Chapter 8
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Chapter 8: The Unexpected Gain of a Rookie
"Damn it, can’t even afford a fart."
Trilobite frowned at the "Evolution STEAM" store.
He’d always aimed to save up for something big—crafting that primitive vertebra.
But the price…
"2000 Chaos Energy points for one ‘primitive vertebra’? Why not just rob me!?"
Though he already had 1536 Chaos Energy points—with occasional "kind-hearted souls" gifting him more—it still fell short.
However…
【＝"＝凸】
The system flashed a tree-middle-finger emoji, unclear whether its anger lingered or it simply despised Trilobite.
Truthfully, the system’s stance wasn’t baseless.
The "vertebrae" served as the defining organ for an entire animal class. Yet the starfish currently lacked true vertebrae, relying instead on a central notochord housing dorsal nerves and blood vessels.
The earliest vertebrae formed when cartilage wrapped around those dorsal nerves, vessels, and notochord—resembling a shark’s vertebrae but far more primitive.
This marked a complete nervous system overhaul.
With vertebrae, vertebrates could anchor more muscles, enabling powerful thrusts. Their mobility would leap forward!
Only after evolving vertebrae could near-complete vertebrates truly roam open oceans instead of scrabbling with seafloor "bugs."
A genuine vertebrae? 2000 Chaos Energy felt justified!
"Guess I’ll keep hunting, then."
"Or… dig a pit and wait?"
Trilobite recalled the starfish’s survival tactics.
Starfish typically buried themselves in muddy sand to evade predators like sea scorpions and strange prawns.
When smaller creatures passed, they’d suddenly suck them into their mouths.
This classic "buried-in-sand survival tactic" suited rookies perfectly.
"Sigh, I’m just a rookie."
"Surviving by weaklings’ methods…"
Grudgingly, Trilobite started digging.
"Scritch—scritch—scritch—!"
Unaware, his rumbling stirred panic among several "groups" and another massive presence nearby!
Worse—as he dug deeper, something felt off.
"Huh?"
"A hole down here!?"
"It’s huge!"
"Great, we have more sacrifices!"
In the deep "Mobile City," a group of terrifying and grotesque spawn of evil gods stretched their shrimp-like limbs, glaring at the humans before them.
Specifically, a group of human women.
And above them…
"Whoosh—!"
A fearsome evil god, entirely crimson and resembling a giant shrimp, drifted slowly through the waters.
The so-called "Mobile City" consisted of world fragments.
These fragmented worlds were often small; some spanned only dozens of square kilometers, while others were tinier—so cramped that even a god’s divine body would feel squeezed.
Small as they were, no god disdained such perfect hiding places.
Besides, this particular "Mobile City" was spacious enough; at least the evil god’s divine body could swim freely through several laps.
The evil god occupying this space was an "Outer God"—Spitoborg.
Though originating beyond this world, he coveted it like the Chaos God did; thus, these Outer Gods occasionally struck deals with chaos evil gods to aid their battles.
In return, the Outer Gods gained more followers and bred more spawn.
Yet mostly, Outer Gods preferred hiding within Mobile Cities, maintaining neutrality while secretly awaiting opportunities to strike.
After the Chaos God destroyed and ravaged all life in this world, they would seize control and plant their twisted spawn across the wasteland.
This world would then transform into a grotesquely distorted planet.
As for their spawn’s origins…
"Hahaha! They lay eggs, naturally!"
"Afterward, your souls shall become the finest bait for the great Spitoborg!"
"Hahahaha…"
The Outer God’s spawn were strange creatures: shrimp-bodied with squid heads.
Their god fared little better—a shrimp-like form with bulging eyeballs and two tentacles.
The abducted women hailed from mobile cities.
During the earlier "Divine War" against Andumali, fierce currents from the colliding Giant Gods swept some warriors far from the battlefield.
Most swam back after combat ended.
But a few remained missing.
At least these women’s fate was clear: captured by Spitoborg’s spawn to be transformed into fellow brethren!
"Sssllurp…"
Tentacles snaked toward the first captive.
A woman in light garments—her attire suggested she’d served as a "mage" in the Ocean People’s army.
"No—!"
