Endless Evolution as a Centipede in a Game-Like World

The beach was covered in crystalline white sands that were so bright that I suspected that they were producing their own light. As if every grain of sand was releasing bright white light, each as bright as a light bulb.

It was blinding yet strangely beautiful at the same time. Amanda stretched lazily before she hopped down from my back and collapsed onto the sand.

Tossing the unconscious siren onto the ground, I collapsed beside her. I then immediately turned the sand into magma and curled up inside it.

"Eh, what’s with you and magma baths? It’s kind of weird."

"Centipedes usually spend their time in damp areas to absorb moisture since their bodies can be easily dried out by heat. I think my body adapted differently to allow me to do this with magma."

This change was probably caused by my obsidian dragon bloodline. It’s the only explanation I could come up with.

The more that I looked around this place, the more I realized that it wasn’t just the sand that was emitting its own light but everything around us. The rocks, the algae, and even the small crab-like creature that was racing back to the sea in a haste.

Since everything was emitting its own bright light all around, it meant there were no shadows, which made everything feel strangely weird, as if I were standing inside of a poorly made video game.

"So, how do we go about finding the lost city?" I asked.

I couldn’t help but feel skeptical of this whole thing from the beginning.

I mean, from the very beginning she told me to head west. I flew west without even following a compass or a map until it led me to the cliff. Then after arriving at the cliff in a random spot, she told me to find land.

It didn’t matter which direction I swam; my goal was simply to find land. So far it felt as if this journey was one big ass pull and we were just bumbling around, hoping to find something.

"So far nothing even indicated we were even heading in the right direction."

Hearing my complaints, Amanda looked at me, and a small smile appeared on her face before she burst out laughing.

"You’re thinking of this place all wrong." She chuckled clutching her stomach.

I turned to her, showing she had my full attention.

"Enlighten me."

"Alright then," she said, sitting up and facing me. "This planet isn’t like Earth; it doesn’t matter which direction you go, whether it’s north, south, east, or west since you’ll still be in the same strata."

"Strata?" I repeated, unfamiliar with the word.

"Think of this planet like an egg. Back on earth most of the organisms lived on the surface of the planet, while here in Vesperia most creatures actually live inside the planet itself, instead of just on the surface."

Oh, so that’s how it is.

"Vesperia only has one hospitable continent, which is Heaven’s Plain, but that single continent holds more landmass than Earth ever did. The rest of the continents are basically massive ice blocks, while the continents that aren’t, suffer from endless storms that are bigger than entire planets."

It always eluded me just how massive this planet is. In fact, hearing about storms that are bigger than entire planets made me want to visit those places. Just to know if there was anything out there.

Plus, it would give me epic adventures that I could tell my future children about. Who knows, maybe one day I could carry them with me.

Maybe it’s because no one has ever tried to explore the unexplored parts of this game, why it hasn’t been completed. I’m guessing the players heart about these storms and the rest of the world being a mess and decide to ignore it.

Or maybe only one player has. Maybe the reason why the rank 1 player is more powerful and has more Terra-shard is because he visits the places no one bothers to visit.

That does make a lot of sense, considering that these places must have even more power monsters.

"We’re only on the first strata, which is why the monsters here are so weak."

"Huh, you call B-ranked monsters weak?" I asked, looking at her incredulously.

"Compared to what’s out there, yes. When I said I knew where the lost city is, I meant I know which strata it’s located in."

"Oh, so how many strata are there?" I asked curiously.

Amanda shrugged.

"Could be less than a hundred. It could be more, or there could even be thousands. No one knows since no one has ever gone far enough to find out."

"Do you happen to know where the monsters come from?!" I asked another rapid fire question.

Amanda sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. I knew I was asking questions like a 12-year-old on a field trip, but I couldn’t help myself. Learning about this world felt exciting, as if I were unlocking some deep hidden secrets.

"The monsters come from the void itself. They are born from the ground, from the air and from the sea. A few people have actually witnessed this where the monsters are killed, but just a few days later, they are seen crawling back out of the ground like something out of a horror movie."

That does sound a bit creepy. No, not just a bit; it sounded very creepy. The thought of the ground itself giving birth to monsters made my skin crawl.

"As for what I wanted to tell you," Amanda continued, but something about her voice seemed to change the entire atmosphere. It suddenly felt heavy. "It’s about my party. They are here somewhere in the void. In one of the strata. I don’t know where, but I know for a fact that they are here."

Ah, so that’s why she refused to talk about her party members when I first asked.

"If they are in the void somewhere, does that mean that they are in danger?"

Amanda bit her lips to the point where blood began flowing down her chin. She didn’t say a word and only nodded her head. It looked as if she wanted to say more but was holding herself back.

"Well, if your party is here, then maybe we should—"

I paused as my eyes were drawn to something else.

It was the siren.

She had woken up.