Randy

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[Mana Circulation]!

‘Whooaaa…’

Scanning around, I can sort of 'see' the particles suspended in the air/liquid, making very rough outlines of my embryonic body. Mostly though, is scattered all around me in a really compact fashion, which I assume is my eggshell. The particles look like if you use the airbrush thing in digital art softwares, although each particle is as discernible as the other.

Judging by the name circulation, I try moving the particles with some sort of mind power I didn’t know have. One particle moves, then another, then even more of them. The gist of it is surprisingly easy, I just have to command them to move and they’ll move. The problem lies within moving more at once. It strains my mind to focus on multiple particles at once.

But this is legit, actual magic. The kind of magic imagined with mana floating in the air, or magicules, or whatever they call it nowadays. I’d be foolish to not practice early on.

It might be hurting my head more and more, but its pretty fun seeing them dance in the air. Twirling them here and there, like I’m some sort of telekinetic person.

Now if I can just…. Get the other clump….

Dammit you, I’m going to get you no matter-

No! Nononono!

NONONONO!

PLEASE I DON'T WANNA D-

*pblp*

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….

HOAGAAHH!!

I’m awake!

Draining MP seems to faint me down, huh. Why didn’t that UI tell me anything about MP drain? Another point of caution I need to take note of, then.

So spending mana until I drain levels it up? I don’t really want to faint myself over and over again, but oh well.

[Mana Circulation]!

Trying to swirl mana in front of me, I can notice that I can collect a bit more of mana in front of my vision before I start to strain.

So levelling up really does make the skill easier. That’s one more minor doubt proven.

I have a hunch that something good will emerge once I get to level 10 on it. Games usually work that way, like there will be some sort of advancements or skill evolution or something.

Then, level up, I shall!

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It only took me like, I don’t know, 12 forced faints to reach Mana Circulation Lv. 10.

My hunch was right. Although I’m getting sick of being forced to sleep multiple times, I did it. I can now properly swirl mana around and apply pressure to the egg shell. Though, I refrain from actually breaking it, as I don’t think I’m fully developed.

Now, Mana Detection is a bit different. Mana Circulation, and Mana Control, is already a basic mana detecting skill as far as I can analyse. But they’re unfiltered. I can see all mana available within some radius, but Mana Detection lets me filter it according to my wished. By filter, it means dimming the other manas a little bit.

I can actually discern my bodily outlines now. I’m definitely getting bigger, and I can start wiggling my body even further, which is now starting to look like an actual snake too.

…

I’m actually doing it! Sorcery! Magic! Forget about being a snake, forget about losing humanity, I’m now a proper mage! Well, I might still be a sucky little student at that, but I can actually feel the forces of mana swirling around, creating a current inside my egg.

AND THAT’S REAL MAGIC!

I’m going to keep grinding until I’m satisfied. I can’t let my chance of early start boost go away. As long as I’m in my egg, safe and sound, I can practice with no care for the world.

And so, I reembrace my of grinding, with double the determination.

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There you go, another upgrade. I must’ve been grinding for days on end, diligently fainting after every exhaustion. I now can probably crack my eggshell if I try hard enough, though it won’t be bigger than a pinprick. It’s a big feat, but at the same time feels pretty insignificant.

I mean, if you crack some eggs in the morning to cook and eat, do you really focus your entire effort, or do you just hit it to some corner and push the crack with your fingers?

Thought so.

What’s more exciting for me is Mana Detection. I have been switching with Mana Control every so often, and now I can partially perceive the outside world as well.

And… uhh… I do not like what I see.

I am below ground, with only the very upper tip of my egg barely jotting out of the dig hole. Various shapes I can only perceive as broken eggs are scattered all around. Some looks like results of hatching snakes, and some other…. yeahh….

Various squished eggs scattered all around, with mana flowing here and there, indicating a puddle of sorts? And there is something moving right above, passing my eggshell as they stride along. Seems like a cicada without wings, and they seem BIG. Like really big. I mean, it can be due to my size, but I have seen snake eggs before, and this cicada can easily be twenty times that.

And they’re feasting upon a newly-cracked egg. Slowly removing the shells out, and then sucking the contents bit by bit. I can see the mana swirls around its body, taking in another stream of mana inside it, like drinking from a straw. And there’s only one act that can generate such sequence of mana flow.

Feeding.

Fuck, I really need to double-time my mana training. I ain’t hatching out to an instant suicide!

[Display Hatch Time]

Not exactly what I wanted, but I can still interpret it as nearing completion.

Dammit! I’ll keep on swirling mana even if that’s the last thing I’ll do. I just hope I can get a real offensive skill while I’m winging it.