"God, I pray to you, bring destruction upon these evildoers!"
As the twisted monster gripped her tightly, the woman shed tears of bitterness and fear.
The fear was understandable.
Her bitterness came from knowing these spawn were actually weak; if not for the evil god’s oppressive aura pinning her down, she’d have mowed through these ugly freaks long ago!
But now, all she got was the spawn’s heartless jeers.
"Hahaha, no one can save you!"
"This is Mobile City, completely cut off from the outside! Only its absolute ruler—the great Outer God Spitoborg—can come and go!"
"Just be a good…"
The rest was too filthy for her ears.
Meanwhile, the terrifying Outer God drifted closer, observing the upcoming "breeding ritual" with interest through his bulging, oversized eyes.
Under the Outer God’s utterly evil and maddening presence, the captured woman despaired.
"Will it really end like this…"
This realm was wholly separated from the primary material world. Only Outer Gods wielding creation’s power could shatter dimensional laws!
Yet just as hope vanished…
"Boom—Boom—Boom—!"
The entire Mobile City quaked under immense force.
Then…
"Craaack—!"
"Bang—!"
Glass-shattering explosions roared as a colossal head burst through from outside.
"Gah—!"
"Ugh…"
The evil god’s spawn tumbled wildly while the Outer God’s oppressive aura vanished instantly—overwhelmed by the intruding power!
"Petty villains! Perish!"
The long-humiliated woman sprang up, conjuring a massive fireball between her hands before slamming it into the twisted spawn’s face!
"Aaagh—!"
"Mercy!"
"I don’t wanna die…!"
A slaughter commenced.
Their god fared no better.
"Crash—!"
The Giant God who breached the plane swung his mountainous head like a hammer, smashing Spitoborg’s body straight to Mobile City’s "bottom"!
"Ziz—ziz—ziz—!"
The "strange prawn" beneath him was screaming, but Trilobite felt happy inside.
He had seen this familiar "ancient creature" before.
Last time, he examined its fossil in a museum. This time, he slowly observed it with his blurry eyes.
He might even get to taste it soon.
"Isn’t this the ‘Pectinatulus prawn’?"
"Haha! Not a wasted trip to the ancient ocean after all—I’ve seen a strange prawn species!"
The Pectinatulus prawn lived 520 million years ago, resembling the strange prawn. But its front featured hardened limbs with long spines growing from its elongated body.
These spines could snap shut around small animals like worms or Yunnan worms when the limbs curled.
Their biggest difference? The strange prawn enjoyed swimming, while the Pectinatulus prawn abandoned swimming completely, crawling through seabed muck hunting corpses and insects.
As descendants of the first dominant species, they should command some respect.
But…
"Ziz!"
"Ah—!"
No matter how Outer God Spitoborg struggled, how he hammered the starfish’s head with his pincers, or how he slashed with sharp spines—nothing hurt the "monster" before him.
His enemy had layered armor on his head and smashed down like a dumb hammer.
Spitoborg never expected anything to break through dimensions. Caught off guard, he couldn’t cast magic or use special skills before Trilobite rammed him.
"Haha!"
"Who says armor’s useless?"
"Watch me crush you! Ram you! Hey!"
Trilobite swung his tail violently, slamming into the "Pectinatulus prawn"’s midsection!
Once…
Twice…
Under the torturous pounding, Spitoborg wailed miserably.
Had Trilobite understood "Outer God language," he’d know the god was begging him to make it quick.
Was this torture fun?
Finally…
"Crunch—!"
Trilobite missed his mark this time. His armored head smashed straight through the Pectinatulus prawn’s skull.
Had this become a fossil, future researchers would marvel at the predator’s savagery.
But anyway.
The Outer God was dead.
As Trilobite sipped the body fluids of the Outer God, he joyfully watched the Chaos Energy grow continuously!
Soon after, the female warriors and mages who had been taken by the spawn reunited with Sulya!
Then, the living saint Sulya announced again…
"The god has accepted our sacrifices!"
"Under his protection, our captured compatriots and comrades will return safely!"
"So I declare, the blood sacrifice continues!"
"Drag all those captured demons up here!"
