I-, um, evolution? As in… natural selection? Survival of the fittest? Look, um, box in my head, with all that moss I ate, I feel more fat than fit, ha-ha. Is this-,

No, wait!! Okay, okay. I’m a larva. Just a lil’ guy, right? Eating moss?

Well, what do larva become?? Cocoons! And then, they become, like, well, some become butterflies and some become moths but you get the gist. I’m not sure if that should be called evolution, though. More like… “another stage of life”?

But-, but isn’t this too quickly?? Sure my level got to max, whatever that means, but shouldn’t caterpillars at least live a few more days before they dig a hole or form a cocoon?

I guess… this really is some sort of weird fantasy world, huh? Doesn’t feel like it is, but here we are. Evolution…

If it means I don’t have to be the same as these moss-eating munchers I can’t even see, I guess…

“Yes?”

Choose your next (EVOLUTION)

Cave Dweller (E)

A troublesome mob, often found in large swarms in deep caves. A life spent in darkness has rendered these plights on mankind blind. Can spit acid from up to ten feet away, about two feet in sizes. Evolves into the far deadlier Death Crawler.

Moss Pupa (F)

The pupa of a Moss Eating Larva. If allowed to form fully, it will hatch into a Cave Flower Suckling, whose wings can be harvested into pain-soothing powder. The Moss Pupa can be ground into a powder as well, but the effect of this powder is much weaker.

Lightworm (F-)

A small, light-emitting worm.

Larvae Eating Larva (F+)

You have fulfilled special requirements

An innocuous worm which feeds upon its fellow brethren. Possesses a powerful bite attack that can render most members of the (LARVA) species immobile or dead. Outside of this specialization, it falls short, as its neurotoxin only works on worms.

I-,, that is a lot of information to take in. Cave Dweller, Moss Pupa, Larvae Eating Larva, Lightwo-,

Light?!? As in-, as in the shining bright kind?? So that I can see????

Oh god oh fuck yes.

Then… then again, I do have to think here for a second. Y’know, about the other ones. There’s a letter after all the names, so I’m guessing that’ how strong they all are? With that Cave Dweller one being the strongest…

And the light one being the weakest.

Well, uh, I… I don’t really care about being strong-? I know Chuck would have cared loads about being super powerful and all, but I just don’t see a good reason. I want… I want to see. And not because I’m scared of the dark!

Hell, the Cave Dweller can’t even see! Acid attacks my ass, how am I supposed to shoot anything if I can’t see shit??

Yeah, no, I ain’t going blind for an E rating.

...Wait, I didn’t have a rank before. And the lowest rank here is F-, which really sounds like the very lowest score possible.

Does that mean I currently don’t even have a score?...

The Moss Pupa even said it’s main usage was being ground up into medicine… Maybe I’m just such a low creature that I’m not even a threat? Not that I want to be a threat or anything. Being a threat sounds like a bad idea, because…

It’s not like I want to, y’know, have friends here or anything, and I’m certainly not lonely, but… a friend might be nice. Like a human one? Well, not a friend, since I’ve never had a friend or anything. Just someone to talk to.

Hum, if I don’t want to be dangerous, I guess that’s another point for the good option. Then again, if this world is dangerous, being just a little dangerous might be good? The description of the cave one did say there were a lot of them, so it’s safe to assume that it could easily make a meal out of the light one. And it’s not even that strong!

...But I don’t want to be a cannibal. Sure, worms are worms, but if I’m a worm too it’ll feel a little too weird.

All of these options are pretty trash, but… Yeah.

Are you ready to (EVOLVE)?

Yeah, um, Lightworm. I choose Lightworm.

Your (EVOLUTION) will now commence

Right, guess that’s-, bZZ

A hefty shudder runs up and down the entire length of my squishy body, every nerve and tendon I have spasming up and relaxing all at once. My legs stiff up and collapse from under me, and I roll onto my side, happy I’m not lying on rocks since I might scratch up my soft body if I did.

Soon my entire body once more tenses up, curling up and forcing every part of it to grow closer and closer to each other. For a second, I fear that one of my legs might pierce my soft belly as I did to that other guy, but it doesn’t happen.

Instead, my stomach grows into a hollow, empty space. It doesn’t hurt, it’s just gone. As if I never even had a stomach to begin with. My back hurts and my legs hurt, but it’s that dull kind of pain where you know that if you touched it or tried to move it it would surely hurt.

Nothing changes as far as I can see, but somehow, I can tell I closed my eyes. The darkness got just a bit darker, and my mind follows suit.

I pass out, crawled into a ball of pain and misery.

Mob Moss Eating Larva has (EVOLVED) into Monster Lightworm

Your (EVOLUTION) has finished

Hnn, what the, I, hh, evolution has?...

Where the fuck-, oh!

