From A Stronghold Chrysalis

by Stayrr

Anthony has been reborn! Placed into the remarkable game-like world of Pangera. However, something seems a little off. What’s with these skills? Bite? Dig? Wait... I’ve been reborn as a WHAT! Follow Anthony as he attempts to adjust to his new life, to survive and grow in his new Dungeon home!

3. 65 - 96

Chrysalis #Chapter 65 Mutation Trepidation - Read Chrysalis Chapter 65 Mutation Trepidation Online - All Page - Novel Next

Chapter 65 Mutation Trepidation

Gah! The extra options really make my head spin sometimes.

As usual, I need to decide exactly what I want my antennae to be for and then choose the advancement that will make them better able to do that job.

If I wanted to make myself a purely magic focused monster then the Antennae magic enhancement would be a very solid choice, letting me build advantages on advantages. However I'm not the sort of person to go for the specialist option. Perhaps it isn't the smartest path but I don't want to be bad at any particular aspect and cover that up by being especially strong in another.

Perhaps my magic would reach greater heights with an advancement like this but wouldn't my sensory options be too limited?

I just don't feel comfortable moving away from what the antennae were originally designed to do, which is to detect stuff, be it scent or motion.

So I'll narrow my options down to those that increase my detection ability.

After letting go of some of the juicy but far out there selections I settle on a few that seem to make the most sense to me.

Of those the one that purely enhances smell is probably the most pedestrian. This option is a little beige even for me.

Another choice adds more sensitive hairs to the outside of the antennae, turning them into potent motions sensors. I like this idea and I also don't. Being able to detect movement without having to see it is kind of cool but because I have compound eyes that can see in a huge range around me there is very little motion I won't see before the antennae pick it up.

An option that really piques my interest is one that allows the antennae to develop heat sensitivity. If I'm understanding the description right, the antennae will mutate to include a heat source sensitivity, kind of like having thermal vision but for your nose.

I like this idea because it provides a new option that will cover something that was lacking before. I'll be able to detect monsters around corners by the heat they give off, potentially detecting creatures underground or inside nests before they are visible to my eyes. It may even be possible that I could have counted the centipedes inside that centipede mound without ever having to stick my head in it.

Infrared Antennae. I'll choose this!

Well that's niiiIIIIIIIIIIIICCCEEEE!!!

I'M ON FIRE!

How is it possible that I continue to forget this stupid itch!

The antennae are the worst, a horrible burning itch drilling right into my head, but the regeneration and pheromone glands inside me are also terrible!

Why dammit, WHY?!

Eventually the nightmare stops and I regain control of myself.

Every. Damn. Time.

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Somehow I manage to push the horrible sensation that accompanies every mutation into the back of mind almost immediately after it happens. Is it just that I don't want to remember these terrible experiences?

Quite possibly that is the answer.

With all of the mutating done I now have a single skill point to spend. I'm not too sure on this one, I'm building up more and more skills and they will need upgrading eventually. On the other hand, I was able to see so many useful skills that I could purchase and make good use of the last time I was purchasing skills but ended up investing almost all of my points into magic related skills.

No, I'm determined to spend it, there are several skills that I've been hungry for and I shall resist the urge no longer!

[Exo-skeleton defence, improves the user's ability to utilise their external skeleton to deflect blows and resist damage]

I wanted this skill before in order to assist my desire to tank up but I couldn't afford, choosing to prioritise my magical path at all costs, but now I buy it!

Confirm this purchase Gandalf! Gimme!

When it is all said and done my status now looks like this:

Name: Anthony

Level: 8 (core)

Might: 31

Toughness: 22

Cunning: 25

Will: 18

HP: 50/50

MP: 50/50

Skills: Excavation Level 1; Improved Acid Shot Level 5; Grip Level 4; Crushing Bite Level 7; Advanced Stealth Level 3; Piercing Chomp Level 3; Tunnel sense Level 4; Mana Shaping level 2; Forceful Mana Level 2; External Mana Manipulation Level 1; Mana Sensing Level 1; Core Mechanic Level 1; Exo-Skeleton Defence level 1

Mutations: Focused Eyes 5, Infrared Antennae 5, Restrictive Acid 5, Legs 1, Infused Mandibles 5, Diamond Carapace 5, Regeneration Gland 4, Pheromones 2

Species: Mature Ant Worker (Formica)

Skill points: 0

Biomass: 0

I can't help but feel that my foundation is becoming increasingly solid. My goal of upgrading all of my mutations to 5 and stacking as many mutation advancements as possible is slowly coming to fruition. Once I get my regeneration gland to 5 I'll only have two more body parts remaining and I'll have reached perfection!

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Now that I'm level eight I'm anticipating that I'll probably be able to evolve at level ten, and with my beyond perfect core I'm ready to do that at any time. Everything is coming up Anthony!

Opening up my small chamber, Tiny and I step out of the darkness and once again into the bright light.

What I nice break we had! I feel refreshed and newly improved! Bursting with vigour and drive!

Tiny has also benefited from our time of sleeping and feasting. His growth continues to accelerate, he's probably double the size he was when he was first born. No longer able to ride comfortably on my back he's going to have to walk and climb as best he can.

Keep up little guy! We don't have all day!

The ape monster seems almost a little petulant as he is forced to run alongside me, using his knuckles to propel himself forward much as a gorilla would.

Up on the ant hill the usual workers are in attendance, watching the forest carefully. Several workers are moving in and out of the nest, heading into the forest to follow the trails or scout for food.

Hopefully they don't run into too much trouble out there, the forest is absolutely crazy at the moment.

Tiny and I advance down into the cool shade of the nest. I notice that the veins of light are continuing to extend themselves down into the tunnel, the thin tendrils at the end moving almost visibly at the very edges.

Deep in the nest there is a frenzy of activity and it isn't hard to see why. Whilst I was sleeping and eating the Queen and workers were busy laying the foundations of the colonies future.

Checking into the brood chamber I can see that the huge number of eggs that were laid after the Berserker invasion have hatched into little larva. The newly hatched monsters fill the brood chamber to the brim! The workers have quickly made use of all the available food we've secured and stuffed the little grubs full.

The poor little things have almost gone spherical! Are they grubs or bowling balls?

I try to resist the temptation to roll them around. I'm worried they'd roll right out of the chamber and fall down the tunnel...

I know we need them to grow quickly but seriously guys.. Show a little restraint!

The larvae can barely move so full are they. The workforce is in attendance however, carefully monitoring each and every grub to ensure they are ok. Judging by the size of their abdomens though these workers all have fairly full social stomachs. I wager that as soon a grub shows any sign of digesting its food the only fate that awaits it is to be packed full once again.

Good luck larvae! Do your best to grow quickly into strong ants!

Most of the larvae that were in here before have either spun their cocoons and become pupae or already completed this phase and graduated into hatchling workers. New brethren for the workforce are always welcome!

Exiting the brood chamber, which in all honesty is looking a little full, I head further into the nest and notice a new tunnel cut into the wall on my left. Curiously, Tiny and I wander down the tunnel in order to find out why this it has appeared.

I was right to think the brood chamber was full, the workers appear to have agreed with me and dug out another one!

After the colony absorbed another big chunk of Biomass the Queen has once again gone to work...

In the dark chamber in front of me there are ten workers tending to a massive clutch of eggs. There must be two or three hundred of them here!

Well, this is what I was hoping for when I brought the colony into that fight. These eggs and larvae in the chamber above represent an incredible opportunity for the colony. If they can mature and hatch the workforce will grow from around two hundred workers to well over eight hundred. That large workforce will be able to jumpstart the growth of the next generation and then the generation after that. It won't be long until this colony is filled with thousands of ants.

Then what could stop us?

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Chapter 66 The Heat Factor

Any records from the time of Rending are unreliable at best and complete fantasy at worst. The Magio-scholars from the tower of Rannaleth have spent decades pouring over the old documents, attempting to piece together a cohesive picture of the state of the world at that time.

Their findings are frequently controversial and often disputed but I myself tend to believe that the views they have published are reasonable conjectures based on the evidence. The first, generally agreed principle is that the ambient mana level on the surface of Pangera rose greatly, more than doubling immediately before the crises struck.

The rapid advancement and reliance on magical techniques exploded in this time, a brief period that the scholars refer to as a 'golden age'.

They also postulate that at this time the Dungeon was already fully formed underground something that other scholars hotly dispute. The logic appears to be sound however. It is known that gargantuan, mighty monsters emerged from beneath the surface shortly after the cataclysm began and there are no known records of such monsters spawning ever since. If they hadn't been battling and evolving in the Dungeon for many years, perhaps even hundreds of years, then where did they come from?

Excerpt from "The origins of the great beasts, a historical treatise" by Oliander.

--

Dreams of the upcoming ant conquest will have to wait for a while though, there is a massive amount of work to be done before then.

With Tiny by my side I pause to consider what my next move should be. I have a few options for my next course of action and I should consider carefully before I simply run off and engage in something without thinking it through.

