Deep beneath the earth a creature rests waiting for the rain. Because of it's depth it took a while before the rain soaked down to where it lived. But it couldn't be helped.
Stockpiling all the magical plants it could, it needed a lair to store them. Away from the rain or other creatures wanting to feed on it's treasure. For hoarding was the path to a wyrmling. The first step to becoming a dragon.
It carved an upside down dome out of rock for it's treasure trove. Perfectly hidden from the environment and thieving rodents it experienced in the past.
The rain had to be heavy enough for the Dark Pine to shed it's leaves. And today, it was heavy enough.
"rumble Crack swoosh"
The Goliath made digging seem like swimming as the dirt liquified to it's will.
And just as quick as it left, it arrived.
'BOOM!'
Crashing out of the ground and diving back down dragging the biggest leaf it could find.
The treasure it deserves.
...
Quinn got flung into the air only to crash back down to the ground.
"Boing... wiggle wiggle"
Not having any bones meant that Quinn's body could easily handle the impact. His mind however, couldn't.
'wtf, wtf wtf wtf. What the fuck was that??!'
Giving him no time to rest he noticed that the ginormous worm was surfacing again and again dragging away all the leaves.
'That greedy bastard!!! ever hear of sharing??!!'
Quinn was so shaken he didn't even notice the system window Infront of him.
[[Appraisal] Activated]
[Appraisal: Goliath Earthworm(Rank:???)]
SKILL LEVEL UP
[Skill Levelled up
[Appraisal]Lvl 1 --> [Appraisal] Lvl 2
Exp: 5 ]
But before he could celebrate he noticed he was on the surface.
...
It frightened him at first. The constant pressure of all the soil strangely made him feel safe. And the odd drop hitting him directly jump scared him. He felt vulnerable, exposed.
Due to the rain, no birds nor other predators could attack him. This created the opportunity for Quinn to experience the surface. And boy, it felt empty.
'Wait, I can see?'
It was limited. Quinn could only tell that it was not dark. No detail could be made out, but it was something.
Without the constant pressure of the soil against his skin, Quinn felt quite exposed. But he also felt determined. Something about his instincts told him to crawl somewhere.
Quinn didn't know where, but he crawled. He smelt something.
'Woah... this is something else'
Ultimately Quinn could inherently taste differences in the air. All of which tugged at his instincts.
Follow. Run. Food. Blank. Mate?!!
'Huh... A-A... A Mate!!?'
There were countless other smells however most weren't strong enough to tug at his instincts.
While the prospect of a mate intrigued him, strangely Quinn didn't have the drive to even try.
All his life women tormented him because he wasn't a certain way. So maybe he didn't want to experience the pain of rejection.
Or maybe Quinn's Adolescent body didn't have a sex drive.
'I need to get stronger... Then I'll get all the girls I want'
So he started to crawl toward the food. Knowing the dangers, Quinn decided to give it a try anyway.
Bump!
Quinn bumped into something on his way. As he touched it and sniffed it
[ [Appraisal] Activated]
[Appraisal: Limestone Pebble
Use: Ingredient]
'Wait, I get it now'
To activate [Appraisal], two conditions apply:
1. There must be an object to appraise. So it doesn't work on soil since it's the environment.
2. He must use his senses on it.
That's why Quinn upgraded it. He not only smelt the goliath but he also felt it.
In response, Quinn developed a theory. He could appraise himself and maybe that would unlock his status.
[ [Appraisal] Activated]
[Appraisal: Quinn(Adolescent Earthworm)]
'WTF. I still can't see my fucking STATUS agh.'
Focusing internally on himself he imagined what it would look like. He could see it very clearly. It even felt as though the status began to materialize inside of his mind.
[
Name:Quinn
Species:Earthworm(Adolescent)
Growth:70%
Satiety:96%
Strength:0.001
Agility:0.001
Vitality:0.001
Intelligence:0.7
Arcane:0
Skills:[Dig] [Appraisal]
]
'0.... point 00 (ㆆ_ㆆ)
I wouldn't make this BS up. nonononono. Numbers that are higher. C'mon...'
But nothing changed.
'WAIT.... this is my STATUS???... fuck'
Quinn had almost the lowest stats. But because of his reincarnation, he thought he would be special.
'I guess the [Appraisal] skill distinguishes me from the other worms'
He could only look on the bright side. The status was really a thing and he now knew how to view it.
Getting back to his mission, Quinn began to crawl. He had a hunch that Exp will be unlocked upon growth completion. So he needed to unlock that before anything happened to him
On the way, Quinn appraised a lot of things. Even coming across a black stone that read:
[Appraisal: ???]
Even finding a few fugus growths within the topsoil.
[Appraisal: Death root fungus
Effect: ???]
Not thinking much of it, Quinn continued. Until he finally, he found it.
[Appraisal:Dark pine leaf
Effect: ???]
Quinn finally reached the leaves. Luckily the goliath would be distracted by other bigger pieces of the foliage.
Taking a closer look Quinn realized that the leaf was evoking a strange feeling of pleasure. As if the mere presence of the leaf comforted him.
So why did this emit a pheromone? Quinn wrapped his liplike structure over a section of the leave. His saliva started breaking it down as Quinn finally got some down his esophagus.
Questions bubbled away as the taste settled in. This leaf was fresher and not covered in mucus. It was divine.
He ate as fast as he could. Faster and faster. Quinn didn't want to stop. He didn't want to acknowledge the tremors of other creatures around him. The other creatures fleeing.
He ignored the rain. He ignored when it stopped. He just kept going.
He needed one last push.
His tail was in the burrow when his head and body were above eating the leaf. In the unclear mirage of all the colours, Quinn touched something.
Sniffing it, he activated his appraisal skill;
[Appraisal: Pigmented Catipilar(Growth Stage)]
It was casually hanging on the undersides of the leaf while nibbling away at it.
'This bastard is stealing my food!!'
Not afraid of any catapillar, Quinn rammed his head into the catapillar. It did nothing. Actually, noticing Quinn's presence, it only sped up.
So Quinn sped up. Until he had to wiggle his tail out of the burrow to relocate. And at that exact moment, Quinn felt a gust of wind crawl down his back.
The caterpillar was gone.
And Quinn was next