The scorpions have scales covering their entire bodies that look almost like obsidian, with a strange and sickly looking red liquid dripping from their stingers. And on top of that, they aren't very friendly with each other and are actually attacking each other when they meet.

But what is most bizarre about the creatures isn't any of that.

It's the fact that these scorpions do not have mouths.

I tilt my head as I teleport around the creatures – creatures that are at least fifty levels above me – to study them. But when I see one of them stinging another, I immediately begin to back away and decide to attack them from a distance if I do at all.

Because when the red venom in the stinger enters the other scorpion's body, it immediately begins to warp the creature's body around the stinger. Almost like space was distorting or as if the scorpion's body was being warped and forcefully altered by gravity or something.

All while the scorpion itself screams its little heart out in pain.

Which I'm also confused about, seeing as it has no mouth. So I'm not too sure how it's screaming.

Other than their venom's effect on the other scorpions, I surprisingly find that it also effects the land around them. Meaning it's more poison than venom.

Also it doesn't seem to affect themselves. Even when their poison drips onto their own scales.

It's only when it drips onto other scorpions' scales that it works.

These certainly are bizarre creatures…

Their sight also seems to be rather limited since they only have one eye. Even if they're able to move said eye all around since it's on the end of their tail. Letting them see all around themselves with the eye so long as they move it to see.

As for the eyeball's color?

It's red and purple.

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And glowing.

I'm honestly starting to wonder what sort of creature the boss of this place is if these little monsters are like this…

My little study session is interrupted when one of the scorpions finally finishes off the one it was battling and turns its attention towards me. At which point it somehow screams again – yes, screams, not screeches – before rushing at me like a mad… like a mad-scorpion. Just moving like a berserker and destroying everything it touches while flailing some of its limbs around.

And the thing is fast. So fast I can't see the movements of its tails with my bare eyes.

Although the rest of it is only half as fast as its tails. Even if it's still fast.

The only reason I manage to dodge its stingers – which both stab straight towards me in a blur of movement – is because I teleport away before the thing can even make it within range of stinging me. Leading to the thing stinging the ground instead of me.

I grit my teeth at the sight of the ground warping around where the stingers landed. Then I teleport up into space before beginning to blast the creature with bolts of quantum energy.

Which doesn't really serve to do much when the most that happens is some faint glitching on the edges of its scales. Without doing any real damage.

Except for my last bolt, which manages to hit its eye.

And makes its eye explode in the process, following which the creature screams in pain and begins moving at random. Clearly having gone blind without its eye.

Good. That should make this fight a lot…

My thoughts trail off when the other scorpions nearby stop fighting amongst themselves and immediately rush over to this scorpion to begin dogpiling it.

Or is it scorpionpiling it?

Either way, the other scorpions begin tearing it apart with abandon. And soon enough, the poor thing is dead.

I glare at the other scorpions who just stole my kill. Only for said scorpions to all begin rushing at me while ignoring each other. Almost like they're angry at me for something.

Incredibly angry.

Um, so is destroying a scorpions' eyeball considered taboo in scorpionland or something?

I wish they had a sign saying that…

And with that brief thought, I immediately turn myself around – figuratively, of course – and begin teleporting away without hesitation. With all of the scorpions chasing after me.

But it doesn't end there as more and more scorpions begin to join the chase as I continue teleporting away. Except that these scorpions begin attacking the ones chasing me, turning this whole parade of scorpions into a complete mess.

While I run, I make sure to keep an eye on the scorpions in search of any sort of weakness in them. Because they have to have some weakness.

Other than their eyeball that makes other scorpions hate you for destroying it.

Even their eyeball didn't do much other than blind them though. Unless I somehow shoot quantum energy into their bodies through the place the eyeball was at or something.

Something else that's bothering me about this place is that there are no other monsters here in sight besides the scorpions.

Normally there are at least a few different types of monsters. But nope. This place only has scorpions.

Insane ones at that, in my opinion.

I continue teleporting away for at least an hour while the scorpions rampage behind me and kill each other, but no matter how many die, I don't get any credit for their deaths. So I don't get any EXP. Seeing as I'm not actually hurting any of them in any major way.

One plan after another enters my mind for how to deal with them, but none of them really have much chance of doing anything.

Except maybe going wild and just destroying all of their eyeballs and seeing what happens.

The only silver lining about all of this is that I at least don't see any piranhas nearby.