The jellyfish are solitary creatures that move by pulsing their bell-shaped bodies to propel themselves through the water or by drifting with ocean currents.
"This is dangerous; I better hide from them before I get killed."
This was Jinwoo's first day in the ocean as a snailfish, but due to a slight evolution of his tail, he was 20 cm larger than newborn snailfish.
As Jinwoo began to swim forward, he spotted some red algae plants. He immediately pushed ahead to eat some more. "Maybe this can increase my evolution points."
Upon reaching the area where the plants grew, he started consuming them continuously until he was full. He had no time to check his evolution points because the red algae were simply delicious.
"System... How many evolution points do I have?"
[Host, you have 480 evolution points.]
"Four... 480?"
His eyes widened in shock; he was surprised, but he didn't have much time to waste. What if a shark or another predator spotted him? He would be done for.
"Did I gain any new skills?" he asked the system, curiosity piqued.
[No, you didn't.]
"This confirms another theory: existing skills that I have will not evolve unless I use evolution points."
"System, what kind of evolution can I undergo at the moment?"
[You have not eaten anything that is higher than your level in terms of genetics or skills.]
"So, you're saying if I want to evolve, I have to consume something with sufficient skills or genetic properties, right?"
[Yes, host.]
"To survive right now, I need a strong poisonous ability. If only I could spot a stonefish nearby."
Moments passed as Jinwoo was lost in deep thoughts. "I will hunt a small poisonous fish from now on."
"System, show me my status window!"
[Name: ________]
[ Lifespan: 15 years ]
[Level: None]
[Title: None]
[Strength: 0.001]
[Speed: -8.6]
[Species: Snailfish]
[Special Abilities: Low poison resistance, low regeneration]
[Unallocated Evolution Points: 8.5]
[Experience Points: 0]
[Locked]
[Locked]
...
"What are those locked thing's if I may ask?"
[They are the system shop and other system skills you unlock when you reach different levels.]
"Okay." After examining his system panel for about five minutes, he spoke to the system. "Add 100 to strength."
[Adding 100 evolution points to strength.]
[Success.]
"Use 50 evolution points to upgrade low poison resistance."
[Upgrading skill, low- poison resistance.]
[Success.]
"Use another 50 for low-regeneration."
[Upgrading skill, low-regeneration.]
[Success.]
"Add 200 to my speed."
[Upgrading speed by 200.]
Soon enough, it felt as if he had consumed some unknown potion.
"Arhhhhhh."
"What's happening? Why is it so painful?" His body began to grow larger and longer.
His fish-like body became elongated, and he approached 100 cm, surpassing the height of a typical snailfish.
[Evolution success.]
Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.
He was breathing heavily due to the pain, but minutes later, the discomfort subsided, as if it never existed.
"Status window."
The blue system panel appeared in front of him.
[Name: ________]
[ Lifespan: 15 years ]
[Level: None]
[Title: None]
[Strength: 100]
[Speed: -208.6]
[Species: Evolved Snailfish]
[Genes: None]
[Special Abilities: Poison resistance, regeneration]
[Unallocated Evolution Points: 80]
[Experience Points: 0]
[Locked]
[Locked]
...
"Hmm, a new functional ability? What does it do? Will it store genes from other animals in my body to help me evolve?"
[Yes. Whatever you eat becomes stored in your genes, ensuring you evolve into something better than your previous self.]
" I can just continue evolving until I'm big enough?"
[Yes.]
"I'm going to survive, evolve, and return home no matter what."
The water current was becoming much stronger, and Jinwoo couldn't afford to stay down any longer. He swam upwards, hoping to find something poisonous so he could gain a poisonous ability for attacking his prey.
Moments later, some fish began to swim past Jinwoo.
"Run if you value your life; something big is coming!"
"Survive! Survive!"
Sharks, snakes, turtles, and even whales were fleeing from a single monster.
"What's happening?" This fish can talk? How can I understand them?
[The system automatically translates languages to your preferred language, including animal languages. I can also make other life forms hear what you say in various languages.]
[System detects that the host is in danger; the system advises the host to run.]
"What's happening? What am I running from?"
Soon enough, he sensed the danger himself, as if the very cells in his fish body were telling him to flee.
So he swam in the direction the other fish were escaping toward.
As he sped away, he glanced back to see what was pursuing them.
It was a monster described in human literature as a very dangerous aquatic creature—a legendary sea monster often depicted as a giant cephalopod, similar to a colossal octopus or squid, with powerful tentacles capable of sinking ships. It is portrayed as an aggressive and perilous being, and the legend may have been inspired by sightings of giant squids.
"A kraken," Jinwoo thought, his heart sinking. The pressure emanating from the krakens was something no human had ever experienced; they were each multiple times larger than a whale. The most alarming fact was that there were fifteen of them casually gliding through the sea.
As he ran, he glanced back at the krakens. Their faces wore sinister smiles, as if they were sentient and fully aware of their intentions.
The largest kraken spoke up, asking, "Who am I?"
The other krakens responded in unison, "You're the sea."
He asked again, raising his voice, "I said, who am I?" This time, the krakens answered louder, "You're the king of the ocean."
The largest kraken, referred to as the king by the others, was bigger and stronger than all the other krakens combined. It was as if its tentacles had a life of their own. Raising its gaze toward the ocean, it declared, "Fear me."
When it spoke, the very ice walls seemed to crumble, and shockwaves surged through the water, sending other creatures fleeing.
The krakens pushed forward and hunted their pray one by one as if they had all the time in the world.
Creatures that where not fast enough, where eaten as the opened their mouths wide.