The war turned out ok for the colony this time but even so, there are the deaths of tens of workers resting on my head and it could have been much worse. Even I didn't know that the forceful mana ball would be able to one shot the Titan-Croc and if it hadn't the entire battlefield may have become a sea of flame, barbequing dozens more workers.

I should carefully consider my options this time to avoid making such errors. I certainly don't want to get belted on the head by the Queen again!

The tunnels leading further downwards that connect to the Queen's chamber concern me. The Berserkers were able to invade through those tunnels and caused major problems, if I hadn't been able to intervene the colony would have suffered far worse than it did. I'm a bit scared to go down there though. If tough monsters like the berserkers are running away from down there, I'm not really prepared to go and scout it out by myself.

I think after I've successfully evolved I'll be a little more confident to explore those deeper areas, hopefully my stats will receive a sizeable boost that might enable me to be a bit more survivable against whatever threats lie below.

I'll just have to hope that the Queen and the rest of the workforce can fend off any threats from down there long enough for me to reach the required level.

The next option is to continue the colony growth plan and start fights, using pheromones to bring the workers into the battle. This strategy revolves around feeding large amounts of experience into the workers to increase the overall strength of the workforce.

I'm concerned though. With the area above being so dense with monsters it will be almost impossible to start an isolated fight in which I can accurately judge the odds in advance. The war was a perfect example of this. If I try to bring the colony to fight something it is almost certain that more and more monsters will show up, drawn by the noise and the promise of food.

This is too risky, I'll have to abandon this option.

So what should I do?

Do you have any answers Tiny?

The little ape looks up at me, absent-mindedly scratching at his leg. Those large eyes of his are completely vacant, appearing almost devoid of thought. There is trust in those eyes, confidence in my ability to lead him to food, but a stunning lack of original thought.

You are trusty companion Tiny, even if you are dumb as a brick.

Let's attack this problem from another viewpoint. What are the roles that workers perform in the colony? Take care of the brood? Not really my style, there are plenty of workers for that. Defend the nest? I'm the best fighter in the colony for sure but I don't want to just stand around and wait for something to happen.

Scout?

The scout has the role of ranging far from the nest and locating food, identifying threats and bringing information back to the colony.

Surely a cool, powerful and incredibly well built ant such as myself is perfect for a role like this? I'll be able to proactively protect the colony and support the workers if I find them in trouble.

Not to mention I'll have a bit of autonomy in terms of hunting. Rather than starting a massive fight I can instead pick and choose my hunting targets.

To be honest, I also really want to evolve as quickly as possible. My oversized core might not be as agonising as it was before, but it still hurts! Like a persistent tooth ache the pain is constant and is always grating on my mind.

I want it to go away!

Ok! My mind is made up! Tiny and I will form the advanced scouting team of the colony and venture forth into the open space brave great danger, explore the unknown and hunt our prey, for the good of the colony!

Before we leave I drop down into the Queen's chamber to check things out and predictably she's sleeping, probably exhausted by her participation in the battle followed by egg laying.

Not to worry.

Onwards Tiny!

With my ape companion in tow we climb up the tunnel towards the ant hill and open space above. It takes Tiny much longer to climb now that he can't ride on my back. I don't mind too much, it's nice to see the little free loader doing some work for a change.

During my time in the nest I've been trying to adjust to my new antennae advancement.

It's been more difficult than I thought to understand the information my antennae are passing to me. I mean, if you compare it to my human body, the only way a human detects heat is through their skin. As an ant I have a carapace so my capacity to sense temperature has been fairly poor.

Now my antennae are acting like little heat sensors, showing me sources of heat in my mind that my eyes can't even detect. For example, I can 'feel' the heat given off by a worker even before I see them. This is particularly disorientating when that worker is around a corner or in a separate chamber.

All I need is a bit of time. I'm confident that with a bit more experience I'll be able to react quickly to the information my new sense is telling me.

Eventually Tiny manages to make his way to the top of the ant hill, looking rather tired after the journey. Ha! No more slacking for you monkey boy!

The usual group of workers are milling around the hill on defensive duty, moving this way and that as they eyeball the surrounding terrain for threats.

There are a few trails of workers moving into the woods but I don't join them, instead heading in a different direction.

I head to the area the battle against the rabbits and centipedes occurred at and I move in the direction that the centipedes joined the fight from. The huge number of crawlies that joined in on that fight and how quickly they did it suggests to me that there is a sizeable centipede mound somewhere around here.

I don't really want to attack the nest itself but I also want to know if there is a large collection of monsters that close to the colony.

Once again the forest is completely alive with noise, monsters everywhere I turn, battling and hunting each other constantly.

My new senses are flooding my mind with information and it is difficult for me to interpret it all quickly. There are heat sources everywhere! Small monsters up in the trees, packs of them roaming together on the hunt.

Its takes all my stealth and cunning to navigate my way around with running into a fight I don't want to take. I feel that I'm strong to fight most of the monsters I find but I can't tell what else might pop out of the woodwork and bop me on the head.

Hang on...

What's this?

I'm detecting something a little odd with my heat detection.

Concentrating hard I crouch and move towards cover. This heat signature feels a little different than the monsters I'd detected before...

It seems to be coming from behind that tree.

I'm still a little confused by this heat sense so I'll play this slow.

Creeping forward one foot at a time I try to minimise any noise. Something is telling me I need to be careful right now.

I give Tiny a look and try to motion him to stay quiet. The little ape looks at me blankly with his wide eyes and I quickly give up.

Just... Stay quiet would you!

I'm trying to circle around this tree at a slight distance, working the angle so I can get a peek at what my heat detection is there.

As I slowly make my way around I manage to get a slight view of whatever it is that has caught by attention.

I think that's ... A hand?

Is this a human?!

Chapter 67 These guys are seriously annoying

This is definitely a human here behind this tree!

What the heck is this human doing here?

I have to admit a chill strikes my heart when I realise that a human is this close to me. It seems bizarre since I myself was a human not too long ago. In this life, however, humans have been nothing but trouble!

Inching around slightly I can see that this is one of those black clothed soldiers I'd seen before. They chased me out of the upper cavern, chased me out of the tunnels and now they show up again!

What the heck is your problem guys?!

To be honest, if I wasn't such a friendly ant I'd be starting to take it personally! I don't recall doing anything, except being a monster, that would cause them to pursue and hate on me to this extent!

My heart grows even colder, entering serious winter territory, when I realise just how close we are to the ant hill. Have they spotted it yet?

I highly doubt that the workers or the Queen would be able to stand up to the humans. Having been one myself it isn't hard for me to imagine the kind of strength that an organised human society would be able to muster in a place like this. I'm sure the system has been studied endlessly, all sorts of skill combos researched, magic systems investigated and engineering feats accomplished.

The colony is still very young! Not many workers have evolved out of the hatchling state yet, not to mention the entire colony population is under one thousand! We are still weak, far too weak to even consider fighting against trained soldiers!

For the first time I actually start to consider having to fight against people, my old kind. If this soldier located the nest and went to report back to the rest of them, what would I do? Just let them go?

Would I really be able to bring myself to kill them? Even to protect the colony?

Gah! I don't know the answer to that! What is with this sudden existential dilemma Gandalf?!

I can't just throw away my seventeen years as a human so quickly! I may be a proud ant worker now but that's only for a month or so!

In any case, I don't know exactly what this human has seen ... it's possible they still have no idea where the nest is. Don't panic Anthony, we might still be ok!

I retreat slightly, doing my best to remain fully concealed. I really don't want to attract any attention to myself right now. Using one of my legs I grab Tiny and hold him still. Thankfully he's smart enough not to protest out loud, although he does look at me reproachfully.

Damn ape! You want to get killed?

Eventually I can make out that a female soldier is crouched behind the tree, surveying the area. She has black leather armour with a few metal plates stitched into it around the shoulders and flanks. Her blonde hair is tied back to ensure it doesn't obstruct her face or view. I can even see her ears... well enough that I can determine she's not an elf at least.

Dammit...

You idiot Anthony! Focus!

I can see that this soldier is equipped for combat, a long bow case is strapped to her back and a shortish looking sword rests in a sheath on her hip.

To be honest this is the best view of a human being I've had since being reborn here in this place. There is a lot I can learn just by checking out the equipment and uniform.

Hardly daring to breathe, Tiny and I sit and wait, concealed in the brush to the human's right side. We are so close, probably only five or six metres away.

After ten minutes or so the soldier rises from her position and begins to make her way through the forest decisively. After a few moments I lead Tiny and we follow at a distance, being careful to minimise sound.

Thankfully there is so much combat going on in the forest these days than it isn't hard to conceal our traces at all.

[Advanced Stealth has reached level four]

Oh!

Ah stealth! My first purchase and most faithful skill. I knew I could rely on you!

