Endless Evolution as a Centipede in a Game-Like World

Amanda got kidnapped! By another guild master no less. This complicates things a lot. Especially since I had no clue as to how to get to the next strata. It was very clear that the Phoenix King had a grudge against the Veymont family since Cassius took the blame for killing his brother even though it was me.

I can’t allow him to harm her over something I did.

On the bright side though, at least she’s alive. I just have to figure out a way to get to her. I need to go about this delicately so she doesn’t get hurt.

"Aphrodite, I need you to show me where they are."

...

What felt like an eternity later, Amanda’s eyes slowly began to open. Her face stung, and she expected her eyes to be swollen half open, but strangely, they weren’t.

The only reminder of the hell she went through was the stinging sensation in her face.

’Did he heal me?’

She tried to touch her face but quickly realized her hands and legs were bound by shackles.

"Don’t even try it; you won’t be able to get out."

The sudden interjection of a voice nearby caused her to quickly raise her head.

Sitting in front of her was another woman dressed completely in armor. On her chest plate was the emblem of a phoenix, while a few feet away was a small army of men and women who were also dressed in armor.

Their chestplate had the same emblem as the female knight.

They were all gathered together in a camp, having a deep expression.

"Were you the one that healed me?"

The female knight looked at her and shook her head.

"I am not."

"Are you a player?

The knight nodded again.

"I am Elyse; I am the Phoenix King’s 5th wife. The one who healed you is his third wife, Alara. Don’t worry, you’ll be more acquainted with us soon enough."

Amanda raised an eyebrow.

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Your father killed our king’s brother. Under normal circumstances, either you or your sister would be tortured and killed as retribution. But the Phoenix King is feeling generous."

"Generous?" Amanda repeated the word with a raised eyebrow. She had a bad feeling about what this ’generosity’ entails.

"Instead, the Phoenix King will settle for marrying one of Cassius’s daughters."

"You’ve got to be kidding me." Amanda’s expression settled on a frown that bordered on disgust. "You expect me to marry that guy?"

"It’s not as bad as you would think. He treats us fairly as long as we’re obedient and loyal. It’s not that different from Earth, where young girls are encouraged to get married and have kids to sustain the dropping population."

Due to the small population of humans on earth and the amount of death that takes place every month, there is a law in place that forces young healthy men and women to have at least 2 children by the age of 30.

The only ones who aren’t forced to follow this law are players.

Amanda looked at the female knight incredulously as if she had just said something incomprehensible.

"I am not marrying that man. Are you crazy?"

"What other choice do you have? If a fight breaks out between your father’s guild and our guild, then thousands could lose their lives, especially if it happens in the real world. Are you so selfish that you would allow innocent people to die for your sake?"

"No, that’s not..."

"If you really care about peace, then you’d do this without fighting."

Amanda lowered her head, looking deep in thought. She knew the knight was right. If the two guilds fight, then there will be casualties. She knew that better than anyone.

"You have an organization dedicated to helping the people back on earth, don’t you? We’ve seen you working tirelessly to rally players for your cause, but they all ignored you. As the wife of the Phoenix King, you’ll get more support for your cause than your father ever would’ve given you."

Amanda sat quietly, not uttering a word.

This caused the female knight to sigh as she stood up.

"You have the chance to think about it until he returns."

With that, the female knight went to join the others in her camp, leaving Amanda alone with her thoughts. Amanda sat quietly with her hands and legs bound as she thought about the choice presented before.

Before she instinctively dismissed the thought without even thinking about it, but now that she had the chance to think, her mind was slowly changing.

"It doesn’t seem like much of a big deal. What do I care who I get married to?"

She never gave any thought to marriage or romance before, so it didn’t feel as if she was losing anything important. If this could solve most of her problems, then it might be worth it. This was her thought.

As she sat there in silence, the camp suddenly erupted in a cacophony of shouts and cheers. Amanda quickly raised her head to inspect what was happening.

Above her in the sky was a humanoid figure with large bird-like wings engulfed in deep orange flames.

Everyone in the camp promptly turned their attention to the sky as the Phoenix King landed in the middle of the camp.

"You’re back?!"

Several young women greeted him as he landed.

’Those must be his wives.’

"Did you manage to find a way to the next strata?"

The Phoenix King smirked as he caressed the women surrounding him and spoke proudly.

"I did. There is an anthill not far from here. Everything I’ve found so far has led to that place, so I’m guessing that’s where the drop-off is." He explained, "Get ready; we’re leaving now. I don’t want to spend another second in this place."

Hearing his words, everyone nodded and immediately began packing up their things to leave camp. While they were all busy, the Phoenix King’s eyes landed on Amanda. He smiled playfully as he approached her.

"Did Elyse tell you what I had in store for you?"

Feeling disgusted, Amanda held back her urge to spit at him and instead gave a slight nod. Phoenix King reached out and raised her chin.

"Seeing as you’re not fighting, I take it that you accept."

"As long as you agree to let your brother’s death go and no innocent lives will be lost as a result."

The Phoenix King’s smile widened as he slowly caressed her face.

"No, I won’t let it go. I’ll spend every day making sure that you pay it off my dear wife."

"I’m not your wife yet."

"Its just a matter of time"

Amanda gritted her teeth and plucked her face away from his grasp.

Satisfied, the Phoenix King decided to leave her for the time being and instead made sure his guild was getting ready to leave for the next strata. After a few minutes when everything was packed, the group finally headed off.

They travelled through the sandy terrain, moving through massive sandstorms and monster attacks without even stopping once for a break. The Phoenix King was determined to get to the ant hill as quickly as possible.

After a few hours of travelling, they could see the outline of a massive structure off into the distance, and after a few more hours, they were in front of the anthill. The anthill rose into the sky and led deep underground.

Just like a real anthill, there were several entrances and a few ants guarding it from the outside. It was made from a bright red stone, and the most astonishing thing about this anthill was that it was the size of a city.

"Ugh, how long would it even take for us to find the drop-off in this place?"

"Not to mention it’s crawling with those ant monsters."

The guild members couldn’t help but raise their concerns as they stared at the massive structure before them.

"It doesn’t matter how long it will take or what monsters are inside. Just prepare yourself. I want to locate the drop-off in no more than a week."

...

"I-I don’t know what happened. This was where I found the camp."

Aphrodite said, panic lacing her voice as she looked around at the empty surroundings.

"They must’ve moved."

I could sense traces of their presence with my antennae. Traces that could be followed. I could detect over 50 different scents, one of which belonged to Amanda. This meant she was alive at least.

"They couldn’t have gone far since the scents were fresh." I’m guessing they left a few hours before we arrived.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I quickly began following the scent. This area where they were was mostly surrounded by sand, and the sand blew in the wind, scattering their scent. But because there were so many of them travelling, I got the general idea for the direction they were heading.

It doesn’t feel as if they are just wandering aimlessly. They must’ve had a location in mind. But there is nothing around here.

Oh wait, there is.

"Lily, you said you sensed a massive structure before."

"I did."

"Do you remember where it is?"