Acid Centipedes again, plus a little surprise.

Alright, it's a new day! Yesterday didn't end on the most positive note, but I am finally getting back on track! I can just feel all of the happiness flowing out of me! Or that's just dirt shifting around. Well, that's probably for the better; if I was leaking anything else I would be worried. Alright, so what to do on this fine dungeon day?

Hunt, of course! I mean I would try to head back to the expanse, but at this point I can't be entirely sure I have the strength to take on much in there. The solution? Hunt right where I am! From what I've experienced in the past two days or so since I escaped the expanse, the creatures here are much easier to hunt. Now I don't know if that's because they're less cautious or just plain weaker, or maybe a mixture of both, but it doesn't matter all that much. As long as I am as careful as possible like when I was weaker I can handle anything over in this area! Probably.

I guess I'll go hunt where the creepy acid centipedes have been. I mean it seems like a good idea and I have no others.

I shake off the dirt clinging to my body, which is actually quite a pointless action considering I immediately dive right back into the dirt to dig another one. I know it seems pointless to do so when I keep leaving open ones that are completely useable, and it really is, but I still hold out hope for my Terraform skill. It hasn't levelled up in a while, in fact none of my skills seem to have, but I need them so I need to use them.

I worm towards the acid centipede hunting grounds with a fervor I haven't had in a while, not playing around like yesterday but actually being efficient. I try to eliminate any unnecessary actions as I squirm my way over, making a tunnel easy and comfortable to use while not slowing my speed as I head towards my destination. Speaking of, I really don't give enough credit to the aforementioned Terraform skill, I mean it is what I use to tell where I'm going or where I've been. It's like a minimap but in my head and I can't see it. I'm pretty sure I have mentioned it in passing, but it bears repeating as even I myself forget sometimes. Truly quite a useful skill.

Oh! That's actually a good idea! Good random though David, you are truly the pinnacle of worm intelligence! Hehe. I can use the hunt I'm about to go on to level up my skills! Hell yeah! That's one point for David, zero for the dungeon! Haha!

Ah, the light at the end of the tunnel, literally! We're here! Ah, I see movement! it's a group of centipedes, four of them! And, hmm, they seem to be dragging something back to their nest. Or at least I can assume so. After all, what I see is three acid centipedes dragging a decently sized corpse while the last one guards. This is peak intelligence, coming from these little buggers.

Alright, how am I going to handle this? Should I focus on leveling up a skill? I mean, these few many-legged monsters don't pose much of a threat to my current condition, I can actually feel that. It must be some monster instincts integrating after some time. So I guess that's not the real question, but rather what skill to use. I do use bite a lot. Like a whole lot, it's my main means of attack. I literally just open my mouth and close it, the teeth do most of the work. Huh? I do remember having a skill called crush... And I don't seem to have used it much at all...

That settles it! I need more than one means of attack, and crush seems to fit the bill. Not to mention my strength is so far above these little critters that even no skill does huge damage. Actually... Hey Jeremy, do you happen to know what crush even does?

[Crush- a low-level elementary skill that uses two parts of host to constrict the target with immense force, crushing internal organs before eventually crushing the target. This skill also has a small chance to strangle the target, killing the target by constricting its ability to take in a form of energy. Current level-one]

Wow that sounds cool! Why haven't I used this skill earlier? Oh well, it's time to use it now, and if I heard correctly I can even coil my body around my enemy and crush it with my pure strength! Hold on... The prey is getting away! After them!

Tripping over some rocks in my haste I worm towards my prey. I must try out this new skill! This in mind I immediately scrunch my body before rapidly leaping on top of the guarding acid centipede and using Crush with my mandibles. The thing I wasn't prepared for was the pierce. Somehow it passed my mind that my mandibles end in points and crush, which seems more like a blunt force skill at first glance, can be used to pierce through an enemy's defense. Subsequently I pierce through the acid centipede's front, cleanly stabbing where I assume its brain is.

Squish!

[Level 8 Acid Centipede Defeated]

Hell yeah! One down, three to go! The three acid centipedes left, after seeing the quick death of their brother, immediately dropped the corpse they were dragging and aimed their rears at me, attempting to hit me with their acid. Ha, I won't fall for that shit! I quickly scringe up again and leap to the right, dodging all of the disgusting fluid flung at me and putting myself ever so much closer to my next target, the rightmost centipede.

