"Keep swimming up along this continental shelf."

  After struggling to swallow the steel pincer, Lightning felt that his body seemed to be quite full of nutrients, almost to the point of being sated.

  “It seems there's a limit to nutrient storage in my body. Right now, it feels like I can't digest it fast enough.”

  “Speaking of which, perhaps I should have increased my size when I evolved into a multicellular organism. Now I can't even see a single unicellular organism.”

  Slowly climbing up what seemed like steep cliffs of a continental slope, Lightning recalled what 8051 had mentioned earlier: to enter the biological editing space now required the species’ spores.

  “But what exactly are spores? Are they similar to biologic eggs? Anyway, they must be for reproduction.”

  Counting the evolution points now held.

  “Roughly 59 points. It looks like I need to enter the biological editing space for some evolution. My current speed is too slow.”

  “But how do I find spores? Reproduce? How does reproduction work?”

  “Wait, what was mentioned during the introduction?”

  "Asexual reproduction?"

  “Yes, it’s asexual reproduction. And spores are key to species reproduction.”

  “Don’t tell me I have to reproduce myself!”

  “Oh, heavens!”

  [Main consciousness has chosen reproduction. Enter the species reproduction phase?]

  The system prompt arrived as expected, startling Lightning, who was vexed by the prospect of having to nurture the next generation.

  “Do I really have to reproduce on my own? How is that going to work?”

  “What am I supposed to do now?”

  “And why couldn’t I choose before, how frustrating.”

  “...”

  “Whatever, I came through the unicellular stage through division, didn’t I?”

  “I’m no longer human, so why bother with gender?”

  “Let's just call it division; after all, it’s asexual reproduction.”

  “Yes, enter whatever species reproduction phase. I need to get back to 8051 soon to ask what to do. Honestly, why not just evolve sexually?”

  [Entering species reproduction phase; the species organism begins to accumulate nutrients for reproduction.]

  As soon as the system notification ended, Lightning felt the nutrients in his body start to concentrate in a specific area, and his body suddenly felt weak.

  “Damn, looks like there aren’t enough nutrients. Food, I need more food.”

  With this thought, Lightning swam along the current, carefully monitoring the sensory world. Having just felt satisfied, Lightning now found that the dwindling nutrients were still insufficient.

  To prevent the exhaustion of nutrient reserves and avoid becoming helpless prey or starving to death, Lightning started searching for food again.

  Food that could provide nutrients.

  Most things have an annoyingly uncooperative habit; when you don't need them, they're everywhere. But when you really do, they're nowhere to be found.

  “Seriously, where did they all go? There were plenty before; did they all hide out of fear?”

  Moving a hungry body, Lightning kept searching.

  “Ah, a big mouth. Old friend, I can always count on you!”

  In his senses, a creature with a gaping mouth was leisurely passing by ahead. Thinking for a moment, it seemed slightly smaller than his current form compared to his former perspective as a small cell, reminiscent of the big-mouthed multicellular organisms encountered when he was unicellular.

  Not wasting time on further thought, Lightning slowly approached the creature, electricity accumulating in his body, like two old cars gradually closing in.

  The unsuspecting big-mouthed creature, oblivious to the little friend it once ignored, was easily taken down, generously providing its bountiful nutrients and 2 evolution points.

  [New component acquired]

  “What?! I didn’t expect a civilian-level big mouth to have a component I didn’t. I must have underestimated them.” While dividing the spoils of the big mouth, Lightning expressed genuine gratitude for its generosity. (…)

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Hmm, although nutrient depletion has slowed, it’s better to accumulate a little more, just to be safe.” Taking more time than usual, Lightning finally consumed the remaining chunks of the big mouth, noting the reduced speed of nutrient consumption.

  “Nutrient consumption seems to have slowed down, and spores are beginning to form in my body. It feels like they’re just a collection of cells, though the process is slow."

  "Ugh, this feels strange. In biology, how does sexual reproduction occur? I gave all my biology knowledge back to my high school teacher. Shouldn’t have forgotten it. Frustrating.”

  A sudden jolt of electricity darted through his body, noticeably weaker than usual.

  “Hmm? Is my electrical power diminishing during spore gestation? How am I supposed to hunt?”

  Feeling the weakening current in his body, the once vibrant electricity seemed sluggish. Reflecting, he realized it was due to multiple issues within his body, like not having a proper heart. Since most nutrients were now allocated for reproduction, energy for generating electricity was greatly reduced.

  “Evolution, ah.”

  Peering into the darkness, Lightning continued swimming upward; the bright shallows had become increasingly attractive after spending so long in the dark depths.

  ※※※

  Armor climbed cautiously up the steep cliff, its thick shell feeling burdensome. It was deeply frustrated with the situation, as the heavy armor that once made it invincible now seemed a hindrance.

  Armor wasn’t a native creature of the deep sea, but rather a species from the shallows. With its evolved hard shell and powerful mouthparts, this composite armor could both attack and defend. Coupled with six pairs of limbs providing speed on the seafloor and two shell plates for short underwater glides, it was indeed a dominant force in the life-rich shallows.

