> You killed a level 0 Moth. You gained minimal experience.
>
> You reached level 1!
>
> You gained 1 Attribute Point!
Oh, come on! You can’t be serious. Is this really it, is this all I’m getting for my hard work?
Sure, it may not have been that hard, it did involve me mostly just waiting and meditating, but still! Only one, measly attribute point for all my troubles? I bet this is because I’m just a weak worm.
Anyway, on the topic of meditation, I had the, ahem, ‘opportunity’, to practice it a lot lately. How much is lately, I hear you ask? No idea! Since I’m blind, I can’t really tell the time and even if I weren’t I highly suspect I’m deep underground inside of a cave. Huh, what about sleep? Turns out, I can substitute that by meditating, so I can’t even really track the time by how many times I slept!
The best approximate would be my meals, of which I mostly lost count. Event then, things don’t get trapped in my silk lines on a regular schedule. So yeah, who can really know. The best I can recall is I’ve eaten more than twenty times so far. As I said, I lost track after a while.
And after all that, something that’s drive a normal human insane, I’m only rewarded with a silly little one attribute point. I swear this is just being a caterpillar all over again. Except somehow even more boring.
Anyway, since it doesn’t seem like I’ll have much use of anything else anytime soon, I stick the point into constitution and admire my STATUS.
> Name:
>
> Creature type: Glow Worm
>
> Level: 1
>
> Strength: 1
> Dexterity: 1
> Constitution: 2
>
> Skills:
> >> Meditation level 27
>
> Abilities:
> >> Silk Production
> >> (innate) Metamorphosis level 2
>
> Traits:
> >> Bioluminescence
> >> (innate) Past Life Holdover
> >> (innate) Reincarnator
> >> (innate) At Least A Little Human
I mean, it’s a little better compared to my starting values. Yes, a little. Negligibly so.
Argh, this is so frustrating! Worst of all, I can’t even do much to speed this up, since the entire hunting strategy of glow worms seems to be wait and see.
At least my meditation is getting along nicely. Not that I’ve really noticed what difference those levels do yet. Maybe it’s a little easier to do now? Then again, that’s happen naturally back on magicless Earth too just due to all the practicing.
Really, the biggest difference is in my constitution stat. a whole doubling of it. Woo, so excited to have a grand total of TWO in a stat.
Can you feel the excitement in my voice? That’s weird, because I was being sarcastic.
Sigh, what am I even doing. The best strategy I could employ is speedrunning my lives until I get a good ability.
But that feels wrong. Especially so after nearly doing just that, and doubly so because I did experience death already. Sure, it was a quick one in the beak of a bird, but it was one nonetheless.
Ah, what the hell, it’s not like I have anything better to do. Back to meditative hunting it is.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
-------------------------------------------------
Finally, after another, even longer time period, I’ve finally done it.
> You killed a level 0 Moth. You gained negligible experience.
>
> You reached level 2!
>
> You gained 1 Attribute Point!
Sadly, it would seem that the world still hates me. Just another lone attribute point.
Maybe if I could eat something other than moths, I’d level faster, but no. The only prey in this shitty cave has to be something that doesn’t eat other things (which means it doesn’t gain experience).
Damn it, off you go into constitution again. I’m going to brood.
--------------------------------------------------
> You killed a level 0 Moth. You gained negligible experience.
>
> You reached level 3!
>
> You gained 1 Attribute Point!
Yay, I’m so happy about this. Please ignore my completely monotone voice.
At least I finally managed to figure out one benefit of a high levelled meditation skill. It seems to help me preserve my sanity. Which is nice, I guess.
--------------------------------------------------
> You killed a level 0 Moth. You gained negligible experience.
>
> You reached level 4!
>
> You gained 1 Attribute Point!
…
--------------------------------------------------
> You killed a level 0 Moth. You gained negligible experience.
>
> You reached level 5!
>
> You gained 1 Attribute Point!
>
> You can select a Path!
…
Wait, huh? A path? Am I finally going to gain a super awesome skill that’ll make me overpowered and save me from this boring hell? Please?
Okay, hold on. Just, calm down for a second. Manage your expectations, there’s still a chance this’ll give me absolutely nothing.
There, are we done? Good. Let me just assign my points.
Oh please, Humanity, if you’re hearing this make this be something actually useful! I don’t want to be stuck here for any longer.
> WITNESS, FOR YOU STAND AT A CROSSROAD!
>
> A Path is your way through life, a road you yourself will build. Previously just a mere animal, you now step into the realm of Beasts. In time, your Path may branch, but its core will stay the same. This choice may be postponed. To settle down or to not walk your journey is a Path in and of itself. Choose carefully.
>
> Your achievements open you these Paths:
> >> Path of the Silk Trapper
> >> Path of the Life Feeder
> >> Path of the Patient
> >> Path of the Mindful
>
> Gain achievement, Skills, and Attributes to reveal further Paths.
Oh-ho-hoo, this is wonderful! I still have no idea what this’ll actually do, but it sure as hell looks promising. Especially the names. I can’t believe how epic they sound.
Alright, I can sort of guess how I got each of those, but it’s time to try something I should have done ages ago. There really wasn’t any reason not to attempt this.
System! Give me more info!
> Path of the Silk Trapper: You hunt passively, waiting for your prey to walk to its doom of its own volition. Silk is your main weapon.
>
> Path of the Life Feeder: You show no mercy, eating your prey as you find it, alive and breathing.
>
> Path of the Patient: No matter what happens, you wait, wait on things to pass, to happen, to come to you.
>
> Path of the Mindful: Introspection is your main tool, staying present in the moment yet letting time pass. What secrets shall you uncover withing yourself?
Nice! Maybe a little less detail than I’d like. Then again, this life hasn’t been exactly exciting. Will need to take that into consideration in the future.
The options themselves are more or less what I expected. Don’t really like the second one though. It’s not my fault that that’s how a lot of us bottom feeders eat!
It could give me some nice abilities though, considering how devouring style creatures usually go in fantasy stories. Maybe I’ll turn into some kind of vampire worm? Ooh, and there’d probably be some nice synergy with metamorphosis.
The others are a lot less… thought provoking. Patience especially. That one just reeks of laziness and nihilism, or whatever you’d call it. Best case scenario, it’ll make me into a kind of fate or destiny worm. And I hate those things. Hmm, it could swing the chances for me and gain me a better reincarnation though. And it’s not like I’ll actually have to be as passive as it says.
Silk trapper is just going deeper into what I already do. Could be nice, could be boring. Maybe there’s something hidden in between the lines, but I’m not seeing it.
And lastly, my dear old meditation. I haven’t checked in on it in a while. Its level must be approaching the hundreds, if it’s not there already. The problem is I can’t actually tell much from this one. Is it just going to make me better at meditation? Make me some weird dream worm? Magic, perhaps? Hah, I doubt I’m so lucky to unlock magic this early into my reincarnations. You know what, it’s the question that’s throwing me of. Why is this Path the only one to contain a question?
Hmm, since it’s so high level, I might as well use it to decide. Besides, it very clearly told me I can postpone this decision. Maybe meditation will help me order my thoughts.