In pure darkness, Benny was watching his memories of his past self.
He was around eight years old and went on a family trip with his parents. They were on their way in when many Mors attacked their hovercar.
To protect their child, Benny's mother, Scarlet Olbion used her Origin and summoned a thick cage of plant roots, trapping Benny in it. Then she and Benny's father, Vortim Olbion, engaged themselves in battle with a horde of Mors.
They fought and fended for thirty minutes without any reinforcement. Benny was stunned as he watched the gruesome sight. He was happy that his parents were fighting for him, but he also knew that they won't be going to last long. He tried calling for the help of Heroes with his cell phone, but the signal was lost.
However, the true horror arose when Demons entered battle with some Villains. It was all but a plot by them to manipulate Mors to exhaust his parents.
What awaited was something that a child should have never seen. His parents were butchered like animals in front of his eyes. His mother was eaten alive by a giant Mors, while demons tore his father's limbs one by one while he was still alive.
Everything happened when Benny was watching them from the plantation cage.
Just when demons and villains were going to come for Benny, help arrived, and he was rescued, but it was too late. His parents, who loved their child even though he was a Nap, were gone just like that. Not even their bones remained for Benny to mourn for. He was orphaned just like that.
It was also the day when Benny swore to his life that he would be going to avenge his parents.
---
"What the…" As if waking up from a dream in a dream, Benny spoke when he found himself floating in the infinite darkness. A holographic screen was also floating in front of him with similar words he had seen last second of his life.
[Welcome to the Entomancer System.]
[Do you wish to accept this role?]
[Yes/No]
It was not like he had any choice, so he did what must have been done and clicked on the Yes button.
Just the name of the system was enough for him to accept this role as someone who just loved insects and bugs.
[You have chosen to be integrated with Entomancer System. As such, your class will be Entomancer at default.]
[Entomancer: You are now one with nature and small creatures that regulates the green planet.
What everyone considers gross and disgusting, you find it beautiful and know its importance. You know how to use these small invertebrates and their abilities against your enemy.
Strong exoskeleton-like defence, sharp eyes that could see even in darkness, and the ability to sense danger will be your primary skill.
You will raise a swamp of insects and arthropods and use their broad distinctive abilities to fight.
Small they might be, but these creatures will be your weapon of your soul.]
"Wow, that sounds cool!!" Benny's eyes beamed with stars. He had only seen these systems in novels and games so it was exciting for a 17 years old teen to witness the real deal system in front of him…. Even though he was dead.
[Entomancy is a broad art as it covers the wide use of invertebrates. There are three sub-classes that you have to choose from. This will determine the type of entomancy you will be practising.]
[1. Wrath of Swamp:
The swamp of insects is all you need. You will be a spell caster able to communicate with insects and make pacts with them to reside in your body and feed upon your magic. In return, you can command small creatures to attack your enemy at single command without caring about their lives.
Pros: Extremely fast growth. Good DPS/AOE. Spells that can imitate the abilities of insects.
Cons: Very limited growth. Reliance on the quality of swamp.]
[2. Arachnoid:
Instead of commanding the swamp, you will become the swamp. As you grow, your body will undergo a tremendous transformation, and you will gain the abilities of various insects and arthropods. Different skills will be available, and you can grow however you want.
Pros: Fast growth. High Crit DPS. Skills and abilities of insects of your choice. Self-reliance.
Cons: Limited growth. Inhuman transformation.]
[3. Origin Crawler:
You will summon ultimate insect servants called 'Crawlers'. These Crawlers will be at your command and grow stronger with you. You will also use spells that will imitate insect abilities. You can also choose to transform your body and use the skills of various insects and arthropods. Crawlers will also grant you one of their perks as you summon and change them.
Pros: Unlimited growth and potential. DPS, AOE or Support depends upon the varieties of Crawlers. [TRUTH].
Cons: Extremely slow growth. Somewhat reliance on crawlers. Relatively inhuman transformation.]
Benny was impressed as he had already seen sub-classes in Entomancy.
