Chapter 4 - Bug life (Part 1) (1/2)

'Before I leave this cave and venture forward, I should check my status and see what I need to do to master my new Mushroom Bug form.' I thought.

'You know, I never imagined that I will be an insect in my next life. I wonder…. did I make some mistakes in my past life and now is this my repentance.' I lamented, half-jokingly. I know it's just a temporary stop in my journey, and I was looking forward to the future, but it was still frustrating that after arriving to this world, I'm forced to spend time as a small insect that's only goal in life is to chew on mushrooms far away from everything in the world.

[Don't look down on these little survivors too much Aiden. Mushroom Bugs are a very reclusive species, and while they are small, they are natural born survivors. While they can be considered very primitive, the survival instincts and skills they are born with is something that will be very helpful for you. Just look at your Evolution Status window and focus on your tasks and you will slowly learn everything you need to know.]

While I still had my concerns about this situation, I refocused and checked my new Evolution Status.

[Evolution Status

Current form: Mushroom Bug (Tier 1)

Mastery: 1%

Tasks:

Use your mandibles to crush various objects (0/5)

Climb 10 meters vertically, and jump down (0/10)

Consume mushroom (0%)

Spend at least 6 hours in your current form (0/6)

*LOCKED*]

Most of the tasks are pretty self explanatory, I have expected most of them. I also saw that I'm forced to spend time in the form itself as well. However the last task was hidden, and that confused me.

'Why can't I see the last task? How will I complete it, if I don't even know what I need to do?' I asked Enya, hoping to get some clarification.

[The last task is not available currently because your current understanding of the species is very limited. Once you get to know your traits and unique abilities more, it will unlock and you will be able to read it. I would suggest that instead of worrying, you should get to know your current form and get used to it.]

She was right. Instead of worrying about something I have no control over, I should just do what I can. Bring out the best of the situation. I closed my eyes, took a moment to clear my mind and started feeling around. First, I wanted to see the differences in my movement, now that I had legs, my means of travel should have increased considerably. I could move my 3 pair of legs separately from each other, and I could also synchronize their movements, greatly increasing my speed. I spent a while scurrying around the cave, enjoying this new yet familiar sensation.

After some rounds of going around randomly, I arrived next to a wall. I picked a section where there was a bit more vegetation around the ground as well, not to hurt myself too much.

'So from what I see, the small bristles on my legs should be able to give me enough grip to be able to cross almost any type of surface. I looked up checking out the rocky height that seemingly went all the way up to the 'heavens'. Well, at least from my miniature standpoint. I tried picking a section that had more ridges then normal, hoping that they would assist me more in the matter. I know it's an unfounded notion, but I just couldn't help it. The fact that the entire cave was very damp, bothered me a bit, but considering that these types of bugs lived in these types of environments, I hoped that my biology was prepared to handle this type of surface. The slightly slippery surface shouldn't be an issue.

'Here we go…' with these thoughts I put my frontal legs on the wall, pulling my body up, and using my middle pair of legs to grip another section of the wall as they came in close contact. It felt easier than I expected in my mind, it was a natural action. Before I realized it, I was already climbing, no, running up the wall without bothering about anything at all. I was playing close attention to my System's screen, checking when the prompt showed I climbed high enough.

In no time I reached my goal of 10 meters, so I took a quick stop. I checked my notification once again, just to be sure that I do need to take a leap of faith.

[- Climb 10 meters vertically, and jump down (10/10)]

The prompt showed I climbed high enough, but it was not completed, confirming that I was still missing one final task.

'I should be fine right? I'm an insect, falling from higher places, should be an everyday occurrence. If nothing else, my shell itself should protect me. Probably. I do not have any bones that could be crushed anyways. What am I even afraid of?' Hyping myself up, I took one last moment, then pushed my legs against the wall and leaped off.

I was prepared for the incoming pain and my loss of ability to move, or for something even worse happening, but other than feeling my shell bumping against the surface, there was literally no pain. For a second I even thought that I just imagined jumping off, and I was still on the wall, but the updated notification brought me back to reality.