Even after all my gains, stealth is still such a valuable purchase. I highly doubt I'll ever be able to evolve to the point where I no longer have to fear anything in this place, is that even possible for an ant? My hope is that the colony can grow strong enough that I can depend on the collective to keep me safe and let me life out my life in this new world as best as I can.

That isn't too much to ask for, is it?

I was never very ambitious as a human and I don't really see that I should change that now that I'm a monster.

After following this soldier through the woods for a while she eventually meats up with another human dressed much the same as she is. The only real difference I can detect is the weapons. Where she has the bow and sword, this chap appears to be armed with a staff of some kind.

Have I seen these two before?

I'm getting a vague sense of deja-vu. To be honest, before I was able to advance my eyesight it was pretty damn hard to make out the fine details. I wouldn't have been able to identify a person from their features before.

Perhaps I glimpsed these two as they chased me out of the tunnels...

At any rate they are here now, talking softly to one another. As they talk the don't even look at each other, instead they constantly eye the surroundings for danger. Looks like they know how to stay alive in here at least. There are monsters absolutely everywhere right now.

In fact.. My antennae twitch as I pick up a heat signature approaching from my right. Thankfully I've managed to remain hidden and whatever is coming is headed directly at the human duo.

This could be interesting.

From the woods emerges a strange looking creature that I'd never seen before. Huge, massively muscled armed covered in bristling fur are the first things that strike my eyes. Each of those powerful limbs ends in massive hands, each the size of my head. Black, jagged nails extend from the end of each finger.

Atop the monsters broad shoulders rests a massive lions head, lips drawn back in a dreadful snarl, revealing the long curved fangs within.

The king of the jungle? Except with massive arms and hands? What the heck kind of monster is this?

The beast's eyes are yellow and they behold the humans with a dreadful glee.

You know, in some ways I agree with what you are thinking massive Lion beast. You charge in here, you see these thin, small and weak looking things in front of you, what sort of self-respecting monster would think they are any type of threat?

If you're a dumb monster who was probably born yesterday, what would you know of the power of the human mind? It's ingenuity and endless capacity to invent ways to kill things? You see these things and they look like free Biomass, so of course you try and eat them.

The Lion monster roars hungrily and pounces, ready to strike!

The female soldier frowns and then, so quickly I almost can't even see it, whips her blade from its sheath and braces it in two hands before plunging it forward like lightning. That was so fast if I was physically capable of blinking I might have missed it!

The strike plunges into the Lion's shoulder, biting deep and the monster growls viciously as it's blood begins to flow. The attack thwarted, the Lion steps back to prepare another swing, massive hands more like battering rams as it punches out directly.

Before this punch can even connect the male soldier has raised his staff. From the tip emerges a blazing spear of flame that streaks through the air and impales the Lion directly between the eyes, killing it instantly.

Yep. I thought so.

The two humans move toward the corpse in a businesslike manner, the female soldier bracing a foot against the body to pull her sword out and then carving into the monster's chest whilst the male stands guard with his staff raised.

Eventually the digging is rewarded with a core, pulled out of the monster's gory chest and the two quickly move on, not hanging around in case more monsters are attracted by the smell.

Well... Don't mind if I do!

Tiny is already salivating next to me and by the time the humans have moved ten metres away we have already crept over to take a bite.

[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Leo Ogri, you are awarded one Biomass]

[Basic profile of the Leo Ogri unlocked]

[Leo Ogri: Lion Ogre, This monster is most feared for its massive strength, two overdeveloped arms allow it to cause incredible damage with fists alone. Some Lion Ogres are known to grip crude weapons, such as rocks or branches. They are however, quite dim]

A Lion Ogre eh?... ok. Fine. I'm not even surprised.

Tiny and I spend five minutes feasting, gaining two Biomass before we dash off in the direction the humans went, following the trail.

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Chapter 68 Drawing a line

It doesn't take long for us to catch up, since the two soldiers are moving cautiously, attempting to avoid the notice of the thronging monsters in the forest.

Every now and again I notice one of them looking up, doubtless keeping an eye out for the gargoyle monsters that nest in the roof. I haven't seen any sign of those things for a while now but I don't doubt they are still up there somewhere.

Fingers crossed that when they do show up they decide to swoop down on someone else.

The two soldiers move with practiced ease through the area, avoiding pitfalls and reading the signs of monsters being nearby.

I'm honestly impressed by their level of knowledge. They seem to know exactly where every monster nearby is without having to actually lay eyes on it. I'm desperately hoping that doesn't include me!

Or Tiny.

The way they move seems to indicate they know exactly where they are in the open space and exactly where it is they want to go. I wonder how they are doing that. Do they recognise the features of the ceiling? Are they able to track their locations based on familiar features of the rock up there?

That makes so much damn sense I'm shocked I never thought of it before. After the thought occurs to me I start to glance up at the ceiling, using my advanced eyesight to pick out obvious features to try and recall later.

After an hour of travel we arrive at what appears to have been the destination the soldiers were heading for.

A large hill rises from the forest floor and in one side a tunnel has been cut, leading down into the hill and downward. At the entrance to the tunnel two more soldiers are standing guard, attempting to appear inconspicuous, not wanting to draw too much monstrous attention.

The two I'd followed solute at the entrance, hands over hearts of some such and then enter the tunnel, their dark uniforms quickly blending into the shadows as they move out of sight.

Dammit!

If only I had mind reading or telepathy or something. How am I supposed to glean information from these people? They must know so much that I couldn't possibly find out on my own! A veritable goldmine of information is sitting right here in front of me and I cannot access it in any way! Gah! This is maddening!

I decide to stay and watch this apparent human camp for a while. I can't think of anything more threatening to the colony than an attack by these damnable soldiers, so in my capacity as a scout it is my duty to observe them until I am satisfied that they pose no threat.

Two hours later, my dedication to the cause has faded somewhat.

The two guards out the front were rotated, replaced by two almost identical guards. The new guards were not the two I'd followed to this location so at least I learned that there are at a minimum six people within this camp.

Tiny is growing completely bored and is having a nap behind me. Thankfully there is enough background noise to wash out his gentle snoring.

I spend my time observing the humans and seeing what I can learn from them by picking up on the details.

Their boots are fairly distinctive, made of stiff looking leather and dyed black the boots are laced from the heel to half way to the knee. The breastplate appears to be made of some kind of stiff leather, once again dyed black and stitched with some sort of gold embroidery. I think there is an insignia on the armour but I can't quite make it out.

The arms borne by each soldier appear to be slightly different. When I'd arrived, the first two guards had both worn a long sword on their hip and had a large shield across their back. The two who replaced them however, where different. One had two short strapped across the back in an x. The second uncased a crossbow from their back when they came out, slotted a bolt and cranked back on the shaft before taking up his post.

Seems like a bit of an odd army. Almost every individual is armed with a different weapon!

After some thinking I decide that the light armour they wear makes a lot of sense. At first I'd expected that they be loaded up with massive plate armour like a medieval knight but when considering the size of some of the monsters down here, how strong some of them are and how sharp some of their limbs can be... What the heck would a suite of metal armour do? Absolutely squat!

I could probably punch straight through metal armour using a piercing bite. Other than slowing down the person wearing it, I can't imagine that armour will achieve much at all.

Eventually two more soldiers return from the forest, joining up with their fellows and entering the tunnel. Shortly after the whole crew emerges, or at least I imagine it's the whole crew, ten soldiers wearing that same identical armour. They talk to other softly but I can't understand a single word of it. I'm able to hear it well enough that I'm confident they aren't speaking any language I've ever heard before.

Fantastic. This makes the dream of communication ever more distant. Not only can I not vocalise I can't even understand the language!

Several of the soldiers appear to be carrying heavy packs. It seems they are moving out of this hill and heading to another camp sight.

It isn't long before the soldiers group up and start to move. I hesitate. The direction they are travelling is still directly away from the colony.

I'm already an hours travel away from my home nest, do I really want to travel any further than this?

Not to mention, following along after these humans is still exceptionally dangerous. There are ten of them now. I assume they could annihilate Tiny and myself in a heartbeat were we to be found.

Best to play it safe.

I've learned a fair bit of information already. I know where their forward camp is, I know that they are here and I've managed to witness some of their skills in action. That's not insignificant.

I consider trying to head into the tunnel and investigate their little base but in the end I reluctantly dismiss the idea.

There is way too much risk involved. These people look like professional soldiers, not ragtag mercenaries like the last camp I invaded. Also, I wasn't able to witness the defences being setup, like I did before. There could be any number of traps inside that cave and I would have no idea.

I'll back off.

After the humans have departed I start to journey back towards the colony with Tiny. Keeping my eyes on the roof of the cavern I try to follow a few of the landmarks that I remember from my way here and despite getting muddled a few times I manage to get back to the general area.

I need to be extra careful when I'm out scouting now that I know there are human soldiers moving through the cavern. I honestly had thought I was free of those killers. The way they moved through the tunnels, exterminating every monster they found without mercy still sends a shiver down my spine.