This particular little bugger seems to be a mage build, mostly based of the blue ball it has in its mouth that it's about to shoot...

DODGE!

I once again leap to the right, flinging my frail worm body out of the way of what seems to be a ball of condensed acid. Whew, that was scary. I don't even want to think about what would happen if I got hit by that! okay little guy, you scared my but it's time to die now. I instantly close the distance left between us two before crushing its brain in. I'm trying to level the skill so I should just use it alone, right? Seems like a good thought process.

Only two left. This might become a little tricky, after all these two haven't just been sitting around. Beside exhausting their acid, these two seem like the warrior or barbarian build, either way they are tanky. The thing is, they are truly just too slow, I even had time to murder the mage. Talk about bad coordination. Anyway, the point is I don't know if crush can immediately kill one. I'll have to find a way to separate them. Which doesn't look easy.

As the two acid centipedes finally get close, I think of a pretty bright idea and lunge into the side of the tunnel, completely confusing the stupid centipedes' that can't even believe their eyes. After entering the wall I dig in and head down before turning back and approaching the unaware and panicking monsters from below.

Crash!

With a loud crash my body pierces through the floor and grabs a startled centipede before diving right back underground to lose the other one. Once underground I crush this centipede with my body, which takes a considerable while in which the one above has panicked and is screeching while moving in circles. Quite funny, but not the point. as the centipede in my 'arms' breathes its last breath I erupt from the ground once more, literally throwing the dead centipede at the still-living one, and nailing it in the head. Critical hit, a stun! I worm my way over to the stunned centipede warrior and use crunch. My mandibles make a loud clack however, missing the target. The subject of those mandibles has disappeared as well. Oh wait, it's behind me? Shit!

Wham!

This final centipede isn't as stupid as it looks! It tail whips me across my middle, successfully pushing me back a meter or so. It doesn't have the strength to throw me, but I'm surprised such an inferior creature is that smart! Oh well, time to end this. I contort my body around a use crush once more, my mandibles piercing the centipede and thoroughly ending its life, intelligent or not.

[Level 7 Acid Centipede defeated]

[Level 9 Acid Centipede defeated]

[Level 9 Acid Centipede defeated]

[Crush leveled up to Crush(II)]

[Congratulations on unlocking Quests!]

[New Quest: Centipede Extermination]

[Quest: Centipede Extermination- Do to your slaughter of acid centipedes, you have garnered their hatred. Turn that hatred into fear.

Task one: Defeat 100 Acid Centiepdes above Level 8

Optional: Defeat Lesser Acid Centipede Overlord

Reward: ???]

Hoooooooold up! Quests? Exterminate Acid Centipedes? I haven't even looted my spoils yet. Give me a break Jeremy, I can only focus on one thing at a time. And loot comes first!

[...]

Thank you. Okay, let's start by eating the corpses. I gobble up all of the acid centipedes fairly quickly, leaving behind only the 'mysterious corpse' and a shiny ball where I killed the centipede mage. Now what do we have here? I worm up to the ball and glare at a little before a screen pops up, startling the hell out of me and making me scrunch back in surprise. Jeremy's voice then resounds in my head.

[13 Life Matter acquired]

[Foreign core detected. Use Core Contamination?]

Core Contamination huh? I do remember seeing it in my status but I didn't bother to investigate because Jeremy didn't notify me.

[...]

Okay okay, I'll stop wasting time. Go ahead and use the skill!

[Core has successfully been contaminated with your presence. Retrieve core into inventory?]

Sure! I don't see much of a point in it anyway, so not having to carry it around is pretty nice. And finally, the corpse those acid centipedes were dragging. It isn't all that much of a mystery t figure out what it is, but my question is how they were bale to take it down? Don't get me wrong, I don't think Nine-Legged Spiders are particularly strong, but these centipedes are at the bottom of the food chain. Just how many little centipede lives were lost in order to defeat this opponent? Oh well, it's mine now, more life matter for me! Haha! I chuckle as I eat the spider corpse, not quite believing how lucky I seem to be now.

[11 Life Matter acquired]

Well, today's profit is pretty damn nice! I'm quite satisfied so I guess I'll head home now! I happily worm my way home before collapsing into a ball of worm and falling asleep, positive tomorrow will be a good day.