As days turned to nights, and two weeks passed, the [Reincarnated] Sorceress still found itself forced to devour leaves. For the grip of starvation on its fragile mind hadn't loosened even a bit, courtesy of its cursed birth.

[Title [Hungry] forces its bearer to eat continuously, allowing experience gain from consuming food. Title restricted to a single Vessel. Lost upon Evolution.]

Meanwhile, the [Immortal] caterpillar had distracted itself by observing its surroundings, leading to some interesting discoveries.

The very first of which was the moon, which behaved quite differently than what the [Reincarnated] Sorceress remembered. The heavenly body danced across the sky, hopping from one direction to another each night, seemingly senselessly.

And as it danced, the Moon changed its colours to paint the world in three different illuminations: the pale white, the brilliant azure and the fresh green of the newborn leaf.

'This isn't my world...' Its long-held suspicions had been confirmed by the dancing moon. 'Does my world even exist anymore? Sundered it was. Annihilated.'

The other thing it had observed was the forest the [Hungry] caterpillar was born in.

All around it, colossal trees rose to the sky, bearing huge, flat leaves infested with caterpillars. While the slightly slanted ground was littered with fallen leaves, shrubs and the newfound growth of seasonal plants, all of which seemed akin to the tallest trees from its original world.

This allowed the [Reincarnated] Sorceress to conclude that the forest of her birth, while located in hilly terrain, was one of those that shed their leaves once a year.

None of that mattered at the moment, however, as the [Immortal] caterpillar was awakened by the feeling of its backside ready to burst.

The [Reincarnated] Sorceress took a slow, groggy moment to figure out that it had to shit. It hurriedly stretched its bulbous body and moved its countless stubs before heading for the leaf that it had designated as its toilet.

'Did caterpillars shat back home?' It couldn't help but ponder as it went about its rather frequent business. Its beady eyes stared off in the distance as it pondered over such an important question.

'Huh, something so utterly trivial seems so important now...' the [Hungry] caterpillar thought, its body drooping. 'But back then, such a useless question might have incurred severe punishment, just because it would have annoyed the warden.'

'Soul. That was all that had mattered, hadn't it? From being kidnapped to my conscription, everything had been about Soul.' A weary sigh escaped from the [Immortal] caterpillar's insectoid jaws. 'But now, all that research is lost. Erased. Gone. Forever.'

At that moment, with a satisfying pop, the last globule of faeces left its body and the [Hungry] pest cleaned its butt on the designated leaf before making its way to the one it had been eaten the day before.

It lowered its head and began nibbling.

Yet, its thoughts kept on returning to its previous life. 'At least back then, there was something to look forward to. But what do I have now? A mere seventy-six days of life?'

The [Hungry] pest laughed but only a choking sound escaped its jaws. 'I can't even return. Is there anything to even return to?'

Annihilated. Sundered. Erased. Dead.

'What should I live for...?' The [Immortal] Caterpillar couldn't help but think. '...should I even live?' The [Reincarnated] Sorceress sighed before it shook its green, bulbous body.

'Happy thoughts! Think happy thoughts!' It scolded itself before recalling its new, pointless achievement to take hollow joy in. 'Level 15. I achieved it, didn't I? Yes, I did. Even my HP rose to [HP: 20/20], quadrupling. Yay! Great! I can survive more damage now. Wow!'

Or at least that was what it understood from the blue screen's explanation.

'At least it is helpful,' the [Reincarnated] Sorceress thought. Chewing still, it summoned its Status to glare at [Hungry]. 'I still don't want it though.'

'Just you wait, dumb little thing. I'll get rid of you as soon as I evolve,' It puffed up its tiny green body before promptly biting down into the leaf once again. 'At that time, I'll even get my magic back as an evolved [Immortal]. I'll show you my might then!'

The [Immortal] caterpillar paused nibbling on the tasteless leaf to let out a sigh of satisfaction before changing to the blue screen listing its Skill.