9. We primitive vertebrates are not playing the same game as you!
The blood sacrifice was underway, while Trilobite went shopping.
He hid in the cave formerly occupied by the Pectinatulus prawn, looking at his impressive 3986 points of Chaos Energy, chuckling foolishly.
This time, it was a big profit!
He had found a temporary home, and the thing that Trilobite had dreamt of—turning a notochord creature into a vertebrate—was about to happen!
"Primitive Vertebra DLC! You’re the one!"
"Buzz—!"
As he consumed 2000 Chaos Energy, Trilobite felt his back begin to swell, and a hard yet flexible structure started to rise from the body of the starfish.
But Trilobite was not satisfied yet.
After buying the vertebrae, Trilobite pondered with his remaining 1986 points of Chaos Energy.
"Ah, what should I buy next…"
The system suggested at just the right moment.
"[Stinky little brother… Oh no, dear; I recommend you buy a better pair of eyes.]"
"[Although you can’t afford advanced eyes like those of an octopus or a human, you can increase your compound eyes to improve your resolution.]"
"[It’s not expensive at all; even a low-end individual like you can fully afford it.]"
"[The vast world is so beautiful; why force yourself to be a ‘star player’?]"
"Huh!?"
"Are you trying to sell me products now?"
"Do you think I’m easy to fool?"
"[Dear, that’s not it; actually…]"
"Alright, there’s no actually; I’m not falling for it!"
Trilobite firmly rejected the system’s offer for "eyes", thinking, "If you call me a stinky little brother and a low-end individual, I won’t listen to you!"
"Even though my current eyes have a low resolution, they still have the ability to discern colors and moving objects."
"For me, as a bottom-dweller that feeds on small animals and plankton, that is enough."
"As long as I swallowed things smaller than my mouth that could move, and dodged bigger creatures, that was enough."
"Totally sufficient!"
"Don’t say another word."
If Trilobite were truly a starfish, this reasoning would’ve been flawless.
Evolution doesn’t follow consumerist logic—it’s not about getting the best, but making do with what works.
When things fall short, you patch and tweak what you’ve already got.
Most organs were cobbled together through such patching and tweaking.
So Trilobite felt this shady system was scamming him.
Besides, even ignoring evolution’s nature, he’d always wanted to pull off something grand!
He ignored the hostile system that kept throwing shade at him.
[Taking kindness for donkey liver and lungs!]
[Why’d I get stuck with such an oddball!]
[Not dealing with you, dumbass!]
…
The system fell silent again.
Trilobite mentally rolled his eyes.
"So dramatic, acting like some delicate maiden."
"Whatever, not my problem."
"Back to shopping!"
Truth was, Trilobite had craved one "Upgrade DLC" for ages:
The "Myelin Sheath"!
This insulation layer wrapping nerve fibers boosts signal speed a hundredfold.
A hundred times!
It lets vertebrates’ nerve signals travel 100 meters per second—or faster!
Meanwhile, insects and mollusks without myelin? Their nerve signals crawl at 1-2 meters per second…
That’s awkward.
Imagine a meter-long bug—how sluggish would it move?
The brain orders "walk," but legs react seconds later…
That’d be laggy as hell.
Vertebrates? They can grow huge almost limitlessly.
Mesozoic Sauropod Dinosaurs hit nearly 100 tons and 30-40 meters long, yet moved without a hitch—all thanks to myelin’s magic.
Myelin’s the real MVP behind vertebrates’ total domination!
Once the Myelin Sheath existed, vertebrates and other animals were playing entirely different games!
This was the essence of a dimension-reducing strike!
“To upgrade hardware, you must have the Myelin Sheath.”
“But the problem is…”
The price of the Myelin Sheath left Trilobite speechless.
It wasn’t because it was expensive; this miraculous artifact that could "change everything" cost 2000 Chaos Energy, making Trilobite feel he got a bargain.
The key was that it was priced just right.
[Neural System Upgrade DLC, Myelin Sheath (needs 2000 Chaos Energy)]
Seeing his 1986 points of energy, Trilobite cried out in despair.
“I was only 14 points short!”
“How frustrating!”
He finally understood why some people used products like Huabei.
Just then…
The Chaos Energy count suddenly jumped, increasing by 100 to 2086!
