"Let's continue up along this continental shelf."

Having consumed the Steel Jaw, Lightning felt its nutrients were so abundant it was almost full.

"It seems there's a limit to how much nutrition I can store; I already feel like I'm not digesting fast enough."

"I probably should have evolved a larger body size when I became multicellular. I can't even see single cells now."

Slowly ascending the steep slope, which seemed like a continental shelf, Lightning recalled what 8051 mentioned about needing the species' spores to enter the biological editing space.

"But what are spores? Are they like biological eggs? They're for reproduction, right?"

Lightning tallied up the evolution points accumulated.

"I have about 59 points now. I should evolve in the biological editing space; my current speed is too slow."

"But how do I find spores? Reproduce? How do I even reproduce?"

"Wait, what did the introduction say last time?"

"Asexual reproduction?"

"Right, asexual reproduction. And spores are key to species reproduction."

"Does this mean I have to produce them myself?"

"Oh, seriously?!"

[Main consciousness chooses reproduction. Enter species' reproductive phase?]

The system prompt came just as Lightning was fretting over the idea of having to birth the next generation itself.

"So I do have to reproduce. How does that work?"

"What now?"

"Couldn't they have let me choose before? Frustrating."

"…"

"Well, fine. Didn't I go through division during the single-cell stage like this?"

"I'm not human anymore, so why worry about gender?"

"Just consider it division; it's asexual reproduction anyway."

"Yes, enter the reproductive phase. I need to get back to 8051 and ask what to do next. Really, why not evolve sexual reproduction?"

[Entering species reproductive phase. Species organism begins accumulating nutrients for reproduction.]

As the system message ended, Lightning sensed nutrients pooling in one area of its body and felt a sudden fatigue.

"Damn, looks like I need more nutrients. Food, I need more food."

With that thought, Lightning swam along the current, focusing on its mental perception. A moment ago, feeling full, it now realized the dwindling nutrients were insufficient.

To avoid becoming immobilized prey or starving to death, Lightning resumed its search for food.

Food, nutrient-rich food.

What's infuriating about many things is that when you don't need them, they're everywhere; but when you do, they're nowhere to be found.

"Really, where did they all go? There were plenty before. Did they all hide?"

Wavering with hunger, Lightning continued searching.

"Ah, a Big Mouth. My old friend, you're my savior now!"

In its perception, a Big Mouth creature leisurely drifted by, its mouth opening and closing. From the perspective of its former microcell self, this was one of those multicellular Big Mouths it used to encounter.

Without overthinking, Lightning approached, electricity building within, as two slow old cars converged.

Then, the peaceful Big Mouth, oblivious to the growing small creature, was swiftly defeated by the once-ignored, now-grown Lightning, providing a bounty of nutrients and 2 evolution points.

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[New component acquired.]

"Huh?! Didn't expect the common Big Mouth to have a component I lacked. Never underestimate them." Consuming the Big Mouth's legacy, Lightning felt genuine gratitude for its generosity. (…)

"Even though the nutrient depletion has slowed, it's best to accumulate more, just in case." Spending more than the usual time, Lightning finished off the remaining meat chunks, evaluating its body's nutrient consumption rate.

"The nutrient consumption seems to have slowed down, and spores are forming within, feeling like some cells are dividing, albeit slowly."

"Ugh, this feels strange. How does sexual reproduction occur in biology? I returned all my biology knowledge to my high school teacher. Regretting it now."

Flickers of electricity sputtered weakly within.

"Wait, will there be a power drop during spore formation? How am I supposed to hunt?!"

Feeling the electric current generated sluggishly, Lightning found the once-active electricity dulled. Considering the situation, it was indeed unfortunate, with the body being so flawed it lacked even a decent heart. With nutrients diverted to reproduction, less was available for electricity generation.

"Evolve."

Glancing at the dark space, Lightning continued upward, drawn to the promise of light in the shallow sea after dwelling in dark waters for too long.

※※※

Armor, with its thick, heavy shell, cautiously climbed the steep cliff, feeling extremely frustrated, and the once-dominant heavy armor on its back now seemed like a burden.

Armor wasn't a native of these deep sea waters; it was a creature of the shallows. With its evolved hard shell and powerful jaws, this defensive and offensive armored set, along with six pairs of limbs for seabed locomotion and two shell plates for short water glides, made it a formidable presence even in the abundant life of the shallows.

