“Kraaw!” the Deotrexaptor called from outside the colossal body I hid within. The muted sound made me grin as I wriggled my way further into the slimy monster. My actions had just given me the biggest spike of adrenaline I’d ever experienced, and as scary as it was when I thought the dinosaur saw me, I couldn’t help myself.

That was fun… Ew…

I spat out a glob of slime that had found its way through my smiling face into my mouth, and kicked further into the creature. From outside the body, I heard angry footsteps fading away as the xaptor passed by the head and continued walking.

Phew.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to do from here. Did I continue further into the worm? Maybe I could escape through the… no… nevermind.

The magic boxes saved me in the form of a welcome distraction.

Frail Baby Dino

Level:

5 [---/---]

Health:

50/50

Stamina:

30/30

Traits

[Nocturnal] [Lvl 2]

Skills

[Bite]

[Lvl 1]

[Claw]

[Lvl 2]

[Flee]

[Lvl 3]

[Stomp]

[Lvl 2]

[Swim]

[Lvl 3]

[Sneak]

[Lvl 3]

[Regurgitate]

[Lvl 1]

[Climb]

[Lvl 1]

[Feast]

[Lvl 2]

[Dig]

[Lvl 1]

[Slam]

[Lvl 1]

Instincts

[Fight or Flight]

[Lvl 2]

[Freeze]

[Lvl 2]

[Fearful Flight]

[Lvl 2]

[Observe]

[Lvl 6]

[Watervision]

[Lvl 3]

Wow, alright… so I’m moving up the ranks pretty quickly. Mostly thanks to the worm, though.

The new “trait” tab caught my eye. I’d read the word before when I unlocked one, but I hadn’t been paying much attention.

Curious… I wonder what that is...

My thoughts were interrupted as I heard the xaptor double back around the worm, snorting and sniffing at the entryway.

And it hit me.

I realized just how stupid a decision I’d made by rushing into a high-level encounter. I’d trapped myself inside a worm that was going to be torn apart and consumed by an entire colony of vicious carnivores, the very ones that had shredded a monster I couldn’t even perceive the level of. Sure, they’d lost a soldier, but a hundred copies of myself couldn’t even have put a scratch into this colossus.

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Was I going to suffer the same fate? To be torn to pieces by snapping beaks and digging claws? Was this my game over?

And all of this for what? A filling meal?

Damn you, stomach!

The only response was a happy fart.

Damn you, stomach.

Maybe they wouldn’t eat the head… Do worms have heads?

I scanned the status page, coughing as I breathed in the rank air within the worm.

Is it possible to pass out inside here?

The thought forced me to squirm as I wiggled my body, pivoting around to face the creature’s mouth. I hoped that being closer to the hole would help me breathe cleaner air, or at least stop me from fainting, at the least.

A cool rush of outside air greeted me as I inhaled, and I sighed contentedly.

I glanced at the level portion of my status screen.

Level five, huh? And empty spaces for where the experience would normally be.

I assumed that meant I couldn’t gain any more of it, being max level and all.

Didn’t the blue screens say something about evolving, too? I shrugged, the wet body of the worm bending around me like I was covered in warm plastic wrap.

Might as well. Evolution usually means something cool is going to happen, after all.

If something good happened, then maybe I’d be able to escape! If not, well, I was probably going to die anyway.

…

It’s times like these that make me question how I stay so calm, you know? My house could’ve been on fire around me and I might’ve sat in my computer chair and said “This is fine.”

I mean, I guess that in this situation, irregular as it was, nothing was immediately threatening me, like with Sailboat?

I sighed. I wasn’t going to be able to answer the question anyway, so it was probably better to just move on.

Now… I wondered. How do I start this off? Hmm. Evolve…?

Congratulations! You’ve survived the preliminary stages of your life cycle!

As a [Frail Baby Dino], you’ve learned to walk, hunt, and fend for yourself in the wild.

You are stomping into the next period of your life, so choose wisely!

Evolution Options

Baby Turco (E)

A creature that hunts at night, this dinosaur can see flawlessly in the darkness but suffers from a weakness to light.