[Crawl Lv.2] [Molting Lv.1] [Poison Resistance Lv.5] [Venom Creation Lv.1]

'I even raised my speed, raising [Crawl] to Level 2!' It told itself. 'Not a Level 1 anymore! Ha!' Its eyes then fell on [Poison Resistance], which had started at Level 5 from the very beginning. 'Perhaps, it is to guard against stupidity.' The [Hungry] pest idly mused. 'To Save moronic caterpillars from their own damn venom.'

All the while, the [Reincarnated] Sorceress didn't find anything odd with its rapidly fluctuating emotions. A sign of its mind's fragility.

At that moment, the [Reincarnated] Sorceress heard a strange fluttering sound and it paused its nibbling to look around before its gaze turned upwards.

In an instant, the [Immortal] caterpillar's elongated body froze and its blood chilled. The tiny creature had come face to face with its natural predator.

Hopping in between branches was a brown, oddly fat bird with a flat, yellow beak and dark, soulless eyes. The calamity was about as large as the palm of an adult mortal but to the tiny caterpillar, it might as well have been colossal.

After all, the caterpillar was only as long as the first two knuckles of a mortal's pinky finger.

The unknown bird hopped once again, moving from one caterpillar to another before gulping down its prey in a single swoop.

The [Reincarnated] Sorceress trembled, its body stiff.

It wasn't as if the [Immortal] caterpillar hadn't seen such predators since its rebirth. It had but from afar. It had seen this very bird flying around this area every day for the past two weeks.

It had even seen critters such as rabbits and mice lurking about, but its failing mind had failed to make the connection between prey and itself.

However, the close encounter had broken such delusion. Especially when the calamity had slurped the caterpillar's brethren like freshly cooked noodles.

The [Hungry] pest’s green body trembled as it tore its terrified eyes away from the rapidly approaching death.

Without thinking, the [Immortal] caterpillar began crawling to escape. For what else could a caterpillar do, [Immortal] or not?

However, no matter how much its speed had increased due to [Crawl]’s new Level, the Skill remained [Crawl]. It couldn’t help the [Reincarnted] Sorceress escape its death.

The fright-stricken caterpillar’s breath hitched while its body uncontrollably trembled. Its instincts kicked in to overwhelm the pest with the desire to just flee.

The fight or flight options didn't exist. The creature could only flee and the [Reincarnated] Sorceress obeyed its instinct like a meek little slave. It let go of the leaf, falling off the colossal tree.

The wind rushed past the [Immortal] pest and the weightlessness captured it for merely a few moments before disorientation consumed its mind and it hit something with a resounding smack.

Yet, it continued to fall, for it had merely hit a shrub.

Thus, as it continued to fall, its body struck one thing after another, scratching and bruising its soft flesh. However, small as it was, the pest wasn’t hurt much.

However, as the [Immortal] caterpillar's body grazed past the tip of a thorn, it was left with a small, ugly wound in its green flesh, making it wince in pain.

And then the [Reincarnated] Sorceress hit another thorn. And then another.

The [Immortal] caterpillar was falling through a particularly thorny shrub.

With its body trembling, both in absolute terror and burning pain, the [Reincarnated] pest hastily turned back towards the plant, only to find the bird… devouring the rest of its brethren with no mercy.

The yellow bird was gobbling down every single caterpillar in the sight. One after another, the escaping caterpillars disappeared into its beak.

The [Reincarnated] Sorceress momentary lost control of its stubs, while its fragile mind processed the unrestrained slaughter.

'Kill or be Killed.' The [Hungry] pest remembered the words the blue screen had defined this world as when the caterpillar had summoned it for the expiation of the term ‘Experience’.

[Immortals live in the world of Kill or be Killed. Experience is what is gained by killing other living creatures.]

'...is this bird, an [Immortal] as well?' It shivered at the thought, and its breathing hitched.

Without wasting even a moment more, the [Immortal] caterpillar rapidly turned away from the carnage, and almost let out a screech. The wounds from earlier had made themselves known.

Yet, the [Hungry] bug had no choice. It winced and clamped its jaws, as it forced its body to search for safety.

