Inside my egg, I look at my status.

Species: Brood Worker

Core LV: 1

Strength: 18

Vitality: 17

Intelligence: 36

Agility: 12

HP: 55/55

EN: 40/40

Strain: Eyes LV1, Tendril LV1, Stinger Arm LV5, Conductive Bone Blade LV5, Legs LV1, Hardened Body LV5, Tails LV1, Black Sludge Gland LV1

Biomass: 29

With this amount of biomass, I can evolve two strains. But the question is, which strain should I evolve? I already decided on evolving legs. After seeing Runner's speed, I feel that my speed is inadequate. If I have Runner's speed, I believe I can take on a Hecas alone.

As for the second option, I'm considering whether to upgrade my sludge gland or tail strain. My sludge, which I neglect this whole time, is becoming important since I need it to negate Taraqaks' web. I want to see if it has other functions other than creating sludge if I evolve it.

As for my tail, with the Taraqaks number, I want to have all of my offensive strain strengthened. With multiple attacking methods, it will make battling the Taraqaks easier. It also makes killing them easier. Between the gland and tail, what should I choose?

After thinking about it, I decided on evolving my tail first. I want more power. I maxed my legs and tail level and biomass drop to 1.

[Please pick the evolution.]

I check the leg option first. Like usual, so many choices to choose from. The elemental series, skip. I don't think I will ever choose the elemental series. For my leg, my only requirement is to be fast. I run through the list and decide on a strain called Enhance legs.

[Enhanced Legs]

[Strengthen the legs all around. Improve speed and power.]

[Strength+1 Agility+3]

There is another option called Burst Legs which optimizes in a short but powerful burst. Seems interesting but it won't be late if I take it after this. I want an all-around increase first before focusing on one aspect. With this, my battle prowess should increase. Now for my second evolution, my tail.

I don't have any requirement or idea for this strain, just like the sludge gland, I have been neglecting this strain. So I don't know what to evolve it to. The only reason I evolved it is because I want more offense. I scan the list.

Barbed Tail, Sword Tail, Fire Tail, Poison Tail, Conductive Tail, there are all kinds of tails with various power listed but nothing felt right to me. While they are strong, it doesn't appeal to me.

I keep scrolling down the list but none of the strain interests me. While scrolling, my sight fell onto a certain strain and stuck there.

[Eater Tail]

[Combine a mouth and tail. Enable the host to eat with his tail. The tail can extend.]

[Strength+2]

[At this stage, this strain can only consume flesh.]

This is it.

This is the strain I want.

Without hesitation, I pick the strain.

[Strain(s) has been chosen.]

[Starting evolution.]

The black sludge drowns my body and the evolution begins. I can feel my legs changing, their shape doesn't change but I can feel the muscle increased and condense. Forming a mesh of muscles.

But it pales in comparison to the changes happening to my tail. My tail feels like they are being ripped apart and assembled into an entirely different beast. I can feel my waist and stomach is changing too, not just my tail and legs.

This is my biggest and most extensive evolution yet. I endured the evolution process until it was over before I came out from my egg. My lower body feels a bit sore. I look down to see my legs, it is thicker and bigger than before. When I flex my legs, the muscles surge with power.

I move my tail in front of me. The first thing I see is a mouth filled with sharp teeth. The inside of the mouth is red with a long tongue and white knife-like row of teeth.

My tail has become thicker and longer with a big mouth on the tip of my tail. I control the mouth to open wide and it can open wider than the mouth on my face.

I look around and find a piece of meat, I move my tail to it and it stretches until it reaches the meat. From the distance, it can stretch to almost as tall as I am, excluding my tail. The mouth opens and swallows the meat without chewing it. I can feel the meat traveling from the mouth through the tail to my stomach, it feels weird.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

The piece of meat was too small, I didn't get any biomass from it.

"Child, is that your tail?"

I see Mother looking at my tail.

"Yes, Mother. It is called [Eater Tail]."

I move my tail around. Mother nods and looks curiously at my tail before averting her eyes. I look around and Runner resting not far from me. There is a curve blade on his arms and his body is leaner than before. His bone blade also changed, the blade is no longer smooth, it's jagged now.

I was too caught up in investigating the Taraqaks before that I ignored Runner and Vision's new strain.

"Runner, what strain did you pick?"

I ask him. Runner turns to me and answers.

"I choose [Blade Arm], [Quick Body], [Jagged Bone Blade]. I like to run fast and I want to run faster and cut things while running."

I see. [Blade Arm] so he can cut things with his hands, the long curved blade that extends from his forearms looks sharp. The [Quick Body], I guess it makes him faster from the name. For [Jagged Bone Blade] I don't know what it does. does it have any function or is it just a home blade with a different form? Well, I'll find out later when we hunt.

"Blade, what is your tail's strain?"

Runner look at my tail, more specifically the mouth on my tail.

"It's called [Eater Tail]."

I move my tail in front of Runner and open my tail mouth.

"I also evolved my legs, I'm faster now."

We, workers, like those with the same or similar strain. When I say that Runner starts tapping his legs, I also tap my legs following him. We stop soon after and lay down while waiting for the others.

