On a planet called Earth, there exists an ocean that stretches endlessly beneath the sky, its expanse shifting from deep midnight blue in the open sea to shimmering turquoise near sunlit shores. Waves rise and fall in slow, powerful rhythms, their crests catching the sunlight like molten silver.
Within this sapphire liquid realm, far beneath the surface where sunlight barely penetrates, a peculiar twenty-centimeter octopus concealed itself between two vibrant coral colonies. Rainbow patterns of spots, stripes, and rings adorned its body, while two protruding yellow eyes shone with an azure hue, their black horizontal pupils scanning the sandy floor below.
The little octopus had positioned itself perfectly—the colorful coral providing natural camouflage even without activating its innate ability to change color and texture.
Before him sprawled a writhing mass of crab larvae, dozens of the tiny white creatures crawling over each other on the sandy bottom like living jewels scattered across the ocean floor.
"System, how many bio-points would I obtain by consuming the entire nest?" Chen Fang thought, anticipation coursing through his marine form.
A mechanical female voice materialized in his consciousness, cold and precise as polished steel.
Ding!
*[The nest contains fifty crab larvae. Each larva provides 0.5 Bio-Energy points. Total acquisition: 25 Bio-Energy points.]*
He had imagined if his system was a human, she would be an ice-cold intelligent beauty, who had quite a jealous and possessive personality despite her hard stone exterior.
When the system's voice faded with a soft chime, Chen Fang contemplated his approach. Twenty-five points would easily trigger an evolution—he only needed ten—but his current hunting skills were abysmal. In the past two weeks, he'd barely managed to catch scattered fish larvae.
"System, display my properties panel."
A translucent blue interface materialized before his eyes, white text flowing across its surface:
*[Host Information Panel]*
[Name: Chen Fang
Race: Mutated Common Octopus {Juvenile}
Skills: Camouflage, Underwater Breathing, Lesser Underwater Movement
Body Length: 20 CM
Bio-Energy Points: 5/10
Skills Available for Purchase: Jet Propulsion (15 points), Total Mimicry (25 points), Limb Elongation (8 points)]
The skills had appeared when his system first activated at birth. Jet Propulsion promised sonic-speed movement for ten-second bursts, while Total Mimicry offered perfect invisibility at the cost of immobility. Both were far beyond his current resources.
"But twenty-five points? How am I supposed to accumulate that much when the largest prey I can handle are larvae?" Chen Fang's frustration caused his camouflage to flicker, and nearby fish turned curiously toward the disturbance before losing interest.
Taking a steadying breath—or the octopus equivalent—he made his decision. "System, purchase Limb Elongation."
*{[Confirm purchase of "Limb Elongation" for 8 Bio-Energy points?]}*
{Yes} {No}
"Yes." He thought without any hesitation.
*[Congratulations! First purchase unlocked the Newbie Gift Pack! All three beginner skills have been granted to the Host for the price of one!]*
*{[New Skills Acquired: Jet Propulsion, Total Mimicry, Limb Elongation]}*
Chen Fang stared at the notification, torn between gratitude and exasperation. The system's programming apparently withheld information unless directly questioned—a lesson he'd surely remember.
"Time to farm some experience."
He began his approach, maintaining camouflage while using his tentacles to burrow into the sand. The fine grains parted around his soft body as he inched closer to the nest, until only a few inches separated him from his prey.
When he had first used his natural skills from the system, Chen Fang had made it so that each time he wanted to use a skill, it could just be activated with a thought instead of giving an order to the system each time.
A stray larva wandered toward his position. Chen Fang activated Limb Elongation, feeling the strange sensation as his tentacle stretched beyond its normal limits. His suction cups latched onto the creature with practiced precision, pulling it beneath the sand in one fluid motion.
The larva disappeared into his beak underneath him with barely a sound.
"One down, forty-nine to go."
For the next phase, Chen Fang employed a more systematic approach. He activated Total Mimicry, feeling his body temperature drop and his pulse slow as he became virtually undetectable. Completely motionless now, he used Limb Elongation to its fullest extent, stretching multiple tentacles toward the nest's perimeter.