Actually, before this, his Chaos Energy had been rising slowly; he hadn’t noticed because he wasn’t short on it and saw it as a mere bonus.
But now…
“This was like help in a snowstorm!”
“I must give something back!”
“Let me wish you… wait…”
Trilobite suddenly remembered last time when he casually said, “I wish you guys were super strong,” and then it led to “Dream World Arrival” and “Blessing,” costing him 20 Chaos Energy.
Although he had dreamed of a lovely lady, this wasn’t the time to think about her.
“I can’t just speak recklessly this time.”
“How about…”
He turned his gaze to his skills list and saw the skill sitting idle on the “cold bench,” [Praise the Sun].
“Can this be used as a gift?”
[Would you like to give the skill “Praise the Sun” as a gift?]
“It really can be a gift!”
“Let’s send it; it’s useless to me anyway.”
“Besides, giving a gift might make them send more Chaos Energy later.”
“Overall…”
Trilobite shouted a heartfelt “Thank you!” in his mind to the unknown “kind-hearted person” who had sent him Chaos Energy!
On the bloody altar, dozens of heads of demons and Outer God spawns piled together, forming a small skull display.
The female knight leaned on her longsword, still stained with demon blood, her head bowed as low, muffled syllables escaped her lips.
At first, nothing seemed special.
Some people began to doubt whether the prayers of the "living saint" were truly effective, whether the great deity had truly received their gratitude.
But at that moment…
“Buzz—!”
A deep, terrifying atmosphere spread like dark clouds, and a dreadful magical pressure radiated from the female knight, instantly crushing everyone to the ground.
“Buzz—Buzz—Rumble—”
An unfamiliar language resonated gloomily around the altar, vibrating through the air.
It seemed monosyllabic—simple yet all-encompassing, laden with immense information.
The deity wasn’t angered.
He was merely speaking normally.
Both Sulya and the kneeling ocean people beneath the skull display, whether doubtful or devout, could distinctly sense the emotions within the deity’s "words."
Love as warm as the morning sun, sincerity as pure as an infant’s, and heartfelt gratitude for all.
Yet just as an elephant’s casual steps shake an ant’s world, the deity’s mere syllables overwhelmed mortal minds.
Those with weaker wills began wailing, confessing their misdeeds under the deity’s radiant purity.
“Giant God, forgive me! The secretary who spied on Lady Sulya bathing wasn’t a demon in disguise—it was me! But her bathing Holy Light blinded me! I saw nothing!”
“The traitor who drank the antifreeze wasn’t in the maintenance crew—it was me! I confess! I’m guilty!”
“Wuuu… Merciful God! Spare me! The kitchen Chaos follower didn’t cause the diarrhea—I used rotten seafood!”
“Ah, mighty God! The one who smeared medicated oil on my roommate’s underwear wasn’t a shapeshifting demon—it was me! I repent!”
…
Thanks to these confessions, half the crimes pinned on chaotic demons and shapeshifters vanished.
Fortunately, everyone was guilty, and "living saint" Sulya had no time for her subordinates’ nonsense.
“Ugh…”
She felt tantalizingly close to touching the "deity’s" soul.
But even from afar, its vastness overwhelmed her.
“What… is that…”
Sulya murmured as colossal knowledge flooded her mind.
“It’s… like staring directly at the sun!”
Boundless thoughts and nameless terrors slowly unfurled cosmic tendrils before her.
One moment, she witnessed lava engulfing the world; the next, oceans flash-freezing; then meteors blotted the sun.
Infinite memories and truths flashed before her eyes.
“Is this… the deity’s existence…”
“Too… too magnificent…”
“Ugh…”
Had the "Giant God" not previously "blessed" Sulya—granting her immunity—this contact would have scorched her mind!
Yet blood still trickled from her clenched eyes, nose, ears, and lips.
“Pfft…”
She spat crimson onto the ground.
“I can’t endure this!”
But then…
“Buzz—!”
Blinding light banished her pain, confusion, and fear.
Accompanying the light, mysterious symbols etched themselves into her thoughts!
“This is…”
Sulya instantly deciphered them.
“Holy Light from the Sun!?”