An egg opens up and Vision slowly climbs out from her egg. Her arms are now the same as mine, a [Stinger Arm]. Her bone blade also changes, it becomes thinner and straight. But the thing that changes the most is her body. She is leaner and there are lines across her whole body.

"Vision, what strain did you pick for your body?"

I ask her.

"[Camouflage Body]. I can hide anywhere."

As soon as she answers, the lines on her body light up for a second and suddenly she vanishes. What? Where did she go?

Runner and I look around but we don't see her anywhere.

"I'm still here."

Vision's voice comes from in front of us without her figure. I look intently at the place Vision was last seen. It is hard to see but there is an outline of her body. If I don't look carefully, I won't be able to see it. I extend my arm and I can touch Vision but I can't see her figure.

I see. So this is the ability of her strain. It can blend with the surrounding, making her invisible if we don't look carefully. Vision undo her camouflage and once again appear in front of us.

"How long can you maintain this state?"

"Long time but I can only move slowly."

I see but it is enough for now. With this, she can just hide and attack from afar. Her enemy will have a hard time finding her. So, the last one is Fist. Now that I observe closely, it is not just us that change, our eggs also change but only the size. Our egg is bigger than before and there is one egg bigger than us. It is Fist’ egg. Not long after Vision came out, Fist’ egg opened. Fist crawl out and with a glance, I can see the obvious change.

His legs swell with muscle, his legs are bigger than mine. I wonder what strain he chose? And his tail, while I had a mouth on the tip of my tail, he got some black block on the tip of his tail. The block doesn't have an edge like the bone blade, it is a blunt block of rock.

When he swings his tail, a dull sound follows. The block seems heavy, it looks like it could cause heavy damage on anything it hit.

"What strain did you pick, Fist."

"[Power Leg], [Hammer Tail]."

Another strain from the power series? Fist sure like it.

"Now that we're all done, let's go."

I turn toward the exit.

"Mother, we're leaving."

"Go child and come back alive."

We rush out of the nest. Runner is leading at the front with me following closely behind. Vision ran behind me while Fist at the back. It looks like his legs trade speed for power. His every step is heavy and slow.

"Child, let me tell you about direction. First, north…"

Through the mind link, Mother tells me about direction. According to what Mother told me, the Taraqaks come from the northeast. I relay what Mother tells me to the other.

After running for a bit, we meet the first group of Taraqaks. It is a group of five. Runner rush to them without stopping. The Taraqaks discover him but before they can attack him, Runner has already reached them.

His arms move and he quickly kills two Taraqaks. The Taraqaks were scattered if not Runner would have killed them in one swoop. Vision raises her arms and shot two bone needles, it cut the air and one of them hit the Taraqaks. The last one misses as the Taraqak jump and avoids the needle.

I shot a bone needle at the Taraqak, it can't dodge midair and get pierced by my needle. The last one tries to run but Runner nails it to the ground with his bone blade. Fist, who arrives late, seems dissatisfied with the fight over when he hadn't done anything.

We stop for a moment, we are almost at the end of Mother’ mind link range.

"Runner, Fist. You two stay here and hunt any Taraqaks around. Fist, you focus on attack. Runner, you take the corpse back to the nest. I and Vision will explore further."

Runner and Fist nods, Fist especially looks happy. We split up as I and Vision go on our way. The jungle is full of webs, it is hard to walk without getting tangled.

"Vision, cover your body with sludge."

I poured energy into my gland and my body quickly covered with sludge, Vision did the same. We slowly walk through the web jungle, thanks to the sludge, the web doesn't affect us.

As we wander, I can see monsters I never saw before coiled on the web. Some still in one piece, some in pieces, and some look dried. There is a weird stab wound on the dried one. There is something else here.

We hear something moving our way, Vision jump back and camouflage. I run behind a tree and hide. We didn't wait long before a group of four Taraqaks shows up. Vision and I move at the same time and shot needles at the Taraqaks.

We hit and kill three in an instant but the last one doesn't die in one hit. Before we can attack again, the Taraqak screech loudly. I rush out and stab the Taraqak but it was too late. I can hear the sounds of rustling from afar, a lot of things are coming this way.

"Vision, go hide, and don't move before I do."

Vision and I hide again, waiting to ambush the coming enemies. Vision climbs a tree and camouflages herself among the leaves, I look around and find a hollow tree. I go inside and seal the entrance with black sludge and harden it. I open a small hole to see outside.

Soon, a drove of Taraqaks come rushing to the place and more come in. When they see the corpses of the Taraqaks, they scour the area searching for the killer, us. I can feel the tremor as the Taraqaks climb onto the tree I'm in, I hope they don't find Vision.

When the Taraqaks stop coming, I can count at least twenty Taraqaks. This number is bad, with this number they can pin us down. Since the Taraqaks haven't found us yet, then we should wait for them to go away.

What is that?

Something else follows from behind the Taraqaks that just come. Its body is double that of a normal Taraqaks and has a deeper purple color, the body is covered with bristles. The six legs have a sharp nail on their tip.

Is that the Taraqaks leader?