Only one thing can be done in order to be safer, become stronger and evolve! If I can evolve and then help grow the colony even further, hopefully we'll be able to live free of human interference.

For now my priority is to hunt and get levels! Just two more levels is all I need!

One Tiny and I have made it back in the general vicinity of the nest I climb up a tree and start trying to scout out possible prey. The forest is completely packed with monsters so any target needs to be chosen carefully. I get more experience from taking on evolved monsters but some of those are a lot stronger than others. I'd rather fight three evolved centipedes at once than have a Titan-Croc get the jump on me.

So I have to be careful and choose my prey wisely.

My core still throbs painfully inside my body. Hopefully it won't be long before I can release all the potential held inside there. I wonder what I'll become?

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Chapter 69 The evolving situation

The Legionary camp is a hive of activity. Patrols come and go in a steady stream under the watchful eye of the officers. The monster suppression has been difficult on this expedition, preparations for the wave are not going as smoothly as the brass had expected.

Tribune Aurillia was concerned. Her experience and expectations were continually being defied, the situation at hand refused to conform to historical norms.

Every day squads left the outpost and moved into the expanse, exterminating monsters and hunting down spawn locations. Whenever a spawn point was found the Legionaries would trap it, killing the monsters the moment they were formed from the Dungeon.

This was the typical procedure employed by the Legion when preparing for a wave, the goal was to reduce the number of monsters before the wave broke as much as possible. Trapping the spawn points in normal times would drive mercenaries and Dungeon explorers insane, effectively reducing their ability to earn income, but the Legion took no chances when it came to a wave. Every monster they could reliably kill they would.

Something was different this time. For every spawn point they were able to identify and neutralise, another four would pop up the next day. Despite martialling more resources and bringing reinforcements down from the surface they were simply unable to kill monsters quickly enough to meaningfully thin them out.

Even the commander had acted, entering the Forest Expanse on his own and emerging several hours later covered in gore with a small bag full of cores on his belt.

Aurillia chuckled at the memory. Several trainees had asked who was going accompany the commander as he was preparing to leave. The senior Legionaries had just looked at them as if they were insane. If anyone could keep up with him they would be welcome to go.

Emerging from the woods came the ten person strong trainee unit, returning from their scouting assignment. Aurillia knew they'd be sent to do reconnaissance on the far side of the expanse. Locating the ant nest remained a priority of this expedition, despite the unusual circumstances propagating each day.

The weary soldiers marched single file through the gate, shoulders slumped under heavy backpacks, eyes red from little sleep. Their uniform leather were scuffed and stained in several places, indicators of battle and combat.

The tribune approached the squad. When they saw her coming they stopped and snapped out salutes, their discipline bringing a smile to the weathered features of their officer.

"What do you have to report?"Aurillia said.

Trainee Mirryn had been appointed the leader of this particular squad. She stepped forward to give her report.

The trainees were especially nervous around their superiors on this expedition. The centurions, tribune and even the commander himself found every opportunity to find fault with them. Uniform dirty? Go run laps. Poor form when saluting? Two hours in the training yard. Make a mistake in the training yard? Stay in the damn training yard and work until you pass out.

All of their nerves had been frayed right to the edge. It was almost a relief when they'd been sent out as a squad to scout the far side of the expanse. Fighting their way through hordes of monsters and watching their backs every waking moment for several days almost seemed easier than staying with their officers.

Mirryn cleared her throat and reported.

"The squad was able to reach our designated coordinates approximately thirty hours ago. We identified four spawn points in the surrounds and were able to effectively seal them all. A list of monsters identified and defeated has been compiled for your inspection Tribune."

Having said this Mirryn drew a scroll case from her waist bag and presented it to Aurillia, saluting once more as she did so.

The tribune raised an eyebrow as she accepted the case. Clearly the trainees were starting to realise just how exacting the standards would be for them on this delve.

Aurillia opened the case and unrolled the parchment within, casting her eyes quickly over the lists and numbers her experience allowing her to absorb the information in a moment.

"And what of our quarry? Were you able to locate any ants?" she asked as she stowed the parchment in its case once more. The paper would go to the administration auxiliaries, the bean counters who tallied all of this information for reporting to the Legion brass and the Lirian government.

The faces of the squad member immediately twisted upon hearing the Tribunes words. They had failed to find the ants despite all of their searching. What concerned them most was the punishment that awaited them if the tribune decided to view this as another 'failure' on their part.

Mirryn cleared her throat before speaking. "We were unable to locate any sign of ants or the nest itself Tribune. The increased monster activity has made solo scouting extremely difficult, dramatically reducing our scouting range and efficiency" she paused before continuing, "it is still possible that the ants are operating in the area we were sent to search but we failed to locate them, I recommend a team be sent to scout the area again more thoroughly".

Before she was halfway through her reply the faces of her squad members had gone pale. Their minds were spinning with the possible penalties that would be heaped on their heads for not only failing but admitting they'd found it too difficult and recommending another squad go fix their mistakes!

Not that they disagreed with what Mirynn had said, they'd just hoped it could have been phrased a little more... gently?

Contrary to their imaginations the tribune simply nodded. "Trainee Mirryn, you may dismiss your squad to recuperate and then remain here, I'd like a word".

Somewhat dazed Mirryn turned to the other members and dismissed them. The squad shared relieved smiles as they made their way to the tents reserved for resting. There wasn't much recreation of comfort afforded to a Legionary in the Dungeon but at the very least a hot meal, a cold wash and a good sleep were assured.

Watching the others clap each other on the back as they walked away Mirryn couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive towards her officer. Tribune Aurillia had the reputation of a demon in normal times, in the Dungeon she had proven to be five times as strict.

The older woman didn't speak immediately, gesturing for the younger trainee to walk beside her as she turned and wandered deeper into the camp. As they walked they passed the workshop area of the camp. Here, diligent Legion craftsmen and women worked to process raw materials harvested from monsters. There was little priority given to collecting resources on this expedition, killing the monsters was far more important than harvesting but if a Legionary brought down prey close to the camp then it would be wasteful to let the Dungeon reclaim it all.

Hides were boiled and treated, bones shaved, powdered or heated depending on their properties. The Deep Legion seldom sold anything they collected in the Dungeon, preferring to give their own craftspeople the opportunity to create weapons and armour in-house. Any excess would be stockpiled or transported to a Legion branch in another city, sometimes another country.

The Tribune exchanged a few greeting with the hard working auxiliaries. These men and women would never be full Legionaries but they were deeply valued nonetheless.

As they continued to walk Aurillia eventually began to speak. "Your squad won't be going back out to scout tomorrow" she raised her hand to cut off Mirryn when she saw the other was about to speak, "no, not because of any failure on your part. The commander and I have determined that it is becoming too dangerous in the expanse to send out small squads anymore. You'll be concentrating on clearing monsters closer to the camp".

The younger woman frowned, "with respect, Tribune, we don't need to be coddled".

Aurillia barked out a laugh and turned to the trainee. "Do you feel as though you are being coddled down here?"

Whatever was the opposite of coddling was Mirryn's opinion of what they had experienced.

"No" she said.

The Tribune nodded. "Things aren't normal. We've had a report from the headquarters that conditions deeper in the Dungeon are even worse than what we are experiencing here. We've ordered every available Legionary from the Liria to report here to support the wave defence".

Mirryn was confused. "Tribune, how would the headquarters on the surface know more about conditions in the Dungeon than we would? We are in the Dungeon".

Aurillia eyed the younger woman for a brief moment, long years of experience, pain, loss and triumph moved behind those eyes.

"Do you really think that the Deep Legion has its headquarters on the surface?"

Mirryn could hardly process what that meant. The Liria headquarters was inside the Dungeon somewhere?

"Why would you tell me this now?" she eventually asked.

"It is time for you trainees to learn a few more things. After all, at the conclusion of this expedition you will either be a full Legionary, partial to all of our secrets, or you will be dead".

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Chapter 70 Using the power of the mind

To hunt under these conditions one needs to be cunning. After all, what was it that allowed humanity to rise above their competitors to be the dominant species of Earth? It was their minds! Their ingenuity!

Combined with a tendency to avoid considering the consequences of any particular course of action, this trait, more than any other, propelled humanity to great heights!

So when I am faced with this environment, in which an ant must truly struggle to hunt, to provide for his family with the necessary sustenance to survive, what could I possibly do? Regular hunting is impossible! It seems that more and more monsters are appearing at any given moment, successfully battling a monster one versus one and then being able to consume or transport the Biomass without attracting attention would be rather difficult.

So then.

Time to use the 'ol noodle to solve this problem. Draw on a little bit of that divine spark of intelligence that my previous life has gifted me.

What I have I come up with?

Pitfall traps!

I shall utilise traps, thus combining my two identities in one, the cleverness of a human and the capacity to dig a hole of an ant!

...

I know all right. Sure it's not that clever but it is the best I could come up with.

