“Heaven Evolution System, do I have to eat to collect biomass?” she asked.
[Biomass can be collected by consuming organic material. However, biomass can also be gathered with the assistance of the Heaven Evolution System. Simply deposit organic substances into the Heaven Evolution Warehouse, and the system will process them automatically. To open the warehouse in Heaven Evolution, just say ‘Inventory.’ To store items in the warehouse, say ‘Collect.’ And to convert organic substances into biomass, say ‘Harvest.’]
“Oh, that’s pretty convenient~” Lyna muttered, feeling like she was in a game.
Her attention then shifted to the Evolution Level, which piqued her interest. As a human, she wasn’t unfamiliar with the concept of evolution. However, for humans, evolution often sounded more like a fairy tale. The idea that their ancestors were primates who evolved due to random events—like eating mushrooms that boosted their intelligence—was difficult to accept.
But with the advent of Psionics, regarded as a form of human evolution, that possibility no longer seemed entirely implausible. Moreover, the appearance of the Arachnoax, capable of evolving every ten years, had reignited humanity’s scientific interest in the field of evolution, a branch of knowledge they had long abandoned.
For Lyna, the concept of evolution now felt more tangible than ever. With her new body, she began to wonder just how far her evolutionary potential could reach. Her eyes fixated on a table displayed below the blue panel, showing the various parts of her body that could undergo evolution. One question, however, immediately came to mind.
“Does evolution require biomass?” she asked.
[Correct, Lyna. Each level increase requires biomass. The higher the level, the greater the biomass needed.]
Lyna nodded, realizing that the function of biomass was similar to EXP in video games, used for leveling up. She pondered for a moment and then asked herself, “Will I eventually grow claws or mandibles?” The thought made her frown as she pictured the possibility. The Heaven Evolution System quickly addressed her concern.
[No, Lyna. You already have claws and mandibles, but you are currently not in combat mode. The Heaven Evolution System helps you store your weaponry and natural armor to conserve energy. As a newly hatched Xynomera, your body is still fragile and cannot sustain combat mode for extended periods.]
“Oh?” Lyna was surprised and looked down at her own body. She saw that her form still resembled a human. Initially, she had assumed she would fully transform into a Xynomera, like what she had seen in Lakshmipati’s memory recordings. But apparently, this humanoid form was her default appearance.
“In that case, can I enter combat mode now?” she asked again.
[Certainly, Lyna. To activate combat mode, simply say “Activate Combat Mode.”]
“Activate Combat Mode!” Lyna exclaimed.
Instantly, she felt her stamina draining rapidly. In mere moments, her body underwent a dramatic transformation. A layer of dense black chitin with deep crimson patterns enveloped her, encasing her slender and proportional form. The segmented armor was adorned with golden accents, exuding an aura of both grandeur and power. Her combat helmet resembled the head of an ant, complete with sharp mandibles and glowing compound eyes of crimson, composed of thousands of tiny lenses.
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Her body was now reinforced with spiked joints, while her forearms bore extensions resembling razor-sharp blades, forming natural weaponry that rivaled titanium swords. From her back, four translucent wings, akin to those of a dragonfly, unfurled widely, vibrating softly in the air and emitting a menacing red glow.
Lyna examined her new form in awe. She felt an overwhelming strength, far surpassing the capabilities of her previous human body. In fact, she was confident she could easily defeat her former self, the one once known as Queen Bee, even with her psionic powers.
Her newly acquired compound eyes offered a completely different perspective of the world. Each tiny unit functioned as a "mini-eye" with its own lens, photoreceptor cells, and nerves. The combined array of thousands of omatidia granted Lyna nearly 360-degree vision, allowing her to see in all directions without needing to turn her head.
Her vision also came with an exceptionally high Flicker Fusion Rate, far exceeding that of humans. Lyna could detect changes at a rate of up to 250 times per second, enabling her to react with lightning speed and effortlessly evade attacks. Furthermore, she could see parts of the light spectrum invisible to humans, including ultraviolet rays.
Although the world now appeared differently to her eyes, Lyna could perceive every movement around her with astonishing clarity. She marveled at the level of detail she could discern—even the tiniest particles of dust drifting in the air were visible to her.
Along with the deadly power now flowing through her body, Lyna felt her stamina rapidly deplete. She estimated that combat mode could only be activated for five minutes before her body became completely exhausted and unable to move.
"Deactivate Combat Mode!" she called out.
Like a sponge absorbing water, the chitin armor enveloping her body retracted back, leaving her in a naked state. Lyna looked at herself, feeling fortunate that she wasn’t a man. If she had been, she might have been tempted to try some flashy moves before her energy ran out. However, she knew this wasn’t the time to play around with combat mode.
Her attention shifted back to the blue panel in front of her. There were still some functions she didn’t fully understand. Although she wanted to ask about them one by one, her focus was distracted by an option labeled “Army.”
Lyna knew that this ability was a hallmark of a Xynomera queen. By using biomass, they could rapidly create combat troops. The thought reminded her of the seemingly endless Vamrah forces.
"Heaven Evolution System, can I shorten your name to HES?" she asked casually. The satisfaction from trying out combat mode softened her demeanor toward this final gift from Lakshmipati. Still, Lyna remained cautious. She knew very well that she was in desperate need of HES's assistance.
[Of course, Lyna.]
"Then, HES, can you explain the 'Army' option? Do I need biomass to form it? And why is only the 'Soldier' option still available?"
[As Lyna suspected, creating an army does indeed require biomass. Currently, Lyna can only create 'Soldiers.' To unlock other options, Lyna must evolve the 'Egg Sac' to the next level.]
"Oh!" Lyna nodded in understanding.
Her attention returned to the army options on the blue panel. She realized that what was displayed were the basic forms of Xynomera troops before they evolved. Just like herself, who could enhance her strength through body evolution, her troops would eventually be able to evolve as well. This meant that Lyna could form a fleet that could adapt to various battlefields and conditions, much like the swarm fleets.
Along with the army options, the descriptions and functions of each unit appeared directly in her mind. Lyna didn’t need to ask HES further. She could clearly read the strengths, weaknesses, and potential evolutions of each troop unit.
However, when she tried to access information about the “Heaven Casting Body,” she found only a blank screen with no information. Her brow furrowed, sensing something odd.
“What is this ‘Heaven Casting Body’?” she asked HES, her voice tinged with curiosity.