Upon seeing the firelight approaching from a distance, System immediately jumped to the back of the tree for cover.
Insects had flexible and very responsive bodies.
Unfortunately, System was slightly off his hiding position and was hit by that creature's emanating heatwave. Half of his antenna was somewhat discolored and burned.
Luckily, other than his fragile antenna, the rest of System's body was not significantly harmed even after receiving a certain amount of heat.
A creature that looked like a boar galloped at full speed while exuding firelight. After a while, four or five green-skinned creatures that resembled goblins appeared behind the boar.
These green-skinned monsters shouted and chased after the boar before quickly disappearing into the dense forest.
The wild fire-emitting boar and goblin-like creatures undoubtedly indicated to System that the world he was in was magical, like the worlds depicted in novels or games in his previous life.
'Fantasy world?'
System sighed but did not overthink. There was no obvious difference between the grasshoppers, no matter which world he was in. Compared to these powerful creatures that could use magical powers, System was more afraid of the common birds and lizards that could eat him at any time.
System rubbed the somewhat-discolored antenna on top of his head. The heat had hurt it and it had suffered quite a lot of damage. Although it could still move around, it had almost lost its original function, and it would probably take some time for his body to repair it.
With only one antenna left, System's balance was a bit off, and it was hard for him to stay steady when jumping. If the spurs on his limbs were not secure enough, he would probably fall to the ground during the jump.
…
The ground was damp in the dense forest, and the fire-releasing wild boar did not cause a forest fire.
The burning flames were soon extinguished, leaving scorched odors wafting through the dense forest.
Dozens of butterfly pupae that had been hit by the heatwave were still intact, and only a few wriggled around a few times due to the disturbance. It seemed that the insulation of the cocoons was very good.
System looked helplessly at those pupae and shook his head as he currently could not do much about them.
Fortunately, because of the wild boar's sudden appearance, System found a new source of food.
He activated [Information Reading] and jumped toward the path where the wild boar was heading. There was a high probability of some unlucky worm's carcass appearing on this scorched path.
As System had expected, after jumping for a few meters, he spotted a green katydid that had tumbled to the ground with its limbs twitching constantly.
This katydid's antennae were charred, and half of its body had become yellow due to the burns.
Katydids were similar in appearance to grasshoppers, but they were larger and had sharper mandibles in their mouths that made them a typical omnivorous insect.
The katydid in front of System was seven to eight centimeters in size, which was about four times the size of his body. If the katydid had not already been dead or seriously injured, System would definitely have run as far away as possible.
System found a good angle and bit into the delicate joint of the katydid's head!
The katydid scratched using its limbs, as its body still had some consciousness left. However. these moving limbs did not touch System's body.
It was not long before System bit off the katydid's head, declaring its death.
System ate it with ease. If the katydid had only been temporarily knocked out from the heat, he would have been the food due to its counterattack.
System slashed through the katydid's soft abdomen with his mandibles and greedily sucked on its flesh and blood. He discovered dozens of small, oval-shaped eggs flowing out of its belly.
It would probably have started laying eggs a few days later if the wild boar had not trampled it.
The katydid meat tasted as great as rich cheese.
The small eggs tasted good too, like banana cream pudding, but helped his physical growth slightly less compared to katydid meat.
System looked at the data from [Self-Information Generation] and estimated that by eating about 1/3 of that katydid, he would reach Level 6.
The katydid meat was so nutritious that System's abdomen bulged up after just ten minutes of eating it. Obviously, it was challenging for him to digest this nutritious meal quickly.
System could only jump around the katydid's body so that he could speed up his digestion.
After nearly two hours, he ate nearly 1/3 of the katydid's carcass. His abdomen had bulged to an incredible size, like a grasshopper about to lay its eggs.
At that point, System's EXP also reached the maximum again, and he subsequently advanced to Level 6.
As a sore, tingly sensation appeared, System's abdominal food was quickly digested and absorbed. His nearly 2.5-centimeter body started growing again and reached 3.2 centimeters, and the wing buds on his back extended further.
This time, System's [Molting Growth] was not upgraded, but he could feel the growth of his body's bloodline strength. As long as he continued to eat nutritious food, [Molting Growth]'s rank would definitely increase.
