It had been… what? A day? A week?
Time didn't really work the same when you didn't have a body. Or eyes. Or even a proper sense of up or down. The boy — or what was left of him — was just a floating dot in some random river in some random fantasy world.
A dot. An actual, glowing atom-sized dot. Smaller than a grain of rice. Smaller than regret.
"Seek," he said — or thought, or however thought-speak worked, "how long have I been here?"
[Six hours, thirty-seven minutes, and twelve seconds since arrival.]
"…Seriously? That's it?"
[Affirmative.]
Time dragged when you were a microdot.
So far, he'd absorbed one old dying fish. Not impressive, but hey, you start somewhere. The system had said he needed to absorb a hundred life forms to evolve. That was the goal. Eat stuff, get stronger. The usual grind. Only, without legs. Or arms. Or hands to click a mouse.
He floated gently past a mossy rock.
[New Lifeform Detected: Algae.]
"Can I eat that?"
[Technically. Nutritional value: low. Absorb anyway?]
"Yeah, might as well."
A soft tingle passed through him — like a tiny electric zap. The algae vanished. He didn't see it disappear, but he felt it. Like it became part of him. Warm, weirdly satisfying.
[Progress: 2/100]
"Great. Only ninety-eight more to go. At this rate I'll evolve before the sun explodes."
[Unlikely. This planet has three moons and no sun.]
"…Wait, what?"
[Different solar system. Long story.]
He drifted in silence for a bit, processing that. Another clump of algae appeared. He ate it. Then another. Then a weird water bug that floated too close.
[Progress: 5/100]
Okay, this was kind of nice. Peaceful. Quiet. No noisy neighbors. No school. No parents asking what he's doing with his life.
Just him, Seek, and a buffet of tiny snacks.
Then the peace ended.
A shadow passed overhead. Something big. Something hungry.
[Warning: Hostile Lifeform Detected – Category: Tier 1 Predator]
The thing splashed into the water like a missile. Long body. Sharp teeth. Scales that shimmered like oil. It looked like a snake had a very bad day and decided to grow legs and anger issues.
[Name: River Leechspawn]
[Danger Level: Moderate. You are extremely edible.]
"Run!"
[You cannot run. You do not have legs.]
"Swim!"
[You cannot swim. You do not have fins.]
"Then what can I do?!"
[Drift.]
"...I hate this."
The creature dipped its ugly head into the river, mouth open, slurping up water and anything inside it — including small dots, probably.
He tried to move. Focused hard. Nothing happened.
Except—
He felt a pull.
A current.
Without meaning to, he drifted downward. Into a gap between two rocks.
The leechspawn passed overhead, slurping and snarling, but missed him.
Somehow, he'd survived.
[Achievement Unlocked: First Encounter with Death (Again)]
[Reward: +1 Evolution Point]
"Oh, now you're giving me points?"
[Survival is a skill. You're welcome.]
He stayed hidden for a while. Absorbed more algae. A baby shrimp. Even a weird glowing spore that made his insides tingle.
[Progress: 12/100]
It wasn't much, but it was progress. And for the first time since dying, he felt… something. Not hope exactly. More like mild determination.
The kind you get when you finally clean your room after three months and find a spoon under your bed.
Eventually, the current picked up. Stronger. Faster.
He was swept along again, out of the rocks and down the river. The world around him started changing. Less green, more light. The water opened up into a wide basin — and that's when he saw them.
Well, "saw" was a stretch. He sensed them.
Humans.
Or something like humans.
Tall figures in robes. Carrying glowing staffs. They stood at the edge of the water, chanting. Symbols floated in the air like glowing insects.
[Magic Detected. High concentrations. Warning: Hostile Mana.]
"What's hostile mana?"
[Magic designed to cleanse, purify, or eliminate foreign entities. You qualify.]
"Oh good. So I'm allergic to wizards."
[That is one way to phrase it.]
Suddenly, the river lit up. A wave of blue energy rolled over the water like a holy steam cleaner.
He didn't have time to think. He dove — or, well, dropped — deeper into the river, as far from the light as possible.
It still hit him.
Pain.
White-hot, electric, crackling pain. Like getting microwaved from the inside. He screamed in his own head, but it wasn't over.
Then, the light passed.
He was still there. Barely.
[Status: Damaged.]
[But… wait.]
Something sparked.
He felt it.
Energy. Raw, unstable, but absorbable.
[New Source Identified: Mana Residue]
"…Can I eat it?"
[You can try.]
He did.
And it was delicious.
Sweet, burning, powerful. Better than algae. Better than shrimp. Better than the fish. It filled him in a way nothing else had.
[Progress: 22/100]
[Skill Acquired: Mana Digestion (Lv.1)]
For the first time since becoming a speck of nonsense in a dangerous world, he felt strong.
Not strong-strong. Not punch-a-dragon strong. But not helpless either.
And that was enough.
He floated onward. Quietly. Carefully. With a full belly and a slightly smug core-glow.
Tomorrow, he'd keep eating.
Tomorrow, he might even hunt something.
But for now… he drifted. Full. Safe. Slightly radioactive.
And that was the best day he'd had in a while.