Day... I've lost count. Week two? Three? Does it matter?
I've been grinding.
And grinding.
And grinding some more.
Turns out, when you know where NOT to go (anywhere near that nightmare dungeon), survival becomes a lot more... manageable. Boring, even.
[You have defeated: Brine Shrimp][+2 EXP]
Another shrimp. Another two experience points. Another moment of my second life spent hunting creatures the size of rice grains.
This is fine. This is the process. Every RPG has a grind phase.
I've developed a routine. Hunt in the morning (I think it's morning— because there are much more weak mobs to grind). Drift during the "afternoon." Avoid anything bigger than me. Use Drift Camouflage liberally. Don't get cocky.
[You have defeated: Copepod][+1 EXP]
Thrilling.
My stats have been climbing steadily. I'm level 9 now, and I can feel myself getting close to something. The system hasn't told me what, but there's this... sensation. Like I'm approaching a threshold.
[STATUS]
Level: 9
HP: 11/11
MP: 10/10
Skills: [Poison Sting Lv.3] [Detect Vibration Lv.3] [Tentacle Control Lv.2] [Drift Camouflage Lv.2] [Pulse Burst Lv.2] [Prey Sense Lv.1]
Eleven whole HP. I'm practically a raid boss now. If the raid is against germs.
I picked up Prey Sense at level 8, and it's been a game-changer. Now I can actually tell where food is instead of just drifting around hoping to bump into something edible. My hunting efficiency has tripled.
Which means I've been leveling faster.
Which means—
[You have defeated: Larval Fish][+3 EXP]
[LEVEL UP! You are now Level 10]
[HP: 11→12][MP: 10→11]
YES! LEVEL 10! DOUBLE DIGITS, BABY!
I do a little victory pulse, my tentacles waving in what I imagine is a celebratory manner.
This is it. This has to be when I evolve, right? Level 10 feels significant. It's a nice round number. Every game has evolution at level 10, or 15, or 20—
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Oh! Here it comes!
[Congratulations! You have reached Level 10]
[Maximum level for current species achieved]
Wait, what?
[You can no longer increase stats through leveling]
[Skill acquisition remains available]
WHAT DO YOU MEAN MAX LEVEL?! I'M LEVEL 10!
[Evolution is now available]
[Current species: Moon Jellyfish (Juvenile) has reached growth limit]
[Do you wish to evolve to a new species?]
[YES] / [NO]
Oh.
OH.
THIS IS IT. EVOLUTION TIME.
My non-existent heart is racing. This is the moment. The big power spike. The transformation that'll take me from "pathetic ocean blob" to "slightly less pathetic ocean blob with options."
YES! YES, I WANT TO EVOLVE! GIVE ME THE MENU!
I mentally slam the [YES] option so hard I'm surprised I don't hurt myself.
[Evolution paths available: 3]
[Please select your evolution:]
A new screen materializes in my mind. Three options, each with a detailed description.
[Option 1: Turritopsis ]
Size: Small (15-20cm)
Specialization: Regeneration and SurvivalNotable Traits: Biological immortality through cellular regeneration, enhanced speed, superior evasion capabilities
Drawbacks: Reduced venom potency, smaller attack range
Special Ability Unlocked: [Self heal] - Actively regenerating damaged tissue.
[Option 2: Cyanea ]
Size: Large (50-100cm, can grow larger)
Specialization: Power and PresenceNotable Traits: Massive size, hundreds of tentacles, intimidation factor, high durability
Drawbacks: Significantly reduced speed, high energy consumption, easier to detect
Special Ability Unlocked: [Tentacle Hell] - Mass tentacle attack, area denial
[Option 3: Chironex ]
Size: Medium (30-40cm)
Specialization: Lethality and Hunting
Notable Traits: Hyper-lethal venom, advanced eyesight (24 eyes!), high speed, active predator
Drawbacks: Fragile body, low HP, requires frequent feeding
Special Ability Unlocked: [Death Touch] - Massively enhanced venom can kill most prey instantly
I stare at the options, my mind racing.
Okay. Okay. This is a big decision. Probably the BIGGEST decision I'll make in this playthrough. I need to think strategically.
Turritopsis. I've heard of these! They can literally reverse their aging and become young again. That's INSANE. Plus speed and regen? That's the ultimate survival build. But weak venom means I'd have trouble with bigger prey...
Cyanea - the classic "become a giant" route. Hundreds of tentacles, massive size, hard to kill. That's the tank build. But SLOW. I'd be a sitting duck for anything fast. And "easier to detect" means no more stealth...
Chironex - the box jellyfish. The most venomous creature in the ocean. TWENTY-FOUR EYES. I could finally SEE! And that venom... "kill prey instantly"? That's assassin build. Glass cannon. High risk, high reward. But "fragile body" and "low HP"... I barely survived THIS long with low HP...
Think, Yuki. What's your playstyle?
In games, I usually go for balanced builds. Jack-of-all-trades. But this world doesn't reward balanced—it rewards specialization.