Strengths: [Nocturnal], [Sneak], ...

Weaknesses: Light

Baby Grancher (E)

A feaster of fine foods, this dinosaur seeks out primarily palatable sustenance. It will eat and eat, until there is nothing left, bringing about the end of an era.

Strengths: [Health], [Stamina], [Feast], ...

Weaknesses: Restraint, Starvation

Baby Croba (F)

Very athletic, this dinosaur is adept at running, climbing, swimming, and other athletic activities. It is an extremely active creature, thin and versatile, but also not built for direct combat, frequently fleeing fights.

Strengths: [Stamina], [Flee], [Climb], ...

Weaknesses: [Stomp], [Claw], [Bite]

Baby Inocu (F)

An observant creature, this dinosaur has an extremely strong vision. Adept at spotting small prey from a hundred feet away, the Inocu is also quick, and moves quickly in pursuit of its food.

Strengths: Speed, Sight, …

Weaknesses: [Health]

Baby Atha (E)

Swimming fast and swimming faster is the way of this dinosaur. Like lightning under the water, the Atha can catch almost any small fish it craves.

Strengths: Speed (in water), [Stamina], [Swim], [Watervision], ...

Weaknesses: Dehydration

Baby Dino (F)

The general dinosaur baby, this evolution has nothing particularly impressive or unique about it, but it is an adaptable option with much potential.

Strengths: ...

Weaknesses: ---

Wow.

My mind was overrun with information. I couldn’t help but fantasize about each option and what it would be like to play as them.

So… the first option is kind of like a ninja? Striking at night but also weak to light. Basically, don’t get caught by your opponent? Easy enough.

The image of a ninja raptor popped into my mind, talons grasping a kunai clumsily, and a katana sheathed over its back.

Heh. While you were evolving, I studied the blade.

Maybe that evolution would include some sort of ability to teleport behind an opponent? Hmm. Something to think about.

The Grancher brings about the end of an era, huh? Sorta like a hipster.

The only issue with that option was the “starvation” weakness. It didn’t sound pleasant.

I read over the details of the Croba.

Baby Croba, okay… Athletic, sure… Good at surviving, it would seem, but not too great fighting. Wait, Stomp, Claw, and Bite? Those are my only combat skills! I guess if you spend all your time having fun in the sun, you don’t practice fights to the death? What would happen if I picked that option since it’s so athletic, but focused on training myself for combat? I’ll have to keep that in mind.

The next option, the Inocu, was a bit strange because it didn’t seem to have any glaring weaknesses besides the “Health” option. It was fast and could see a hundred feet away! I pictured it looking like an eagle.

Could it be a precursor?

Maybe I would learn to fly if I chose that path. The dinosaur that followed it seemed cool, too.

“Like lightning under the water”, huh? Are you hinting at an electric dinosaur to me?

I hummed as I imagined traveling through the ocean, shooting through the sea, being free to explore as I wished.

But my knowledge of the prehistoric monsters that lurked below the waves caused me to shudder.

Megalodon…

As a child, I’d seen a picture of a surfer with a giant shadow under them that was supposed to be the megalodon, and ever since then, the ocean had seemed just a bit darker than it used to.

Evolving to be a megalodon would be cool, though.

Maybe choosing that option would broaden my horizons. Deepen my understanding, so to speak.

I wasn’t too sure what “dehydration” as a weakness meant. Perhaps the boxes were trying to say that leaving the water could only be done for short periods of time. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to commit to that or not, but I’d have to make a decision fast, since the xaptors could return at any time.

And Baby Dino… You’re just a mystery, aren’t you? No strengths or weaknesses to see, but apparently not really great at anything. A jack-of-all-trades perhaps?

Or maybe it was just a bigger version of the current me. I couldn’t be sure.

All of the evolutions also had letters next to their names, representing a rating, if my experience was applicable here. Typical games with letter rating systems ranged from E to A, most of the time also having S above A, or even something else above that.

“Kraaw!” the muted cry came from outside of the worm, and I faintly heard the response from the other xaptors.

Time to go. Gotta make a choice!