A spitting victory

Defeat. A crushing defeat. I still don't even understand how I could lose so badly. I mean, for all intents and purposes I am level 11. I have evolved. Grown bigger. I can control magic. So how could I lose? I mean, thinking about rationally I went into that fight on the losing side, and I knew he was stronger than me, but I thought I was supposed tog et stronger?

I have been playing very cautiously ever since my rebirth, and the one time I am forced into a battle I suffer the most horrific defeat. I didn't even really stand a chance. Honestly, I now know why those monsters at the entrance of the forest were in such weird groups. Ha, if they could see me they would be laughing. Well, they would actually just eat me, but oh well. Now I have to find my way out.

I'm hungry, starving even. I don't know where I am, and how I got here is still fuzzy. I'm badly injured, and I can feel my life sapping away. My mana isn't replenishing, and my connection to the void is beginning to fade. As a result, all of my senses are blurry, and all I have now is my intelligence, which is what I began with. Let's start the journey for food.

I cautiously burrow up out of my hole after observing my state. How do I put myself in these situations? Seriously, this is kind of stupid. Actually not even kind of, it just is. Observing my surroundings, the only thing I can rely on to guide me is the dome-shaped crystal sky. At least I can determine the general direction of where I came from. And with that figured out, I get to head off, lucky me.

---

Alright, finally at the edge of the expanse and forest. I've almost died so many times I can't even count them anymore. Everything in this place is stronger than me as of right now, and I swear the place itself is mocking me. Actually that would be my deliria from blood loss or whatever I'm bleeding. Point is, I have to find food to heal me, and quick. I don't have much more time to waste or I won't be able to hunt anymore. Then I would be truly screwed.

I slowly start to dig a tunnel before stopping. Wait a minute, there has to be another tunnel where the other monsters come through. As long as I am careful I should be able to use that and catch some prey. Yeah, that's better!

A little enthusiastic now, I carefully worm my way around the edge of the expanse until I find a huge tunnel. The best part is, the monsters 'guarding' it are so far away I can easily sneak by! And I do, worming my way up and through the tunnel before almost immediately making a right turn into a smaller one. I don't want to encounter anything too strong, so a smaller tunnel seems like a reasonable idea.

Oh! I recognize this stench! This tunnel is for acid centipedes! My luck is finally returning! I should at least be able to defeat some of those things right? And here my food comes, in a group of three as well. That's actually pretty small for where I am right now, or at least I think so.

Starving, and eager to get this over with, I immediately lunge out of the side and into once acid centipede, activating bite and tearing through it with ease. One down!

Ouch! the damn sneaky guy just shot acid into my right side! Thank the lord it wasn't my left or I might be in trouble. I wiggle to the right a little before devouring the second acid centipedes head, thoroughly destroying it.

[Level 9 Acid Centipede defeated]

Huh. Why didn't it give me the notice for the first centipede? This might be a problem, but right now I need to kill the last one. Feeling that something is wrong, I quickly whip my front around and smack the final centipede away before lunging into it and murdering it.

[Level 7 Acid Centipede defeated]

I don't even have to think or register the second notice before I feel a searing pain on my left. Fuck! That first centipede just spit acid on my left injury. It hurts! I writhe around left and right like a complete savage, squirming as I feel my insides getting eaten away by the acid. This is so painful holy shit!

[Level 9 Acid Centipede defeated]

Argh! I have to eat!

Frantic, I stuff my face with those three acid centipedes before diving down into the dirt and worming myself a temporary home a little ways away. While I'm no longer in fatal danger, I need to heal and digest this food, so I lay down and prepare for a nap.

[4 Life Matter acquired]