Twenty-seven years old.
My life was ruined.
If someone says this, most people would respond like this:
"You're still in your prime in your 20s, why talk about life being over?"
It's a natural reaction.
Just in my late 20s.
Still too early to give up on anything.
You might experience heartbreak, taste failure, sometimes fall down, but it's a time when you can get back up again.
But what I experienced was something that couldn't be overcome or recovered from.
[Pancreatic cancer]
Average survival rate: 15%.
The cancer with the worst prognosis, where the goal becomes "life extension" rather than complete recovery.
I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
I hadn't been feeling unwell for long. I had been preparing for employment day and night, and as a result, I got accepted to the big company I'd been dreaming of. I thought it was natural to feel achy and fatigued.
Then a problem was discovered during my health examination.
As part of the hiring process, I had to submit health examination results, so I visited the hospital with a light heart.
I thought there wouldn't be any issues, but I received notice that additional tests were needed.
And there, I found out.
That cancer was growing in my body.
Not stage 1, not stage 2, but stage 4.
Just before the terminal stage.
< HS Electronics Employment Cancellation Notice >
The job offer was canceled, of course.
The company wouldn't hire someone who was about to die.
I had fought tooth and nail to achieve happiness, but that happiness had an expiration date of just three days.
I hadn't even ruled the world for three days; I had simply enjoyed the joy of being accepted to a major company for that time.
Anger and frustration overflowed until eventually, I became numb. I didn't even have the energy to be angry.
The time I had endured until now became meaningless. The future I wanted so badly disappeared before I could even grasp it.
A stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis was essentially a death sentence.
Should I extend my short life by receiving painful treatment in a hospital bed, or should I live a shorter but fuller life with just painkillers and live normally until the end?
These were the only two options I had.
Hope for complete recovery?
There was no such thing. The survival rate for stage 4 is 2%. Even if treatment miraculously worked, I would have to live the rest of my life with significant aftereffects.
'I don't have money for long-term treatment anyway.'
I grew up in an orphanage without parents and didn't have any insurance. I had spent all the money I had saved from part-time jobs while preparing for employment.
It was truly a dead end.
"Ugh—what a wretched life."
All I could do now was take the prescribed painkillers and pour alcohol down my throat.
"Is the whisky bitter because my life is bitter?"
Who said it? When whisky tastes sweet, it means you've tasted the bitterness of life.
The whisky that had always tasted bitter during years of job hunting felt sweet today, probably for that reason.
Because I had tasted every bitterness life had to offer.
After downing several sweet shots of whisky like that...
The bottle in my hand was already empty.
"Ah, I drank it all. Let me see what's left... Nothing. Should I go out and buy more? Hmm."
Disappointed, I opened the refrigerator door, but it was empty inside.
All the alcohol I had bought was gone. Empty whisky bottles and beer cans surrounded me. I looked to see if anything was left, but unfortunately, everything was empty.
I sighed and put on my clothes. Without alcohol, it was hard to maintain my sanity.
After leaving the house, I walked slowly down the street, recalling the location of the market.
Just turn the corner and cross one crosswalk, and there's the market. It's a neighborhood store, so alcohol is more expensive than at large supermarkets, but what does it matter?
I'm going to die soon anyway. What's the point of saving money?
In the past, not knowing when I'd get a job, I would walk 10 minutes further to a large supermarket to save on living expenses when buying groceries or necessities... but now there was no need for that.
"It's cold. I should buy quickly and go back."
While lost in these thoughts, the pedestrian signal turned green.
I crossed the crosswalk.
At that moment.
"Huh?"
HONK—!
A deafening horn sound rang out and...
My field of vision flipped.
My body floated up in the air, then was thrown to the ground.
'Ah, I've been hit.'
A surprisingly calm thought flashed through my mind.
Was it the alcohol, or the effect of the painkillers?
The pain of being hit by a car wasn't as great as expected.
More vivid than the pain was the "flow of time." When the car hit me, the world seemed to flow in slow motion.
And in such a moment, various things came into view.
It was a strange experience.
One second felt like 10 seconds, 20 seconds.