Turritopsis is the safe choice. Immortality basically means I can't lose, right? I can just keep respawning...
Cyanea is the power fantasy. Become HUGE. Intimidate everything. Be the apex predator.
Chironex is the skill build. Speed, vision, lethality. But one mistake and I'm dead.
My tentacles twitch with indecision.
What would I do?
I'm still deliberating when my Detect Vibration skill suddenly screams a warning.
[Warning: Predator Detected]
Not now! I'm in a menu! Can't you see I'm BUSY?!
The vibration signature is big. Really big. And moving with purpose.
Directly toward me.
[Predator Identified: Sea Turtle - Adult]
A turtle?! Since when are turtles predators?!
[Sea Turtles consume jellyfish as primary food source]
OH RIGHT. THEY EAT JELLYFISH. BECAUSE I'M A JELLYFISH. BECAUSE MY LIFE IS A NIGHTMARE.
The turtle is getting closer. Fast.
Okay, close menu, time to—
I try to activate Pulse Burst.
Nothing happens.
[ERROR: Cannot use abilities during Evolution Selection]
[Please complete species selection to resume normal functions]
WHAT?! I'M LOCKED IN THE MENU?!
The turtle's vibration signature is right on top of me now.
SYSTEM! LET ME MOVE! LET ME USE SKILLS! ANYTHING!
[Evolution must be completed before resuming normal functions]
[Please select your evolution path]
I'M BEING EATEN! THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR—
The turtle's jaws snap shut.
On empty water.
I've drifted slightly with the current—pure luck—and the turtle missed by inches.
But it's circling back.
OKAY OKAY OKAY PANIC MODE! PICK SOMETHING! PICK ANYTHING!
My mind is pure static. I can't think. Can't analyze. Can't min-max.
The turtle opens its jaws again.
FAST! I NEED TO BE FAST! I NEED TO RUN!
My mental cursor slams onto the first option that mentions speed.
[Selection Confirmed: Turritopsis dohrnii - The Immortal Jellyfish]
YES! NOW LET ME MOVE!
[Evolution Initiated]
[Warning: Evolution requires complete biological restructuring]
[Process: Transdifferentiation]
[Estimated Time: 24 hours]
Twenty-four WHAT?!
[You will revert to polyp stage and reform as new species]
[All functions will be suspended during evolution]
I'M SORRY, DID YOU SAY REVERT TO—
My body starts... changing.
No, not changing. Melting.
[Transdifferentiation in progress: 1%]
My tentacles dissolve first. I can feel them losing cohesion, the cells breaking apart, reorganizing. There's no pain—jellyfish don't have pain receptors, thank god—but the SENSATION is horrifying.
I'M MELTING! I'M LITERALLY MELTING!
[Transdifferentiation in progress: 5%]
My bell starts collapsing. I can feel my body compacting, shrinking, losing its shape entirely.
The turtle lunges again.
Its jaws close around where I was a second ago.
But I'm no longer jellyfish-shaped. I'm becoming something else. Something smaller. Something that's slipping through its mouth like—
[Transdifferentiation in progress: 15%]
I'm falling.
No, sinking.
My body—what's left of it—is denser now. Heavier. I'm dropping through the water like a stone.
The turtle's vibration signature fades above me.
[Transdifferentiation in progress: 30%]
I can't feel my tentacles anymore. Can't feel my bell. Can't feel anything except this awful sensation of my entire body restructuring itself at the cellular level.
THIS IS BODY HORROR! THIS IS ACTUAL BODY HORROR! WHY DIDN'T THE SYSTEM WARN ME IT WOULD BE LIKE THIS?!
[Transdifferentiation in progress: 50%]
I'm still sinking. The pressure is increasing.
I'm heading for the ocean floor.
[Transdifferentiation in progress: 75%]
My consciousness is fading. Not dying—I can tell I'm not dying—but... compressing? Condensing? Everything is getting smaller, tighter, more compact.
[Transdifferentiation in progress: 90%]
I hit something. The ocean floor? A rock? I can't tell. I can't feel anymore.
[Transdifferentiation in progress: 99%]
Everything goes dark.
[Evolution Complete: Polyp Stage Achieved]
[Species: Turritopsis (Polyp)]
[Time until maturation: 23:59:58]
I'm...
I'm in an egg.
No, not an egg. A polyp. A tiny, hard, immobile polyp attached to something on the ocean floor.
I can't see. I can't move. I can't feel.
I can barely think.
[All systems suspended during maturation]
[Skills: LOCKED]
[Status: LOCKED]
[Evolution Progress: 0.1%]
The only thing I can access is the timer.
23:59:47
23:59:46
23:59:45
Twenty-four hours.
I have to spend twenty-four hours like this.
Conscious. Aware. But completely helpless.
This is...
This is worse than being blind.
At least when I was blind, I could move. I could hunt. I could DO something.
Now I'm just... waiting.