As the name suggests, entomancy is all about controlling insects and bugs and as such, it was a pretty rare class. To be honest, most people don't consider this class because it is quite gross for them. I mean, do you else like to feel with 16 inches long centipede crawling on your body?
If you talk about sub-class, all the classes were terrific. The first one was the most common. You nest insects in your body. They will feed upon your magic power, and in return, they will help you against your enemies. Benny was familiar with the class, but he discarded the first one. He loves insects, but it was another matter to host them in his body, even if the growth was fastest among all subclass.
The second one was all about transforming oneself into an insect. Benny could grow wings like a dragonfly or develop a strong exoskeleton like beetles. It was all about transformation into an insect with various abilities. It could be a proper subclass and would help him in his revenge against Wendy and her goons, but he was not in favor of becoming a complete alien. So it was also a no for Benny.
So without further ado, he chose the third option. He was interested in servant-like bugs. This class also covers the pros of the first two classes, even though the growth was prolonged. Benny could wait. But what attracted his attention was the 'Truth' part. Even his gut feeling was telling him to choose this class, and the answer lies in this path.
[You have Origin Crawler.]
[Your new life will now begin. May the grace of fai----]
The message was cut off as the darkness around him was soon engulfed in blinding light. The light was so intense that Benny felt like his soul was burning, yet the same light was also healing him.
Amidst the chaos, Benny heard a voice.
It was the same feminine voice that he heard before his death.
'Master, I am your first Crawler. Call my name.'
!!
Benny was still confused and didn't know what was happening, but he knew what to do.
"Name? Your name…"
After thinking about it, Benny spoke again.
"Your name shall be…."
Soon everything again went dark, and Benny opened his eyes. He found himself in the same pool of blood he had died into, but somehow he was alive. Sitting up and massaging his head, he thought he was watching a horrible nightmare where he died in a Hell Gate after being betrayed by the group.
But after sniffing the smell of his blood, he affirmed the reality he faced.
In addition to all those confusion, the same holographic screen was levitating in front of him.
---
=[[Status]]=
Name: Benny Olbion
Race: Heteromorphic Human
Job: Entomancer (Origin Crawler)
Level: 4
Coins: 0
---
Strength: 4
Mana: 6
Vitality: 5
Agility: 3
Additional SPs: 0
---
HP: 14/14
MP: 29/29
---
Passives:
[1. Entomorph Body:
The host now has insect-like nature with the following perks:
-Insect-like instincts.
-Natural ability to crawl on any surface.
-Immunity to Physic attacks.
-Immunity to Curse.
-Immunity to sickness and disease.
-0.3x damage against fire-type attacks.
-0.4x damage against electric-type attacks.
-0.8x damage against any physical attack.
-1.5x damage taken from Ice-type attacks.
-1.5x damage against Necrotic attack.]
Active Skill and Spells: -
---
=[[Shop]]=
=[[Crawlers]]=
"So it was real…wait, that's right! My first Crawler!"
And just as he recalled those memories and the name he had given to the first Crawler, Benny looked around and soon found a giant dome-like creature looking at him.
It was a giant ladybug, around 20 inches big, with red-coloured wing covers and small black spots. It also had dark but visible six legs and a cute head with big eyes and antennas.
"You are…"
"I am Vivian, the first Crawler you have summoned in this world. I will be your guide in your journey in whatever master desires."
Hearing the feminine voice from a giant ladybug, an excited smile crept on Benny's face and then another screen popped in front of him.
=[[Crawlers]]=
-First-
Name: Vivian
Level: 5/35
Race: Ladybug of rebirth
Rarity: 5 ☆
Evolution: 2nd Stage (3)
---
Strength: 12
Mana: 11
Vitality: 12
Agility: 7
---
HP: 41
MP: 56
---
Skill Set:
Passive: [Ladybug's Luck]
Active: [Kinetic Repeller], [Star Healing]
---
Uses: Independent, Equip
===
And SHE was stronger than him too.