Morning light filtered through the roots of my hideout, painting golden stripes across my scaled body. I uncurled slowly, still marveling at the new weight and power coiled in my muscles. My adult body was longer—nearly two palms in body length, plus a thick, muscular tail that stretched almost as far again. My scales had darkened to a rich earth brown, mottled with faint green undertones that would help me blend into the forest floor.
I opened my panel to assess my status.
Gene Upgrade Panel
[Name: Ren]
[Species: Forest Lizard (Adult).]
[Available Gene Points: 0.1]
[Abilities:]
- Clawed Strike - Developed.
- Grip Jaw - Developed.
[New Ability Detected: Mana Perception (Basic) - Required 10 Gene Points to develop the ability.]
Ten points, I thought, my eyes lingering on that new line. That's a lot.
But I had felt the mana—that faint, teasing current in the air. If I could develop this ability, I might finally understand the power that made creatures like the iron mantis so terrifying. I might be able to use it myself.
First, I needed Gene Points. And I knew exactly where to get them.
The centipede.
I emerged from my hideout, my new legs propelling me faster than before. The forest felt different from this height—my eyes were now at the level of low ferns and mushroom caps, not buried in the leaf litter. I could see farther, react quicker.
I searched for nearly an hour, following the trail of broken twigs and disturbed soil that the centipede had left behind. It wasn't subtle. A creature of its size—a full meter of chitin and blades—moved through the undergrowth like a tank.
Then I found it.
The centipede was curled beneath a fallen log, its red and black mandibles clicking lazily as it chewed on the remains of a small rodent. Its body was a nightmare of armor: each segment bore a pair of razor-sharp legs that glinted in the dappled light. The same legs that had pinned my tail to a tree trunk.
Today, you die.
I circled wide, staying downwind. My adult claws dug silently into the soil. The centipede hadn't noticed me yet—it was too focused on its meal.
Plan, I thought. Its head is armored. The mandibles are deadly. But the gaps between segments… that's where I strike.
I waited until it turned its head away, chewing a mouthful of fur and bone. Then I sprinted.
My new legs ate the distance in seconds. The centipede's antennae twitched—too late. I leaped onto its back, my claws finding purchase on the rim of a segment joint. The centipede bucked violently, its entire body thrashing. Blade legs scraped against my scales, drawing thin red lines, but my adult hide was thicker now. The cuts stung but didn't disable.
I activated Clawed Strike and drove my razor-sharp claws into the gap between two segments.
Green hemolymph sprayed. The centipede shrieked—a horrible, hissing screech—and twisted its head toward me. Mandibles gaped open, dripping venom.
I didn't give it the chance. I used my Grip Jaw to latch onto the same segment gap, my newly strengthened jaw muscles locking down with iron force. My teeth pierced the soft membrane. The centipede's thrashing grew frantic. It slammed its body against the fallen log, trying to crush me, but I held on.
Again and again, I stabbed with my claws, widening the wound. Green fluid poured out. The centipede's movements slowed.
With a final, shuddering convulsion, it went still.
I released my grip and stepped back, panting. My body was covered in scratches and green slime, but I was alive. The centipede lay in a twisted heap, its blade legs curled inward.
Revenge is sweet.
I dragged the corpse into a sheltered hollow and began to eat. The chitin was tough, but my adult teeth could crack it now, especially with Grip Jaw helping me hold and grind. Piece by piece, I consumed the centipede—legs, mandibles, soft innards, everything.
[Blade-Legged Centipede (partially consumed) - Obtained 4.2 Gene Points.]
Not enough. I need more.
The green snake was easier to find. I spotted it basking on a sun-warmed rock near the stream, its scales shimmering like emerald silk. It was a meter long—twice my length—but slender, no thicker than my forearm. Not a constrictor, I guessed, but a racer. Fast. Venomous, maybe.
Speed against speed.
I approached from behind the rock, keeping low. The snake's forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air. It knew something was there, but it hadn't pinpointed me yet.
I exploded from cover.
The snake reacted instantly, its body coiling like a spring. Its head whipped toward me, mouth open, fangs glistening. But I was already inside its strike range, too close for it to bite effectively.
I slashed with Clawed Strike across its neck. My claws tore through scales and muscle, opening a deep gash. Green blood—no, snakes had red blood, I remembered—crimson sprayed across the rock. The snake thrashed, trying to wrap its body around me, but I was faster. I dodged its coils, leaped onto its back, and bit down on the wound with Grip Jaw.
My teeth sank deep. The snake's body went into a frenzy, whipping and slamming against the rock. One of its wild strikes caught my side, sending me tumbling, but my jaws never let go. I held on like a bulldog, grinding my teeth deeper.
Slowly, the snake's struggles weakened. Its blood pooled on the warm stone. After another minute, it lay still.
I released my bite and sat back, breathing hard. My side ached where the snake had struck me, but no broken bones.
[Green Racer Snake consumed - Obtained 5.1 Gene Points.]
I dragged both carcasses into my hideout and finished every scrap of meat over the next few hours. The centipede's chitin crunching between my teeth. The snake's flesh, tougher than I expected, but rich and filling.
When I was done, I opened the panel.
[Available Gene Points: 9.4]
Nine point four. Just shy of ten.
I frowned. Then I remembered the centipede's leftover head—I had left the mandibles and some shell pieces behind. I crawled out, retrieved them, and consumed the last fragments.
[Blade-Legged Centipede (remains) - Obtained 0.8 Gene Points.]
[Total Available Gene Points: 10.2]
Perfect.
I opened the panel and stared at the blinking line.
[New Ability Detected: Mana Perception (Basic) - Required 10 Gene Points to develop the ability.]
Develop, I commanded.
The Gene Points dropped from 10.2 to 0.2. And then the world changed.
It wasn't pain this time. It was like someone had removed a blindfold I didn't know I was wearing. The air around me shimmered with invisible currents—threads of light and energy flowing through everything. The soil beneath me glowed faintly. The roots above me pulsed with slow, rhythmic beats, like a heartbeat.
Mana.
I could see it now. Not with my eyes, but with something deeper—a sixth sense that painted the world in hues of power. The forest was alive with magic. Every leaf, every stone, every patch of moss drank from that invisible river.
I reached out with my mind, trying to touch a thread of mana. It slipped through my grasp like water through fingers. But this time, I could feel its texture—warm, vibrant, humming with potential.
The panel updated.
[Mana Perception (Basic) acquired.]
[You can now perceive ambient mana. Further cultivation required to gather, store, and manipulate mana.]
[Suggestion: Hunt creatures with active mana circulation to accelerate growth.]
I sat in my hideout, surrounded by the glowing tapestry of the forest's magic, and smiled.
The centipede was dead. The snake was dead. And I had taken the first step toward true power.
Now, I thought, watching the mana flow around me like a river of stars, I learn to swim.