The carnage above had incentivised the creature and soon, its eyes fell on a pile of dry leaves.

The [Reincarnated] Sorceress moved towards the shade the pile of leaves offered, wincing and biting back pained screeches.

However, the creature was a caterpillar with the Skill, [Crawl]; the distance covered by it was pathetic.

At that moment, one after another, caterpillars began falling from the tree to escape their fates. Those that remained, on the other hand, continued to be decimated.

Meanwhile, on the ground below, the [Immortal] caterpillar's trembling body grew hotter with each rustle of leaves, fearing the descent of the monster above.

Nonetheless, the pathetically slow bug continued to crawl forward, shivering and quivering.

Its agonised but unimpeded march allowed it to barely make it to shade before the [Hungry] pest heard a strong flutter of wings, followed by the muted thuds.

Death had descended.

The [Reincarnated] Sorceress' rapid breathing halted and its trembling body froze in utter terror. Dread consumed the bug, but only for a moment before its blood raced, breaking it out of its stupor.

The [Hungry] pest hurriedly shoved its head into the soft ground, biting into the dirt.

As was natural, the dry ground resisted its tiny teeth, but the [Immortal] caterpillar forced its jaws close, causing its muscles to protest in agony.

Yet, giving up was not an option as death danced its ugly dance behind it.

The [Hungry] caterpillar continued through the pain and the agony but, then, the creature felt something give in. It wasn't just the earth that had given in, but also its muscles, causing the agony to become unbearable.

Yet, it couldn't give up. Death still stalked the [Hungry] pest's path.

With a mouthful of dirt blocking its airways, the [Reincarnated] Sorceress screeched in pain as it pulled back before spitting the dirt out.

Ting.

[Skill [Pain Resistance Lv.1] granted.]

Only to slam its face into the dirt once again.

Terrified and in torturous pain, the [Immortal] caterpillar hastily repeated the process as muted thumps approached it.

Ting.

[Skill [Pain Resistance Lv.1] has levelled up to [Pain Resistance Lv.2]. Continuous damage caused by pain is decreased by 2 points.]

Small as the bug was, soon it dug a hole large enough for its tiny body to fill in.

Working through the pain and the hurt, the [Hungry] pest managed to shove itself down the hole, with its face buried in soft mud and its backside exposed to the world.

Exhausted, injured and hurting, the [Reincarnated] Sorceress suffered through terrible emotional turmoil, testing the limits of its fragile mind.

Yet, it couldn't give up. It was still vulnerable.

It had no way to hide its backside hanging out in the air. But it was out of its wits. It couldn't think of a place to hide.

Thump. Thump.

It felt the muted thumps; the dying vibrations of sharp claws. They were close.

Hidden within its tiny hidey-hole, the caterpillar's shivering intensified as fear strengthened its hold on the little vermin. Even its bowels moved in fear.

And then it hit the worm. 'Shit! The answer is shit! I just have to shit! I can do that. Yes, I can!'

So, it shat. Working through pulsing bolts of pain, and persistent horror, it excreted. It shat all over its backside.

And when it was done, it wiggled its ass to shake the mound of insect refuse, spreading it out. Some of it even fell further into the hole, getting stuck to its body.

It would have been unbearably filthy if it had not been the method that was saving its life. The creature knew it was covered in refuse –rolling in it, even- but it couldn't bring itself to care.

'Shit and shit all around! There's enough, quite abound!' A merry rhyme popped up in its cracking mind at that moment. 'Roll, roll, roll in it! Filthy vermin's fate it is!'

Thump. Thump.

The humongous bird moved and the [Reincarnated] Sorceress felt the distance between them decrease further. Its breadth hitched and body chilled.

Thump. Thump.

The claws came closer and the trembling [Immortal] caterpillar's beady, black eyes darted across the dark hole. 'Is there anything else? Anything?' It thought, summoning its Skill list and its desperate gaze locked onto a particular Skill. 'I have it! I do!'

