Black Algae

The results were far from ideal.

However, given Rowan's meager knowledge of entomology, he had no idea if bugs even possessed that sort of thing.

And even if they did, what would be the point?

Setting aside the fact that he didn't have any of his own kind around, was he really going to engage in some illicit inter-species relations with a bug?

Not to mention, in his memory, male insects usually met a miserable end. There was a children's show he'd watched when he was young featuring a cat as the protagonist; certain scenes from it remained a source of childhood trauma to this day.

He shuddered all over, forcibly cutting off the train of thought that threatened to spiral further.

Previously, he had assumed the small hole at the end of his rear was an excretory opening, and that it had departed along with the three segments of his tail that had fallen off. He hadn't expected a new one to secretly grow back later, but since he had never used it, he had never paid it any mind.

Who knew that this time, draining water didn't involve it either; instead, a small hole appeared in the middle of his lower abdomen to expel the liquid, leaving the purpose of the hole behind his rear a mystery.

Drinking water kept him full but wasn't very sustaining, so Rowan shifted his gaze to those black algae plants.

He wondered if they were poisonous, and he had no idea how his current insect body's resistance to toxins fared.

Thinking of his own incredibly badass race name and title, his death-seeking heart immediately began to stir.

Trying just a tiny bit shouldn't be a problem, right?

He moved over cautiously, first using his Digging Leg to scrape at the Black Algae twice. There were no strange gases or unknown liquids sprayed out, and the fine hairs on his appendages showed no signs of corrosion.

He extended his mouthparts and touched the Black Algae slightly; he felt nothing. Then, he licked it with his small tongue and waited a moment; there was no sign of numbness on the tip of his tongue.

He carefully tasted a small bite and waited even more cautiously for a while; it still didn't seem to have any effect.

After gradually increasing the portion size and extending the waiting time, Rowan finally concluded that the Black Algae was edible and non-toxic. Or, if it were toxic, it had no effect on him.

Although the energy provided by plants couldn't compare to meat, it was much better than just drinking water.

After eating his fill, Rowan climbed up out of the crevice to rest for a while. The deeper he went, the smoother the rock walls became, and his hook-claw structure wasn't well-suited for walking or clinging to smooth surfaces.

Therefore, continuing deeper posed a significant risk. If he lost his grip and fell, it would be one thing if he hit a rock, but if he fell directly into the underground river, he didn't even know if he could swim. If he couldn't, he would be in big trouble.

Thanks to the special duct systems and unique operating mechanisms of most insects, it was difficult to suffocate them, but drowning them was very easy.

Unfortunately, Rowan's current body used this conventional system, but if he really fell into the water, given the characteristics of Efiash, who knew if he could evolve a new system in time to solve the predicament?

Rowan decided that whoever wanted to try that could go ahead; he certainly wouldn't be the one to take on such a challenge.

"No tickling, no dying" had already been engraved as the first rule of his operational guidelines.

Although Rowan wanted to "camp" until he became a big shot before going out to cause trouble, that clearly wasn't realistic. While this place provided food, the replenishment efficiency was very low. He was still small now, but once he grew a bit larger, he estimated he would have to spend most of his day eating.

These black algae couldn't provide him with a new gene panel, and staying here would only allow him to scale up proportionally without adding any new functions.

Moreover, he needed to understand more about this world. He didn't want to think he was invincible and head out, only to be met with a ballistic missile or a disintegration spell... He needed to observe more while he was still inconspicuous.

After much deliberation, Rowan thought of a compromise: he would continue to move in the direction the underground river flowed.

Water was the source of life, and he believed that as long as he kept going, he would eventually encounter other life forms.

It was just a pity that by leaving now, he didn't know when he would be able to avenge himself against those Ants.

Of course, Rowan considered himself absolutely not a vengeful person; he was just making a very casual observation.

Following the underground river, Rowan began a long, arduous journey.

His daily routine consisted of a cycle of eating, drinking, traveling, and resting. Occasionally, he would climb upward to search for any relatives of the White Grub, but unfortunately, he never found any.

He hadn't returned to the surface; his few experiences there had left an extremely bad impression. Aside from the first time when he was just scorched, the subsequent two times had each left him half-dead.

The underground river gradually rose; the river that was originally fifty or sixty meters below the surface was now only twenty meters away.

Rowan's body had also grown back to the size of a fingernail.

To be honest, his growth rate was much slower than he had expected.

Aside from the low energy conversion rate of the food he consumed, the fact that most of his energy was diverted to the heavy labor of digging was also a contributing factor.

Furthermore, he suspected that the oxygen supply system within his body was a major factor limiting his size. Therefore, he urgently needed a new, more powerful oxygen supply system to replace it.

As time passed, Rowan didn't know how long he had been digging. However, the riverbed of the underground river was getting higher and closer to the surface, and the rock layer he was in was only a few meters from the surface.

The soil here gradually increased, the thickness of the sand and gravel layer was already very small, and he occasionally saw the roots of certain plants passing through the soil. Rowan felt that he might be able to walk out of the desert before long.

When the rock layer was only about one meter from the surface, the sand and gravel layer between the rock and the surface disappeared, leaving only soil. The roots of plants here were more numerous and dense; clearly, there was a large amount of vegetation on the surface, though unfortunately, no White Grubs were found.

Rowan finally couldn't resist digging out of the soil to take a look at the surface.

His two massive eyes finally fulfilled their purpose; everything around him was clearly captured and transmitted to Rowan's mind. His field of vision had reached nearly twenty meters; it seemed he had secretly strengthened them recently.

Clusters of unknown shrubs dotted the landscape, and in the dust kicked up by the wind, sand now accounted for only a small portion.

Although he saw plants, it still felt somewhat desolate, and he didn't find any trace of insects or animals.

It was daytime, and the scorching sunlight shone on Rowan. Instead of the feeling of being burned like the first time, he felt a sense of warmth; he knew this was his fire resistance increasing.

He cautiously crawled to the nearest shrub. Its thick, yellow-white trunk twisted upward, from which thin, long branches sprouted, adorned with numerous tiny green leaves.

It looked delicious at a glance.

The black algae from underground had long since disappeared; perhaps they required the deep underground to grow.

Rowan had spent two days drinking his fill of water and was just preparing to seek another way out when sporadic tree roots appeared before him. With the replenishment of the root sap, he could barely maintain his daily consumption, and there was even a tiny bit left over.

Thus, he stuck to his original plan and continued to move along the underground river. After all, in this environment, seeking another path was also very risky.

Subsequently, the tree roots appeared more frequently, until now, they were visible everywhere. Rowan didn't have to worry about food for the time being, but a new problem had emerged.