Beneath the withered yellow fallen leaves lay a world of its own.
Here, small insects busied themselves foraging, seeking mates, and even coupling, forming a miniature kingdom in this area.
A hard-shelled beetle struggled through the dead leaves. It climbed onto a stone, its carapace shimmering with a strange light under the sun, and the friction sound of its body traveled afar, seemingly attracting nearby mates.
Knowing the danger, but for the sake of a mate and reproduction, it had no choice but to expose itself in the most conspicuous place to attract attention from the opposite sex and stand out among its vast population.
And this was the continuation of the species. Every year, a large number of hard-shelled beetles died during this grand reproduction, becoming meals for predators.
But similarly, even more hard-shelled beetles would be conceived and born here.
Fortunately, within just a few minutes, this beetle attracted the first female in its beetle life.
But unfortunately, this female was a predator.
Lilith circled high in the sky, having long locked onto that conspicuous beetle. Her body swooped down from the air, extending her Sharp Claws and striking!
"Crunch!"
The sound of the carapace cracking was exceptionally crisp in the silence. Pinning the beetle beneath her claws, Lilith's sharp fangs easily pierced the beetle's defense. Juices flowed out, and Lilith extended her tongue, sucking and licking before discarding the empty shell.
A beetle waiting for a mate successfully entered reincarnation inside Lilith.
[Devoured Iron Beetle, gained Iron Beetle Gene Fragment +1. Current Iron Beetle Gene Integrity: 0.1%.]
[Detected a large amount of Iron Beetle genes within Player 10086. Iron Beetle Gene Integrity increased to 92.3%!]
The sudden notification startled Lilith, and excitement immediately surged into her small red eyes.
It seemed that none of the beetles she had eaten during the past six months of wandering had been in vain, Lilith thought contentedly.
Lilith no longer felt satiated.
Her talent efficiently converted all ingested prey into pure energy and Gene Fragments.
Her stomach was no longer hungry, but Lilith's eyes burned with a desire for evolution. Flying back up high, Lilith continued to use ultrasound to probe and hunt.
The second, the third, the fourth.
Lilith hunted from dusk until deep night, moving from the Deadwood Forest back to the Rocky Area.
Her white figure became a ghost; every pounce was precise and vicious. The hunting instinct honed by half a year of wandering was pushed to its limit by the drive of a clear goal.
Thirsty, she drank from the Dark River. Tired, she hung upside down to rest for five minutes.
The countdown ticked in the corner of Lilith's consciousness: 19 hours... 12 hours... 6 hours... When dawn arrived and the sun rose, Lilith hung upside down on a tree branch, her fur covered in night dew and mud. With only two hours remaining until the Main God Game began, she finally collected and synthesized the Iron Beetle gene.
[Obtained Iron Beetle Gene. Mutation can be initiated.]
[Detected Mutatable Part: Option One: 'Sharp Claws' for enhanced grip.]
[Option Two: 'Exoskeleton' for increased defense.]
[Option Three: 'wing membrane' for improved flight performance, with added Edge Blading.]
Lilith's gaze fell on the third option.
Mobility was the foundation of survival. When both strength and defense were weak, only speed offered the qualification to maneuver and the opportunity to hunt. This was the survival law Lilith had summarized over the past six months.
Regarding Edge Blading, Lilith imagined the scene of sharp Keratin Blades condensing along the edges of her Bat Wings. That was not just a flight organ; it was a weapon.
"Choose wing membrane Mutation."
[Command confirmed. Iron Beetle Gene has been loaded into 'Gene Dominator'.]
[Mutation begins.]
The next moment, intense pain erupted from the base of her wing membranes! Lilith let out a muffled groan, her claws digging fiercely into the tree bark.
She felt her body rapidly growing and developing, undergoing unnatural proliferation and modification!
The originally paper-thin flesh membrane was frantically stretched and thickened as if by an invisible hand.
Beneath the translucent tissue, fine fiber bundles were rewoven and layered, and the toughness was rapidly increasing at a perceptible rate.
A more horrifying change occurred at the edges of the Bat Wings: milky white mucus seeped from the pores, instantly solidifying and hardening upon contact with the air, forming a circle of cold, gleaming Wing Blades!
Lilith's body was also expanding. From the size of a fist, it grew close to the size of an adult bat, and was still expanding. Beneath the white fur, her previously slender outline was replaced by taut muscle lines.
The entire Mutation process lasted approximately two hours.
When the last trace of pain faded, Lilith slowly opened her eyes.
[Ding! Mutation complete!]
[wing membrane strength increased by 300%!]
Lilith looked down at her sharp wings. Her wingspan had increased from 20 centimeters to 50 centimeters.
In the depths of her scarlet pupils, the numbness, resentment, and struggle of the past year were completely replaced by the craving for power.
It was a greed for the path of evolution. Only by becoming strong could she control her own destiny and break free from physiological needs.
[Main God Game Teleport Countdown: 00:10:00]
The final ten minutes.
Lilith landed on the highest branch, grooming the fur dampened by the night dew, her movements calm and no longer hurried.
With a slight shift in thought, the Blue Light Screen reappeared before Lilith.
[Player: 10086]
[Life: 24]
[Strength: 2.1]
[Speed: 8.8]
[Spirit: 9.2]
[Physique: 2.4]
[Talent: Gene Dominator (SSS)]
[Current Gene Pool: Iron Beetle]
[Mutated Part: wing membrane]
[Comprehensive Evaluation: None yet]
The instant the countdown reached zero, that cold voice sounded in Lilith's mind once more.
[Teleportation begins.]
[We wish all players—a pleasant hunt.]
Before darkness swallowed her vision, Lilith took one last look at the world where she had struggled to survive for a year.
Then, she grinned.
Her sharp teeth flashed coldly in the morning light... The space shifted, and Lilith found herself in a pure white space. The space seemed boundless, and the only focal point in the entire blank area was the Blue Light Screen directly ahead.
Lilith spread her Bat Wings and flew to the Blue Light Screen, looking at the information displayed on it.
[World Load Confirmation]
[Movie World: "Anacondas: The Hunt for the blood orchid"]
[Novice Task: Obtain at least one blood orchid within the plot timeline.]
[Task Duration: 7 days]
[Plot Participants: 6 people]
[Enter immediately?]
"Yes!"
After reviewing the information, Lilith immediately made her choice, and simultaneously, the surrounding scenery began to distort...