Perhaps because the centipede demon's body contained the blood of insects and other arthropods, System could slightly feel its emotions. Although they weren't very clear, he could still feel the chaos and madness in the creature's emotions.

  System could sense that the emotions produced by this big centipede were fundamentally different from the emotions of most creatures.

  Setting aside highly intelligent life, System could feel the emotions of many different species—pnts, fungi, slimes, and all kinds of insects. They were generally low in intelligence, their behaviors were often strange, and they also experienced different kinds of emotions.

  At their root, these emotions could be roughly divided into two types—one was for their own survival, while the other was for the continuation of their species.

  Whether it was the slime that liked to roll in the mud, the caterpilrs that were always looking for leaves to eat, or the bees and ants that guarded their homes with no regard for their own lives, they were all like this.

  The deepest emotion of this centipede, which was also a creature with low intelligence, was destruction.

  The meaning of its survival was to kill the living beings around it.

  There was no reason behind its desire. The centipede had simply sensed System and Shava's presence and wanted to tear them into pieces.

  However, after carefully sensing, System discovered another emotion of this centipede besides destruction.

  The centipede also had a unique desire for his and Shava's flesh and blood. It wanted to devour them.

  System didn't know whether it was because of the insect blood in his and Shava's bodies or because they were living creatures, but compared to the flesh and blood of the gnoll zombie, the centipede seemed to be more interested in him and Shava.

  ...

  With some pain and anger, the centipede demon from the Abyss began getting its legs chopped off one by one by Shava.

  'It seems like the pain caused by having its legs cut off is much weaker than what ordinary creatures feel. Isn't it afraid of pain?'

  While watching Shava attack the centipede demon, System tried to communicate with the creature using [Mental Connection]. Specifically, he tried lying to it.

  For example, he told the centipede that his and Shava's meat contained deadly toxins, that the two of them had already been killed, and that he and the centipede were members of the same species.

  Unfortunately, lying to the centipede was even less effective than when he'd lied to adult ants. The centipede hadn't reacted to what he'd said at all, and communicating with it seemed impossible.

  In order to prevent the centipede demon from struggling too violently, System ordered Shava to speed up her chopping speed so that the centipede would be quieter.

  As Shava's attacks accelerated, the centipede demon's legs were gradually chopped off, after which it started rolling and struggling on the ground like a snake.

  However, a centipede with its legs cut off wasn't a snake. Although its body remained very active, it could only keep flopping around on the ground after its legs had been cut off. It basically couldn't move a step from where it was.

  After Shava cut off the centipede's mandibles, System flew down from the sky.

  "1, 2, 3, 4...37, 38, 39, 40."

  Like the ordinary small centipedes in Lilt Forest, this centipede demon also had twenty pairs of legs. Even the mandibles on the centipede's head were the same.

  It seemed like this centipede demon, while its main body was that of a demon, still contained a lot of centipede blood. It was this centipede blood that had caused its body to retain the appearance of a centipede.

  System picked up a severed centipede leg and put it in his mouth to taste it.

  It tasted simir to the three centipede corpses that he'd eaten back at the nest. Because of their demonic blood, the flesh and blood of all four centipedes tasted sweet and spicy.

  However, unlike when he'd eaten a demon corpse before his third pupation, System no longer found this kind of food was unpatable. Rather, it now seemed to taste okay.

  Although it caused some mental confusion and slight emotional abnormalities, the effects weren't too serious.

  It was like children generally being sensitive to spicy food, but after they grew up, their sensitivity to spicy food wasn't as high. System felt that his situation was about the same.

  ...

  After more than ten minutes, System and Shava had eaten most of the centipede's legs in front of the centipede demon.

  Shava thought this kind of food tasted okay, and eating a little wouldn't cause her any problems.

  However, demonic food would still have significant side effects on the other ant knights. As for the ordinary ants that had only recently been born, it would have serious consequences. Still, System guessed that the centipedes could be converted into food for ordinary ants by being processed via slimes.

  The emotions of the centipede demon were still chaotic and violent after more than ten minutes, but because its severed legs had caused it to lose too much blood, the extent of its tossing had greatly reduced.

  System also took this opportunity to wrap his tentacles around the centipede's body and use [Perception].

  After recalling the centipedes that had ratman arms growing out of their bodies and the centipede with gnoll fangs growing out of its carapace, System guessed that these centipede demons likely had the [Devour] ability like Meatball.

  Unfortunately, after using [Perception] for a while, System couldn't detect the ability at all. It was just like when he used [Perception] on Meatball.

  However, while using [Perception], System had discovered a special feature of this centipede demon.

  Normally, once the [Perception] ability of System's tentacles was activated, his tentacles would have an aphrodisiac effect on creatures.

  Even his son Meatball experienced a simir reaction. It was because of this that System had learned that Meatball was a male insect beast.

  However, this centipede didn't react to System's tentacles at all, which was very strange.

  This reminded System of his old slime friend, which was one of the few creatures that could resist the aphrodisiac effect of his tentacles.

  'Is this big centipede also asexual like a slime? But if so, how can these centipedes reproduce?'

  System stared at the centipede, which was becoming weaker and weaker due to excessive blood loss, and fell into deep thought.

  At that moment, the big centipede wrapped in System's tentacles suddenly began to vibrate strangely.

  As if it was going through the [Pupation] or [Molting and Growth] of an insect, the centipede's body began twitching violently. The carapace and flesh on the surface of its body contracted violently like the molting of an insect, but the speed at which it was happening was obviously more intense.

  System heard a rustling sound...

  Within a dozen seconds, dregs of what remained of the centipede's carapace began fking off. The form of the centipede hidden inside had changed. It now looked like an oval-shaped brown tumor nearly half a meter high.

  Soon, the half-meter-high brown tumor began wriggling violently.

  Accompanied by the pungent smell of sulfur, cracks appeared on the tumor's surface. Soon, an Abyssal creature that looked like a little devil crawled out.

  System used his tentacles to tear off one of the little devil's arms, then tossed it into his mouth to taste...