However, Armor lacked any semblance of dominance now. Despite buoyancy, carrying a heavy armor closer to a snail than the lightweight shells of bugs, climbing this steep continental slope was enough to make Armor murderous—or at least think murderous thoughts.

Why was the shallow sea's little overlord Armor here? Simply put, it was unlucky.

Once, while ambushing a solitary swim fish (an invertebrate resembling fish with a soft outer shell), the agile prey evaded. Furious, Armor chased the elusive fish, sliding gracefully with six limbs and two plates. The elusive creature maintained a teasing distance, leading Armor to the precipice of a steep continental shelf.

Predictably, the fish continued gliding leisurely, while Armor—focused on its catch—slid unwittingly off the edge into the depths.

Luckily, as a seasoned ruler, Armor reacted swiftly, repositioning mid-fall, abandoning the erratic fish attempting to plunge it further. Using limbs and plates, it latched onto a rock, dim light still visible.

And thus, we arrive at the beginning scene.

"I'm gonna eat fish every day when I get back."

Seething with determination, Armor continued its climb.

Then, its protruding eyes detected an odd soft-bodied organism, weakly flicking its pitiful flagella, ascending from below.

"Should I eat it?" Armor, previously contemplating a fish diet, hesitated.

Hungry, yet cautious of another tumble, Armor prioritized safety. Who knew how long a recovery would take if it fell again? Yet, this naive (oblivious to Armored threat), plump (Armor was lean and tough, while the organism was soft and bloated), weak (lacking recognizable weapons), and slow creature looked like irresistible prey.

"Fortune favors those who seize it."

Feeling a peculiar phrase echo in its mind, Armor turned and charged.

"Damn, how come there aren't spores yet? How much reproduction is needed? Hope it doesn't take ten months!"

Not long into reproduction, Lightning was frustrated with the slow spore formation. Despite defeating soft-bodied organisms for nutrients and evolution points, it felt increasingly sluggish, perception even narrowing. Nearly pricked by a tentacle worm's needle, Lightning finally witnessed their true threat. The only consolation was the faint light filtering from above.

"Looks like the shallow sea isn't too far now, with light seeping through. But these eyes are still useless, no contours visible."

"Huh, why is it suddenly dark ahead? It can't be night already, can it?"

The dimming view and fatigue in its body alerted Lightning, snapping its focus back. A creature resembling a cross between a snail and shrimp, armored and multi-legged, rushed downward, its intimidating jaw aimed right at Lightning.

"Damn, the shallow sea evolved shelled creatures?"

Moments ago, in a good mood, Lightning was now seething. Extracting precious nutrients from spore formation, it unleashed an electric burst just before contact. Simultaneously, it flicked its tentacles, propelling itself sideways.

The diminished electric burst barely dispersed over the creature's thick shell. Feeling the slight pause, which quickly faded, Lightning sensed panic as the armored creature swung a shell plate, slicing off several flagella cells.

"Damn, this looks bad."

Focused on its attacker, the flagella slowly recovered. Preparing for an all-or-nothing clash as it did with Steel Jaws, Lightning amassed electricity. Creatures with electrical resistance were dangerous foes at this stage.

The attacker quickly adjusted, twisting to realign its front with Lightning, limbs flailing.

Lightning tensely observed, the distance widening.

"Huh?"

"Widening?"

Suddenly aware, Lightning found it strange.

"Our distance is widening, not closing?"

Indeed, the gap continued to grow…

"What's happening? Is it gaining distance for a charge? Does it need a running start?"

Despite Lightning's confusion, the attacker sank further, disappearing from Lightning's perception.

…

"Why hasn't it returned?"

Maintaining tension for too long made Lightning feel stiff. Yet the attacker hadn't reemerged—and a bizarrely fading "Ah—" echoed in its mind.

"Maybe this fellow was falling and wanted a hand?"

The thought surfaced in Lightning's mind but felt too absurd to accept.

"Haha, no way. Maybe the electricity affected it enough to change targets. Yes, that's it."

Unable to accept the logical truth, Lightning found comfort in its assumption and planned to leave quickly in case the creature returned.

"Come to think of it, reacting to emergencies has become slow."

"Judging by the faint light, the shallow sea isn't far. Better find a safe spot to reproduce and evolve before ascending."