The cavern was cold.
The rocks beneath Yuto's soft, worm-like body scraped against his new skin, sending tiny shivers through him. Every instinct he didn't know he had screamed one word:
Move.
He forced his body forward, dragging himself inch by inch into the narrow crevice. His movements were clumsy—pathetic, even—but they were enough to pull him into the shadows, hidden from the massive slime-worm screeching outside.
[Stealth Successful: Temporary Concealment Achieved.]
[Survival Rate Updated: 0.01%.]
"Tenfold increase!" Yuto wanted to scream, to laugh, but all he could manage was a pitiful clicking noise from his mandibles.
He collapsed inside the crevice, breathing heavily, if you could even call it breathing. There were no lungs anymore—only a strange, slow rhythm of energy pulsing through his core. His mind, still human despite everything, struggled to adjust.
"Alright... Let's think."
He began mentally listing what he knew:
He was no longer human.
He was an "Abyss Broodling," some kind of larva.
He had a sealed Final Villain class—whatever that meant.
He had an assistant AI called Nyx who, so far, was more sarcasm than help.
And worst of all—he was pathetically weak.
[Skill Menu Unlocked.]
[Current Skills:]
Crawl (LV1) – Move awkwardly across surfaces.
Venomous Spit (LV2) – Expel weak poison at a target.
Instinctive Surge (LV1) – Temporary burst of strength when facing death.
[Evolution Conditions Available.]
[Progress: 0%]
"Evolution..." Yuto murmured—or at least thought he did.
If there was any hope of surviving this nightmare, it would be through evolving. He needed to become something bigger, faster, stronger. But looking at his current state… he was about as threatening as a wet tissue.
Just then, Nyx's voice chimed in his mind again:
[Notice: User has achieved "First Survival" milestone.]
[Reward: Basic Information Pack Unlocked.]
New data flooded his mind, overwhelming him for a moment.
He saw flashes of images—other creatures that had evolved in the Abyss. Some started as worms. Others as slimes, maggots, or even patches of cursed moss. The Abyss didn't discriminate. It just... spawned things.
Evolution was possible.
Survival was possible.
Barely.
A rumble shook the cavern. Dust rained down around him. Yuto shrank back instinctively as something massive stomped in the distance. Heavy breathing, like a dragon or a troll, echoed through the tunnels.
This place wasn't just home to slime worms.
It was a slaughterhouse for anything weak.
"If I don't move, I'm dead." Yuto gritted his metaphorical teeth and tried again to crawl deeper into the tunnels.
Every inch felt like a mile.
Every shift of his body sent new aches through his unfamiliar form.
But giving up wasn't an option.
If he stayed here, he would die.
If he moved… he might die later.
The choice was obvious.
[Skill Leveled Up: Crawl (LV2).]
A small burst of joy filled his chest. It was stupid, but it was progress.
He pushed himself harder, dragging his slimy body deeper and deeper into the crevice until the sounds of the slime worm faded behind him. The tunnel grew tighter, the air colder.
Up ahead, faintly, he sensed something.
Life.
[New Objective: Find a Food Source.]
[Warning: Starvation Imminent. You must consume organic matter to survive.]
Yuto's stomach twisted painfully. Even without a human gut, the hunger was real. If he didn't eat soon, he wouldn't live long enough to evolve into anything.
He edged forward.
And there, lying abandoned in the shadows, he saw it—a small, twitching creature. A wounded bug, barely alive, its carapace cracked open from some earlier battle.
It was the first time in this new life that Yuto felt something primal awaken in him.
Eat or die.
He hesitated for a heartbeat. Then instinct took over.
With his tiny mandibles, he bit into the wounded creature.
The taste was... vile. Bitter and slimy, like spoiled meat. But as the fluids entered his mouth, a new surge of power spread through his body.
[Skill Acquired: Absorption (LV1)]
[Tiny Amount of Genetic Material Integrated.]
[Status: Slightly Stronger.]
For the first time since being crushed under Truck-kun's wheels, Yuto smiled.
It wasn't much.
But it was a start.
And in this world—
A start was all he needed.