Alexander emerged from a shallow stretch of the endless river with a fish clamped in his jaws. Droplets of water slid from his scaled body, trailing behind him before merging once more with the slow-moving current. The river stretched across the savanna in both directions, glimmering like a pale silver line beneath the faint green sky. Under that strange light, everything was calm, and for the first time in a long while, he felt no pressure of urgency weighing on him.
He moved a few steps away from the water's edge and slowly lowered himself to the ground. Without hesitation, he crushed the fish in his jaws and swallowed it whole. The flesh offered almost no resistance as it slid down his throat. It wasn't a large catch, but it was enough to dull the sharp edge of his hunger. For a brief moment, everything felt as though it was in order; the surroundings were quiet, and his body was under control.
Still, the calm was not entirely perfect. Deep within his mind, that faint lingering desire for the mushrooms had not completely disappeared. It was weak now, almost insignificant, but still there. Alexander chose not to dwell on it and suppressed it easily. It was no longer strong enough to influence him.
His gaze slowly lowered. At his feet rested two black eggs inside a shallow pit in the ground. Their surfaces were smooth, their dark shells faintly reflecting the greenish light of the sky. They were completely still, yet Alexander could feel them; somewhere in the back of his mind remained a thin but unbroken connection. He was aware of the life developing inside them.
As he watched them, a brief restlessness stirred within him. It had only been a day since he left the ravine, and during the last few days before leaving, he had made sure to consume every last piece of stored biomass as efficiently as possible. Everything had been calculated and planned. But now, all that remained was waiting.
That unsettled him.
Impatience began creeping into his mind, an unfamiliar feeling pressing at the edges of his thoughts. Even so, he knew there was nothing he could do. The process had already begun, and it would continue at its own pace.
Although he had left the ravine, he had chosen not to travel far from it. The faint lingering desire in his mind was part of the reason. Thanks to the mushrooms, this area had become nearly free of predators, and the level of danger was minimal. Strangely, however, there were no herbivores either. During his previous exploration he had not paid much attention to it, but now the absence stood out, and his mind immediately searched for an explanation.
Of course, the answer he arrived at was the mushrooms once again.
If those things could attract predators from kilometers away, then it was only logical that they might repel herbivores as well.
In any case, regardless of the reason, he chose not to concern himself with it. The situation worked in his favor. This place was quiet, safe, and entirely his.
But at the same time… it was boring.
Alexander exhaled slowly. Nothing around him was changing, and there was nothing for him to do. With that realization, a dull sense of boredom settled over his mind, and to pass the time and review the latest changes, he opened the System window.
The moment the System window opened, Alexander's attention immediately sharpened. The boredom faded into the background as his mind focused once more. His eyes quickly scanned the interface before settling directly on the Traits section. As he reviewed the list he had examined countless times before, he noticed a small yet significant change.
[Partial Herbivory]
It no longer said that.
Now, only a single phrase remained in its place:
[Herbivory]
Alexander's eyes narrowed slightly. On the surface, the change seemed small, but its meaning was obvious. His attention immediately shifted toward the description, and he began reading.
[The digestive system has fully evolved to process plant-based nutrients with complete efficiency. The organism now produces enzymes capable of breaking down cellulose-based structures, performs multi-layered fermentation processes, and can extract maximum biomass from plant tissue.]
Alexander remained completely motionless for several seconds, his eyes fixed on the System window. Then he slowly exhaled. This… was not a minor change. It was a fundamental transformation.
What he had done before had been superficial. By altering the acidic structure of his stomach, he had created a temporary solution capable of partially breaking down plant matter. But it had never been enough. Digestion was incomplete, efficiency was low, and a large portion of what he consumed either could not be processed at all or was heavily wasted.
Now, however, the situation was completely different.
This time, the change was not limited to the stomach alone. The entire digestive system had been reshaped from top to bottom. The intestines, enzyme production, internal structures… everything had evolved together. This was no longer partial adaptation. It was a completed evolution.