At a reasonable distance away from the nest, a few hundred metres, I've begun construction of a large pitfall trap. The construction has been more difficult than I initially expected. Whilst there is plenty of dirt, as I dig further down I inevitably find bits of rock. Fortunately the mana infused mandibles prove up to the task and I'm able to break it up after expending a fair bit of effort.

The excavation skill has once again proven its worth and I've already gained a level in it due to my efforts. It's interesting to notice how the excavation skill actually functions. Rather than creating a magical shovel of light that emerges from my face to help me dig (which would be awesome!), instead I almost feel as if my instincts are being guided by a knowledgeable digging master.

When I was trying to find a location to for my pitfall traps certain areas were more appealing to me as suitable to dig and others I felt should be avoided. I honestly don't know how I knew that, I just did. When I'm digging as only an ant can, using the mandibles on my face not only as a shovel but also as a barrow, my instincts whisper to me, don't dig that spot yet, the soil will crumble, tilt your head to this angle, the result will be better.

The overall effect is that mistakes are minimised and efficiency is increased, resulting in a larger area dug in less time. I can only imagine that if the excavation skill becomes maxed out then I'll become some sort of digging god, never making an error and working so fast that vast underground tunnels will be carved out in a single day!

As it stands it takes several hours of hard work before I've been able to dig a large and deep pitfall that I think will be sufficient to hold most monsters, about two metres in diameter and five metres deep, I've been an industrious little ant!

At the bottom of the pitfall I've dug a small tunnel that runs several meters parallel the forest floor. My intention is that within this small offshoot tunnel I'll have a private space to hide and consume prey.

Several times during the construction I was forced to abandon the site and hide in a tree when I detected monsters coming. Given the crazed attitude of all the creatures in the forest lately I knew that would battle do the death the moment they laid eyes on me (I'm so irresistible!) and the resulting kerfuffle would draw in more monsters and my entire trap plan would go to waste!

The hunter must display patience for best results.

Tiny spent the entire time up in the tree. I didn't really trust him to dig and I certainly didn't trust him not to fight when anything showed up. Honestly, he slept most of the time which probably worked out for the best.

After covering the pitfall with a light layer of vegetation as a disguise there is nothing to do but await the juicy prey that will fall directly into my greedy mandibles.

Muahaha!

However, after a while I still haven't caught anything. Plenty of monsters are moving through this area but they've been lucky enough not to step on my trap! Damn monsters, why is all of this good fortune being wasted on you?

I wrack my brains. What could I do to increase the efficacy of the trap?

Bait! I could bait the trap which would help draw the monsters directly to the pitfall. What I could I use as bait?

Tiny coughs abruptly in his sleep, sharply interrupting his gentle snoring and drawing my sharp gaze to his resting form.

Bait... eh?

I won't! Too much could go wrong if were to use Tiny as bait. I refuse to let him die until he's paid me back in full for the core I lost on him!

Although it would be nice to dangle this sleeping loafer from a branch...

I can only be patient and wait for a monster to fall into the trap. Once I have one catch I can save some of the Biomass to use as bait.

This idle time cannot be waisted however! The spirit of the worker pulses within me, demanding that my time be used productively! For the colony!

I range a little distance away from my trap and survey the terrain for a space that will suit my needs. Eventually I find a an appealing patch of earth thirty metres away from my pitfall. If one trap should prove insufficient, then more must be constructed! Don't underestimate the enthusiasm for digging that runs through my ant body!

Much like the first time I dug the trap, a huge part of the effort is spreading the dirt around in a way that looks reasonably natural Creating an enormous mound of dirt directly next to your hole in the ground is not necessarily the greatest way to lure prey, I decided. One's pitfall trap does not require advertising.

After thirty minutes of digging I'm startled out of my reverie by a crashing sound followed by an indignant screech!

What!

I'm so shocked I was frozen there for a moment. I swear when I get to digging it's almost as if I fall into a trance. For some reason it just feels so nice to dig as an ant. As if I'm fulfilling my life calling. Truly, my reason for being as a worker is to dig!

Scuttling over to my original pitfall I can immediately detect that some unfortunate monster has fallen prey to my rather crude and ungraceful trap.

Collecting itself from the wreckage at the bottom of the pit is a rather furious looking blade tailed mouse.

POW!

You'll be even more irritated after becoming acquainted with my restrictive acid!

After blasting the mouse with a solid dose I climb down into the trap and finish it quickly.

[You have gained experience]

Excellent.

The pitfall trap has borne fruit!

Not much fruit to be sure, a small, limp sort of fruit, perhaps a grape.

But fruit nonetheless!

After some consideration I decide not to consume this mouse. When I see Tiny going for it I have to slap him on the head before he can get his hunger under control.

If we can be patient now then by giving up this little bit of Biomass we will reap greater rewards later.

I pick up the body and carry it out of the hole before resetting the brush over the trap. Once this is done I ever so carefully place the remains of the mouse in the center of the brush, stepping as lightly as a dancer so as not to fall into my own trap.

The fact I was able to catch anything at all is something of a relief. I was seriously concerned that all of this digging would achieve nothing except to help on the path of ant zen.

Hopefully now with a proper lure in place the trap will be able to perform better and bring something a little more tangible for Tiny and I to feast on.

With the original pitfall once again running at full capacity I put Tiny back into his tree and move over to the second construction site, at all times using my heat sensitivity and eyesight to ensure I avoid having any monsters come across me as I work.

Once again to perform my true calling and dig!

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Chapter 71 Too effective?

The second trap is almost halfway done when I hear another crashing thud, followed by a furious roar.

Once again a visitor has decided to grace my humble hotel! Welcome dear guest! Manuel, take their bags! Gweheheh.

Chortling to myself I crawl out of my second pitfall and rush to the first. Tiny is standing up in his tree abode, excitedly staring down at the hapless monster caught in the pit. The little ape is practically drooling, he's become so hungry.

I get that you're hungry little guy but really?! Try to maintain a little dignity.

As much as I try to ignore it my stomach is also growling. After all of this work digging I've worked up quite the appetite.

Approaching the side of my trap I peer down to see exactly what monster I've managed to reel in this time.

Greeting me from the bottom of the pit is a particularly furious looking giant centipede. The centipede very quickly begins to right itself after falling into the pit, a mess of sticks and foliage tangling in its legs.

This guy again huh.

Where once upon a time I felt hugely threatened by the massive centipedes, I just can't muster the same kind of fear for them anymore. They might be much larger than the original claw centipedes but they remain fairly stupid with limited ways to attack. In fact, due to its increased size and reduced mobility, the most threatening weapon of the claw centipede, its poison spike, is rendered almost completely useless against me.

POW!

I dispense justice in the form of acid from my business zone down onto my prey before leaping directly into the pit to do battle.

There were several reasons why I thought pitfalls would be a safer way to hunt in the current forest, one of which was the ability to isolate the battle somewhere the sound and scent of the battle would be somewhat muted. Combined with the natural advantage of battling against a monster after it has fallen and become entangled this method seemed promising to my mind.

So far it has proven to be effective. I'll be very interested to see if I can finish this battle quickly enough without drawing any further monsters from the surrounds.

Just as the centipede is able to right itself my acid rains down, once again entangling legs that had only moments ago become free. Hissing furiously the centipede writhes and twists in knots as the pain and discomfort mounts. At this time I land directly onto the carapace of my prey, gripping tightly with my claws, pushing my grip skill to the limit.

Take this you lively bugger!

Piercing Chomp!

CRUNCH!

My mandibles pierce into the carapace like a hot knife into a refrigerated spread of some kind, savaging the internals of the centipede.

The monster shrieks in agony and attempts to use its body to slam me into the wall of the pitfall.

Slam!

Ouch! Damn centipede, receive my bite of truth!

CRUNCH!

My diamond carapace absorbed almost all of the impact so I received very little actual damage from that desperate manoeuvre, what I am concerned about is the noise attracting more monsters to the scene! So I quickly retaliate with another bite.

This time, having already punctured the enemies defences I utilise the Crushing Bite to inflict maximum damage, my mandibles ripping deep into muscle and organs of the centipede.

After this bite the centipede has lost most of its fight, unable to properly move the latter half of its body there is little it can do to avoid fatal damage.

[You have slain level 6 Adult Claw Centipede]

[You have gained experience]

Nice!

Quick as a flash I move to secure the Biomass, dragging it into my prepared side tunnel and out of sight. Then I crawl out of the pitfall to reset the majority of my screen, covering the hole in the ground except for one small section. I'm hoping that this will prevent the smell from escaping too much and also make my hiding place a little harder to find. Claws crossed it works out.

Having taken these measures I retreat back into the trap, bringing Tiny down with me so we can finally sate our hunger. Down in the dark tunnel the offshoots the pitfall we greedily chow down on the centipede, Tiny in particular showing his vastly increased appetite after going hungry for too long.

Yes. Eat my young ape, eat and grow strong. You'll pay me back in labour eventually, I'll work you like a slave! An adorable chimp slave!

