Endless Evolution as a Centipede in a Game-Like World

Amanda laid unconscious as the toxin took hold of her, drugging up memories she would wish to forget. To her, it was as if she was reliving her memory in third person. She watched as the younger version of herself went through torturous training to improve her strength at just 13 years old.

As her younger self laid on the ground, a man with an uncaring expression loomed over her. Observing her as she struggled to breathe.

"You’re weak. Your body is just not suitable enough," the man said in a flat tone, as if he was merely mumbling something to himself. "Maybe your younger sister would have better luck."

Hearing that, the younger Amanda’s eyes widened. The mere mention of her younger sister taking her place gave her the strength to push herself up to her feet. Her legs wobbled and her body ached all over, yet still she fought through it and stood tall for her father to see. The pain was unbearable, yet she smiled, pretending as if she didn’t want to fall to her knees and cry.

"See, I’m fine, I can do this, no need to get Amelia involved," she said with a forced grin on her face.

Watching this from the side, Amanda felt nothing. It was as if she was watching the life of someone else.

If it was a stranger suffering like this, then she would have felt unbearable pity towards them, but when it was herself suffering, it hardly mattered at all. On some level, she knew it wasn’t normal, yet she didn’t care.

Her father approached the younger version of himself and placed his cold hands on his daughter’s shoulder.

"You are the future of this planet. Of our species. You must overcome it. If you can’t bear this burden, you can always pass it on to your sister. This is why I have two daughters."

The younger Amanda quickly shook her head.

"I can handle it. I’ll unlock mother’s magic and save everyone. It’s like you said, I just need more exposure."

Cassius gave her a complicated look. At that moment, she looked like the spitting image of the woman he once loved. Their mother.

Taking hold of his daughter’s hand, he placed a red crystal in the palm of her hand. This crystal was the blood of a being that shouldn’t exist. A being so powerful that their magic could bend reality itself.

The magic from this being was so powerful that when they died, their blood hardened into crystals. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Amanda held the crystal against her chest as she slowly began to pour her own mana inside the crystal. Immediately, the crystal reacted, as if rejecting her very being before erupting in bright red lightning. It felt as if the nerves inside of her body were set on fire.

The pain was so unbearable that immediately her legs caved in as a guttural scream escaped her. The only way she could bear through the pain without losing her mind was by pretending that it wasn’t her feeling the pain.

It was someone else. A girl named Amanda that wasn’t her.

She began to dissociate with herself.

This third person view of her life wasn’t anything new. She had lived it.

The girl suffering wasn’t her. It was Amanda, and Amanda was someone else.

It couldn’t be her.

Seeing his daughter coughing up blood on the ground, Cassius sighed before turning his back and leaving the room.

Amanda expected it, and it didn’t hurt as much anymore when she saw him leave.

She learned that no one would save her since she was the hero meant to save everyone. No matter how much it hurt, no one would stop the pain. She had to stop it herself.

She curled herself up into a ball on the ground and closed her eyes from the pain.

"Why am I here?" Amanda wondered as she watched her past self. "The octopus! That ink it sprayed in my face must have some kind of toxin that affected my mind. Still, that monster looks pretty weak. It won’t be able to devour me if that’s what it wants."

She paused at a sudden realization.

"Unless... unless it’s trying to weaken my body by wearing down my mind. Ugh, that must be it. If that monster thinks he can weaken me by making me relive bad memories, then he has another thing coming! Just wait until I get out of this, then—"

Amanda’s pupils then shrunk to the size of a needle as the memory suddenly changed into something else. Something she had wiped her mind of completely.

"...No, not this memory!"

...

As I watched the giant fish woman and the fish men, I felt like an undercover cop watching a drug deal go down.

The fish woman was the drug lord while the fish men were the goons. They seemed to be communicating by making sounds similar to a dolphin, only much scarier.

The talk lasted for about half an hour before the sea woman finally separated from them, swimming back gracefully into the abyss.

The fishmen too wasted no time and spread out into different directions. I made sure to take notes of the direction each of them went and went in the opposite direction.

I swam in a wide circle to go back to where I left Amanda. I even avoided the piranhas since I didn’t want to create a commotion to attract the creatures from before.

Dammit, why do monsters have to be both powerful and scary? Couldn’t they just stick with powerful?

It’s bad enough they can topple cities, so why do they have to look like an eldritch horror while doing so?

[Dark Liege, if I may interrupt, I think a domineering look strikes fear in the hearts of enemies. You yourself have that]

"A lovable centipede like me has no business being compared to that monstrosity."

[I think you’re a cutie, Master]

"Thank you, Lily."

After a few more hours of swimming, I finally resurfaced in front of the platform.

Strangely, Amanda wasn’t there to great me the moment I emerged.

Curious, I decided to poke my head up to the platform to see what was happening, but the sight I uncovered was far from what I expected.

"Amanda!"