Endless Evolution as a Centipede in a Game-Like World

Sitting back down on the bed, I picked up my laptop and placed it back in my lap. This was the only item of value that I had. My mother bought it for college just before I was about to start. It was so expensive that she had to take out a loan but luckily she managed to pay it off without incident.

I decided to type up an application to several different guilds and sent it to them through email. Guilds had headquarters in both worlds, and to join, I could either send in an online application or go in person.

This application listed my gamertag, level, skills, physical stats, and rank. That was all I had to offer. I didn’t dare tell them about the fact that I was a centipede.

Guilds were crucial if one wanted to climb the player rankings and make a lot of money. Not only do they hold important information and secrets about Vesperia, but they offer a means for players to form parties.

With the world of Vesperia being so dangerous, players would come together and form groups of 3-5 members to work together as a team.

There are also other benefits to joining a guild, like lucrative contracts and exclusive deals based on your overall strength. This entire world was run by guilds since they controlled everything.

Even the kingdoms in Vesperia had contracts with specific guilds for their protection against dungeon breaks, powerful beasts, hostile races, other kingdoms, and even other guilds.

Guilds were the backbone of every player since the guild you are a part of helped a lot with your status and safety. Not being a part of a guild puts a target on your back.

Though, there are a few players that weren’t a part of any guild. But these players were usually at the bottom of the rankings and were always exploited by players who had the backing of a guild. All except one man.

The man who managed to claim rank 1 was neither a part of a guild nor a party. He climbed to the top on his own strength and managed to keep that position for years.

Little is known about him. No one knew who he was, what skills he had, his class, or even his race. All that was known about him was his gamertag that was forever etched at the top of the ranking: Atomic_09

The player that is said to be strong enough to crush the world if he sees fit. Kingdoms, guilds, the world itself was fragile underneath his power. I couldn’t even imagine holding that much power.

With the application sent, I then decided to do some research on centipedes. I researched their different species and also their strengths and weaknesses. Afterwards, I decided to take a look at the forum.

It was moderately active, with only a few players online talking with a sense of familiarity to each other.

[FailedMage: Does anyone happen to be near the Clover Kingdom? Specifically to the east of the kingdom, near the Weeping Woods?]

[FireTank: I’m near the area. What happened?]

[FailedMage: A frost wyvern is in the area. It injured one of my party members before flying off. Now she’s covered in frostbite.]

[IndifferentVillain: You idiots allowed a frost wyvern to escape! Its fangs alone can go for thousands of dollars. Not to mention the rare items it could’ve dropped or even just its scales could be used to make powerful armor.]

[AssassinCentral: Fr, its mana core alone could’ve bought me a mansion.]

[FailedMage: OK, tough guys! Since you are so powerful, then why don’t you go after it then.]

[IndifferentVillain: I would if I could, but I’m all the way over at Saint Leafer Kingdom. There is no way I could make it in time. Besides, me and my party members of beautiful women are enjoying the hot springs before we head into a dungeon of threat level B.]

[NoobPlayer69: You’re in the same party as that famous elf healer right? She is hawt!]

The group continued to argue, but it was of no interest to me, so I decided to do the first thing anyone does after entering a new chat group: read the chat history.

The first thing I filtered was the word "biomass." There were many ways to gain power in this world, like through skills, learning spells, unlocking bloodlines, or even through body enhancements via magic items. Some even had specialized systems, but never have I heard of biomass being in Vesperia before.

-Search Empty-

And based on the message I had just received, neither had anyone who was in this forum. There was not a single discussion about biomass or evolving for that matter. I scoured through the chats even further, but there was never any discussions about anyone reawakening as an insect or even an animal.

In rare cases, maybe a dragon or a vampire or an elf, but never a freaking centipede!

The fact that there wasn’t any information about anyone becoming an insect meant that I wouldn’t receive any important information on how to increase my strength. I would have to use my own judgment and knowledge.

For now, it was best to keep the fact that I was a centipede to myself. I was already the weakest player in the entire game; no need to put an unnecessary target on my back or be the butt of anyone’s joke.

I spent the next few hours reading over some of the old messages, trying to see if I could decipher anything useful. I got bits and pieces of information, but nothing groundbreaking.

Dismissing the holographic screen in front of me, I turned my attention back to my laptop. There were several notifications in my inbox.

Without clicking on them, I instantly knew that they were from the guilds I had applied to.

That was fast!

This is it. I applied to every guild available, regardless if they were high- or low-ranking. I just needed one place that would accept me. From there, I could start anew.

Taking a deep breath, I hovered my slightly trembling hand over the touchpad before clicking on the messages.