After completing our meal I've gained two Biomass, which brings my current total to four. Just one more and I'll be able to upgrade yet another body part to 5. I'm quite excited to see what sort of upgrades I'll be able to choose from for the regeneration gland!

I think of Tiny at this moment. This little guy must have eaten something like fifteen, maybe even twenty points of Biomass since I reconstructed him. Where has all of those points gone?

The little ape notices me staring at him and stops wiping his bat face with the back of his arm, staring back at me curiously.

I can't detect any change to his fur or hands, his eyes look the same, no noticeable difference in his arms or legs. Has the Biomass been spent or is it all being saved up? Maybe he can't spend it until he matures to a certain point? He certainly couldn't be called anything like fully grown at this stage.

Well, not much I can do about it at this point. I'll just have to keep feeding him and see what happens.

We were undisturbed during our meal, something for which I am extremely grateful. I wasn't able to recover the mouse bait, I think the centipede dove on it and ripped it to shreds as it fell. So I finish resetting the first trap after making sure Tiny was securely positioned in his tree, it will probably take longer to get another sucker to slip into my pitfall so I'll get back to work on the second one.

Could we have saved some of the centipede to use as bait? Yes, yes we could. Did we do that? No.

We were pretty hungry though...

A few hours later I've managed to finish off the second trap despite a few interruptions. I had a gang of unevolved centipedes go through the area, a croca-beast and the elusive dog snake, which I'd only seen dead before. Sadly none of these monsters fell into my clutches so I simply hid myself away as they passed through, emerging once they'd passed me by and continuing my work happily.

I've also managed to achieve yet another level in excavation! It feels pleasant to gain levels without having to risk my own life for a change.

Once the second pitfall was completed, I didn't immediately cover it but instead added another off shooting tunnel. While I was at it, I decided to join the two tunnels together, I mean why not? This necessitated a lot more digging and effort, particularly when I ran into a rather stubborn block of stone which required me to use my infused mandibles to cut through.

Eventually however the two traps were joined at the bottom of the pitfalls by a somewhat winding tunnel roughly thirty metres long.

Holy heck that took ages!

Now I'm bloody starving again!

CRASH!

ROAR!

What the dickens?! Another customer?

I rush down my narrow tunnel to the original trap and I see a furious Croca-Beast thrashing and twisting its way out of the vines and branches I used to secure the cover over the pitfall. Success! Another visitor to the pitfall hotel, you can check in Mr Crocodile, but you can never leave!

Exploding out of the tunnel I utilise all of my speed to harness the element of surprise. A huge part of my trap strategy is to finish every battle as quickly as possible to avoid unnecessary noise!

Thankfully the monster hasn't had any time to survey its surroundings and hasn't even noticed the small tunnel dug into the base of the pit. The last thing this Croca-Beast expected to see was a worker ant rushing at it, mandibles shining with infused mana ready to bite!

Crushing Bite!

SNAP!

Closing my mandibles with ferocious force the mighty croc wails in distress as its leg is directly shorn through! Your scales may as well be Paper Mache in the face of the mana infused mandibles!

With one leg directly severed the Croca-Beast falls to the ground once again, the narrow confines of the pit making it extremely difficult for the monster to orient itself. For me however, this terrain is perfect. After my initial strike I sprint past the Croc and straight up the wall of the pit, trying to gain the high ground.

It's over now Croc!

I fire down a blast of acid at the creature, who by this time is surely wondering what it did wrong in a previous life to deserve this kind of treatment. Just an innocent Croc monster out for a walk in the forest and now this, down a leg and covered in acid at the bottom of a pit.

Not to worry monster, these circumstances won't be troubling you for long!

I fire down a second blast of acid, treating the beast to another helping of the restricting property. Unable to stand, covered in acid and completely furious the Croc has no choice but to succumb to my finishing bite!

[You have defeated level three Infant Garralosh]

[You have gained experience]

Standing over the defeated croc I really can't help but think to myself, isn't this working super well?

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Chapter 72 Finer things in life

This time I manage to restrain Tiny and myself for long enough to save some bait for both of the traps.

Due to having to feed the stupid ape and reserve some of the food I only take a single Biomass for myself since it's enough for my needs.

With five points of Biomass now I am ready to once again select a mutation advancement! I cannot wait until I can look at my status and see every available body part has been upgraded to 5. What completeness, what symmetry, such a perfect being I shall become!

No I'm not a neat freak... I think.

After resetting my original trap and baiting my second I retreat to the underground tunnel with Tiny in order to select my mutation.

[Would you like to improve Regeneration Gland to 5? This will cost five Biomass]

Oh yeah!

[At this level you may choose a mutation advancement, select from the menu]

Once more the list in my mind unfurls like a banner. A long menu of delectable choices laid before me, ready to peruse. The thing that kills me the most every single time I do this is I can only choose one!

Ok. Calm down and let's have a look.

Ooooo I can upgrade the number of Hp that gets regenerated, upgrade the speed of the regeneration, make it refill faster so I can use it more often, excess regeneration fluid can be converted into Mp, holy moly!

Slower working regeneration fluid for a greater boost over time, rapid response regeneration fluid stored in smaller pockets around my body that automatically heal wounds when they happen...

I could pick any of them and be happy!

Once again I must use my laser-like focus to hone in on exactly what it is that I want my regeneration gland to do! Which is quite a simple thing to do really, I can clearly recall my thoughts when I chose this body part to begin with!

This is my get out of jail free card! I chose it to help me out of a jam when nothing else was working, to help me sustain in the battle after I have received significant damage!

This means I don't need it to heal more Hp over a longer time, I don't need it to heal smaller wounds instantly. I need a big burst of healing in a short time, I need it to overcome a critical hurdle and put me back in the fight quickly.

When the Berserkers attacked the colony I was out of action due to missing legs. The memory of having to scrabble about, unable to use my mighty weapons due to lost limbs is so painful. The regeneration was able to heal back some Hp and kick start the leg growth process but it was ultimately the Queen's healing prowess that put my six legged self back into the insect kingdom.

The upgrade I really want is this one:

Limb Regeneration Gland, rather than increasing the Hp that is restored, this upgrade greatly enhances the regeneration gland's capacity to restore missing or damaged limbs in a timely manner.

This is going to help out a lot!

It isn't as if the regeneration gland won't restore Hp at all but it will be able to restore missing body parts much faster than before.

Come to think of it, I've had legs chopped off, antennae cut off... Since when did I get so used to having parts of body removed and then grown back?

Spending time in this world is really starting to twist my perspective.

Well, it isn't as if I need to keep my human way of thinking, I'm not even a human anymore. It's only natural that a few aspect of my mindset would change. Here in this world for example, I have to directly kill in order to eat, whereas I, like most humans, would never have had to slaughter my own food when I was on Earth.

I'm not sure if this makes me more respectful of life or less...

On the one hand, I have to kill a lot of monsters in order to survive, on the other, at least I'm not lying to myself about the lives that are sacrificed to sustain my own.

Something to think about another time, now it is time to mutate!

Confirm my selection!

Oh right the itch...

...

HUGARKAFLUDGE!!!

When the itch fades I am gasping on the floor of my narrow tunnel whilst Tiny watches with a faint tinge of amusement in those vacant ape eyes.

Yuck it up monkey breath, you'll get your chance to mutate and then just watch as I point and laugh at you when you writhe on the floor!

With my regeneration gland mutated my status has now come to look like this:

Name: Anthony

Level: 8 (core)

Might: 31

Toughness: 22

Cunning: 25

Will: 18

HP: 50/50

MP: 50/50

Skills: Excavation Level 3; Improved Acid Shot Level 5; Grip Level 4; Crushing Bite Level 7; Advanced Stealth Level 4; Piercing Chomp Level 3; Tunnel sense Level 4; Mana Shaping level 2; Forceful Mana Level 2; External Mana Manipulation Level 1; Mana Sensing Level 1; Core Mechanic Level 1; Exo-Skeleton Defence level 1

Mutations: Focused Eyes 5, Infrared Antennae 5, Restrictive Acid 5, Legs 1, Infused Mandibles 5, Diamond Carapace 5, Limb Regeneration Gland 5, Pheromones 2

Species: Mature Ant Worker (Formica)

Skill points: 0

Biomass: 0

Yessss. Only legs and pheromones to go before I have achieved the perfect all-round status of mutations.

In total I'm going to need another twenty six Biomass in order to max out everything.

...

Come on Gandalf, twenty six! It's so many! Mutations are so damn expensive! If we assume that I get another mutation advancement at 10, which may not even be the case, it will take

forty Biomass to take a single body part from 5 to 10. If I don't get the advancement until 15 then it will take ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE BIOMASS for a single mutation advancement!

Ugh.

Hopefully when I get stronger I'll be able to hunt prey that will provide more Biomass, it'll take me a hundred years to upgrade everything if I have to keep feasting on unevolved monsters.

CRASH!

Speaking of which, another customer!

