It takes me a couple of minutes to process what just happened, and by the end, I'm still baffled by the situation. First off, It seems I was right about not having a core. Honestly, I should have realized sooner. Even with my new body, I could catch on to how to use it rather quickly. I think I would have felt it if I had an orb in my chest. Well, you live, and you learn, I suppose. Frankly, I'm more miffed that it even let me try to reinforce in the first place! What a total scam.

I assume a core is a fairly rare object, as most of the monsters I ate didn't have one, so losing it feels all the worse. I'm still not sure how to make one. I'm not sure if there's a specific process or ritual I need to undertake or if it's a natural process, but having one for myself feels imperative, and I'm not sure why. Is it because I'm a monster now? Do all monsters desire to have a core or something?

I glance down at my body as I think and start to realize just how...alien it is. I flex my claws and stare down at my paw, counting the specks of white on my skin. Why was I able to adapt so quickly? I get I tend to take things in stride, but this seems almost too fast. I'm not bothered by this body, and I understand its functions surprisingly well, especially my tail.

On top of that, I kept my human intellect and memories, giving me a significant advantage. If I'm a newly born monster, you'd think I would behave like one. Is it because of the voice I heard? Did they make this body specifically for me? But to create an entirely new body, a new species, they would need to be extremely powerful. I can't even fathom what would need to happen to make all of that possible.

Lost in thoughts about the possibility of gods and omnipotent beings, I almost miss the soft tippy taps along my back. Pulled from my mind by the sensation, I look over my shoulder to see the centipede looking back at me. It seems the little pest from the core has woken up and is...smelling me? That's what I think they're doing anyway, smacking me with their antenna.

Now that I get a good look at it, it's very different from the centipedes I'm used to. Its legs are yellow, and its body is covered in a thick black chitin carapace that shimmered with an iridescent purple whenever the light hit it right; rigid, pale yellow spines jut out on the side of each segment of its body as a form of armor. Small compared to before it was reconstituted, the centipede is still at least 16 feet long. Its barb is nonetheless vicious looking, about an inch in length, but it doesn't drip with the neurotoxin. If that wasn't enough, the head is a massive peculiarity.

On earth, centipedes have their antennae on the front of their faces, helping to mitigate the impact of their horrible eyesight with acute senses of touch and smell; This means they're rather large and flexible. This monster, however, has something different. While it still has antennae, they're much smaller and situated on the sides of a four-pronged mouth in the shape of an "X." I watch the little appendages tap on my skin and scales as the monster tickles my back while It walks. I idly wonder why they're so short before I look above them and quickly get my answer. Unlike a regular centipede, this one has six large eyes akin to a spider situated on its face, giving it a 180° field of view—quite a unique look.

Well, I guess I know why it doesn't need the longer variants. With its large mouth, they'd probably be in the way, and those things still seem helpful for manipulation and smell. Honestly, it's rather cute. I was never one for bugs, but with the large eyes, stubby "fingers," and unique mouth, it sort of reminds me of a jumping spider, though that is stretching things a bit.

I watch as the bug wanders around my back before climbing down my leg onto the den floor, still tapping along with its little antennae. I lay down and watch as it crawls along the floor, looking for something. I see out of the corner of my eye a hunk of meat, and it seems the centipede notices it too as it charges towards the chunk before pouncing on it, gobbling it up.

I say that it "gobbled" it up because what really happened is horrific. Like a spider, it grabbed the piece of meat with its "forelegs" and stabbed it with its four-pronged jaws, ripping it into pieces before shoveling it into its mouth. Before long, the hunk of meat the size of the monster's head is gone, and it's off again to explore the cave.

Well, that was awful to watch! Is that what would have become of me if I didn't win that fight? Gross.

The centipede seems oblivious to my thoughts as it seeks food scraps around the den. I must be a messy eater because there's a lot for the little bugger to eat. Jeez, how much Biomass did I squander? Oh well, at least it didn't go to waste entirely. I watch as the centipede wanders over with a full belly and settles in right next to me, curling up much like a loyal dog would at his master's feet.