Meanwhile, System's [Insect Adaptability] increased again.
[Insect Adaptability] (9/21) → [Insect Adaptability] (11/21)
System felt the [Insect Adaptability]'s power in his bloodline become more active and send a mysterious image to his mind.
In that image, he became a strange green-tailed grasshopper and followed tens of millions of other locusts as they leaped over mountains, lakes, and even a cold glacial world and lava-covered mountains…
In the images that came from his bloodline, System saw a myriad of gorgeous, colorful worlds.
He even had an urge to fly with those locusts.
When System regained consciousness due to the image brought about by [Insect Adaptability], all of his derived abilities gained through [Insect Adaptability] were enhanced.
[Insect Instinct] (2/5) → [Insect Instinct] (3/5)
[Limb Regeneration] (2/11) → [Limb Regeneration] (4/11);
[Dark Vision] (2/5) → [Dark Vision] (3/5)
[Acid Resistance] (1/4) → [Acid Resistance] (2/4)
His antenna had already recovered, and he had acquired a brand new derived skill called [Fire Resistance] (2/7).
…
[Fire Resistance] (2/7): Acquired by [Insect Adaptability]. Passive ability. Possesses tolerance to fire and heat.
…
The changes that occurred when [Insect Adaptability] reached Level 11 were similar to those of [Molting Growth] reaching Level 11. They both made System feel the inheritance message of his bloodline.
System surmised that he would enter a whole new level after his ability level reached 11. Otherwise, it would not have been possible for him to undergo such a huge change.
At the same time, when his [Insect Adaptability] reached Level 11, it would become difficult to advance further, which was why his [Molting Growth]'s growth was slow.
System did not find detailed information on [Self-Information Generation], so he speculated that its level was too low to analyze higher levels of power.
After a brief moment of thought, System continued to devour the katydid's body.
As his mandibles hardened again, his chewing speed increased by nearly a third.
By eating these cartilages, his mandibles and exoskeleton would also become harder. After leveling up again, System would be able to eat sturdier food, such as the exoskeleton of a katydid's head and chest.
However, without giving System too much time to devour, a dozen or so dark brown ants appeared not far from him. System had not even eaten half of the katydid's carcass.
The ants were like hyenas that specialized in snatching food from leopards. As soon as the fishy smell of their prey's carcasses appeared, they would quickly appear and snatch them up without reason.
System could only hop away.
Leopards could carry their prey on the trees to hide from the hyenas, but he had no way of dealing with these ants…
System had encountered ants many times ever since he had come to this world. Each time, he would see a different ant, black, dark red, dark brown, and different in color and size.
Apparently, these different populations of ants bred well in this forest.
The several encounters with the ants and he fleeing in disarray brought out System's resentment. He could not wait to take revenge on them.
However, after calming down, he knew it would be hard.
Even if System grew into a large grasshopper, it would be difficult to defeat the ants head-on. Also, there were so many species of ants in the forest that he could not find his target for revenge.
…
After successive jumps, System returned to the tree with the butterfly pupae.
Hours had passed, and the ants should have found the worm carcasses in the flame path. Hence, System did not waste time searching for such carcasses.
For System, the pupae were the most stable food source as they would keep him fed for a dozen days.
As long as he found a way to destroy the pupae, System would not have to worry about finding meat for the next ten days. He could also undergo his second metamorphosis into an adult grasshopper safely. He may even undergo the third metamorphosis if he was lucky.
System swung his mandibles at the silk thread that held the pupae to the bark. Soon, a pupa fell off the bark.
System was not expecting the falling pupa to shatter. He just tested to see if he could get them to fall to the ground.
The pupa's shell was even harder than the sturdiest exoskeleton of a katydid's head, and System had yet to find a way to break it even after his level-up.
However, it was not that System had thought of no way. On the contrary, he had come up with a very shady method that could wipe out the pupae.
System thought of burying the fallen pupae with soil, dead branches, and broken leaves. It was like a seed buried in the soil. By burying a pupa in the spring, he would harvest a butterfly or moth in the autumn.
System's idea seemed to be very childish, stupid, and ridiculous.
