Chapter 10: Evolution

I don’t know how long we’ve been traveling. Then again, I never knew how to track time in the first place. Ever since I hatched, it’s just been… moving forward. No sun, no moon, just endless glowing fungi and the occasional monster trying to kill us. Not exactly the best environment to develop a sense of time. Best thing I could track is sleep cycles. So far I slept for only like 3 times which is can be unreliable since my species seems like to eat more than sleep which can be unreliable.

Maybe I’ll figure it out once I leave this labyrinth—if I ever do.

"How far is the 4th Zone?" I asked, breaking the silence.

Goldy, leading ahead, glanced back. "Don’t know. Never been there."

I blinked. "Wait, what?"

"But I know this is the way!" she added quickly, her usual energy unfazed.

I stared at her. The others didn’t even seem bothered. They just kept crawling forward like this was normal.

So we’re just blindly heading deeper into unknown territory, with no actual idea how far we need to go? Fantastic.

I sighed and pressed on. Not like I had any better options.

We found ourselves in a vast hall, the dim glow of the crystals and fungi fading as we moved deeper. The lack of light made everything feel… eerie. Almost like the labyrinth itself was swallowing us whole.

Then, on the cave wall, there it was—a hole, just large enough to fit us.

Goldy, ever the fearless leader, goes ahead to check it out. We waited in silence, the only sound being the distant echoes of shimmering crystals. After a moment, she poked her head back out.

“It’s safe!” she announced.

With that, she made a firm decision. “Alright, we’re sleeping here.”

I glanced at the dark hole. It did seem defensible—one entrance, easy to barricade if needed. But something about it unsettled me. Maybe it was just the creeping darkness, or maybe I was getting paranoid.

Still, no one objected. We were all tired, and arguing with Goldy wasn’t exactly an easy feat.

“Fine,” I muttered, crawling in after her.

As usual, everyone got to work setting up their sleeping spots. Some wove hammocks on the ceiling, others made simple silk mats on the ground. And me? Well, , I could finally produce silk, and there was no way I wasn’t going to make full use of it.

So, I went all out and made a tent.

It wasn’t that fancy, just a small cocoon-like shelter, but compared to everyone else’s more practical setups, it probably did look a bit extra.

Victor, ever the verbose one, immediately chimed in, “Ah, Dearest Sister, thy artifice doth emanate an aura of refinement most becoming of a noble spirit!”

Goldy, on the other hand, simply tilted her head and smiled. “It looks nice!”

Then came another voice—Venomous Spine Brother, his tone dripping with something between amusement and mild annoyance.

“Show off.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Oh, I’m sorry, should I have made a mud pit instead?

Still, I just shrugged, crawled inside my tent, and got comfortable. At the end of the day, I was the one with the best sleeping spot, and that was all that mattered.

As everyone got comfortable in their own spots, the cave gradually fell into silence. The soft glow of bioluminescent fungi cast faint shadows on the walls, and the gentle rustling of silk and shifting bodies became the last sounds before sleep claimed us all.

I nestled inside my silk tent, feeling oddly satisfied with my work. It was warm, it was cozy, and—most importantly—it was mine.

Then, just as sleep began to take me, I felt it again.

That strange pull.

My consciousness drifted, the weight of my body fading away. The darkness behind my closed eyes deepened, then shifted—warping, twisting—until I found myself once again in the Lucid Reflection.

Everything around me was white. A vast, endless expanse of nothingness. The only thing breaking the monotony was that mound—the same one as before. Cracks ran along its uneven surface, leaking some gaseous substance that shimmered unnaturally in the empty space.

I let out a sigh. "So, Lucid Reflection yet again."

At this point, I wasn't even surprised.

If I recall correctly, this mound was supposed to represent my lifespan, and that gas… it was my life essence itself.

Which meant… if I reached out and touched it, I’d merely be looking into my own life essence. Something like a status screen, if I had to put it into words.

"Well, no harm in checking, I guess." I muttered to myself before stepping closer.

Mother did mention that aside from my skills, I could also check my evolution progress… but where exactly was I supposed to look for that?

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Like usual, as soon as I reached out to the gas, everything turned black, and then images started to form—my skills, just like before.

I furrowed my brows. "Still the same… Wait—what if…"

An idea clicked in my mind. What if the mound itself was the key?

I crouched down, placing a hesitant hand on the cracked surface. The moment my fingers made contact, the darkness around me shifted.

The black void twisted, morphed—then, it was as if I had been thrown into space itself. Stars glittered in the vast emptiness, but in the center of it all, something new emerged.

A tree.

No… not just any tree—it was more like a branching path, glowing faintly as if waiting to be traversed.

At the very bottom of the path, I saw my name—or rather, my current form—Spiky Caterpillar Hatchling.

From it, a single path stretched forward in a straight line, leading to the next stage:

Lesser Spiky Caterpillar (Unlocked).

Beyond that, there were further paths branching out in different directions, but they were all locked.

I squinted at the words, then focused on the first part. "Spiky Caterpillar, huh? So that's what my species is called."

I didn't know what I was expecting, but seeing it written out like this made it feel… official.

Still, Lesser Spiky Caterpillar? What was that supposed to mean? Lesser than what?

I stared at the glowing words. "Unlocked" meant I could evolve now, right?

I mean, it’s called Lesser Spiky Caterpillar, so it should be better than a hatchling… I think?

It wasn’t exactly a fancy-sounding evolution, but it was progress.

"Well, no point hesitating."

I reached out toward the glowing path, ready to see what this evolution would bring.