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Uughh...

Only God know how long I have been grinding. The pressure of seeing more and more monsters above ground pushes me over the edge. I might be living in cold sweat for few hours before fainting, and repeating the grind cycle.

This is honestly making me sick. On one side, I have never been the diligent boy society wants me to be, even now that part of me still wants it's lazy life back. On the other hand, I’m being constantly reminded of the instant death roaming around the outside world.

Sometimes the large-ass cicada. Sometimes a tapir-elephant hybrid monsters with evil-looking body shape and strong trunk kicking around, with a variant of them having either stronger-looking trunk, or a literal tusk-blade on them. Sometimes large centipedes. Sometimes large lizards, like komodos on sterioids. I named them Megacada, Eletapir, Kilopedes, and uhh… Komodo, respectively.

My naming sense ain’t the best. Do not pester me.

Mostly, the Megacada killed and ate the other beasts.

At least the grinds have been going really nicely. I can flick mana with considerable power. Flicked a clump down to the bottom of my eggshell once, and it tore through in a clean round hole, and through the soil beneath, like at least several eggs deep. After a panic session I managed to seal it with pure hardened mana clump. Did I actually over grind? Is there even a limit to grinding? Well, over or not, as long as I can at least survive.

I’m on my mental breaking point. Tired. Exhausted. I think I’ll stay up a bit longer before continuing the grind.

I’ll check on my status for a bit.

[Status]!

Name: Randy

Species: Dungeon Cave Serpent (Early)

Level: 0

HP: 1

MP: 1616

Fortitude: -

Strength: -

Luck: 55

SP: 1

Status: -

Resilience: -

Intelligence: -

C̷̢̡̪̪͉̦͎̹̳̣̹̤̜̱͉̍̑̄́̒͌͐̒̿̂̆̆̎̚͜ơ̶̢̧̲̖̣͍͇̤͓̦̘̹̰̝̪͖̟͔̣̅͋̐̏̈́͊͆͋̒̾̎̋̌̀̑̀̓̈́̈͂̐̾̊̑̔͘͝͝͝m̷̛̙̬̤̥̥̺̯̘͉͔̠̻̰̮̪̙̳̖͎͋̈̌͑́͜ͅṃ̴͙͓̘̦̲̳̘̩̂̉̉͑̈͌͋̾̓̈́̋͐̃̂̈́̌͊͑̄̌͘͠:

Well, well, well, what do we have here?

That MP count is pretty outrageous, isn’t it? I started with 1, and now here it is, over a thousand in value. All the grinding I did is not a waste after all!

But wait! Might it be that those values aren’t as special? I mean, what if the cost of a single spell is like 100 MP per shot? UI never gave me anything when I ask. Its not like I have a single spell or magical attacks I can use to gauge. What if that Megacada has like tens of thousands of MP and health, with every attack amounting to a thousand each?

Gah, dammit! The MP increase only adds burden to my confidence, instead of raising it up. Coating everything with prayers wouldn’t work if the looming threat is expected to attack.

My species status went from (Fetus) to (Early). I guess that means I can be hatched prematurely?

Yeah right, premature hatching to premature death. I ain’t having none of that shit!

Looking at my body, it seems I have grown really large. The egg has been getting pretty cramped as of lately, but never really had paid attention until now. I have never really tried moving myself aside of squirming though, that could be a problem.

I don’t know how to slither. Like, not at all.

I guess I have to let fear do the job while I face that Megacada up above? I mean I heard of-

Huuuh?

What?

I really am close to hatching after all.

Evolution, huh?

I guess I really can evolve. I mean, I’m getting used to the system, but I never really take things as they said until it really happens. Might be a bad habit of mine, but this is me being a skeptic. I mean, Evolution!

And of course, human logic is to be bagged up and disposed if I were to live as a snake. At least, the part about biology and anatomy. Though, I still can’t come to terms with my serpentine body. Gags me up even just feeling around it.

In all the books and novels I have read about something of my own scenario, the very first objective is always to survive. Nu-bloody-uh. Getting used to my body is a challenge in on itself.

Surviving is number 1, sure, but adjusting to one’s own self is a really close second. I mean, I lost my limbs for goodness sake! Losing a single finger is already really irritating and took me weeks to readjust. Do they really think a 5-minute ‘1, 2, 3, testing testing’ on this serpentine body is enough? NO!

Not to mention that Megacada waiting. I’m surprised it didn’t even find me. Maybe it has no mana detection capabilities? More for my survival then.

Anyways, back to evolution. This fires me up a bit for some reason. Never would I thought changing species would excite me.

Alright, whatever, here we go!

[Open Evolution Menu]!