Asumi, trapped within the belly of the monstrous centipede, his body writhing in agony as its poisonous glands began to melt his exoskeleton. With each passing moment, his consciousness waned, his vision blurring as darkness encroached from all sides.
The system's prompt flashed before his eyes, [System: Host HP is dropping rapidly. Current HP 17%]
Asumi's thoughts grew hazy. "Maybe it's for the best," he mused, his voice a faint whisper amidst the centipede's contracting stomach muscles. "Life as a beetle has been nothing but brutal. It's too much for me to bear. Perhaps it's time to let go."
But just as he began to surrender to the encroaching darkness, a second voice spoke out within his mind, a voice filled with determination and conviction. "So, you are really going to give up now?" it demanded, its words cutting through the fog of despair. "What about Catherine? Are you forgetting about the promise you made to yourself that you'll get back to Earth no matter what?"
Then Asumi replied back, his voice echoing in his mind, "You're right. I can't let Gooper die in vain. I refuse to let everything end here. I must give it my all."
Asumi's eyes snapped open. With newfound courage coursing through his veins, he pushed aside his doubts and fears. He gazed upon the system prompt indicating he was in his last HP.
Asumi's mind raced. He muttered, "Crap, I need to act fast." With trembling limbs, he accessed his extraction skill. His heart raced with despair as he saw the percentage displayed: 98%. He muttered, "What? Still not complete."
With the centipede's venom threatening to claim him, Asumi knew that he had only one move left to make. With a desperate cry, he opened his mandibles wide, sinking his teeth into the flesh of the creature that threatened to devour him. As the bitter taste of poison flooded his senses, he knew that time was running out.
[System prompted: [System: Host has consumed poison, death imminent in 2 seconds]
[System: Host The skill Trait Extraction is fully charged and ready to go.] Asumi mused, "Finally."
With a final surge of strength, he activated the skill, his body suffused with the essence of the centipede as he absorbed one of its traits into his body.
[System: Trait extraction has been activated, host has gained the trait poisonous glands (B)]
As Asumi's body surged with newfound power, he felt the essence of the centipede's poisonous glands coursing through his veins, infusing him with a potent and deadly energy. With a serious gleam in his eyes, he opened his mandibles, biting and eating the centipede from his insides.
The centipede felt a strong sting from within, it squirmed and writhed in agony, its massive form shaking violently as it struggled to fend off the unseen threat that gnawed at its insides. With each thrash, it collided with the walls of the hole, the impact reverberating through the cramped space with bone-jarring force.
But despite its efforts, the centipede could not withstand the relentless assault from Asumi within. With a final, anguished cry, it collapsed to the ground, its once mighty form reduced to a quivering mass of flesh and chitin.
Seizing the opportunity, Asumi wasted no time in springing into action. He unleashed the full force of his Rhino Charge, his horn tearing through the centipede's thick exoskeleton with brutal efficiency.
With a sickening crunch, Asumi carved open a path from the centipede's neck, his form bathed in the viscous fluids that poured forth from the creature's innards.
As Asumi emerged from the carnage, he couldn't help but let out a weary sigh. "Ugh, that was close," he muttered, his voice tinged with both relief and exhaustion.
But as the system prompt congratulated him for his victory [System: Host has slain the Field boss Poison Centimon you have gained 80 Exp. You have leveled up]
[System: You have reached level 10 Congratulations]
[System: Host body has increased in size. Current size 15 cm]
[System: Updating...]
Asumi shook his head, his brow furrowing with concern. "No, I didn't win. It wasn't just luck," he replied, his tone serious. "I can't keep on acting recklessly like this. If I'm going to survive, I need a team. I need allies I can rely on, or else the next time something like this happens, I might just not make it."
The system's prompt suggested an idea: starting a beetle village, prompting a curious tilt of Asumi's head. "A beetle village?" he echoed, his interest piqued. "What exactly is that?"
With a flicker of light, the system brought up a hologram, overlaying it with information about the ants' colony.
[System: A beetle village is like an ant colony. It's a community of beetles living together, with countless species to support you in combat. If you ever plan on defeating a massive organization like the ant colony, you'll need a similar group backing you up.]
Asumi's eyes widened with realization as he absorbed the information, a sense of understanding settling over him like a cloak. "I see," he murmured, his mind racing with possibilities. "If I want to survive in this forest, I'll need to build a village of my own. I'll need to gather allies, forge bonds, and prepare for future battles."
With a nod, Asumi muttered, "I think I can make it happen." Then the system brought it as a quest.
[System Quest: Name: Together we live, divided we fall: Host is too weak to defeat his enemies.
{Task}
| Gain a territory 0/1
| Gain your first hundred Villagers 0/100
| Build your territory 0/1]
Looking at the system window, Asumi couldn't help but smirk. He muttered, "Alright, I just need to find my first villager."
Deep in the serene lake, the massively grown insect's eyes glowed bright blue. Asumi muttered, "It's Lisa, the water beetle."