Chrysalis

Chapter 2

The world before the System Descent is mystery to us now, any records of that time disappeared during the Rending or were lost in the centuries since. How did those people judge each other, unable to view themselves with perfect numerical accuracy as we so easily can today?

Was that society a more equitable place? When the worth of a human being can be weighed with such precision, strict roles and structures are easy to maintain, perhaps back then, when the qualities of each individual were more nebulous, it allowed greater freedom, greater choice in a persons' life? Many believe the System elevated us, empowered us to fight back against the great cataclysm, but many of the wise question this narrative, we know what we gained in the Descent, but we can no longer recall what we lost.

Exert from page 15 of "Ruminations on the pre-Descent society" by Illarion the heretic.

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Okay. So I have a skill point and a body point to spend? If this is a game-like situation then I would be able to open some sort of menu in order to spend my points and improve myself. How do I access this menu here in my tunnel though?

Erm. Level up!

No, that didn't work.

Escape! Escape key!

… Nothing.

I mean, worth a shot right?

Sigh.

Status!

Whoa!

Name: Anthony

Level: 1

Might:15

Toughness:12

Cunning: 25

Will: 18

HP: 30

MP: 0

Skills: Digging level 1; Acid Shot Level 1; Grip Level 3; Bite Level 2

Species: Hatchling Ant Worker (Formica)

Biomass: 1

Skill Points: 1

Wow, this is really interesting! My status huh?

The first time I saw these numbers I thought they looked high but perhaps they are actually really low? I can't imagine a hatchling ant worker has an impressive status in any way. And what are these skills?

this mean I can hold onto

surfaces and objects

triumphant return of Lord Gandalf! My lord! My savior! Truly your beard is the most

system built into the status to

my ability to hold onto stuff with my six legs, including walking on walls and the ceiling? I totally forgot ants could do that. I'll have to try it as soon as I get out of here, why would you walk on the floor if you had the option to use

do my other skills

and forcefully apply a bite using fangs,

when digging

from

Okaaaaay.

ant on earth that were able to shoot formic acid from their rear zone. I must belong to a monstrous species of formic acid spraying ant then. This could be very helpful, it gives me an option to attack without getting too close to my opponent, a course of action that I think would, at the moment, lead to my

crawl on the roof, dig and shoot acid? That doesn't seem like a lot of tools to survive in an environment like

what kind of creatures live in this place other than ants like me and Croca-beasts, I've no idea where the surface is or if the surface even exists in this world. I can't communicate with anything since I'm fairly sure I don't even have vocal chords, so even if I found someone prepared to talk to a monstrous ant, dialogue

information I'll have to get it

Hmmm.

so scary,

to go out there with who knows how many unknown horrors as a lone little ant monster?! Madness, madness I

not help this situation in any way. Stay

final question is, what can I spend my points on and

like to

I absolutely would oh wise and magnificent Gandalf, bringer of hope, bringer of light, may your

with my status, a window

Skill points: 1

Biomass: 1

purchase new skills or upgrade

can be spent to improve or modify aspects of your physical, monstrous

[Skills available to purchase:

your ability to hide and

1sp, Increases speed over short distances

sp, more accurate

and are more difficult to shake

sense: cost 1 sp, improves sense of direction when

improvements available to

your exoskeleton to improve resistance to

and improve their ability to

Legs +1: improve agility

Eyes +1: improve eyesight

sensitivity to air current and

thicken the concentration of

is a lot of options! It's very difficult to choose! I have

would make it harder for me to get lost

would only be suicide, if I attack a monster I can't defeat then it'll be game over straight away, improving my speed will be a

worker, I have to

I have made my

Eyes +1 and

purchase Eyes +1 and

Yes, please.

itch burst over my eyes, like a thousand

Gaaah!

me Gandalf! I can't even scratch this itch,

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