Trapped in my own body.
Watching a timer countdown.
Okay. Okay. This is fine. This is FINE.
It's just 24 hours. One day. People do 24-hour streams all the time. I've done 24-hour study sessions. I can handle this.
I'll just... think. Plan. Prepare for when I hatch.
23:58:12
I'm going to go insane.
I'm absolutely going to go insane.
There's nothing. No sensory input. No vibrations. No water movement. No prey sense, no skill activations, no system notifications beyond that godforsaken timer.
Just me and my thoughts.
For twenty-four hours.
23:57:33
Okay, let's... let's think about the positives!
Positive #1: I'm not dead. The turtle didn't eat me.
Positive #2: I'm evolving. When I hatch, I'll be stronger.
Positive #3: I picked Turritopsis, which means I'll have regeneration and speed.
Positive #4: I'm on the ocean floor, which means I'm probably safer than floating in open water.
Positive #5: ...
I'm out of positives.
23:56:41
New plan: Let's think about my build!
Turritopsis. Small and fast with regeneration.
That means I should focus on evasion and sustain. Hit-and-run tactics. Never let enemies pin me down. Use my speed to—
23:55:58
I'm so bored.
I'm SO BORED.
How is time moving this SLOWLY?!
23:55:12
Let me tell you about every anime I've ever watched. In detail. With full episode summaries.
Starting with... uh... let's go with That one pirate anime. Episode 1: "I'm Gonna Be King of the Pirates!"
23:54:47
This was a mistake.
I should have picked Cyanea. At least then I'd be BIG. Being big seems nice. You know what big things don't worry about? Being eaten by turtles.
23:54:01
No, wait. Cyanea is slow. Slow is death.
Chironex then? Twenty-four eyes... I could have SEEN things...
23:53:22
Stop second-guessing yourself, Yuki. You made your choice. Live with it. Or... exist with it. For the next 23 hours and 53 minutes.
I hate everything.
23:52:48
Let's play a game. Let's imagine what I'll do when I hatch.
First: Test out all my new abilities.
Second: Find food. I'm probably going to be STARVING.
Third: Grind to level 20 as fast as possible.
Fourth: Maybe scout that dungeon again? From a safe distance?
Fifth: Figure out if there are other reincarnated people in this world.
23:51:34
That last one's been bothering me. I can't be the only one, right? This is an isekai world. There have to be other Japanese people who got truck-kun'd.
Are they doing better than me? Worse? Did they get human bodies? Are they heroes with harems and cheat skills?
Or are they also jellyfish, slowly losing their minds at the bottom of the ocean?
23:50:12
I miss my hands.
I miss hands SO MUCH.
I miss typing. I miss gaming. I miss holding a controller, a phone, a book, ANYTHING.
I miss having thumbs. Thumbs are underrated. Everyone takes thumbs for granted.
23:49:27
I miss talking to people.
Even though I was a shut-in, at least I had chat. I had followers. I had SOMEONE.
Now it's just me. Alone. In an egg. At the bottom of the ocean.
This is the most isolated I've ever been.
23:48:51
Don't cry. You can't cry. You don't have tear ducts. You don't even have eyes right now.
You're literally a polyp.
Polyps don't cry.
23:47:21
I'm torturing myself.
Food fantasies when you're a polyp are just cruel.
23:46:44
Let's count to a thousand.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five...
23:46:38
This is the longest 24 hours of my life.
Both lives.
23:46:02
At least nothing can attack me down here, right? I'm too small. Too insignificant. Just a tiny polyp on a rock.
Safe.
Bored out of my mind, but safe.
23:45:31
I wonder what Yamada Kenji is doing right now.
Is he still streaming? Did he move on to harassing someone else? Does he even remember me?
Does anyone remember me?
23:44:58
Did my parents have a funeral? Was anyone there?
I died alone. Hit by a truck. Probably made the local news for about five minutes before everyone forgot.
"Local Shut-in Dies Retrieving Light Novel." That's my legacy.
23:44:12
Stop. Stop spiraling. This is what happens when you're alone with your thoughts for too long.
Think about something else. Anything else.
23:42:33
Twenty-three hours and forty-two minutes left.
I'm not going to make it.
I'm going to go insane before I hatch.
This is my life now. Forever. Just me and this timer. For all eternity.
23:41:58
Breathe. You don't breathe, but metaphorically breathe.
You've survived being blind. You've survived being hunted. You've survived almost being eaten by a turtle.
You can survive being bored.
You're Tanaka Yuki. Former streamer. Current jellyfish polyp.
You've got this.
23:41:24
I've got this.
Definitely.
Absolutely.
...
I don't got this.
23:40:51
The timer continues counting down.
And I wait.
Conscious.
Aware.
Alone.
In the dark.
At the bottom of the ocean.
For twenty-three hours, forty minutes, and fifty-one seconds more.
This is fine.
Everything is fine.
I'm fine.
23:40:12
I'm not fine