For whatever reason, this thing seems to be friendly to me. I haven't sensed a hint of aggression toward me since it appeared, and it even cleaned up my den for me. I don't really want to kill it, so I suppose there's no harm in keeping it around. It might even be helpful as a guard dog or something. Though, that would depend on if I can train it or not.

I run a claw across the monster's carapace, and it leans towards my petting, wriggling in joy. Cute. I think I should give this thing a name; I don't want to keep calling it centipede. I'm unsure if it's male or female, so maybe something neutral? If it's going to be my guard dog, it should have a powerful name. I battle with myself over the name as I pet the little bug, trying to take inspiration from how it looks and acts. Iris? No, that doesn't work; it doesn't even have pupils, much less irises. Slayer sounds cool. Though, maybe a little too cool. Witnessing how it's desperately trying to get me to rub its underbelly...that doesn't match. Eventually, I settled on the name Eminence. It may not fit now, but who knows? This little monster might grow into that moniker in due time.

The name chosen, Emi and I settle down to rest while I look through my status. I think I've put off my evolution menu for too long. That last battle almost killed me, and I only won because my enemies were stupid. If evolution is as important as it gets, I should be able to get a lot of Biomass, even with the penalty. However, I think I'll settle my mutations first. I have 13 Biomass available, so I have enough to upgrade my Ears to +5 or my Decay Stinger to +5. This is...a difficult choice. As much as I use my Stinger for attacking, my ears help more with information and defense. And with how many monsters were in the tunnel, I think defense is the smarter choice for my survival.

[Would you like to upgrade Ears to +5 for nine Biomass?]

I mentally select yes, and I'm immediately validated with a new message.

[At this rank, you may select a mutation advancement.]

A new page unfurls in my mind, and I get dizzy from the mass amount of options and information that floods into my brain. Jeez! I figured I get something cool, but this is just cruel without any warning.

Taking a few minutes to sort through the new menu, I'm taken aback by some of these options. Radio Dish Ears? Can I hear radio waves? That seems to be pretty useless. Infiltration Ears for listening to somebody's thoughts? It looks cool, but I don't know if anyone or anything even has coherent thoughts on this world, so next. Soul Listening Ears?! How does that even work?!

A lot of these options are super weird. I'm not sure I want to go around stabbing monsters with my Ears; thank you, System. I filter through a few dozen options as I look for a good upgrade and fail to find one I like. Most of them allow me to hear a specific frequency or pitch better, which I think would be futile at this point. After about ten minutes of sorting, I narrowed down two advancements I liked: Vibration Sensitive Ears and Mana Sensitive Ears. Both options are helpful in their own ways. Vibration Sensitive Ears allow me to, obviously, better "hear" vibrations, allowing me to hear movements in the earth better to expect something like an earthquake or a massive monster's steps. It also comes with the perk of increasing how clear the sound waves I can already hear are.

Mana Sensitive Ears are a little bit different. Apparently, my ears would be able to hear Mana, and though I don't know what Mana is, I guess I could listen to concentrations of Magic or something. While it does seem cool, I'm not sure it's right for me. With how sensitive my Ears are already, who's to say a massive concentration of Mana wouldn't just knock me out with how loud it would be? I think this option is a bust. Maybe if I find a use for it, I can pick it up later.

Set with my mutation advancement, I take this time to upgrade both my Claws to +2 and my Skin to +1. While I'm sure it won't make a tremendous difference, every little bit helps.

[Would you like to upgrade Vibration Sensitive Ears to +5, Claws to +2, and Skin to +1?]

Happy with my choices, I select yes, and immediately, my body is covered in a horrible itch, mostly centered around my Ears. I carefully try and tear the itch off, but it just keeps coming, especially since I upgraded my claws as well. I feel my Ears growing, stretching out, and becoming more sensitive. The special scales that line them start to warp into a more concave shape, allowing for better sound capturing. My Claws visibly grow, sharpening and developing little points on the edge, giving them a better cutting edge, and my Skin hardens as the changes take place.

By the time the mutations stop, I'm a twitching mess. I couldn't scratch myself at all because I didn't want to puncture my skin, so it was especially bad. Why did the mutation get so much worse this time?! Was it because I advanced my Ears? Ugh. How horrible.

