Chapter 261: Chapter 260: Became a Loach

In the first loach simulation, he had chosen dormancy, migration, and Dragon Transformation, but he always felt like something was missing.

So, he began the second simulation.

This time, he chose to "fight its own kind for food" to grow quickly. As a result, when the pond dried up, its body was too large to burrow into the deep mud. It was baked dry by the sun before the dry season ended.

Simulation complete. Acquired the trait [Gluttony]. Useless.

For the third simulation, he chose to "find a hidden corner and forage alone." It carefully survived the dry season, only to be swallowed by a large fish during its migration.

Acquired the trait [Vigilance]. It was better than nothing.

In the fourth simulation, he was still a loach.

He tried another path, choosing to "burrow deeper to find groundwater" during the dry season.

It succeeded, surviving in a subterranean river and migrating all the way to a great river.

But because it hadn’t experienced the ordeal of the pond’s drought, it failed to acquire the traits [Struggle] and [Metamorphosis]. In the end, it was swallowed by an even larger fish in the great river.

The acquired trait was [Burrowing].

Four simulations, four failures.

’Where did I go wrong?’ Zhu Ge wondered, puzzled.

’The loach from the first simulation survived until the end and acquired [Dragon Transformation], but was that the unique trait?’

’No, Dragon Transformation is just an ordinary trait.’

’Though powerful, it’s nothing compared to something paradigm-shifting like [Kunpeng] or [Spider].’

’Dormancy, endurance, migration, metamorphosis... Every step was correct, but in the end, it only became a lesser dragon, not a true dragon.’

’Was it because my choices were too conservative?’ A realization gradually dawned on Zhu Ge.

’In the first simulation, he’d chosen to burrow into the deepest muck to conserve energy.’

’That wasn’t wrong, but it was merely about "surviving," not about "lying in wait for a transformation."’

’From the second to the fourth simulations, he’d tried to change his strategy, but swung to the other extreme.’

’Either too greedy or too timid.’

’Perhaps true dormancy isn’t passively waiting for death, but accumulating strength in the darkness, waiting for the right moment to transform?’

’Is that the true meaning of this simulation’s theme, "Dormancy"?’

’It was just like the last simulation. He hadn’t fully grasped the meaning of the theme "Existence," which was why he didn’t obtain the unique trait.’

’This time, Zhu Ge wanted to truly understand.’

’One more try.’ He closed his eyes, and his consciousness sank back into the simulator.

[The theme of this Pros and Cons Simulation is: Dormancy]

[Simulations remaining for this session: 1]

[Do you wish to begin this simulation?]

"Yes."

[You are a loach, born in a murky pond.]

[The pond is not large, just a few dozen feet across. The bottom is covered in a thick layer of black mud, while withered leaves and algae float on the surface. There are dozens of your kind, large and small, burrowing in and out of the mud as they fight for the limited food.]

[Your body is slender and only two inches long. Its grayish-brown color allows it to blend in almost perfectly with the muck on the pond floor. You have no sharp teeth or fangs, no hard shell, and no venom. Your only talent is burrowing through mud.]

[Your choice is—]

[One, fight with your own kind for food and grow quickly.]

[Two, find a hidden corner of the pond and forage alone.]

[Three, burrow into the deepest muck, reduce activity, and conserve energy.]

This time, Zhu Ge did not choose immediately.

He closed his eyes, recalling the lessons from the previous four simulations.

’It’s not option one, not option two, and not a simple matter of choosing option three.’

’Option three just leads to survival, but without accumulating enough strength, it can only become a lesser dragon, not a true dragon.’

’Is there a fourth possibility?’ An idea suddenly struck him as he stared at the options.

’Not becoming a lesser dragon, nor becoming a true dragon?’

’A loach is a loach. Why must it change?’

’After lying dormant for a long time and accumulating a great deal of power, shouldn’t the choice be to release it, rather than to change itself?’

’It’s like being an undercover agent.’

’If you’re undercover for too long, you forget your original purpose, and your true self becomes unrecognizable. Are you still the same person?’

’Perhaps it would be powerful after Dragon Transformation, and not weak after becoming a lesser dragon.’

’But, that wouldn’t be itself anymore.’

Zhu Ge stared at the three options and was silent for a long time.

In the previous four simulations, he had chosen "burrow into the deepest muck," "follow the river downstream to the sea," and "follow the call and swim toward the deep sea."

Each time, it reached the end of the simulation, at best becoming a lesser dragon, but it never obtained the unique trait.

’Because those choices, in essence, were all about "moving up."’

’From the pond to the river, from the river to the sea, from the sea to the side of a deep-sea behemoth.’

’From loach to lesser dragon, from lesser dragon to true dragon.’

’Every step was about getting stronger, every step was "evolution."’

’But is that dormancy?’

Zhu Ge thought back on his own journey since leaving Jianshan Village.

He didn’t wait in a pond for the rainy season. Instead, he took the initiative, killing the Fungus God, executing the fisherman, subjugating Demon Beasts, and establishing the Six Paths Palace.

’His dormancy wasn’t about being motionless, but about accumulating strength in the dark, waiting for the chance to strike a killing blow.’

’Just like that loach, deep in the muck—it’s not about doing nothing, but about waiting for the right moment.’

’A loach?’

’It’s so much like me!’

He opened his eyes and looked at the three options.

One, fight with your own kind for food and grow quickly.

Two, find a hidden corner of the pond and forage alone.

Three, burrow into the deepest muck, reduce activity, and conserve energy.

In the previous four simulations, he had chosen three.

But this time, he wouldn’t choose three.

"I’ll choose two," Zhu Ge decided.

[You flick your tail and swim toward a hidden corner of the pond. It is a rock crevice covered by water plants, a place where light cannot penetrate and predators cannot find you.]

[You burrow into the crevice and lie quietly on the gravel. You are not waiting to die; you are waiting. Waiting for dawn, waiting for dusk, waiting for food to drift by, waiting for predators to leave.]

[Other loaches in the pond are snatched by water birds while fighting over food.]

[You do not move.]

[A frog hops past the crevice and snatches a loach three times your size with its tongue. You do not move. A water snake swims past the edge of the crevice, swallowing several of your kind. You still do not move. Acquired trait: Stillness.]

[An unknown amount of time passes. Food in the pond becomes increasingly scarce. The other loaches begin to tear at each other, devouring their own kind. You poke your head out of the crevice and see a loach twice your size swallowing one that is half your size. Your choice is—]

[One, retreat into the crevice and continue to wait.]

[Two, rush out and ambush it while it is eating.]

[Three, circle around behind it, wait for it to finish swallowing the food and become sluggish, then strike.]

The corners of Zhu Ge’s mouth turned up slightly.

"I choose three."

[You swim out of the crevice soundlessly, hugging the black mud on the pond floor as you circle around behind the large loach. It is in the middle of swallowing another of your kind, its tail slightly raised, its attention completely focused on what’s in front of it.]

[You suddenly accelerate, bite down on its tail, and with a powerful flick, you drag it away from its meal.]

[It struggles a few times, but because you bit it near the tail, it cannot turn its head to attack you. You drag it down into the depths of the muck. Acquired trait: Cunning Plunder.]

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