Like a patient spider, he began plucking larvae from the outer edges, careful not to disturb the main cluster. Each capture was swift and silent— his tentacles extending, suction cups engaging, and the prey retrieved.
Within minutes, he'd reduced the nest by half without alerting the remaining larvae.
Now came the risky part. Chen Fang deactivated Total Mimicry and engaged Jet Propulsion. The sudden burst of speed launched him directly into the heart of the remaining nest. In the chaos that followed, his elongated tentacles became a whirlwind of destruction, snatching panicked larvae as they scattered in all directions.
Ten seconds later, as the propulsion ability expired, Chen Fang found himself surrounded by floating crab larvae—some stunned, others trying desperately to escape. His tentacles moved with newfound efficiency, gathering the survivors before they could flee beyond his reach.
If he was to be completely honest with himself, a great part of him really enjoyed the carnage that had just happened. Either a result from his new Octopus body or something darker that lay deep inside of his own heart.
When the hunt concluded, Chen Fang had successfully captured all fifty larvae. He used his tentacles to dig a shallow ring in the sand, corralling his prey within its confines like a makeshift larder. Then, methodically, he began to feed on each one.
As each larva disappeared into his beak, Chen Fang's thoughts drifted to his previous life—the life that had led him to this moment of predatory triumph. The resounding dings and system notifications echoed in his mind as he reminisced.
Dr. Chen Fang at only twenty-two years old, had been a marine biologist whose fascination with octopuses bordered on obsession. Their intelligence, their adaptability; all of the survival skills that nature or something else...had equipped them with.
Perhaps that obsession had cost him his relationship with his younger brother, Xiao Ming. After their parents died in a car crash, Chen Fang had thrown himself into his research, leaving the stoic teenager to navigate high school largely alone. Xiao Ming never complained—he was too reserved for sentiment—but Chen Fang often wondered if he'd failed as a guardian.
The memory of that final day at the research facility remained crystal clear. He'd been conducting intelligence tests on Chen Wu, their captive giant Pacific octopus, when the creature began displaying signs of distress. Concerned for the specimen's wellbeing, Chen Fang had entered the observation pod—a glass-enclosed platform that allowed close examination while maintaining safety barriers.
But as he examined Chen Wu's body, he found no physical ailments. The octopus appeared perfectly healthy, which only deepened the mystery of its apparent discomfort.
That's when Chen Fang noticed Chen Wu's eyes watching him with an intelligence that seemed almost human. The octopus had positioned itself against the glass, and only then did Chen Fang spot the hairline fracture in the reinforced barrier—a weakness in the glass that shouldn't have been there - yet there it was.
Chen Wu's beak struck the flaw with surgical precision.
The glass exploded inward. Before Chen Fang could react, eight powerful arms wrapped around his body and throat. As consciousness faded and his life flashed before his eyes, his final thoughts weren't of fear or regret, but of genuine admiration. Even in death, he marveled at Chen Wu's substantial intelligence
He held no grudge against the octopus—only pure fascination.
The next sensation was claustrophobic darkness and the instinctive need to break free. When Chen Fang burst from what he realized was an egg shell, he found himself surrounded by thousands of newly hatched octopuses. The acceptance came surprisingly easily—reincarnation as the creature he'd devoted his life to studying felt almost poetic.
What puzzled him was the retention of his memories and intelligence. Reincarnation, by most accounts, should have created an entirely new consciousness but still having retained your soul.
And That's when the system first manifested, introducing itself as an Evolution System designed to guide him toward greatness. It promised that through evolution, he could eventually return to his former life—but only after embarking on an endless journey of growth and adaptation.
The prospect thrilled him. To live as the most fascinating species on Earth, to experience firsthand the abilities he'd only observed from the outside—it was a dream beyond his wildest imagination.
As the last crab larva disappeared into his beak, Chen Fang felt a familiar warmth spread through his body. The system's icy chime echoed in his mind:
*[25 Bio-Energy points acquired! Evolution threshold exceeded!]*
{[Current Bio-Energy: 30/10]}
*{[Evolution available! Would the Host like to Proceed?]}*
Chen Fang settled into the sand, his rainbow patterns shifting with anticipation. His journey as Earth's most extraordinary predator was about to truly begin.
"System," he thought with growing excitement, "initiate evolution."