Chapter 1: Birth

When my consciousness awakened, the first thing I felt was a strong sense of confinement.
I felt as if I were being squeezed into a room that was barely big enough to contain my body.
Desperately, I moved my arms and legs, trying to break free from whatever was compressing me.

It seemed that a soft membrane was enveloping me, and simply moving my limbs wasn’t enough to stretch or tear it.
So I focused my strength on a single point, piercing the membrane with the sharp ends of my hands and feet.
With a small popping sound, a hole was made in the membrane, and I gradually tore it apart by widening the hole.

“Kishii…?”

Emerging from the membrane, I looked around.
It appeared that I was in a large room with metal walls and floor.
Only the ceiling was covered in glass with low transparency, allowing dim light to enter.

However, the issue at hand is not my location, but rather the objects around me.
It was a white, elongated egg, nearly the same size as me, with a taut membrane that enveloped me as well.
In other words, the creature inside this membrane was my sibling.

Observing my sibling’s appearance through the membrane, I saw a creature that was pure white, composed of several segments with eight legs, two pincers, and a tail with a sharp stinger at the tip.
In short, it was a scorpion.

I climbed atop my sibling’s egg, attempting to gain a better understanding of the situation from a higher vantage point.
It was then that I realized that not only were there scorpion eggs like my own in this room, but there were also eggs of various colors and species, creating a spectacular display of noxious colors.

I questioned how I even had the knowledge to identify myself as a scorpion, and how I possessed such a high level of cognitive ability as a newborn.
Moreover, where was this room located? Questions continued to arise, but one thing was clear—I had a mission that I must prioritize above all else.

Interestingly enough, while I had doubts about possessing my own knowledge, I had no doubts about my mission.
It was as if my instincts knew that it was natural not to question it.
It was confusing to think that not having doubts could be a doubt in itself…I couldn’t even make sense of it myself.

As I delved deeper into contemplating my own existence, the glass ceiling above me lifted.
Suddenly, a giant boy and an old man peered down at me.
The boy had soft-looking blonde hair and a cocky yet perfectly proportioned face, while the old man had unkempt, bushy white hair and a sickly thin, withered appearance like that of an old tree.
They both wore expressions of delight as they looked down at me.

The knowledge within me whispered that these two were members of the Furu people, a species within the human race.
The definition of the human race is having two arms and two legs, one head, and possessing a high level of intelligence that includes the ability to speak a language.

The Furu was the largest within the human race, living mainly on the plains They were known for their combative nature and were constantly engaged in battles with other races.
Even among themselves, there were instances of groups within the Furu race fighting against one another.
So, it was safe to say that their reputation for being combative was not misplaced.

However, the fact that the Furu race looks so big means that I am very small.
When I think about it, it makes sense.
Scorpions, as a species, are generally small.
In other words, this place that I thought was a room… was actually a box for incubating.

“Oh, it’s finally hatching!”

“Please calm down, young master.
The real show is about to begin.”

The old man reached into the box with a pair of tweezers and tried to grab me.
I panicked and tried to escape, but I had nowhere to hide, and the difference in size between us was overwhelming.
Despite my struggling, he easily caught me.

I tried to wiggle my arms and legs to get away, but the old man seemed to be skilled in handling tweezers and had me firmly fixed in place, making it impossible for me to escape.
Will I die like this without fulfilling my mission?

The old man, who seemed unaware of my fear, picked me up with the tweezers and tossed me into another box.
This box was made of wood and seemed to be less sturdy than the previous one, but it was apparently custom-made.
This was because intricate patterns were drawn on the walls and floor inside the box.

When I saw the patterns, the knowledge within me cried out that these were spiritual circuits used for some kind of spiritual arts.
However, I did not know what kind of art it was for.
Although I had knowledge of spiritual art, it seemed that I did not understand the technical aspects.
It appeared that my knowledge was not all-encompassing.

“However, it’s quite small.”

“The offspring of insects are usually of this size, young master.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, young master.
It is said that the individuals that hatch quickly have a strong soul and body.
By breeding various types of insects, and hatching more than tens of thousands of eggs laid on the same day, the fastest individual among them… this child will surely become a strong insect.”

“I see.
Anyway, if you can raise it to be strong, that’s all that matters.”

“As you wish.”

The old man with bulging eyes and bony hands hovered his hands over the spiritual circuit.
As he did so, a burst of spiritual power emanated from his hands, causing the circuit to glow red.
The energy was then converted into a black and red thread that bound my body tightly.

The pain was indescribable—not physical but rather a soul-crushing agony that left me writhing and screaming in high-pitched agony.
I felt as though I was about to lose consciousness, yet the spiritual binding refused to let me go.
For what felt like an eternity, I endured the excruciating torment of this spiritual art.

“Phew… The ‘soul binding is now complete, young master.”

“So now I can give orders freely?” asked the young master.

“That is correct, young master.
The authority to give orders belongs to you and me, but the priority is yours,” replied the old man.

“I see.
I’ll leave it to yo