[Allows creation of venom that does a base damage of 5 HP/minute. The effect of the venom lasts for minutes equal to the level of the Skill. The effects of the venom stack. Increase the potency of the venom and increase base damage per 10 levels of this skill.]

'[Venom Creation]!' The terrified [Immortal] screeched in panic. '[Venom Creation]! [Venom Creation]!'

No sooner had the [Hungry] pest used the Skill, than the venom began to ooze out of its pores, from all over its body. The fine hair on its green elongated body became wet as its shit covered skin was moistened.

But the [Reincarnated] Sorceress didn't stop. Instead, it cursed at the limitations on the Skill to distract itself. ‘Who decides these shitty rules? Why does the potency of the venom increase only per 10 levels of the Skill? Why not with each Level?! And why does the venom's potency even depend upon [Poison Resistance]?! What kind of madness is this?!’

However, the cursing failed to achieve its goal. 'It would work, wouldn't it? It would. It had to. It should, yes!' It couldn't help but think before its gaze suddenly hardened. 'If it doesn't then let's be reborn again, stupid bird. Let's die together!'

Breathing shakily, the [Reincarnated] Sorceress tried to calm itself. 'Everything that could be done has been done,' the quivering pest told itself and its body gradually calmed down. 'If I still die, then I die. This life wasn't meant to be mine regardless...'

The [Hungry] bug smiled in satisfaction, making peace with its approaching death.

Thump. Thump.

The bird came closer but the [Reincarnated] Sorceress cared not for the approaching death.

Or so it told itself.

Thump. Thump.

It felt the bird standing right over its mound of shit, which made it feel the certainty of its death.

The bird paused over the hole and the [Immortal] caterpillar almost vomited in terror. It didn't know if the bird would look past the shit and poison. It hoped the calamity would. It prayed it would.

To whom it prayed, even the [Reincarnated] Sorceress didn't know.

Thump. Thump.

The bird passed it over, yet it held its breath.

It did not move.

It could not move.

It dared not move.

At that moment, it heard a flutter of wings as the bird flew away.

The [Immortal] caterpillar remained hidden in its shit. 'I ...survived? Me? That happened, didn't it? It did, yes. So, I ...survived. Me.' A shaky breath escaped it before its jaws chittered lightly in joy.

'I survived! I am alive!' It tried to laugh again and gasped. It gasped again as its shivering finally slowed and the pain that it had been ignoring finally caught up to it. 'Just you wait, damned bird! When I get my magic back, I'll roast you with spices over an open flame! Just you wait for me to evolve, ugly bastard!'

However, this was the same [Reincarnated] Sorceress who had been contemplating the point of its existence earlier. And now, this was also the same [Immortal] caterpillar that had done its very best to survive. The dissonance between its thoughts and actions was lost on the little fellow.

A sign of its unravelling mind.

None of that mattered to the [Hungry] bug as its multiple wounds pulsed, shooting down bolds of pain across its green body.

The [Reincarnated] Sorceress shuddered before it breathed deeply and checked its HP, which was at [HP: 11/20]. 'It should work now, shouldn't it?' It thought, summoning the description of the Skill which it wanted to employ.

[Ability to shed the exoskeleton/skin and come out as new. Cost depends on the size of being.]

Nodding to itself, it gingerly thought, '[Moulting].' However, no sooner had the [Hungry] activated the Skill, than the creature’s HP was reduced by another 10 points, leaving it at the death's door with [HP: 1/20]. 'Oh, shi-'

-X-

Within a desolate desert, inside a dilapidated shop, on a simple chair, a youth seemingly slept.

-X-

Name: Unnamed

Race: Immortal

Species: Insect

Vessel: Caterpillar

Level: 15

HP: 20/20 MP: -

HPR: 2/Day MPR: -

Lifespan: 76 days

Titles

[Hungry] [Reincarnated]

Skills

[Crawl Lv.2] [Moulting Lv.2] [Pain Resistance Lv.2] [Poison Resistance Lv.5] [Venom Creation Lv.2]