The first centipede lunged. I ducked low, feeling the air split over my head. I heard the metal behind me scream as its claws shredded a wall panel like paper.
'Note to self: If it can cut a ship's hull, don't test it on your torso.'
I swung one of my steel bars at its side. The blow sang out with a hollow clang and nearly wrenched my arms from their sockets. No dent.
'Great. Fighting tanks with toothpicks.'
Three more moved in, legs scraping against the floor in a hiss of chitin on metal. I tracked their angles — front, left, right. No space behind.
I shifted so the front two lined up, then sidestepped. They rammed each other hard enough to crack their tough exterior.
'Good. Not immune to themselves.'
But they learned quick. The next set fanned out wider, mandibles clicking in sync. I kept moving, letting them overcommit, baiting them into striking just late enough that they'd clip each other instead of me. Each hit chipped their armor; tiny gains, but still gains.
Then the swarm pressed all at once. My mind raced: too many angles to dodge, no room to bait.
Only one opening, above.
I dove forward into a roll, slid between two sets of legs, and came up running toward the least damaged one — because it could break the others better.
*
After what felt like an hour (probably two minutes), the room fell quiet except for my ragged breathing. Only one remained, bigger than the rest, armor slick with green from its fallen kin.
It reared back, and I saw it... a hairline crack just behind its head.
Weak spot.
It charged. I had no room to dodge, so I went for broke. I hurled the first bar with my telekinesis, forcing it deep into its open mouth. The shock staggered it for half a heartbeat, which was enough for me to sprint in and drive the second bar down into that crack with every ounce of strength.
A sharp, wet crunch.
Green ichor splattered my shoes. The monster shuddered and collapsed, legs curling inward.
I stood there, chest heaving.
Only nine hundred eighty-eight more to go. Fantastic.
A chime echoed in my head.
[You have killed 12 low-mutant class beasts. Acquired 1924 magic fibers.]
'Great, magic fibers… there is always good in bad huh..?'
Then the adrenaline bled out, my knees buckled, and the world turned black.
***
The outside of the ship was worse: a battlefield littered with centipede corpses, green pools steaming on stone. At the center, a lone man faced a giant over a hundred feet tall, its shell already shattered.
"I didn't expect to see an ancient centipede here," the man said. "Did your progenitor send you?"
Unlike normal young ones, ancient centipedes were intelligent enough to speak. Even the weakest of them were classified as calamity-level threats.
Click click click—
Well, that was only if they wanted to speak.
"Tsk. Annoying to the very end."
The man jumped and threw a punch on the insect's cracked body. Probably too exhausted to dodge, it simply let the attack strike him... thus signing its death, leaving a gaping hole in its body.
Its killer didn't even glance at the corpse as he turned toward the airship.
Waiting at the entrance was Isaac, standing ramrod straight.
"Hello, David. Long time. You really know how to pick your moments."
"Yeah, hi Isaac. Been a year. No time for catching up though. Where's the new one the leader told me to train?"
Isaac sighed. "She passed out in some corridor after fighting a dozen of those." He gestured at the dead bugs. "I left her there. Too heavy to carry."
"Hah, still a cold-hearted bastard," David said with a grin. "But were there so little that had made it inside?"
"Not exactly. But when you started your slaughter, the rest panicked and tried to break out. I let them go. I'm guessing they are among the bodies now too."
David laughed. "Perfect. Let's go wake the sleepyhead. I've got an introduction to make." He patted Isaac's shoulder hard enough to make him wince.
"Ouch. It hurts, you moronic buffoon."
David ignored him and strode off. Isaac sighed... again.
***
'Ugh... I feel like I've been run over. But I can still move.'
I blinked awake, silver hair falling into my face. I was lying on a 'bed' made of several chairs shoved together.
Still on the ship. Still alive. Which meant... the danger had passed, obviously. Now the question would be more like, how?
"Oh, little girl. You're awake." Isaac's voice came from across the room.
"Yes, but... what happened? How are we alive? What about the bugs?" I asked, all in one breath.
"Slow down." He gave me the short version: David's timely arrival, the slaughter, and our continued survival.
But one thing kept bugging me. "By the way, why do you keep calling me a 'little girl'? Do I look like one to you?"
Isaac squinted. "You have the brain of a child. So yes."
I stared. "What the hell are you on about?"
He leaned back, and sighed. I noticed that he had a tendency to sigh a lot. "Fine. Since David's still outside, we've got time. You were made a chimera."
He stopped there, like that would explain everything. So I had to keep pressing.
"...And that means?"
"...It means your DNA is fused with monster genes. Not forced in like 'normal' people but mixed in so your body grows with them. Problem is, most people die from it. But you didn't, lucky you."
I frowned. "Still doesn't explain the 'child brain' part."
Isaac chuckled awkwardly, which was quite surprising in itself. "We couldn't wait for you to grow naturally, so the Boss accelerated it. Your body matured. Your brain... didn't."
"...How long have I been 'growing'?"
"A little over a year. You're nine chronologically."
I stared. "...Right. Sure. Thanks for the info."
"Glad you care," he muttered.
I ignored him. He didn't know that I was actually a grown up woman! Anyway, there was something more important.
System!
A translucent panel blinked to life.
[Current stock of magic fibers: 1.924
Consume to increase level, or synthesize for physical use.]
Use it all. Level me up !
Warmth flooded my body. The ache vanished, replaced by a sharp, almost electric vitality.
[Consumed 1400 fibers to reach level 5. Acquired 4 stat points.]
'Only four? Stingy. And I needed just 76 more to hit the next level? Typical.'
I debated my options. Psychic power was tempting... but without a strong body, I'd fold to anything physical. Vitality was my lowest stat — and the most versatile. Resistance, stamina, recovery. Yeah, that was the play.
System... all points into Vitality.
[Vitality increased to 9. Points remaining: 0.]
I flexed my fingers. I felt... sturdier.
"Hello, comrades!" A rich voice cut through my thoughts. "Bug-cleaning complete."
A tall, blond man strolled in, well dressed, eyes sharp, movements relaxed. "And the little princess is awake, I see."
So this was David. Handsome. Probably very dangerous considering how he slaughtered all the insect monsters.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Eliza."
He nodded, smiling widely. "David. The leader sent me to teach you how to live... and how to fight. We start now."
"...Figures," I muttered. Another one just like Isaac.
___ ___ ___