The moment Neva gained her new ability, her consciousness became much clearer. Although the pain didn't lessen with the new ability, she could now think clearly.
Information about Pain Endurance also entered Neva's mind. This wasn't an ability to reduce pain, but rather to increase her upper limit for enduring pain, preventing her thoughts from being affected by the sensation of pain, and it also had the effect of increasing her Mental Strength.
Although it was somewhat different from what she imagined, it was exactly what she needed now.
She wondered if her probability of death would decrease with this ability?
Neva immediately confirmed this thought with her heart.
It turned out she was right; her probability of death changed from 97% to 91%.
This was also a good result.
Although she had regained consciousness, her body had become uncontrollable. Those leg-like appendages reflexively clawed at the Red Stripes on her body, creating bloody wounds.
If this continued, the damage she endured would sooner or later exceed the limit of Healing's effect, and she would kill herself!
There was no choice left. Neva steeled herself and bit at those appendages with her mouth.
First, the most threatening forelimbs, then the legs used for crawling.
Crack, crack... The sound of one appendage after another breaking rang out. Those she couldn't bite, she tried her best to snap their pointed ends.
Though frantic, she acted with a certain degree of caution, only destroying the sharpest parts of the appendages, not completely removing them.
This way, the time it would take for them to recover later would also be shorter.
Neva even felt that the pain of these limb fractures was not even a fraction of the suffering brought by the Red Stripes.
Under the torment of pain, many thoughts flashed through Neva's mind.
She even considered ending her life to escape the pain.
No more struggling to survive, no more painful battles.
But she was even more unwilling to give up, unwilling to admit defeat.
Escaping the Worm's attacks again and again, putting in so much effort, finally getting out of the underground, to die like this would be too unwilling!
The instinct to survive was still stronger than the thought of self-destruction, or perhaps her fear in the face of death far exceeded that of ordinary people, or perhaps it was even a kind of obsession with living.
In short, this feeling was very contradictory; she ultimately did not want to die... Time was terrifyingly long, and Neva could only distract herself by constantly thinking to get through this long and agonizing wait.
The pain reached a critical point again, and then flooded in like a breached dam.
It was as if what came before was just an appetizer.
Physical pain has an upper limit, but this sensation of pain definitely exceeded that limit.
"Reached specified conditions, gained ability "Mental Resistance""
"Reached specified conditions, "Mental Resistance" proficiency + 1"
The newly acquired ability immediately gained 1 point of proficiency, which already said a lot.
Red Stripe Infestation... what kind of F (Low-Tier Life Form) could possess such an ability?
The sun hung high outside, and this forest became both damp and hot, with a strong smell of blood lingering in the air.
It was already noon. Having gained Mental Resistance, Neva's hazy consciousness became much clearer again.
Like a prisoner undergoing severe torture, waking up after a bucket of cold water was splashed on them... As time continued to pass.
Her will also became vulnerable under the abyss of pain, and Neva's consciousness eventually fell into confusion.
She thrashed around inside the tree hollow, her white carapace covered in fine cracks, and the tips of her appendages, which had been bitten off, flailed wildly.
Under the effect of Healing, the tips of her appendages began to scab over, but they still pierced her carapace, making Neva's body bloody.
Her eyes were blurred by blood, and her muscles were severely deformed.
She struggled like this for a long time, perhaps exhausted, or perhaps having fallen into a coma. She finally collapsed to the ground, with only her constantly trembling body proving that she was still alive... "Reached specified conditions, "Healing" proficiency + 1"
... "Reached specified conditions, "Mental Resistance" proficiency + 1"
... "Reached specified conditions, "Pain Endurance" proficiency + 1"
... Every now and then, a prompt sound would ring out.
But she couldn't hear it now, or perhaps she didn't care. She lay there motionless.
After the madness came a deathly silence.
Time passed bit by bit, the sky grew dim, the sun finally set, and night returned to the forest.
An hour after the sun set, Neva showed no reaction... Two hours later, still no reaction... Just four hours later, Neva's limbs finally showed a slight tremor.
After another ten minutes, her tightly closed eyes slowly opened.
She numbly rolled over, trying with difficulty to prop herself up with her damaged appendages, but as expected, she fell down again.
After several attempts, she reluctantly gave up.
She greedily breathed in the surrounding air, feeling the numbness and soreness from her body.
The red patterns were rapidly fading, but the sensation of pain was deeply etched into every muscle, lingering for a long time.
Perhaps it was psychological, Neva felt that any movement would bring back that unforgettable pain.
Looking at the messy tree hollow and her battered body, Neva took a deep breath.
She slowly crawled towards the depths of the tree hollow.
Leaning against the cave wall, Neva wearily closed her eyes, adjusting her state.
She was lucky, at least she survived, or perhaps it was luck that led to the final outcome.
If there had been even a slight mishap, she might be a corpse now, or perhaps a meal for some creature.
Most importantly were the constantly increasing proficiencies of her abilities; it was the improvement of these abilities that pulled her back from the brink of death.
There was no joy of surviving a disaster, nor was she crying tears of joy.
Neva lay there blankly, like a salted fish that had lost its dreams.
She didn't know how to describe her current mood.
From her rebirth until now, she had experienced many lessons, but this lesson was particularly profound.
Now only one thought remained in her mind.
"I can't eat random things anymore..."
Although she looked listless now, as if she had no interest in anything.
After experiencing the beating from the forest, her mindset had become much calmer.
It was then that she remembered to glance at her panel.
Name: Neva
Race: Shadow-Prey Beetle
Rank: F (Low-Tier Life Form) (Data Rating: 4.6)
Evolution Value: 8.3 / 20
Profession:
[Main Profession]: None
[Sub Profession]: None
Magic Energy: 10
Soul Strength: 28
Abilities: Unknown Data (??), Devour (3/10), Misfortune (2/10), Healing (3/10), Venomous Fangs (1/10), Bone Armor (1/10), Extreme Speed (2/10), Agility (2/10)
Resistance Abilities: Mental Resistance (3/10), Pain Endurance (2/10)
Racial Trait: None
Title: None
Special Status: [Misfortune]
Evaluation: A Worm that can be easily crushed with a little force.
The Red Stripe Infestation status had disappeared, and the information on her panel had undergone significant changes. After this encounter, she not only gained new abilities, but her data rating and Soul Strength also increased significantly.
This was not surprising; both Pain Endurance and Mental Resistance had the effect of increasing Soul Strength. Coupled with enduring pain for a day, it would be abnormal if there wasn't a significant improvement.
Was it a blessing in disguise?
Her unruly stomach began to protest, but the hunger that once plagued her seemed less unbearable. Compared to that terrifying pain, the hunger brought by Devour could no longer affect her sanity.
Enduring the hunger, Neva silently waited for the white orbs that symbolized the sun to appear. She planned to wait until dawn before looking for food. The night forest was not friendly to a weak creature like her. Beneath the dark curtain, it was full of unknowns, and she didn't want to lose her life in the dark forest right after escaping death.
Withdrawing her still stiff appendages, Neva curled into a ball.
She stared blankly at the dark, boundless forest, her red eyes reflecting the faint glow of fireflies in the woods... She was completely sleepless now, perhaps due to psychological trauma. She didn't want to dream anymore, didn't want to dream of anything strange.
She just silently awaited the arrival of tomorrow.