If this natural cycle played itself out, then most of the larvae on this plateau will become fodder for the few, perhaps even the one, survivor.
And it is a plateau. I’d originally thought this wall was the edge of whatever space I was in, but it isn’t. I was reborn lower on this wall on what amounted to a ledge, jutting out of the side of a tall pillar rising toward the ceiling impossibly high above.
It had been hard to notice before, since my attention was directed inward and at my immediate surroundings, but now that I take in the broader picture, I’m becoming aware of just where I’ve wound up. In order to get a better view, I decide to continue to climb this wall until I reach the top. The edge is within view, possibly another seventy metres above.
My arms are powerful, and although my body is a large fleshy sack, they are enough to keep propelling me toward the top, though they’re trembling and weak by the time I reach the ledge.
Pulling myself over the lip, I dominate my weakness and force myself to dive into cover without pausing to rest. To my relief, there are no enemies present to take advantage of my temporary weakness. Once my strength returns, I drag myself out and begin to poke my noseless face about. What I see is a narrow, mostly flat stretch that is roughly circular, and terminates less than a hundred metres away in a sheer drop. All around me, a vast, underground Expanse stretches outward to the limits of my vision.
Stunned by the bizarre, illogical geography, I turn back to the ledge behind me and look down. The ledge on which I was born is still swarming with demons battling against each other. Beyond that, the ground drops away several hundred metres more to what I believe must be the floor of this vast, vast cavern. As far as I can see, in every direction, is exactly the same thing. Blasted rock. Boiling Lava. And demons. So, so many demons. The little fleshy bags with arms that are my fellow demon siblings are everywhere. Thousands. Tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands. They stretch on to the horizon of my sight, where things grow fuzzy and blurred in the distance.
What’s more, stalking amongst them are larger demons of several different forms, slaying the smaller larvae with ease and engaging in running battles against each other. Farther off are pillars rising high into the air, perhaps miles high, to connect the floor to the distant ceiling. Nothing that I see makes sense from an Earth perspective, the very idea of something such as this existing underground makes absolutely no sense.
And yet here I am.
I’m not sure exactly what is happening, but it’s clear there is some sort of race going on. A race to fight, consume, and grow. Only the winner will be allowed to survive. This blasted landscape is covered in demons.
Am I sure this isn’t actually hell? No matter, it’s perfect. This is the perfect environment for Odin Malum to thrive. I destroyed others in my past life in order to live, and I’ll do the same in this one.
The voice mentioned that I can mutate when I reached +5, which is apparently the limit for my Level of evolution. I need to mutate immediately, seize whatever advantage I can, then return to the ledge and fight for resources. I’ll have to be strong if I’m going to traverse the floor below.
This is going to be a challenge.
30. Live Evil, Part 5
The larval sea, that’s what I started to call it. No idea how large that endless plain of black rock is, but I haven’t seen a single inch that wasn’t covered in demon larvae fighting to survive. There are millions of them.
It didn’t take long to reach Level 5 and unlock my first evolution, but I didn’t take it right away, there is so much still to learn. Later, I’d maxed my mutations and formed a core, and only after that was I prepared to take the next step. Good thing I did.
The hardest part was finding a place free from conflict where I felt safe in case the evolution knocked me out—which it did.
Returning to the fray in my new form was almost too easy at first. The normal demon larvae couldn’t hurt me, and my increased strength and more potent weapons gave me an absurd advantage. But that was only at first. It wasn’t long before others found me, others like me. Only then did I come to understand the unspoken rules of the plains. You weren’t supposed to punch down, at least not too much. In order to evolve and grow beyond this second stage, I was supposed to prey on those who managed to evolve as I had.
So that’s what I did. It reminded me of the old days in a way. No longer was the melee as intense or relentless as before; instead, it was a series of duels, one-on-one battles of skill and wit that gave strength to the winner, death to the loser.
I won. Of course, I won.
Every now and again, the smaller ones would gang up and try to bring me down, but I was larger, stronger, and my Skills had advanced far beyond theirs. There is nothing they can do to me. In that way, I reached Level 10, but again I waited. Only when all of my mutations and my core were pushed to the limit did I feel prepared enough to make that step.
My final opponent was tough, having reinforced their hide during their evolution, which was the wrong choice. Although it’s difficult for my claws to break through, their weapons aren’t enough to inflict damage on me either. We fought for a long time, and though it may have appeared as though it was a standstill, I was always winning.
When the defences of my foe finally gave way and the despair began to rise from them, I could almost smell it. A feeling of overwhelming, unrivalled joy shivered through me, and I closed for the final blow, which is when I first heard it.
[Demonic Convergence has reached Level 2.]
The first time I’ve managed to Level that Skill. I’ll ponder over what it means later—with my meal complete and my hiding place secured, high on a precarious piece of rock with a crack running down one side. In the end, I don’t understand it and am unable to work out why the Skill Levelled at that time. There wasn’t anything I was doing consciously to activate it. Was it perhaps passive in some way? But what way?
Shrugging it off, I make my final checks and evolve. For my first evolution, only three options were presented, and each were quite similar. Initial Demon Larva became Developing Demon Larva, and each choice gave a flavour of different stats and bonuses. Most of my success had come with my claws, so I chose the option that granted me the most physical power. It even came with augmentations to my two arms that allowed them to snap through the air as fast as whips. Other than almost doubling in size, my body didn’t change much, still a sack of tar-covered meat with a mouth and two arms tipped with razor-sharp claws.
This second evolution is a little different. I progress from Developing Demon Larva to Prime Demon Larva, except the choices are more divergent. I’m careful, as an assassin should be, and examine every option with forensic detail, but I can’t hesitate too long. While I’m going through these menus, my rivals out in the larval sea are growing stronger. I’d come close to dying so many times already, a single second, one upgrade, one Level, could be the difference between living and dying. There is no way I’m going to end up in another demon’s gut. I refuse to become Biomass for another’s growth.
So, I stick to my strengths, choosing the option which allows me to further enhance my advantage in strength and speed. Defence is important, and that’s why offence comes first. This evolution will allow me to add a weakening aura to my claws that will infect the Mana of any enemy I strike, draining them of their energy and making them more susceptible to my blows. This will pair well with the penetrating mutations I already chose for the blades on my hands, ensuring the effect will go through.