[Rejected!]
[Rejected]
[Rejected]
…
The moment my inbox was opened, I was hit with a long string of rejection messages. Just that one damn word and nothing else. No explanation, no BS attempt at making me feel better, just a lone word.
Not one of them had given my application the time of day. No wonder I received a reply that quickly. Just knowing that I ranked the lowest in the entire game was enough reason for them to reject me.
This basically left me with no choice. I had to level up by myself. Not being a part of a guild would make things hard for me, but still, I had no other choice.
[Would you like to log in to Vesperia?][Y/N]
Seeing the option on the screen in front of me, I raised my hand and pressed yes. Just as before, the world around me broke apart, and soon I was back in the eggshell as a centipede.
Looking over myself, I realized that my exoskeleton had now hardened and returned to its reddish-brown color. Not only that, but I also gained another segment, bringing me up to a total of 32 legs and 16 segments.
I was now twice as big as I was before, making me roughly an inch and a half in size. I was still extremely small and could be easily crushed by a boot, but it was still progress.
As this realization hit, I slipped my head outside the hole I made in the eggshell. I made sure to stick my antennae out first since they were good at picking out small movements. Just the slightest shift in the air currents around me would alert my senses.
Luckily for me, the mother bird was still out, giving me time to approach the other eggs.
There were fresh feathers lying in the nest, which told me she was here not too long ago. My goal today was to devour both eggs before the mother bird came back, which meant I'd have to be speedy.
Making my way over to the second egg, I quickly examined it. Just like last time, I found a crack, except this crack wasn't as big as the last one, which meant I had to use more energy to widen the small crack I found.
After a few minutes of intense struggling, a small chunk of the eggshell finally fell off, allowing me to break through the white membrane with my forcipules. I quickly crawled inside the egg, swimming deep inside the embryo.
An addictive feeling enveloped me. It felt as if energy was flowing through every inch of my body.
[1 biomass gained]
[1 biomass gained]
Within no time, the embryo was fully devoured, after which I then moved my attention to the yolk. It felt as if a chemical change was taking place in my brain every time I took a bite.
[1 biomass gained]
[1 biomass gained]
[1 biomass gained]
Just as before, I gained a total of 5 biomass from the egg. Without hesitation, I used the biomass to molt once again.
[3 biomass spent! Congratulations, 2x increase in size, 100% healing of all wounds, and 1 new segment has been added to your body]
[Strength 5 -> 10]
[Defense 3-> 5]
[Would you like to spend 2 biomass to make the process of molting and hardening instantaneous?][Y/N]
'Yes.'
Just like before, my body swelled with air, which caused my exoskeleton to split in half. I easily wriggled free from the shell, leaving myself vulnerable once again, but within just a few seconds, my new shell hardened.
Immediately, I went from one and a half inches to 3 inches in size!
My growth rate and strength were incredible. If things continued like this, in no time at all, I would be bigger than a small dog! Heck, I may grow bigger than a human before long.
A bit giddy from my increase in size, I quickly skittered out of the empty eggshell and moved towards the final egg left in the nest. Examining it, this egg had no crack like the others. Yet it didn't matter as I plunged my forcipules into the shell.
The shell resisted at first until a large crack suddenly formed. This time, I was able to create a sizable hole in the egg relatively easily. It felt as if my body was moving on its own, driven purely by instincts as my tiny mandibles dug into the yolk and embryo, devouring them in just a few minutes.
Like clockwork, I once again gained 5 biomass in total from the egg. Without a second thought, I spent my biomass on molting once again.
I was a naturally cautious person, hence why I would rather have an exoskeleton as hard as titanium than anything else I could currently buy with my biomass. With strong armor, I would be less likely to die, and as long as I was alive, I could grow stronger.
This time, as I molted, my body swelled so big that it felt as if I was going to burst like a balloon.
CRACK!
The sound of my shell splitting apart was now louder and sharper.
While wiggling from the egg, I had to make sure I didn't accidentally lose a limb or tear off a segment. Accidents like these could be fatal for a centipede.
I now had 18 segments and 36 legs. Having doubled in size, I was now 6 inches!
[Strength 10 -> 15]
[Defense 5->7]
Spending two more biomass, my new shell hardened almost instantly. It felt much thicker than the others. If my first exoskeleton was like an eggshell, then this one was like premium wood. The sunlight reflecting from it gave it a great polished look.
A strong sense of excitement welled up in my chest. In the grand scheme of things, my growth was small, but it was growth nonetheless.
SWOOSH!
Just as I was about to celebrate, my antennae picked up on something as the air trembled violently.
Something was coming!
My first instinct was to run, but by then, it was already too late. I had already locked eyes with a predator: a massive bird that was almost three times my size.
For a moment, the bird seemed to forget my presence completely as its eyes drifted to its precious eggs, which were now lying broken in the nest it called its home.
The gruesome sight caused the bird to jerk its head back in my direction, its eyes holding a strong predatory gleam.
KAW!!!