Seeing the Worms swimming in the shallow water and crawling on the rocks, Neva felt her mood sour.
These Worms are truly everywhere.
Neva complained helplessly in her heart.
She leaped lightly, her sharp limbs gripping tightly onto a rock protruding from the water.
Looking around from the rock, the entire area was surrounded by the pool water. If she wanted to reach the other side, the only way was to jump from one exposed rock to another.
The clear pool water was not as calm as it appeared; do not be deceived by its outer disguise.
By the way, Gluttonous Worms can swim!
Several Worms floated lifelessly on the water, drifting with the current, but who knew how many dangers lurked beneath?
Although she could also swim, her body structure meant her speed in the water couldn't compare to those Worms.
This might be one of the few drawbacks after Evolution!
White bubbles emerged on the water near Neva, and a plump Worm leaped out of the water, buoyed by the current.
Neva pushed off with her limbs, leaping from the rock. A white blur streaked through the air, landing on another rock in an instant, evading the opponent's clumsy attack.
The missed Worm collided its head with the rock, making a jarring sound that set teeth on edge, and rolled back into the water in a disheveled state, after which white bubbles again appeared on the surface.
Could it be that these Worms were doing so poorly on land that they moved into the water to become fish?
Watching the other party's comical appearance, Neva still couldn't help but inwardly mock.
She thought of herself just a few days ago, being chased by them, hiding everywhere, looking as if she was about to die, but now, the situation was completely different.
After choking on a few mouthfuls of water, the fallen Worm recovered.
Even though it was still conscious, the Worm seemed to be in a daze. It didn't continue to attack Neva; instead, it floated motionless in the water, drifting further and further away.
Uh, it didn't hit its head, did it?
These Worms indeed don't seem very smart.
Neva watched the Worm drift away, feeling very emotional. She could now play them around her finger... From her weak and helpless birth to her gradual adaptation now, it truly had been a lesson of blood and tears.
But she had slowly endured it.
What kind of feelings would she have when she looked back on her current experiences and performance in the future?
Would she mock her current self as naive and foolish, or would she find it interesting and nostalgic, like watching a movie?
Given her personality, she would probably prepare a bucket of popcorn, right?
"I'm thinking too much!"
Neva shook her head, pulling back her wandering thoughts.
It seems that even becoming a Worm couldn't change her habit of overthinking.
However, ever since evolving into a Shadow-Prey Beetle, her mind had become much clearer, and the headaches caused by overthinking had lessened, but it was still difficult to sustain overly complex thoughts.
She once tried to do three-digit addition and subtraction, and felt like her head was about to smoke.
She regained her vigilance, her gaze returning to the pool, searching for the safest route.
"Jump, I jump..."
She effortlessly moved between the rocks, and the Worms in the water would often poke their heads out, asserting their presence.
Unconsciously, Neva had a sense of playing a parkour game.
Almost at the other side!
Neva prepared herself, leaped fiercely, rolled once in the air, and landed perfectly.
She felt her final move deserved a perfect score.
Why is it called Shadow-Prey Beetle? It should just be called Jumping Worm.
Neva grumbled inwardly.
Looking at the dozens of caves above and below, her severe decision-making paralysis kicked in again.
Ugh, a headache!
Exploring all these caves, who knew how much time that would take.
After hesitating, Neva simply crawled towards the nearest cave entrance.
Just as she was getting closer to the entrance, a slight rustling sound suddenly came from behind a rock next to the entrance.
Instinctively sensing danger, Neva immediately controlled her body to dodge.
A Worm, similar in color to the rock, darted out from behind the rock, its ferocious mouthparts suddenly biting one of Neva's legs.
Crack... Intense pain surged through her, and one of Neva's limbs was directly torn off.
But at this moment, she was no longer the inexperienced novice she once was. Her many days of survival had made her react quickly.
Her forelimbs instinctively swung out, striking at the head of the attacking Worm. The Worm retreated to dodge, and taking advantage of this moment, Neva leaped away from her original position.
The Worm straightened its massive body, staring at her menacingly, its scarlet gaze filled with greed, still chewing on her severed limb.
The Worm's body color changed strangely after leaving the rock, reverting to the common grayish-white of a Gluttonous Worm.
She should have noticed the anomaly earlier; those Worms didn't stay on the flat ground but all went into the water, not because they liked water, but because they truly couldn't survive on land anymore!
But what about that chameleon-like ability?
Species: Glutton Worm Adult Form (Mutated)
Tier: F (Low-Tier Life Form) (Data Rating: 2.6)
Magic Energy: 4
Soul Strength: 4
Abilities: Enlightenment, Devour (2/10), Corrosive Saliva (1/10), Environmental Mimicry (1/10), Bone Armor (2/10)
Title: None
...???
A mutated Gluttonous Worm?
Neva was full of questions, especially after seeing the abilities [Environmental Mimicry] and [Enlightenment].
[Environmental Mimicry] should be the opponent's ability to change body color, but what's with [Enlightenment]?
This was the first time she had seen an ability without a proficiency display, just like [Unknown Data]!
[Enlightenment: The beginning of a Life Clan's wisdom, and one of the conditions for a Low-grade Life Form to grow into a High-level Life Clan. The wisdom level of a Life Clan with this ability will continuously increase over time.
Note: Not being Enlightened does not mean inability to become a High-level Life Clan. (Type: Special)]
After getting the explanation, Neva quickly understood the purpose of [Enlightenment].
In other words, this was a Worm that had developed wisdom.
All this time, the creatures she had seen generally had low Soul Strength; even the powerful Gluttonous Worm Complete Form only had a pitiful 1.5 Soul Strength.
She herself was a complete exception, possibly because she had a human soul, or perhaps due to her transmigration, which made her Soul Strength unexpectedly high, and she also didn't have the [Enlightenment] ability.
For this mutated Worm to have 4 points of Soul Strength, compared to other Life Clans, it must already be exceptionally gifted.
In the past few days, Neva's data rating had improved significantly since her Evolution, reaching 2.1. Although there was still some gap compared to this mutated Worm, she might not be unable to defeat it!
Seeing that its sneak attack failed to kill the opponent, the mutated Worm didn't charge in recklessly like other Worms.
It paused in place; while Neva observed it, it also observed Neva, this strangely shaped Worm.
Indeed, it's not quite like other Worms; very cautious.
The Worm made a probing attack. It first rushed to Neva's side, attempting to bite another of Neva's limbs again.
How could Neva let it succeed? Although one leg was damaged, it didn't significantly affect her movement.
As the Worm bit, Neva quickly twisted her body, causing it to miss.
Then, she leaped onto the Worm's head, raising her scythe-like forelimbs to strike at the Worm's skull.
"Bang!"
Her forelimbs were directly bounced off, as if striking a hard rock, and the tingling sensation spread along her limbs to her body.
Hiss, so numb!
Looking closely, tiny cracks had appeared on her originally intact forelimbs.
However, the impact also caused the Worm pain. It frantically shook its head, flinging Neva away.
Neva adjusted her posture in mid-air, landing steadily. She looked at the cracks on her forelimbs, once again experiencing the feeling of powerlessness she had felt when first born.
It's just too hard!
Is this why the Shadow-Prey Beetle's attack power is low?
Against those soft-bodied Worm larvae, her highly penetrating forelimbs were like cutting through melons and vegetables, but against this thick-skinned fellow, she was helpless. Moreover, the opponent's [Bone Armor] proficiency was 1 point higher than hers.
It was almost impossible to break the opponent's carapace, but the opponent's sharp mouthparts could easily tear her apart.
Can't break its defense!
How can I fight this?