However, it was deadly for the butterflies that would be very vulnerable in the first few minutes when their pupae were broken. And one could easily imagine the consequences if their stretched wings were exposed to soil and dead leaves.
After breaking their pupae shell, there was a nearly 90% chance that their wings would become deformed when in contact with soil and dead leaves, thus losing the possibility of survival completely.
Naturally, this shady method would not do him any good, as burying the pupae would waste a lot of his time. Simultaneously, waiting for these pupae to hatch also brought the problem back to square one.
How long did he have to wait if these butterflies would only hatch after a few months?
After several failed attempts to attack the pupae with wood spikes, the sun set once again.
System jumped back to the lair he had found during his metamorphosis.
As darkness approached, System met another kind of insect hunter—a fast-flying bat in the dense forest.
The sudden appearance of the bat made System abandon his plan to forage for food at night. Although he had [Dark Vision] and [Information Reading] to assist him, his vision was still limited as compared to the daytime. Also, his spirit had been depleted quite a bit, so he could not use [Information Reading] for too long.
In the face of a dark night fraught with danger, it was not a wise plan to go out foraging for food.
…
System, who had been a grasshopper for several days, was getting more comfortable with controlling his body. His body entered a hibernating state with extreme ease, while his mind quickly entered a half-asleep state.
There was some unusual sweltering heat that day, and System, who went into hibernating state in the first half of the night, was awakened three or four times by the sweltering heat.
Each time he woke up, System could only return to normal after taking a few quick abdominal breaths.
System's antennae felt the wet and sultry scent in the air.
"Low pressure and stuffy heat… Is a heavy rain coming?"
As System guessed, it did not take too long for the sporadic drizzle to fall. Then the drizzle fell faster, and chilly weather replaced the stifling heat.
The heavy rain washed System's lair, and the dead leaves kept shaking with the rain's impact. Luckily, the wind was not strong, and the dead leaves stuck in the cracks of the bark were also stable. Thus, System's lair was not in danger of collapsing.
Upon feeling the secured dead leaves above his head, System gradually reassured himself and fell into a hibernating state again.
However, as time passed, System showed a serious expression.
A faint light filtered through the dead leaves and branches. It was dawn, but the heavy rain showed no sign of stopping.
Although he was not directly facing the rainstorm, the splashing rain still made System wet under the leaves. Amid the fierce sound of the rainstorm, System heard the sound of running water coming from below.
The torrential downpour converged into a flowing stream. Although he had not seen it with his own eyes, System, who was hiding among the dead leaves, was able to imagine the rain gathered outside.
He was very lucky that he had not hidden under a dead leaf on the ground as he had on his first night of awakening. If he had done, he would have been washed away by the rain and resigned himself to fate.
During the second day after the rainy night, the heavy rain continued but showed signs of stopping. However, near the evening, the rainstorm turned heavy again, as if it was playing a joke on System, who was sheltered under the dead leaves.
As time passed, besides the rain washing the tree's branches and leaves, System could no longer hear the sound of the rain hitting the ground. What he could hear was the continuous and constant sound of dripping water.
Beneath the tree, where System was located, there should have become a small lake. As for the sound of the turbulent water, it had completely disappeared.
Usually, intense rainstorms were short and would end in a few hours. Unexpectedly, the rainstorm in the forest where System stayed showed no signs of abating for three days.
On the third day of the heavy rain, System was starving, and his body was very stiff due to the low temperature of the constant rain.
System could only be forced to move his body adequately so that the low temperature would not cause the blood in his body to clot. If that were to happen, it would cause his body to become necrotic and disabled.
Nevertheless, exercising would, in turn, make System feel even hungrier. In order to relieve that hunger, System had to keep his body still and reduce physical exertion.
The cold brought by the rain, together with the inability to go out and forage for food, undoubtedly put System into an unimaginable vicious circle.
The hunger in led System to tear the rain-soaked bark with his mandibles, but this did not work. The bark was not something that his mandibles could deal with even after being soaked in the rain.
…
On the fourth day of the heavy rain, System, who was hiding under the dead leaves, finally decided to brave the rain for food.
He might hold out for another day or two, but by then, his physical strength would not be able to support his search for food and he would only be able to passively wait in the dead leaves for the heavy rain to stop.
System did not want to resign himself to his fate…
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