Reign Of Worm 4 First Combat.

So upgrading sounds really cool, right? It sounds awesome! Actually doing it though, yeah no it's terrible. Whatever you upgrade feels like complete s.h.i.+t during the process. Not to mention not much of a difference is made so far. Got it? Cool. Now I have to decide what body part I'm going to improve. I have five Life Matter, let's see how far I can go.

I'll start with the mouth, I need to see how bad the cost inflation is per level. Upgrade mouth!

[Upgrade mouth(II) to mouth(III) for two Life Matter. Confirm? ]

Confirm!

[Upgrade confirmed.]

AARGH! Holy s.h.i.+t I did NOT think it would hurt this much! It's over twice the f.u.c.king pain!

Phew! Wow, that was pretty horrible. Moving on, I think I'll upgrade my mandibles twice, I'll need combat capability if I'm to last much longer and hunt bigger prey. Upgrade mandibles twice!

[Upgrade mandibles to mandibles(II) for three Life Matter. Confirm?]

Confirm! Oh G.o.d-

YEEEEEE!! My mandibles ache so bad!

I never knew I could experience such pain in this body. I can't even imagine the pain going forwards. Man I'm tired, I know I don't need a nap but I think I'll take one…

---

Hup! I'm awake!

GURGLE

Oh, I'm... hungry. Terribly hungry. What's this gnawing feeling, my intestines? Must. Find. Food. Soon. Centipedes must be around here somewhere. I'll have to take a look around.

My hunger pangs lessen as I start to tunnel through the dirt, albeit very slightly. Man how I wish the dirt here was better. Actually now that I'm more rational, does this mean my improved parts made me hungry? Actually it was most likely the process. It was d.a.m.n horrible, so I wouldn't be surprised if it had such a side effect. Oho, there is a heat signature ahead. Straining myself a little I try to make out the target of my feverish hunger.

It's… a centipede? It looks so small. Maybe it was just born? Yeah that must be it. Or it's a different species. It's just so small. I cautiously tunnel closer to the tiny centipede. Well, as cautiously as a ravenous worm can, given the circ.u.mstances.

[Heat Sense Leveled up to III]

I'll ignore this.

It doesn't seem to notice me, good. I get even closer, not even five feet away, but still the centipede gives no sign of having noticed my presence. My heart is pounding furiously. I'm halfway out of the wall, and I ready myself, my maw wide open. Finally the centipede twitches, sensing something. It turns to me, sh.e.l.lshocked that I had snuck up on it so easily. Only for a split second, sadly. Regaining its bearings, the centipede lunges towards me. A suicidal move if I ever saw one. I mean, seriously, my mouth stretches to a little under double my height, a scary feat. This of course causes the poor little b.u.g.g.e.r to leap right into my mandibles, which I close almost unconsciously with a very audible clack.

Snap! The centipede is cut straight in half by my level two mandibles, dying instantly. Success! The food even delivered itself into my mouth! Flawless!

[Defeated Acid Centipede]

[You gained xp]

[Bite leveled up to II]

[Acid centipede consumed]

[1 Life Matter acquired]

Joy! My hunger is sated, for now. It was close, I'm not going to lie. If I hadn't lucked upon this poor little b.u.g.g.e.r, my luck might've run out. That said I shove the other half of the acid centipede into myself. The taste truly isn't savory.

[1 Life Matter acquired]

Nice! Time to head back home before I spend my meagre earnings from this venture. Wait, while I'm squirming my way back, didn't Mr System Jeremy mention something about a centipede basic profile? Let's check that out.

[Basic Profile: Acid Centipede]

[The acid centipede is a low-level centipede variant that primarily uses poison to harm and sometimes even deceive its enemies. Beware the potent poison, for although a truly common creature, no antidotes have been manufactured. If you get hit by this, might as well give up on life.]

Well, that's interesting, if not quite useful. At least I know never to let myself get hit by these b.u.g.g.e.rs. Not that I would. Just something to keep in mind, I guess. I hum a little tune as I head back to home base, satisfied for the day, and filled with hope for the future.

[Tunnel Leveled up to IV]

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Status: David

Species Earthworm

HP: 100/100

MP: 0/0

Strength: 5

Speed: 2

Toughness: 8

Cunning: 34

Will: 35

Skills: Tunnel(IV), Bite, Heat Sense(III)

Life Matter: 2

Skill Points: 0

General: Heat sensing glands, digestive system, mouth(III), mandibles(III), setae, body, muscles