As soon as I touched the glowing evolution path, the mound beneath me pulsed with a blinding white light.

"Whoa—!"

The glow faded just as quickly as it came, but something had changed.

The mound—it was… taller? Bigger?

I took a step back, staring at it while my hand still on it. Did evolving just make my lifespan longer? Or was it just a side effect? Either way, this was new.

"Huh… well, that’s interesting."

I glanced back at the evolution tree, half-expecting something else to change.

I stared at the newly revealed paths, arms crossed as I mulled over the choices.

Spiky Caterpillar. Probably just a stronger version of what I was before. Basic but reliable.

Venom Caterpillar. Like the edgy brother—coated in poison, deadly up close. Definitely useful, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to smell like venom all the time.

Bristly Caterpillar. Like Victor—keen senses, able to detect enemies from far away. That could be incredibly useful, especially in the labyrinth where visibility was often limited.

I glanced down at myself, still in my human form here, arms crossed and deep in thought. Which one should I go for?

I let out a sigh, deciding to push the thought aside for now. It’s not like I can evolve again anytime soon. No point stressing over it.

With that, I stepped away from the glowing mound, letting the strange space around me fade into the familiar white void.

Wait a second—if my evolution was already unlocked, then since when?

Did I just waste all that XP by not evolving earlier?!

A wave of frustration hit me like a slap. How long have I just been sitting on this upgrade like an idiot? Was it after the Lumi Viper fight? Before that? After the war?

I groaned, rubbing my face. There’s no way to tell. I had no clue what criteria I need to evolve. Did I get stronger just by existing, or did I have to fight and eat things? And if I had evolved sooner, would that have made battles easier?

Ugh. No use crying over spilled milk. At least I know now.

I took a deep breath, calming myself down. Lesson learned. From now on, I’d check this evolution thing more often. No more wasted progress.

I glance over my list of skills. Pretty much the same as before, except Spine became Enhanced Spine, and I gained a new skill, Spine Shot.

Spine Shot makes sense—I did just unlock the ability to shoot spines. But Lunar Ascension? Still nothing showing. No description, no explanation, just sitting there being all mysterious.

I frown. What even is this supposed to do?

I might as well check on my skills while I’m here.

Reaching out to the gas, the white void darkens, and just like before, images of my skills start to appear. When I touch them with my other hand, details emerge one by one in a shape of me, using it like I'm doing a tutorial video.

Bristle – A versatile ability that can be used for offense, defense, and detection. My body’s natural armor and weapon all in one.

Enhanced Spine – An improved form of my original spines, making them sharper and sturdier. Useful for both combat and protection.

Spine Shot – The ability to fire my spines as projectiles, one at a time. Not rapid-fire, but still useful for attacking from a distance.

Silk Production – I can produce silk. Handy for making shelters, traps, or maybe even tying up enemies.

Psychic – Allows me to communicate through telepathy, mainly with my own species.

Lunar Ascension – …Still nothing. The skill is there with an image of a shimmering moon but it refuses to show anything.

It’s pretty much the same as before, except Spine evolved into Enhanced Spine, and I gained Spine Shot as a new skill.

I narrow my eyes at the last one. "Still not showing anything, huh?"

Frustrating. But there’s nothing I can do about it now.

I step back from the gas, and the familiar white void returns.

Crossing my arms, I close my eyes and reflect. My evolution is great and all, but it’d be even better if I had a way to measure my own physical capabilities. Like, how much health do I have? And what about magic? Do I even have mana?

As I open my eyes, something catches my attention—a small sapling sprouting atop the mound.

I frown.

“…That wasn’t there before, right?”

Curious, I reach out and touch the sapling.

The white void shifts, turning into a deep crimson as a new image forms before me—my own body, or at least an anatomical representation of it.

I blink.

It’s… detailed. Too detailed.

My wounds? None.

My sickness? None.

But then I notice something else—weak points.

A section around my abdominal segments is highlighted in red, marking it as vulnerable. But what really catches my eye is the gap between my thorax and head, glowing an even deeper red.

I exhale sharply.

“Great. So, aim for the neck. Got it.”

I narrow my eyes, scanning the image carefully. As I focus, more areas start to glow with that ominous red hue—weaknesses I hadn’t even considered before.

Aside from the abdomen and the neck gap, I now see:

Leg joints – Marked in a lighter red, likely spots where a strong enough force could sever or cripple my movement.

Underside – A broad red patch runs along my ventral side, indicating it's softer and less protected compared to my bristled back.

Mouthparts – A small but deep red mark near my mandibles. If they got damaged, I might have trouble eating… or fighting.

I click my tongue.

“Fantastic. I might as well be wearing a ‘stab here for maximum effect’ sign.”

As I withdraw my hand from the sapling, the glowing red images fade, and the familiar white void returns. I exhale, crossing my arms in thought.

That sapling… it wasn’t there before, right?

It must have appeared only after I evolved. That means back when I was still a Hatchling, it was either a seed or just too small to notice. But if I could already check my physical condition before, then… maybe it was always there, just not developed enough to be visible.

I glance at the sapling again. So, if this thing represents my health and physical condition, then its size must indicate my overall HP. In other words, the bigger the sapling or tree, the more HP I have.

I shift my gaze back to the mound, taller than before. A bigger mound means a longerlifespan.

Huh. So that’s how it works.

Now that I’ve got it all figured out, there’s nothing else to do here.

I close my eyes, letting out a slow breath. Time to wake up. Time to prepare for whatever comes next.

End of Chapter 10