Welcome to the business district!

Turns out a Lion Ogre has tripped into the second pitfall, lured by the faint scent of Biomass that lingered in the air due to my bait. I've been trying to use only the right amount of bait in my traps, not too much to bring in monsters from far away but not too little that it's impossible for the monsters to detect it.

Thankfully the balance seems to be about right.

I treat the Lion Ogre as a pretty serious opponent since they look like they can do some serious damage with their grotesquely over muscled upper bodies. After dosing the creature with a few shots of acid and launching a surprise chomp the monster doesn't get much chance to fight back before falling to my sneaky assault.

[You have slain level 7 Lion Ogre]

[You have gained experience]

[You have reached level nine]

Oh ho! Thank you Gandalf for your blessing! So close to level ten and evolution! Argh I can hardly wait. I'm so excited I'm basically dancing on the spot!

Whoops! Better stow away this food before anything happens.

Cover over the top of the pitfall, drag the prey into the tunnel. The Lion Ogre is so large at the shoulder I actually have to break it up in order to fit it all through. Tiny has woken up once again, ready to eat. I've noticed you always sleep when the work is happening but always wake up when it's time to eat, eh Tiny?

Despite my grumbling I don't begrudge my little ape his meal. Grow up nice and strong Tiny!

In fact, I don't take much Biomass for myself, just two points. The rest I use to rebait my trap and then let Tiny eat the rest until he's about ready to burst. Every time this little chimp eats and then sleeps he wakes up discernibly larger. I want to pack this little guy full of Biomass until it starts running out of his nose and then let him sleep to see if I can accelerate his growth. For some reason I just feel that he needs to be in fighting shape as quickly as possible.

Perhaps I'm just finally get sick of his slacking.

Predictably, after packing the food into his face until he can barely move, Tiny rolls himself away to a comfortable spot in the tunnel and then falls asleep. He didn't quite finish the entire monster himself but he came rather astonishingly close considering the relative sizes! Has he upgraded his stomach to include a pocket dimension or something?

With my own successful level up and mutation, as well as the prospective growth of my little ape friend, I'm certainly very hopeful for the possibilities tomorrow may bring!

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Chapter 73 Establishing the network

Exploration of the Dungeon has been the task of all the civilised races who make their homes above the ground ever since the first opening was made known to us.

However a unified approach and the free sharing of information has proven impossible to facilitate. Each kingdom, church, organisation or private army or noble house than has devoted resources into plumbing the depths and secrets beneath our feet has withheld their own slice of information from the common perception. Hoarding slivers of information like family treasures.

There Is much information that has been publicly confirmed, however, enough that all citizens have a reasonable awareness of the world below, the dangers and opportunities that can be found there.

Some the key information regards the various Strata, the levels, defined by both their depth and the concentration of mana found there.

The First Strata is generally accepted to lie from the surface to five kilometres deep. It is frequently referred to as the Strata of Beasts, since most of the monsters found there are exaggerated, terrible hybrids of creatures that have long existed on the surface.

As for the lower Strata, the second and below, information is much harder to corroborate.

From the 'Knowledge of the people, a series of essays' by the Magio Scholar Tarius.

--

I manage to pass a fairly profitable day in this manner.

During the quiet moments I manage to construct a third pitfall trap and add it my expanding network, excavating another tunnel to connect it all together and gaining another level of excavate as my reward.

My fairly crude traps have proven surprisingly capable, netting a consistent flow of prey that I have been able to finish off quickly and conceal within my tunnels, feeding the majority of the Biomass to Tiny and taking a little for myself.

Over the last day I managed to take four Biomass for myself, which I've stockpiled for the time being. I could take two upgrades to pheromones immediately but I don't particularly see the need. It isn't as if I'm cooperating with the colony at the moment so the pheromones won't help achieve anything.

I did start to feel a little guilty about leaving the colony to its own devices for this long. After digging out the third trap I decided to start the arduous process of connecting my small network of pitfall traps to the main nest by way of a rather long underground tunnel.

This particular project will take a long time to actually complete, particularly since I have to return to the traps to check on the situation every now and again, as well as making frequent, ever longer trips to transport the dirt and rock I've dug back to the surface.

Trying to discreetly dispose of all of this dirt is proving more and more difficult. I've had to travel ever further away from my pitfalls to find a space to dispose of it and the area around my traps is starting to look a little odd, with small piles of dirt and stone popping up everywhere.

Thankfully whenever monsters stomp through the area they tend to scatter the dirt and pound it into the ground, concealing my work to some extent.

The biggest change over the last day has been Tiny. My loafing ape friend has been living the perfect life of luxury, waking up in time to feast and then sleeping immediately. Every time he wakes up he's grown a little larger and after repeating this process four times across the day he's shown significant growth, basically equaling me in size.

Your springtime of youth is finally here Tiny! Entering the growth phase is an important time for any monster. Perhaps Tiny is now in his teenage size, all he wants to do is sleep and eat. I'm half expecting to find him in the tunnel scratching crude graffiti on the walls and listening to punk music.

Joke aside, the little guy is no longer that little. If I can continue to feed him up at this pace he'll be able to display some strength in combat fairly soon. I can already see his arms starting to thicken up!

After killing a few more monsters I've gained the experience but I haven't managed to get that crucial level ten. Every time I finish off a monster now I await the pronouncement of Gandalf with all of my soul but he hasn't given me those sweet, sweet words.

I know patience is required but it's so hard when the goal is so damned close!

I should just dig some more, let the feeling of ant-zen wash over me and take away my worldly desires.

I return to digging out my tunnel, eager to connect my small network of traps to the colony. Gradually I lose my sense of time as I work, it's just so satisfying.

There is no need, no desires, or wants. There is only the soil and rock in my mandibles.

CRASH!

PREY! GETTEM!

Dropping the hunk of rock I'd been carrying I sprint towards my traps. So eager am I that I reach my next victim in merely moments.

Furiously scrabbling at the walls of the pit and tearing apart the branches that have fallen around it is a rather large, agitated rabbit.

Rather than the smaller rabbit I came into contact with during the brawl next to the ant hill this one is larger and more brutish, it's fur is thinner and patchy, almost as if the creature were sick. The thickly muscled limbs testify to the brute power of the creature which only makes it look even more silly with the small bunny ears emerging proudly from the top of its head.

As it thrashes I manage to get a decent look at the face of my prey, a more beastly and hideous face I haven't seen yet. A fetid, diseased pallor, fluid leaking from each eye and missing teeth are the first impression I get and further glimpses don't improve my opinion at all.

This rabbit, looks absolutely disgusting. The stench of death seems to ooze from every pore of the monster's body, filling the air and washing into the tunnel. I almost feel as if my whole body is pain just by looking at the beast.

Wait a second...

Quickly checking my Hp I quickly learn that I AM in pain! I'm losing health just by being near this damn thing!

How is it damaging me just by being nearby? I've never seen anything like this Gandalf!

The longer I delay I more health I'm going to lose, stop slacking about Anthony, get in there!

POW! POW!

Reaching the opening of the tunnel into the pit I present the back-zone to my prey, eyeball it over my shoulder and unleash two blasts of the restrictive acid, catching the monster across the chest and one front paw.

I don't want to take to many chances with this beastie so I give it two shots of the acid straight away to try and restrict its movements. Looking at the monster I'm concerned I may get poisoned or diseased if I were to be bitten or scratched during the fight, best to slow it down first before I tussle in close quarters with it.

I'd happily wait and give it a few more bursts before fighting but my Hp is dropping every second and I can't wait for too long. This thing needs to be finished as fast as possible.

As the beastly rabbit roars and groans, it's patchy fur proving little protection from the burning liquid that covers it, and then I hear a surprising sound behind me.

Before I can dash forward and apply the righteous fury of mandibles to this rotting rabbit, from behind me, screeching in fury comes Tiny. His bat face is twisted in rage as he hurtles forward using his knuckles and hind legs to propel him forward.

I can't even react before my ape friend has thrown himself on the much larger rabbit, punching and biting in a frenzy.

What the hell! All of a sudden you want to fight?! Why now you slacking ape?!

Hurriedly I charge forward after him, not wanting to see any harm to come to my friend/investment after all of this time.

The rabbit reacts aggressively to Tiny's assault, yowling in a high piercing wail that seems to drill straight into my ears and attack my mind itself. Not enough though! Shaking of the distraction I charge up my infused mandibles immediately.

You're not going to last long you damned rabbit! You and your death aura are not long for this world!

I use my crushing bite at the same time, maximising my damage and ripping straight into the nearest limb, the front leg on the rabbit's left side.

As my mandibles crunch home I can tell something feels off about the response I feel. The flesh of the creature feels thin and weak, ghastly juices and blood pour out of the limb, all over my face.

Oh. My. Gandalf.

What the heck is this disgusting stuff!? Ugh kalla frazzle! It's in my eye!

As soon as the liquid hits me I can feel a burning pain start resonating through my head instantly. Is this acid!? Has this stupid monster got acid blood or something?!

