The sun here offered no light. It was a judge.
Its heat pierced the skin, searing away what little moisture remained. My lips were chapped.
In the distance, a shadow shifted. Massive. Pitch-black.
A giant scorpion. Its carapace gleamed, reflecting the harsh sunlight, while a purple crystal pulsed rhythmically upon its back. It was heading straight for me.
"Perfect," I muttered. My voice was raspy.
I sat up. Pulled out a cigarette. Lit it.
"Haa..."
Before the smoke could even dissipate, the sand beneath me trembled once more. Another worm.
This time, I didn't give it the chance to swallow me whole. My blade swung the moment its head breached the surface. Severed in a single strike.
But the distraction had left me open.
CLACK!
The scorpion's pincer clamped around my waist.
The pressure was immense. My ribs groaned under the strain. I was hoisted into the air, staring dead into the creature's compound eyes.
Its maw gaped open.
My right hand, which was still free, thrust my spear with every ounce of strength I had left. The tip drove straight into its open mouth, pierced through its brain, and burst out the back of its shell.
THUD.
The creature collapsed. The grip of its pincer went slack. I snapped its joint to pry myself loose.
I dropped onto the sand.
I was starving.
My knife was useless against its carapace; it was far too hard. So, I used the tip of my spear like a crowbar, wedging it into the seams between its natural armor plating and prying them apart.
Pale, white flesh was exposed.
No fire. No seasoning.
I ate it raw. It tasted metallic, slimy, and faintly sweet. Disgusting to an ordinary human. But to this body, it was nothing more than fuel.
I swallowed chunk after chunk, feeling the vitality slowly seep back into my muscles.
Next, I pried the crystal from the beast.
Clink!
A Scorpion Crystal.
It was the size of my fist, a deep purple hue that looked as if it held coagulated blood. Unlike the dull crystals scavenged from the worms or centipedes, this thing was... heavy.
The moment my fingers wrapped around it, I didn't feel the usual soothing chill.
"Agh..."
It felt like gripping a live coal.
The energy housed within was dense, viscous. This wasn't like drinking water; this was boiling honey being forced through narrow veins.
I wouldn't be able to absorb it on the move.
I leaned back against the scorpion's carcass.
My heart pounded erratically.
One second. The blistering heat crawled from my arm to my chest.
One minute. My vision blurred. The desert seemed to spin around me.
This was energy fever. My body was being forcefully evolved to utilize the influx of power, simply because I had no capacity to store it.
Cold sweat mingled with the dust on my skin. My breaths came in ragged gasps, sounding like a man drowning on dry land.
This agony... it was proof of my evolution.