The truck driver turning the steering wheel with eyes wide open.
People around covering their mouths in shock.
Even my phone that had fallen out of my pocket.
My gaze turned to the phone, brightly lit and floating in the air.
There was a notification on the screen.
[(NEW!) Chronicle of the Mad Cultivator - Chapter 783]
'They're still publishing this.'
It was a web novel I used to read frequently before preparing for employment.
A novel set in a somewhat unfamiliar genre called cultivation. It follows the story of a protagonist who seeks to become an immortal through cultivation.
I read up to about chapter 300, and then couldn't read anymore because I was busy preparing for employment. I didn't know it was still ongoing.
'If there's a next life...'
Such a thought suddenly occurred to me.
If I could be born again.
If I could live life once more.
'I wish I could be born in the cultivation world.'
I wanted to live in the world that appears in cultivation stories, not on Earth.
A cultivator who extends their lifespan through cultivation and eventually lives an infinite life.
I wanted to become such an existence.
"AAAAAHHHH—!"
HONK— HONK— HONK—
The slowed time returned to normal.
Amidst the screams and car horns, my consciousness gradually faded.
And.
When I opened my eyes again.
I woke up in the cultivation world I had so desperately longed for.
A bit different from my expectations.
"KEEEE—!"
Making a strange insect's cry.
This wasn't what I had in mind.
※※※
When I opened my eyes, instead of a hospital bed, the blue sky welcomed me. Moreover, everything seemed larger.
The grass, flowers, trees, and...
Insects.
'...Centipedes?'
What filled my vision were numerous [centipedes].
Startled, I tried to step back, but my body wouldn't move well. As if caught on something.
I sighed.
What on earth is this situation? Am I dreaming?
"KEEEE—"
But what came out of my mouth wasn't a sigh like "haah," but a strange crying sound.
'Huh? Why is such a sound coming from my mouth? Did I mishear? No, I didn't.'
"KEEEE—"
Once again I sighed, but all that came from my mouth was a "KEEEE" sound.
At first, I thought my vocal cords had gone bad, but the surrounding situation and the subsequent crying sounds told me otherwise.
"KEEEE—"
"KEE- KEE-"
"KEEEEE—!"
The numerous centipedes lying around.
Their crying sounds were the same.
"KEEEE—"
"KEE- KEE-"
And, it was exactly the same as my crying sound.
'This is crazy. Could it be...?'
I denied the one hypothesis that emerged in my mind. But denying it didn't change anything.
I had been reborn as a centipede just like them...!
'After dying, have I reincarnated as an animal?'
That was the only explanation for the current situation. Although it was surprising, my mind soon calmed down. Don't they say that even rolling in a manure field is better than death? I was born as an animal, but still.
'Wait. Since I've reincarnated, I wonder if that works too?'
If you've read some manga or web novels, you can guess what to do in this situation. With subtle expectations, I shouted inwardly.
'Status window!'
[Checking information.]
'Ooh! It works!'
───────────────
[Demon] : Red Dragon Centipede
[Realm] : None
[Supernatural Power] : Predation Evolution
[Characteristic] : None
[Cultivation Method] : None
───────────────
'Demon? Red Dragon Centipede? Not just a centipede?'
Demon and Red Dragon Centipede seemed to be species.
The broader category is [Demon], and more specifically, [Red Dragon Centipede], that's how it looks.
'Red Dragon Centipede. In our language, it means centipede dragon... but it looks just like an ordinary centipede. What is this?'
Generally, when thinking of a "dragon," one would imagine a Western dragon with wings, or an Eastern dragon holding a divine pearl.
But the Red Dragon Centipedes before my eyes had none of these features. They just looked like 'slightly larger' centipedes.
By the way, I'm not sure exactly what "Demon" means. Malevolent devil... something like that. Similar to a yokai maybe?
'Have I been reincarnated into wuxia or something?'
I tilted my head and looked at the next items.
Realm, Supernatural Power, Characteristic, Cultivation Method.
Supernatural Power was Predation Evolution, while Realm, Characteristic, and Cultivation Method were empty. I chewed on the words Supernatural Power and Cultivation Method, recalling past memories.