  However, Armor now lacked its typical dominant aura. Despite buoyancy in water, climbing a steep slope with a shell more akin to a snail's heavy armor rather than a lightweight insect’s exoskeleton was incredibly frustrating for Armor, making it wish to lash out. Actually, it did entertain such thoughts now.

  So why was the shallow-sea tyrant Armor here in the first place? It was simply bad luck...

  One day, the powerful Armor ambushed a lone swimming fish (an invertebrate with a soft shell, resembling a fish), but the prey nimbly evaded. Frustrated, it flexed its six limbs and two plates, elegantly gliding through water to chase the elusive fish. However, the cunning creature maintained its distance, leading Armor near a steep continental slope.

  By then, you probably guessed it: the swimming fish continued on nonchalantly, while Armor, distracted and awkward in its cumbersome shell, misstepped and tumbled into the deep sea.

  Fortunately, as befitting a ruler, Armor reacted quickly, adjusting its posture during the descent. It abandoned the chaotic fish weaving through the water, using its numerous limbs to finally cling to a rock at a depth where faint light was still visible.

  Thus, this was the opening scene.

  "When I get back, I'm eating fish every day."

  Thinking angrily, Armor continued its upward climb.

  At that moment, its protruding eyes caught sight of a strange soft-bodied creature shaking its pitiful flagellum and slowly swimming up from a short distance away.

  "Should I eat it or not?" Armor, recently vowing to eat fish daily, pondered this.

  Although hungry, a single slip could lead to another fall. Prioritizing its own safety, Armor couldn't risk another descent, uncertain when it would be able to climb back up. Yet the hapless (completely unaware of the menacing Armor), large (Armor was slender and robust while the creature was soft and swollen), weak (lacking any known offensive capabilities), slow (no explanation needed) creature appeared to be an irresistibly delectable meal.

  "A gift from heaven must not be refused."

  An inexplicable phrase echoed in Armor's mind, and then it charged toward the creature.

  “Damn, why haven’t the spores produced yet? How many do I have to reproduce? It better not be something ridiculous like a ten-month gestation.”

  Having just begun reproducing, Lightning already started complaining about the snail-paced spore production. Despite dispatching several common soft-bodied creatures and absorbing their nutrients and evolution points, Lightning found his body growing sluggish, even his sensory perception declining. He had nearly been pricked by a tentacle worm's needle-tipped tentacles, revealing the tentacle's true menace. The only consolation was the faint light beginning to appear in the waters above.

  “Looks like I’m not far from the shallows; I can feel the faint light now. But my eyes are still useless, can't even see an outline.”

  “Huh, why did it suddenly get darker in front? It can’t be night already, can it?”

  Feeling the sudden disappearance of light ahead, Lightning’s tired body remained tense, unwilling to relax completely due to his long experience hunting and escaping. The sensory feedback shocked him as a six-legged creature, part shrimp and part snail, appeared, charging down towards him with its fearsome-looking mouthparts aimed directly at him.

  “Damn it, the shallow seas have evolved shelled creatures already?”

  Lightning’s good mood was shattered once again. Struggling to extract the now precious nutrients due to spore development, he unleashed his full electrical power just as the creature was about to reach him. At the same time, he rapidly maneuvered his tentacles, creating a water current to nimbly sidestep.

  The greatly diminished electric burst barely dispersed through the creature's heavy shell. Detecting only a slight pause before it continued past him, its shell clipping off the tip of Lightning’s flagellum, a flicker of panic crossed Lightning's mind.

  “Damn it, this is dangerous.”

  Focusing his senses on the opponent, Lightning prepared to unleash a desperate, electrified counterattack as he had with the steel pincers. Such armored creatures with electric resistance were natural enemies to the current Lightning.

  The creature quickly realized it had passed Lightning, and with a twist, it pivoted to face him again, brandishing its mouthparts.

  Lightning tensed, sensing the gap widen between them.

  “Hmm?”

  “Widen?”

  Suddenly realizing this, Lightning felt puzzled.

  “Our distance is increasing rather than decreasing?”

  And the distance continued to grow...

  “What’s going on? Is it maybe trying to gain distance for a charge? Could it have a slow start?”

  Despite Lightning’s thoughts, the creature continued to drift downwards, rapidly disappearing from sensory range.

  ...

  “Why hasn’t it come up yet?”

  Keeping tense for so long, Lightning felt his body stiffen. But the creature hadn’t resurfaced, and a bizarre close-to-far “Ah—” sound seemed to echo mockingly in his consciousness.

  “Could it be that this fellow just slipped and was trying to get me to lend a hand?”

  Such a thought popped into Lightning’s mind but seemed unacceptable.

  “Heh, as if that's possible. My guess about the electric shock having some effect must be right. That’s why it thought better of it and changed targets. Yes, that must be it.”

  Unable to accept the initial theory, Lightning found the latter conclusion more reasonable and decided to leave quickly, lest the creature return seeking revenge.

  “Speaking of which, I’m getting slower at handling emergencies.”

  “Judging by the distance, the shallows shouldn’t be far. Better find a safe place to reproduce and evolve before swimming upward.”