And that meant only one thing.
He was no longer limited to meat alone.
The plant life around him had also become a true source of energy. Grass, fibrous plants, tough and seemingly indigestible tissue… everything he had once viewed as worthless was now potential biomass.
His mind rapidly evaluated the implications. This change reduced the necessity of hunting. It increased his chances of survival. It guaranteed continuity.
And most importantly…
It provided a nearly limitless advantage for his future swarm.
His gaze briefly drifted toward the ground. He looked at the grass beneath his feet. Earlier, it had been meaningless vegetation. Now, it looked different.
This was not merely ground anymore.
This… was a resource.
A direct strategic turning point.
Alexander's gaze lingered on the System window for a few more seconds before shifting toward another entry.
[Hive Control]
The moment his mind focused on the trait, the interface before him changed. New windows silently unfolded, layers of information appearing one after another as though some invisible mechanism was responding directly to his will. At the same time, the thin connection between him and the eggs sharpened. He could no longer merely feel them—he could examine them.
Two identical data panels appeared before him.
He focused on one of them.
[Race: Nuxali][Class: Hunter][Type: Scaled Hunter Drone]
[CON 0STR 0AGI 0DEX 0INT 0]
[Biomass] 5.8 / 6
------[Traits]-----
[Adaptive Regrowth][Osteoderm][Scales][Nocturnal Vision][Herbivory]
[Biomass Requirement] - 142%
Alexander carefully examined the panel from beginning to end. The zeroed statistics were expected. The egg had not hatched yet; there was not even a true physical body to measure.
His gaze paused briefly on the Type designation.
Scaled Hunter Drone.
That name… belonged to him. It was the designation he had chosen while constructing the template.
Then his attention shifted toward the trait list.
The omissions were immediately noticeable.
They were deliberate choices.
The offspring lacked several traits that he himself possessed. Because they were male. He had designed them to become warriors. That was why he had not given them [Cerebral Recovery Node], [Brood Generation], [Hive Control], or [Genetic Assimilation].
They did not need intelligence.
At least for now, he had no desire for a sub-queen beside him.
Even so, as he stared at the panel, his attention briefly lingered on the absence of [Genetic Assimilation].
At first, he had seriously considered adding it.
It could have been extremely useful. The hunters would have been capable of regulating their own growth, developing faster, perhaps even evolving themselves over time. It was a trait that could have significantly increased the swarm's long-term strength.
But the problems had been obvious.
His gaze shifted downward once more.
[Biomass Requirement] – 142%
That number alone explained enough.
The hunters already carried a considerable number of traits. Compared to an ordinary Nuxali from his previous swarm, they required forty-two percent more biomass to sustain. Even that alone was already a serious cost.
If he had added [Genetic Assimilation] as well…
The number would not simply have increased. It would have spiraled completely out of control.
Because that trait was not an ordinary ability. It was clearly a high-tier evolution, and the potential it carried increased its cost just as dramatically.
But he knew that was not the real issue.
The second problem was more fundamental.
Intelligence.
Without giving them [Hive Control], the trait that would allow their minds to grow and develop their potential, adding only [Genetic Assimilation] would have been inefficient. Their INT stats would never reach a level high enough to use the ability effectively. Their potential would remain limited, and their development unstable.
That would have meant wasted resources.
And more importantly…
The risk of losing control.
Alexander narrowed his eyes slightly.
Even if he could constantly monitor them, creating organisms capable of altering themselves independently could produce unnecessary risks. They might develop traits he did not want. Unexpected variations could emerge.
He did not need that.
For now, what he wanted was simple.
Hunters that were not particularly intelligent, but strong.
Predictable. Controllable. Easy to force into obedience.
He had no desire to deal with unexpected complications.
His gaze slowly returned to the eggs. Beneath the black shells, he could still feel the life developing inside them; silent, patient, and entirely his.
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