Chapter 6- Sticky Situation

'Argh.. what happened?' Waking up and feeling groggy, Jared thinks to himself before checking the messages from the System.

'Pseudo-Evolution? Mutated Exoskeleton leveled up?' Looking at his new body- or at least the parts he could see- Jared notices his new body's color- a dark navy blue. Pulling himself up onto the nearby shore that his leg had caught onto, he lays on the floor, checking out his new Status.

'Status.' he thinks to himself.

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[Status]

[Name: Jared]

[Species: Formica Mana Superior*]

[Mana: 10/10]

[Skills:]

[Pheromone Production* (Level 1)

3/10]

[Mutated Exoskeleton* (Level 2)

1/10]

[Hive Control* (Level 1)

0/10]

————

[Growth Points: 0/100]

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'Looks like I really took a beating, my Exoskeleton Skill went up a whole level. I wonder if anything changed with it. Well, we'll check out the new species first. 'Formica Mana Superior'. Jared thinks to himself, reading the description of his new species.

[Formica Mana Superior]

[A unique species of Formica Mana. Brought about by an extreme affinity for mana, this species cannot be born without special circumstances. Born with a unique Golden Mana Core, this species of ant has exquisite mana control, able to manipulate even the mana in the air around itself. Unfortunately, most ants of this species die immediately due to thier relatively weak bodies exploding from an excess of mana. Only those who are lucky enough to have an abnormally strong body can withstand this energy and use it to its fullest.

Due to its relatively low status in the colony, as well as a low Evolution Stage, most never get further than this stage of evolution, as their are scorned by their weaker counterparts and hunted due to their valuable Golden Mana Core.]

'That is one long description, wow. Looks like I'm not so defective any more, suck that Queen! Oh wait.. you're dead. Nevermind, don't suck anything, I'm not into that.' Laughing at his own joke, it's obvious that Jared is satisfied with his newest evolution. 

'So I can manipulate mana now? I'm gonna be the best wizard-ant this world has ever seen!' Excited, Jared immediately tries to put this into practice, only to realize that he has no idea what to do. 'Huh, okay maybe we'll figure that out later, lets check out my new exoskeleton first.'

[Mutated Exoskeleton (Level 2)

1/10]

[When the soul fails to adapt, the body must adapt instead. Due to high concentrations of mana flowing throughout your body, but failing to create a core, your body has been strengthened beyond its normal limits. With every increase in level, your exoskeleton increases in density, while providing greater strength to your limbs.

Similar to the normal skill of your species 'Exoskeleton', this skill may be improved by both passive and active use.]

'Okay, seems like the description didn't change much even with me gaining a core, but at least I know what each level will do.' Content with the new information, Jared thinks back to right before falling unconscious. 

'So that golden crystal that hit me became my core? I have no idea how that works, but at least I can use magic now!' Happy to ignore the lucky coincidence, Jared looks around at some of the blue crystal shards nearby. 

'That's weird, they're not appealing to me at all anymore, in fact, the seem kinda... disgusting.' Weirded out by his newfound disgust for what he previously found appetizing, Jared decides to get up and walk down the cave in front of him.

After walking around the cave for a few minutes Jared starts to get a little bored by the lackluster surroundings. Noticeably worn down, the relatively small cave is a cacophony of gray, gray, and more gray. The unchanging surroundings seem to put a strain on Jared's mind, causing him to occasionally lose focus. To keep himself going, he reads the System messages over and over, trying to sate his boredom, and growing hunger.

Unfortunately, due to his lack of attention, Jared stumbles. As he picks himself back up, he notices that his front left leg isn't responding very well, as if something is gripping onto it.

Looking closely, Jared barely notices a thin, translucent string attached to his leg. Struggling to break free, Jared keeps moving and pulling his leg, sending vibrations along the string.

'Wait, sticky, translucent string.. SHIT!'

Looking up, he notices a black, hairy mass moving towards him silently, seemingly creeping across the air. It's body horrifying to look at, with eight eyes, eight legs, and being almost 3/4 the size of Jared. 'S-spider, I gotta get out of here NOW!' He thinks to himself, urgently pulling on the string as the spider gets within a foot of him.

Unfortunately, the string just won't budge, even with his newfound strength.