'Supernatural Power... Cultivation Method. Aren't these settings from cultivation novels?'
Supernatural Power.
A concept that often appears in cultivation novels, kind of like superpowers.
Cultivation Method is like skills or martial arts techniques in cultivation novels.
'...Was I reborn in a cultivation world?'
Suddenly, the wish I had made before dying came to mind.
Of course, I couldn't be certain just from this.
Looking at the Realm should give more detailed information.
That's when it happened.
A new message appeared before my eyes.
───────────────
[Realm] : None
※ Will enter 'Early Qi Condensation Stage' when conditions are met.
───────────────
'Yes, Qi Condensation!'
An early realm that appears in many cultivation novels, meaning the lowest stage of the cultivation system.
'I really was reborn in a cultivation world!'
I inwardly cheered.
Terms like Supernatural Power and Qi Condensation are terms that only appear in cultivation novels. This world was definitely a cultivation world!
Understanding that my species was Demon also made sense.
In cultivation novels, a 'Demon' is 'a beast that can raise its realm.' Roughly speaking, it's a beast with a spiritual root, or the beast version of a cultivator.
The difference from human cultivators is, naturally, the lack of 'intelligence.'
The situation of being born as a Demon was a bit desperate, but the fact that this world was a cultivation world was a great comfort and joy.
No, it was even better.
'If I just keep raising my realm... I could live for hundreds, thousands of years!'
Perhaps because I had lived with a terminal illness?
I had a longing for 'longevity.' The cultivation world was a setting that could fulfill my dream.
But just as I was savoring that joy, I felt a stinging sensation and turned my body.
Crunch crunch-
Crunch crunch-
"KEEEE—"
Someone next to me was gnawing on me.
Ah, let me correct that. Not on me, but on the egg shell surrounding me.
'Ah, I'm trapped in an egg. No wonder I couldn't move even when I tried.'
I moved my body from side to side to escape the shell. It was my first time in an animal... no, a Demon's body, but it moved naturally and well. Phew. That's a relief.
Out of the shell, I looked around.
I observed what my Red Dragon Centipede siblings were doing. There were no specific instincts telling me what to do... and I couldn't just stay still, so I planned to watch my siblings and follow them.
'They're eating egg shells or grazing on surrounding grass. Since another fellow took my egg shell, I should just eat some grass.'
In fact, even if that wasn't the case, grass was more appealing than egg shells. That's because my memories as a modern human remained.
Munch munch. Hmm. Tastes like grass.
The sense of taste seemed a bit different from humans, but anyway, I could taste it.
While eating grass like that.
Suddenly, the surroundings darkened.
'Huh?'
No, it didn't actually get dark.
A huge shadow just fell over the area. I raised my head to look up.
'H-huh!'
There was a creature tens... no, hundreds of times larger than the other Red Dragon Centipedes.
Information about the enormous Red Dragon Centipede appeared before my eyes.
Only then did I understand why the species was named 'Red Dragon Centipede.'
A centipede as massive as a dragon.
That's why it's called Red Dragon Centipede.
───────────────
[Demon] : Adult Red Dragon Centipede
[Realm] : Middle Qi Condensation Stage (8 stars)
───────────────
Unlike my status window, only brief information appeared.
I flinched at the sight of the giant Red Dragon Centipede, but calmly continued my thoughts.
'Is this my mother?'
It felt strange to call it mother, but based on the circumstances, it seemed to be my biological mother. Or it could be my father.
'Middle Qi Condensation Stage... unlike me, the realm is properly displayed. How do Demons increase their realm? Hmm.'
The Demon setting is not a setting that appears commonly in all cultivation novels. Also, as their form differs from humans, their cultivation method would also be different.
The first guess is... of course, eating something.
'Uh, uh-oh...?'
The mother Red Dragon Centipede approached where my siblings were gathered, then stuck her head in and began to swallow the Red Dragon Centipedes in one gulp.
'S-shit. She's eating us?'
───────────────
[Demon] : Adult Red Dragon Centipede
[Realm] : Middle Qi Condensation Stage (8 stars)→(9 stars)
───────────────