Without so much as a moment’s hesitation I turn tail, gunning it for the crevice, trying desperately to ignore the massive swarm of spiders advancing on my just behind, flanked by my own body, which now resembles more of a teddy bear than a squid, but when it all comes down to it and it feels as though they’re just behind me, right about to nail me down, I throw myself inside the crevice, my tentacles grabbing hold of the sides to squeeze me further through. I glance back. They’re still pursuing me.

Sure, in this small crevice they’re only coming at me one-by-one, so-,

Hold-, hold on. Isn’t this… I feel like I’m in a really advantageous situation. See, a hundred spiders all at once are too much to handle. But one?

I halt in my tracks. The spider just behind me tries to run into me but I stop its path by squishing my own body right back into it without eating it. As it is, what with me only having one tentacle, we’re about the same size. But since the spider is just a husk filled with bitch-ass mould, I’m able to hold it back for just a moment. The infection marring my cut-off tentacle is starting to recede as my Immunity and Regeneration overpower it. Soon I’ll start developing my body again.

Until then, I think, possibly, I might be able to eat.

The spider monotonously bumps against my hand, and one I feel that there’s some sort of equilibrium in my body where I regenerate more than I lose, I bite into it.

91 -> 101

The next spider in line quickly takes its place, but by that point, the infection I gained by the last spider had already healed somewhat. If I could grin in this body, this is the moment I would do it.

Instead, I bite.

101 -> 111

111 -> 121

121 -> 141

141 -> 211

211 -> 271

271 -> 331

By this point, the rest of my body has already grown back and my head feels much clearer. The spiders are starting to trickle out and grow less constant, meaning that I’m left pretty much free to leave. I could just turn back. Ignore the path ahead.

...Which would be boring and stupid. Heck yeah I’m going back!

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

I still haven’t even faced my zombified self cuz it’s apparently too much of a pussy to fight me itself!

Cackling in my heart, I crawl through the crevice, emerging back into the open white cave. There it is. I? There I am? Nah, there it is. It turns to me, eyes flickering with hunger. Is that what my eyes really look like? They’re… pink. Kind of weird, but okay.

It approaches me. Limbs moving robotically, twitching with every step. But I know how the spiders fight. It won’t try to attack me or bite me, it just wants to be close enough to infect me. Whether it’ll be enough to disrupt my Immunity is to be seen, but I don’t even want to test that. Either way, my body is fully recovered, and I’m ready.

I take the flamingo-pose, balancing my entire body on a single tentacle. It doesn’t seem deterred in the least.

Jokes on it, I’ve got great balance, I’ve got four available arms for grabbing, and it only has four tentacles to move with. In other words, I grab each of its tentacles and hoist in into the air, holding it right in front of me. It is… surprisingly light. Almost empty. It wiggles meekly, but do I show mercy? Of course not! I start eating the zombified corpse of my former body limb by limb, as you do.

When I only have the main body left, I start using my main mouth to eat. It’s a fair bit larger than the ones of my tentacles, so it works better for large things.

331 -> 431

...Whoa! That’s-, that’s a lot of points. So that’s what I’m worth, huh? Wack.

Alright, so, if I wanted to, I could probably leave right now. I can’t upgrade Size in here or make any modifications to my body since then I probably can’t get back out, but, on the other hand, I don’t want to leave just yet. Not without exploring the deeper parts. I only just entered this part of the fluffy white part of the cave and you want me to leave?

Heck no! I’m going deeper or I’m going nowhere!

...Those pink crystals do look cool.

I wonder if I can eat them?

I grab one off of the wall, noticing how it snapped off remarkably easy. And then I stick it in my mouth. Because I am a very clever man/octopus/alien.

Buy Skill Gastrolith? Cost: 50 (you have 431)

...Eat rock? Rock eat? Will this let me eat rock??

If so, yes! Me want eat rock!

431 -> 381

Mm. Cronchy. It doesn’t taste like anything but it has the same consistency as rock candy so I’m all for it. Eating hard rocks has always been a dream for me, so I’m very happy right now.

381 -> 401

I even get points out of it?? Heck, that’s great!

Looking around this here cave room, there’s plenty of crystals to eat! Why, it’s practically a feast, right here for my awaiting stomach. Hehe. Watch out, immovable objects! You’re about to die!

I fly through the chamber in a fit, crunching up any crystal I can get my hands on. Bigger ones give more points, smaller ones give less, but it’s still fantastic.

401 -> 567

...Phew. I think, if I had a stomach, I would be very full by now. Instead, I’m just sort of tired. I’d like to sleep or take a nap but I seriously don’t think I need sleep anymore? Man, there’s just a whole lot of things I don’t need anymore, huh? Do I even really need to eat?... Don’t need light to see, don’t need water to drink… Don’t need to prepare for the upcoming midterms. Really lucked out on that one.

...Hm. Say, rocks are rocks, right? If a crystal is a rock, then so is a rock, right? Then, I could eat the cave, right?...

Hypothetically.

Literally.

Practically…

I shuffle some of the mould to the side and grab a small rock from the ground. If this works, I’m going to just… I’ll pretty much be printing my own money, right?

Cronch.

567 -> 568

Oh. Oh baby.