Let me start with this:
> "Fresh air? Overrated."
I dragged my gelatinous body out of the hatchery expecting something magical.
What I got was the scent of wet death marinated in mold.
Imagine a trash heap. Now soak it in monster sweat and let it rot under alien moons.
Yeah. That's what the air tasted like.
> "If this world had a perfume, it would be called: 'Eau de Suffering.'"
Still, I took it all in. Because I was alive. I had instincts. And I was very, very hungry.
---
> [Environment Scanned.]
[Location: Crystal Nest – Shadow Zone – Tier 1]
[Nearest Threat Detected: Sludge Bug – Lv. 2 – 23 meters left.]
Oh good. I have radar now.
I crawled forward—okay, more like wiggled with intention—through a terrain that looked like the inside of a diseased mushroom.
Bioluminescent fungi. Oversized roots. Weird, twitching insects.
And there it was. My first real encounter.
---
Sludge Bug. Cute name. Nightmare body.
Imagine a cockroach made of sludge and nightmares. Now double its size. Then give it teeth.
It turned toward me, twitching. Its jaw opened with a wet crk-crk.
> [Threat: Sludge Bug – Lv. 2]
[Estimated Survival Chance: 24.7%]
> "Yup. We're so screwed."
I had two options:
1. Run and pray the thing doesn't chase me.
2. Do something incredibly dumb and hope the system carries me.
Guess which one I picked?
---
I lunged. Yes, me. A sentient glowing worm.
> [Adaptive Consumption: Active]
[Minor Acid Secretion: Deployed]
I spat acid. It hit the bug in the face.
It screeched. Its skin sizzled. I wrapped my slimy body around it like a nightmare burrito and started absorbing.
It fought. I clung tighter.
> [Target Engaged...]
[Tissue Breakdown in Progress...]
[New Ability Gained: Sludge Excretion]
[Level Up: Lv. 2 → Lv. 3]
> "I just ate my first bug monster. I'm either evolving… or becoming a health hazard."
---
The moment it was over, I felt something inside me pulse.
No, not in a "romantic tension" kind of way. More like...
"Your organs are boiling for a reason."
> [Minimum threshold met for early-stage evolution.]
[Aether Larva may now evolve.]
Available evolution paths:
[Aether Mite] – Fast, venom-based, low defense.
[Cystic Crawler] – Bulky, high regeneration, slower.
[???] – Requirements unknown.
> "Hmm. Mystery pick sounds spicy. But I kinda want to survive the week first."
I picked Cystic Crawler.
Because you can't win fights if you're dead before they start.
> [Evolution Initiated…]
And then came the pain.
---
Imagine your body being melted down, remolded, and rebuilt... all while you're fully awake.
Everything itched. Everything burned. My skin thickened. My inner goo rearranged.
It was like going through puberty while stuck in a microwave.
> [Evolution Complete.]
[New Species: Cystic Crawler – Lv. 3]
[Abilities Gained: Partial Exoskeleton, Enhanced Lumen Absorption]
Exoskeleton? Check.
Light-absorbing abilities? Sure, why not.
Self-esteem? Still at 0.
> "Okay. Not cute. Not majestic. But hey—I'm harder to squish now."
---
Just as I finished admiring my new chunky self...
The ground trembled.
Something deep below shifted. A pulse? A breath? I didn't know. But I knew one thing:
> "That's not just random environmental flavor, is it?"
I scrambled—wriggled—behind a jagged crystal rock, activating what little camouflage my goo allowed.
Then I saw it.
A crystal. Floating. Breathing. Glowing. Talking.
> "Hmm... New life. It's been... centuries, perhaps?"
Its voice didn't come from a mouth. It echoed in my mind. Soft, ancient, and slightly judgmental.
> "You… are not like the others. I can smell destiny clinging to you."
> "Great. I'm literally a larva and already someone's chosen one. Classic."
I didn't know whether to run or worship it.
So I did neither.
I waited.
---
> "Small one," the crystal hummed, "if you wish to survive this world... I offer you a seed."
> "A seed? Like... an actual plant?"
> "No. A fragment of Lumina. The light forgotten by gods and monsters alike."
> "Of course it's mystical. Why wouldn't it be?"
And just like that, a small mote of light floated toward me. It merged into my body without asking permission.
> [Unique Skill Obtained: Seed of Lumina]
[Pathway Unlocked: Light Magic – Dimensional Affinity]
> "...Wait, I can use magic now?"
> "Hold up. I'm literally still a worm."
The crystal chuckled—somehow.
> "Then grow, worm. The world is darker than you know."
---
And that was it.
One monster devoured. One evolution down.
One ancient talking crystal just dumped a glowing god-seed into my body.
> "Isekai speedruns are wild."
---