Right I evolved!! Now I’ll be able to see li-,

You have lost the following skills due to (EVOLUTION):

Pheromone Manipulation, Novice Flight, Pheromone Understanding, Rallying Cry, Moss Sensing

...What the fuck-? Skills?... What are these-,

You have gained the following skills due to (EVOLUTION):

Intermediate Flight, Light, Chitin Armour

Due to completing special requirements, you have gained the following skill:

Novice Fire Magic

...Whoa. In other words, I just now finished evolving, and now I'm a completely different creature, eh? Very well then, let's see what my status box thingy has to say!

Johnny Fowl(Lv. 1/30) Species Lightworm (F-) Title(s) Monster Health 26/26 Mana 10/10 Status Strength 3 Magic 5 Speed 6 Defence 4(+2) Skills(...)

Aha! New stats! And my Magic and Mana actually became something! Man, maybe I won't be screwed to death after all... Well, I didn't check it out before since I just thought it would list my amazing ability to play the french horn without killing off my lips, but I guess it's more than my talents? I guess... let's check it out!

"Skills!"

Skills

Intermediate Flight Lv.1

(Active, 0.1 M/sec) Grants the ability of flight at the cost of Mana. The higher the level, the more flexible and quick the flight, along with lessened cost/sec.

Munching Lv. 23

(Active) Eating

Light Lv.1

(Active, 3 M/use, 1 M/sec prolonged use) Allows the user to emit light, usually from a biologically significant spot. Increase in level allows for stronger/dimmer light at command and lessened cost for prolonged and one-time use.

Chitin Armour Lv.1

(Passive) Lessens damage against the user. If chitin is cracked, the damage will be more than if without Chitin Armour skill. Healing Chitin Armour takes longer/more mana than healing regular wounds. Exclusive to insects, spiders and insectoids.

Novice Fire Magic Lv.1

(Active/Passive) Grants the user the ability to use Fire Magic at the most basic forms. The spells included among (Novice Fire Spells) are weak, ineffective in combat and usually reserved for everyday use. (See all available spells)

...Oh boy.

I'd like to see all available fire spells, yes. Man, I hope there isn't one to turn people into frogs...

All Available Spells (You are currently able to use two Spells)

Heat Lv.1

Used to heat an area by 1 Mana/0.1 Celcius and 1 Mana per cubic diameter. Increase in level lowers the amount of mana needed.

Flare Lv.1 Causes a small explosion. Depending on level, size and properties may be manipulated. Spell can be charged to cause one large explosion or spammed to create many small ones.

...No frog one. I can't say I'm all too impressed, and I really don't understand any of this, but in all honesty, I don't really care for all this magic stuff. Is it cool? Probably. Do I care? Well, not really.

What I do care about, is using the Light skill. It'll be costly, but I should be able to keep it on for... let's see here... -about seven seconds. And then I'll have exactly nothing to defend myself with, but I want to see, damn it!

So, with that in heart and mind, I put all my focus into trying to use a skill I have no idea how to use. But I guess, somewhere in the back of my little worm-brain, I had some idea how to make the light go blink-blink. Indeed, at the very back of my tail, I knew there was a bulb of sorts. And inside me, inside my very core, there I had something new, something I could only assume was, well, "Mana".

Using the bulb on my tail was just a matter of sending Mana there.

Just connect this part to this part, and...

A flash resounded, showering the world in a dim light that was brighter than anything I had ever seen before.

The walls were grey and brown and bluish, shimmering with running water and white and crystalline of all the limestone and grime, stalactites crawled and hung from the ceiling like pupae, and stalagmites attempted to meet them from down below, failing pitifully. Below my black, insect-like legs, a fluffy mattress of no-longer-sweet-smelling moss spread out like a big cosy rug. The moss itself was blue in hue, with tiny, purple leaves sticking out here and there. My gaze travelled up my legs and found my body to be of a bronze, dark red or brown hue, the chitin armour on my back broken into several segments, each segment having a stripe of bright red running across it. At the very end of my tail, a bright cyan bulb shone brightly, but dimly. It could barely light up even the closest walls of the cavern, but it did light up something far more dangerous.

To my right, a little larva about half my size and thickness laid crawled out, a hole in the side of clearly showing a flood of organs and light turquoise blood pouring out.

But that isn't what caught my attention.

No, everywhere around me, on every edge and nook and cranny of the moss, surrounding me entirely, all starting at me with large, black eyes, were a mass, a sea of small, light-blue larva. Their eyes drill into my skull, and I understand that I have slighted the masses. The mass which I was once apart of.

"GrghgrRGYHY"

Moss Eating Larva (Lv.6) has used Skill (Rallying Cry) and (Pheromone Manipulation)

"GYGRYGYHYRHYRGRHRYRGYRHRYRYGRYG"

"GYHRYRYHygYGRGRGYRGYHYRGY"

"GRYGRYHRYRHGYRHYRRYGRYHRYRGYRHRUYGRYHRHRYYRGYFRYGRHRYR"

The mass moved, rippled and closed in on me.

Oh fuck.

The light of my tail went out.