I stand up and stretch out my stiffness as I take in all the new sounds in the den. It's interesting since the vibrations don't actually have a sound; it's more like my ears can feel the slight waves in the air that I usually can't hear and pinpoint them with incredible accuracy. I can feel all sorts of things now. The fighting outside my den seems to have started up again, and I can listen to all of it—the way their legs hit the ground or when they bite into something. I can even feel them swallowing food, which is an odd sensation, to say the least.

Nonetheless, I'm satisfied with my gains so far. So, onward! To the evolution menu! To new frontiers and possible headaches!

I open my status and activate the evolution menu, which greets me with new messages.

[Congratulations! You have reached the maximum level for your current species and are now capable of evolution. Would you like to open the evolution menu? Warning! Evolution will make obtaining Biomass harder!]

I select yes and brace for the flood of information. However, I'm kind of disappointed by the number of options.

[Evolutions available:]

• Juvenile Sting Drake (Basic)

• Sniping Thorn Drake (Basic)

• Condense Monster Core (Basic)

...

Oh, okay, so I'm just a fucking moron. Of course, the core is connected to the one thing I put off looking into; why wouldn't it be? You always have to make things harder for yourself, don't you, Aria? You couldn't just explore every avenue, could you?

As I continue admonishing myself, I notice Eminence scuttle towards me and curl up in front of me, rubbing against my paw. Once I turn my attention to it fully, it stares up at me with its big round eyes as if waiting for something.

Is it perhaps noticing I'm distressed? What a thoughtful little bugger. I run a claw down its back, making the monster shiver in joy, and I feel a little better. At least it isn't all bad. If I had reinforced my core, I wouldn't have this little thing. I'd be all alone again. And I never want to be alone ever again.

Now confident in my choices, I begin to look through the evolutions I have available.

• Evolution: Juvenile Sting Drake

[Bonuses:]

+20 Might

+15 Toughness

+5 Cunning

+5 Will

An older, more robust Sting Drake, the Juvenile gains bonuses to all stats while focusing on physical strength and size.

Well, that's straightforward. It's definitely stronger than I am and by a considerable margin. I'd probably be able to stab straight through a centipede without breaking a sweat! However, it says it focuses on physical strength. That must mean there are other ways besides becoming a juggernaut to defend myself, right? I'll put this on the back burner for now. Moving on...

• Evolution: Sniping Thorn Drake

[Bonuses:]

+5 Might

+10 Toughness

+10 Cunning

+10 Will

A subspecies of the Sting Drake, the Sniping Thorn Drake focuses on ranged damage and stealth. Has an increased mental capacity as a tradeoff for a minor physical size increase. Transforms the Decay Stinger into a Decay Thorn, allowing for precise shooting.

Now that's more like it! I knew there had to be something more focused on ranged and ambush tactics. The bonuses to Cunning and Will are probably because it helps with aiming and prediction. I'm a little confused about what a Decay Thorn is, though. I try and focus on the body part, and a description pops up after a couple of seconds. Success! Now let's see what we've got here.

[Mutation:] Decay Thorn

A muscled tube attached to the tail, the Decay Thorn allows for thick, venom-filled thorns to be fired at extreme speeds, easily penetrating all but the toughest of armor, but loses out on being able to attack close quarters.

Hmm. This is a bit of an issue. It sounds like if I chose this evolution, I would become essentially like a living revolver, relying on my mighty tail to keep myself safe and attack targets from range. While it does sound strong, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with trading in my biggest strength for something like that. Still, I'm happy this evolution is here. The next time I evolve, whenever that is, I might gain a better ranged option.

Now, onto the last one.

• Evolution: Condense Monster Core

Condense all the accumulated mana in your body into a Core, allowing the use of Mana.

...Huh. I was expecting a little more than that, to be honest. It just condenses the Mana in my body? And since when do I have Mana? Did I eat it or something? Wait...If Emi had a core, does that mean they evolved once before? Well, no wonder I thought they were smarter! They had much more battle experience! Sure, I may not be getting all the bonuses that the other two evolutions provide, but I do get a core and the ability to use mana. If Emi can survive like that (before meeting me), so can I!

[Would you like to evolve and condense your monster Core?]

Yes!

And then I passed out.