Endless Evolution as a Centipede in a Game-Like World

My body swelled with air, splitting my shell in half from the back straight up to where my head was. From there, all I had to do was wiggle out of the shell, which only took a few minutes at most.

Now without an exoskeleton, I was at my most vulnerable. My body was like a wet piece of paper that could be easily torn apart. Usually, it would take weeks for a centipede to molt as they needed to grow skin underneath their exoskeleton, but by spending my last biomass, I was able to speed up the process, making it instantaneous.

It could take up to 2 days for my new shell to harden, so in the meantime, I decided to log out.

[Do you wish to log out of Vesperia?][Y/N]

Logging out was one of the biggest risks for a player since if their body wasn’t properly secured, then they could easily be killed. Of course, there was a workaround for this: a special item that would transport you to somewhere safe the moment you logged out.

These items were readily available and were sold by merchants at almost any town but unfortunately for me, I didn’t even know where I was, much less a town.

Just as before, the world around me turned pixelated and began to deconstruct. Slowly, I began opening my eyes to the sight of a familiar ceiling up above me. On the ground beside me was Amelia, lying on the cold hard floor.

That idiot!

I slid out of bed and quickly lifted her up. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Sleeping on the floor in her condition was reckless! What if she catches a cold?

Even in the dark room, her blonde hair radiated as I placed her down on the bed and covered her up with the sheets. I noticed she was still wearing the shirt and shorts I lent her since she didn’t bring any clothes with her when she ran away.

I didn’t know why she ran away from her family in the first place, though it struck me as strange. Her family owned a very high-ranking guild and her father was a high-ranking player in Vesperia. When it came to status, she was leagues above me.

The only reason I knew her was from the days when my mother worked as a servant on her family’s estate. On days when I didn’t have school, my mother would bring me along with her. Amelia and I would play together.

Before last week, I hadn’t seen her in over 5 years. She said she didn’t have anywhere else to go, and given her personality, I didn’t believe she had any friends, so after 5 years, I still remained her only friend.

Typical.

The Amelia I knew was arrogant and blunt so it made sense she didn’t have any friends. But all of that was just a facade. She had a soft side to her.

Checking the time, I saw that it was now 4 a.m., so I decided to get some rest. After everything that happened today, I was burnt out, so I laid in bed beside her and closed my eyes.

A few hours later, as I slowly opened my eyes, I was greeted by a welcoming sight. A blonde-haired girl sat over me with cheeks puffed full of air. Her pink-colored eyes shined brightly, reflecting the light from the windows.

"Pervert."

That scornful word was what greeted me as I opened my eyes and was temporarily stumped by her beauty.

"Good morning to you too."

Her eyes sharpened into a glare.

"Regardless of what happened between us before, we are not a couple. There is no reason for us to be sleeping in the same bed."

Stretching my body, I yawned as I sat up.

"I didn’t feel comfortable letting you sleep on the floor but if it makes you uncomfortable, then I’ll sleep on the floor instead."

She quickly shook her head

"Its your apartment and I don’t want to cause trouble."

"Saying that after calling me a pervert."

"You deserved it."

"Fine, let’s make a compromise. There is only one bed in the apartment, and neither of us wants the other to sleep on the floor, so there is only one option," I said.

Amelia folded her arms and frowned in response.

"I promise I won’t try anything indecent," I assured her.

She stared at me for a few seconds before heaving a sigh.

"OK, fine, but if you try anything..."

"Yeah, yeah, you’ll skin me alive," I said as I climbed out of bed.

"By the way, how did it go at Vesperia?"

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Amelia’s expression moved from a frown to one of worry.

"What happened?"

Telling her that I got turned into a centipede didn’t sound like a good idea. How would she react if I told her that I entered the fantasy world as an insect? I became weaker than I currently am as a human.

But unlike a regular human, I had the opportunity to grow.

I could evolve continuously or even endlessly. The way I saw it, as long as I could hunt, gain biomass, skills, and level up, then there was no limit to the strength I could gain. I doubted anyone else would see it that way, hence...

"I awakened as a common mage. It’s not glamorous, but it’s something."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Really..."

"Yes, I spawned in the middle of a town, and just as instructed, I signed up with the local guild. Unfortunately, it’s not a high-ranking guild. I haven’t found a party either, but I’m planning to do so when I log back in. Everything went great." I said casually as I stretched my stiff joints.

A small smile appeared on her lips.

"Good, I’m happy for you. I’m sure you’ll work hard at it," she said as she climbed out of bed and went towards the bathroom.

"Hey," I stopped her before she could leave.

Stopping at the door, Amelia turned around to look at me, her blonde hair spilling over her slender shoulder.

"When I start earning, I’m planning to buy you some new pair of clothes so you don’t have to wear the same ones every day. And we’ll finally go for a doctor’s visit."

Lowering her head, she turned back around so I couldn’t see her face.

"Don’t worry about me. I’ll also be getting a job soon."

With those words, she slipped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.