Curiosity

So, how does one go about enriching their gene pool?

The method is actually incredibly simple: if you take a fancy to a creature's ability, you just eat it!

The prerequisite, of course, is being able to beat the opponent.

"That's not simple at all, okay?" Rowan grumbled.

However, there was a creature right in front of him that he could actually defeat.

Rowan began to ponder what the White Grub had that he might need.

Its plump, tender white body? Slow movement, short and clumsy limbs? The only thing he had found remotely appealing before were those large mandibles, but unfortunately, Rowan had already grown his own.

Thinking about it this way, the only White Grub he could currently defeat was of no value to him? He felt a bit dejected.

But then he reconsidered; it still had some value. Meat provided far more energy to his body than the sap of roots ever could.

Rowan had long wanted to taste a White Grub to see if it really tasted like chicken and was crunchy. Unfortunately, his previous mouthparts weren't up to the task, and his claws were too weak to do anything against the White Grub's tough skin.

Now, with a pair of sharp mandibles, he could finally give it a try.

The body of the Efiash was subtly influencing his mindset.

Back when he was human, he would never have eaten such a disgusting White Grub, let alone raw. But now, he didn't feel anything was wrong; instead, he found the White Grub fragrant, tender, and tempting.

Looking at the White Grub before him, Rowan didn't strike. This one was an old friend—it had served as a long-term tool-bug while he was recovering.

After hesitating for a long while, Rowan ultimately chose to let it go. I really am a kind bug, he sighed, silently giving himself a pat on the back.

He dug a little distance away and immediately found another White Grub. This one hadn't helped him with any work; it wasn't an acquaintance, so there was no need to hesitate before biting!

His sharp mandibles achieved impressive results in their first battle. The tough skin that had once left Rowan helpless was easily pierced.

Ignoring the White Grub's struggling and writhing, he extended his licking-sucking mouthparts into its body.

Then, Rowan discovered a new problem: these mouthparts needed further evolution. Eating meat with them just wasn't efficient.

When these mouthparts ate, they sucked and licked; they were efficient enough for soft things, but when faced with slightly tougher food, like meat, they felt inadequate.

The White Grub gradually stopped struggling, its body slowly shriveling up.

Withdrawing his mouthparts, he wiped his belly with his mid-legs, then moved to a nearby tree root, bit open a hole to suck up some sap, and finally felt full and satisfied.

Overall, the taste wasn't bad, and Rowan nodded with satisfaction. From now on, he could consider himself a carnivorous insect.

Leaving behind a white husk, Rowan dug his way back to the home he had built. It was exactly as he had left it; it seemed no unexpected guests had visited.

Lying in his room, Rowan began his post-meal reflection.

The gene pool definitely needed to be enriched, but there was no rush. During this round of evolution, he had learned some things about his own condition—not just about the gene pool, but also information regarding his lifespan.

The Efiash was, after all, a transcendent species of this world. Its larvae had a lifespan of at least a century, and as it grew, its lifespan would continue to increase.

Exactly how long one could live was unknown; after all, growth was inevitably accompanied by multiple evolutions. Even the bug's mother wouldn't know what it would look like in its mature stage.

On the foreign continent, any creature with a strange appearance and unknown origin was labeled as an Efiash, and only heaven knew which were true and which were false.

The information Rowan received didn't put it that way, of course. The bug that left the information had no concept of time; it only knew it had lived for a very, very long time.

Its unit of measurement was also strange: the rise and fall of three kingdoms.

Rowan pondered this for a long time. A kingdom couldn't possibly rise and fall in a year or two. According to the memories of his past life, three kingdoms—good heavens, how many years would that be? He hadn't studied history well and couldn't calculate it.

Regardless, the question of his lifespan had been answered, and his mood relaxed significantly. After all, in his previous understanding, insects were short-lived creatures.

As for how the bug that left this information had managed to kill itself, he recalled the information several times but found no relevant details.

If he didn't know, so be it. Rowan wasn't concerned about it anyway; he was just purely curious.

Time no longer felt urgent, and his food reserves were quite abundant.

He didn't know how far the roots of that great tree stretched, but they were covered in those White Grubs. Given Rowan's current size, he wouldn't be able to finish them anytime soon.

Moreover, the White Grubs were clearly the larvae of some insect. What did the adults look like? How often did they reproduce? How long did it take for new eggs to hatch? How long until they grew to the size of a White Grub?

Rowan felt he had a long-term observation target. If things went well, these White Grubs might be a renewable resource with a fast recovery rate. In that case, his long-term meal ticket problem would be solved.

As for those Ants, Rowan didn't consider himself a vengeful person, but who told him he was a bug now? So, this grudge would definitely be settled, but there was no rush. He decided to lay low and develop for a while first.

Even if he didn't evolve any new abilities during this time, he could continue to strengthen his existing gene fragments. He could become stronger, his external armor thicker, his defense higher, and his resistance greater.

Those guys were the second type of creature he had seen in this strange place, and they were also excellent providers of genetic material.

Their Catapult Start, their hook-like mandibles, and that magical tail-spraying attack! Once he became stronger, all of these would be his.

However, he got angry just thinking about that last one. Everyone was supposed to be brawling, and then they suddenly pulled out a ranged attack—and such a disgusting method at that. Was that something a person would do? Well, it certainly wasn't done by a person.

Still, if not for those ranged sneak attacks, Rowan figured he wouldn't have fled so miserably; he might have even managed to kill a few in return.

Lost in his own daydreams, his consciousness gradually sank into darkness.

A strange sound and intense, rhythmic vibrations jolted Rowan from his sleep, and he scrambled up with quick reflexes.

The fine hairs all over his body stood on end. The strange sounds continued to echo; he didn't know what had happened on the surface.

He didn't know if bugs had curiosity, but Rowan was, after all, a human soul, and he was curious—quite intensely so.

After crawling back and forth a few times, unable to suppress his curiosity, he ultimately decided to go up and take a look to see what on earth was happening.

On the road, Rowan let his mind wander, fantasizing that perhaps two super-beasts were fighting, and a few drops of their vital blood just happened to fall on his head, propelling him to the pinnacle of his insectoid life from then on.

Heh heh, that's how it's written in books, he thought, getting happier and happier, even digging faster.

As the saying goes, if you don't court death, you won't die.

As Rowan neared the surface, he could already distinguish that the strange sound was merely the whistling wind, and the ground's vibration was just the sound of wind and sand hitting the earth.

He felt a bit dejected; sandstorms weren't supposed to be that interesting. Just as he was about to turn back.

Suddenly, a great danger seemed to envelop him, startling him so much that the fuzz on his body stood on end.

But before he could react, a powerful force lifted him into the air, along with the surrounding sand and stones.