Poking her head out from behind a rock, her six round eyes were full of vigilance. She swiftly darted out with agile movements, accelerating at an Extreme Speed and instantly arriving behind another rock.
Please do not be misled by the above words; speed is only relative. How fast do you expect a plump Worm to run?
A considerable amount of time had passed since the last Worm attack. With the help of Healing, Neva's damaged eyes had regained their sight. She had originally worried that such severe damage would be irreparable, but it proved that she had underestimated this ability.
As she moved further away from the bottom of the cave, the number of Worms also decreased.
However, the surrounding Worm eggs also became fewer, and the Worms grew larger, which made it much more difficult for Neva to obtain food.
The only constant was the fighting shows, starring the Worms, which could be seen everywhere.
What a bunch of young, energetic Worms!
She quietly approached a Worm egg and gently bit into it.
Evolution Value +0.05
After eating the Worm egg, Neva stopped admiring the Worms' fighting shows and continued to crawl forward into the cave.
Under normal circumstances, a Worm's entire life is spent underground in perpetual darkness, from birth to death, decaying beneath the earth.
They naturally love dampness and darkness and loathe sunlight, which is a common characteristic of most creatures living in the underground caves of the forest sea.
But Neva, after all, possessed a human soul. Even if her instincts didn't reject darkness, her spirit ultimately yearned for the bright surface.
Warm sunlight, fresh air, food other than Worms, and curiosity about this unknown world.
Although there was also the possibility that the outside world was even more terrifying than the cave... As a person born in a peaceful era, she wasn't carefree, but normal survival wasn't an issue... Yet, when she truly became a Worm living day-to-day, she had already had several face-to-face encounters with death. Any wrong choice could lead to her eternal damnation.
The terrible situation reminded her constantly, even waking up her hazy brain considerably. But deep down, she always carried a glimmer of hope, or perhaps, a stroke of luck.
If this pitch-black cave represented despair, then the outside world, in her eyes, was a faint hope.
Neva felt that she was quite stubborn; since she decided to find a way to leave the cave, she had to do it.
Of course, acquiring more Evolution Value to increase her strength was also very important. After all, without strength, whether in the cave or on the surface, she would just be a moving dessert.
Alas! Life is always cruel and busy... About an hour later, Neva finally saw the first fork in the cave.
For someone with choice paralysis like Neva, this was undoubtedly a difficult test.
If she took the wrong path, it would also waste a lot of time.
Just as she was making a difficult decision, a faint crawling sound came from one of the passages ahead.
Looking at the distant darkness, Neva couldn't help but shiver.
She immediately crawled into a Concealment corner, secretly observing the pitch-black cave.
"Pat, pat..."
The outline of the sound's owner gradually emerged from the darkness.
With the help of the faint glow around her, Neva saw what this thing looked like.
It had slender limbs, a body covered in a gray exoskeleton, and was at least three times her size, with a triangular head similar to a frog's.
This was the first time she had seen any creature other than a Worm.
By the way, what exactly is this thing?
A Worm that looks like a frog? Or a frog that looks like a Worm?
This design is truly... creative!
Complaints aside, this was clearly not an opponent she could defeat.
Species: Insect Bone Frog
Rank: F (Low-Tier Life Form) (Data Rating: 1.5)
Magic Energy: 4
Soul Strength: 0.5
Abilities: Bone Armor (1/10), Extreme Speed (1/10)
Title: None
After seeing the opponent's information, Neva had no thought of competing with it.
This was a ranked creature. Even if it was rated F-tier, it was not something an unranked little Worm like her could defeat.
Low-grade Life Form?
"Is 'Life Clan' a general term for the magic creatures of this world?"
As she pondered, a Worm Warrior not far away, upon seeing the Insect Bone Frog, charged forward like a simpleton.
The Insect Bone Frog, however, was very calm. It shot out its tongue with Extreme Speed, wrapping the ignorant Worm into its mouth and chewing it like soft marshmallows.
The Worm Warrior used its life to provide a wrong example for Neva.
Hiss! If I were discovered by it, I would also be instantly killed like that foolish Worm just now!
Neva shrunk her plump body further into the corner. No matter what happened, she wouldn't go out. She only hoped this oddly shaped fellow wouldn't stay here too long.
But just then, the Insect Bone Frog suddenly stopped moving, its two small nostrils twitching slightly.
Neva instantly tensed up. Had it discovered her?
But the next moment, the Insect Bone Frog did something that left Neva stunned.
The creature crawled towards the glowing moss on the cave wall.
The Insect Bone Frog opened its mouth and devoured the moss in large gulps, as if it were starving.
Neva watched this scene in confusion, somewhat at a loss.
However, shortly after, the Insect Bone Frog suddenly fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth and twitching its limbs, looking utterly miserable.
Neva's expression was dumbfounded; she didn't know whether to complain or be surprised.
Sure enough, this moss is poisonous!
Neva silently praised her earlier caution.
But this doesn't make sense!
Even if it was a bit ugly, it shouldn't be so desperate.
Ahem, back to seriousness.
However, how could a creature living here not know about the dangers around it? Or did this guy come from outside the cave?
Fluorescent Moss: A special plant produced under the influence of the Gluttonous Worm Complete Form's ability. Highly poisonous. It emits a special scent that confuses creatures other than the Gluttonous Worm, making them desire to consume it.
Note: The Gluttonous Worm itself has a certain resistance to its toxins, but under normal circumstances, Worms do not develop a desire to consume it.
A kind prompt explained it to Neva.
"Is that so?"
To think that a creature capable of killing a Worm was easily taken down by a derivative plant of an ability—how ironic!
Neva noticed that the information provided by the prompt mentioned the creature "Gluttonous Worm Complete Form."
Uh, this wouldn't be her "mother" in this life, would it?
Which means there's also a super-large Worm in this cave!
If a derivative plant of an ability can kill an F-tier Insect Bone Frog, how terrifying must the creature itself be!
Neva dared not think further. She certainly didn't look forward to encountering it.
Her experiences these past few days had already told her that Gluttonous Worms are cannibalistic creatures, and there's no such thing as family affection. Not to mention whether their simple brains could even comprehend what family affection is.
Perhaps, in the eyes of the Gluttonous Worm Complete Form, its children are just some snacks that melt in the mouth.
It's only because Gluttonous Worms lay a vast number of eggs; another species might have gone extinct long ago.
"Croak, croak, croak..."
The miserable wailing interrupted Neva's thoughts, sounding incredibly noisy in a cave where only Worms usually hissed.
Indeed, it sounded exactly like a frog. This guy is just a frog with different skin!
...Wait!
She suddenly realized.
It's going to attract all the nearby Worms!
"Damn it! If you're going to die, don't drag me down with you!"
Neva instantly panicked. Although she couldn't be discovered from the Insect Bone Frog's perspective, if Worms came from behind, her position would be completely exposed.
If time allowed, Neva really wanted to bite that constantly wailing "frog"!
The ground emitted a slight tremor.
Just as Neva expected, a dense swarm of Worms poured out from the bottom of the cave.
White and gray, one after another, like a sudden avalanche!
Seeing the terrifying number, Neva was instantly stunned.