My Hp is dropping even faster now! If this stuff eats through my carapace and inside my head I'll be done for! Activate the regeneration immediately!

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Chapter 74 Dead...er?

This darned rabbit is one nasty customer! Standing next to it will cause damage and apparently biting into it will also cause damage!

What the hell!?

In the end I still have to finish it off as fast possible. As the regenerative fluid flow through my body I keep the mana pouring out of my core and into my mandibles preparing to take the damage and continue to chomp!

Shockingly this half-dead looking rabbit is still able to use the limb I attacked, despite a good chunk in the middle of it being crushed to bits. Since the rabbit is twice my size it looms over me as it finally manages to get its feet under it.

Tiny continues his rampage, thrashing the rabbit on its back, punching with his hands and tearing with his fingers, inflicting whatever damage he can. This is a completely new Tiny I'm witnessing here today, what happened to your chill little guy?

The rabbit lashes out at me with a paw swipe, claws dripping yellow, virulent looking fluid emerge from between the toes and lash at my carapace. I don't yield to this! Trust in the diamond carapace! Rather than dodging I brace for the blow and prepare my counter attack. I need to deal decisive damage in order to finish off this monster quickly, lest all of these damage over time effects drag me down!

BAM!

The paw smashes into my side, terrible claws raking along my hide. Those damn claws are sharp! Sparks fly as those disgusting claws rake across me, gouging into the carapace but failing to break through.

Phew!

Now receive this bite!

My mandibles, charged full of mana roaring out of my core, are ready to clamp down. I just need to maximise my damage potential!

Instead of trying to do attempt anything fancy, like reaching for the neck I lunge forward before the rabbit can recover its balance aiming directly for its mid-section. This is going to hurt!

Crushing bite!

CRUNCH!

With all of my strength I rip directly into the creature's torso, shredding muscle and bone, tearing into the monster's body. Immediately that disgusting ooze erupts again, coating my head and jaws, but I don't stop.

Bite!

CRUNCH!

The fetid flesh parts so easily under my assault, I'm not even sure I need to use my infused mandibles to inflict serious damage, but I won't turn it off. This thing needs to die! I can't even see Tiny now, my vision is blocked by this acidic fluid and the monster itself.

One drawback of having to attack with your face is that there is extremely little distance between my eyes and the enemies body. I'm basically getting an eyeful of suppurating rabbit flesh and fur right now. If it weren't for my compound eyes giving such a broad range of vision I'd be super disoriented doing this.

Bite more! Die you damn rabbit!

CRASH!

A tremendous force smacks me into the ground, causing my legs to splay instantly as the rabbit brings both fists down on my back in a hammer blow. The sheer mass of the creature adds force to the strike, knocking all of the wind out of me.

Guh! That one stung!

I hastily check my Hp. Thirty left! With this acidic fluid on me and the constant hp drain my health is rapidly shrinking. I need to finish the fight!

Shaking off my dizziness, I push myself back up before the rabbit has prepared it's next strike and dive forward once again. You. Will. Get. Bitten!

CHOMP!

Utilising the piercing chomp this time my mandibles rip into the wound I've already carved into the monster, the pointed edged of my mandibles tearing deep into the rabbit's chest, destroying it internally.

Under my assault the rabbit finally shudders and grows still. I hastily withdraw my face from the wound and retreat in time to see the foe slump to the ground defeated.

My face is still burning. I've never fought a monster that was more of a disgusting pain in the butt than this thing.

At least... I got ... the ... experience?

As the creature slumps forward, clearly dead, Tiny is standing astride its back, his right fist plunged deep into the monster's back and his arm crackling with blue electrical energy.

He slowly withdraws his hand, the flashing and arcing electricity fading slowly. There is a satisfied look on his bat face as he shakes his limbs out as if just finishing a draining workout.

I look from Tiny, to the monster and back to Tiny.

The monster is clearly dead.

Did you kill steal me you cheeky ape?! Unbelievable!

I've not heard the voice of Gandalf at all. This can only mean one thing, I didn't get the last hit!

Tiny jumps off the monster's back and runs towards me his face is shining with a pleased light, he honestly looks like a puppy. A bat faced, ape puppy.

You're lucky I like you, cheeky ape!

I can't be mad at him. I reach up with one of my legs and give him a pat on the head. You did good little guy, even if you stole my xp and delayed my evolution I'm not mad. Oh whoops, my claw might have been a little tight there on your head. Sorry buddy.

Well, what do we do know with all of the Biomass?

Is this stuff even edible?

After the burning of my face has faded I check my Hp to ensure my health isn't still going down. Thankfully it isn't, whatever was causing that constant health loss is clearly no longer in effect now that the monster is dead.

Remembering that nauseating feeling of biting into the creature I gingerly approach it. Hoarf! The smell is terrible! It smells like someone had a pet rat that died, was left in the cage for a week and then flushed down a full toilet. This here, this is a new low.

Are you just gonna let the Biomass sit there Anthony? You have to at least try it man!

Okokok. Here it goes.

...

Oh my word. Oh heck. HRUUG. HURK.

[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Quantum Mors Labor Tabes, you are awarded one Biomass]

[Basic profile of the Quantum Mors Labor Tabes unlocked]

HRAAANGUFARGUNNNNN.

Gasp!

Just... Just let me breathe for a sec.

Phew.

So then, monsters CAN throw up.

I mean, the taste, was very similar to the smell, so I shouldn't be too shocked but holy moly. That was next level.

Let's check this profile.

[Quantum Mors Labor Tabes: Decaying Death Rabbit, Evolved from the Blood Tooth rabbit this monster has adapted the shadow affinity of the base creature into a fearsome death affinity that manifests in a malicious aura that drains life from all around it, causing the monster to lead a very solitary life indeed. The body of this monster is filled with death energy at all times which will have several effects. ]

You don't say? You know what, if I was to describe the taste of a body filled with death energy this would likely be it. So, was this some form of zombie rabbit? Is that what you are trying to tell me Gandalf? Huh? Zombie rabbits now?

There is no way I'm eating the rest of this thing.

Even Tiny is looking at me as if I'm insane for trying it. Are you the smart guy now eh!? Just because you've grown a bit and can fight you're going to get all uppity with me?

What a waste. I'll guess I'll just have to wait and hope this place will reclaim this mess. I don't think I have to worry about monsters being attracted by the smell, since rather than the juicy allure of food I would more describe it as the horrific stench of the damned.

In fact, this thing might even discourage monsters from entering this area and make all three of my traps useless! Please just disappear you horrid mess!

While I'm waiting I will return to digging. Too many developments are happening here, I need to clear my mind. Thankfully the body of the death rabbit melts into the soil and vanishes about half an hour later, taking that reeking stench with it. A pleasant surprise is that after all of the remains have faded a small round gem is left lying innocently in the dirt.

A core!

Since I don't have a particular use for it I'll leave it partially buried in the wall of my underground tunnel for now where it won't be disturbed. I'll definitely come back and experiment with this later.

I reset the trap, minus bait and return to excavating my tunnel.

About an hour later I receive a pleasant surprise.

[Excavation has reached level 5]

[Tunnel Sense has reached level five, upgrade available]

Oooo. Tunnel Sense must have been levelling as I tried to aim this tunnel at the nest while digging! This is nice, haven't been able to upgrade a skill for some time!

[Tunnel Sense - Tunnel Map. cost 1 sp: This upgrade improves the sense of underground direction with a powerful memory aid, allowing for the full recall of tunnel layout]

Sounds nice! I'll take it!

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Chapter 75 Reconnect with my people

Once I confirm the upgrade that strange trickling sensation flows over my brain, like someone tickling my mind. When the feeling eventually fades I eagerly attempt to think about my tunnel sense and something shocking appears in my mind.

It's a map! It's a three dimensional map of all of the tunnels I've seen! This is insanely useful! Suspended in my thoughts like a picture for which I can suddenly recall all of the details I can see every tunnel I've been in, everywhere in the open space and the inside the nest connected together in one giant map.

I can even make out the marking I left in the tunnels when I fled the upper chamber, this is so good! I'll never be lost again no matter where I go underground, I'll always be able to dig my tunnels exactly where I want them to! I can already make out that my trap network has almost been connected to the nest, only a little further and a slight course correction are needed.

My Tunnel Map skill is level one though, which means it must be able to level up. I shouldn't think of it as perfect, there must be something to improve about it or it wouldn't gain xp, surely?

At any rate.

All praise the Tunnel Map and all praise to Gandalf!

Full of cheer I get back to digging my tunnel, I really want to reconnect with the colony so I can see how things are going and help out as needed, whilst my trap network can assist the colonies growth as a safe way to secure Biomass.

Once I've achieved this I'll keep hunting until I've evolved and then, fortified with my immense new strength (hopefully) I'll keep scouting, pre-emptively protecting the colony from danger whilst seizing whatever chances I can find to improve myself. At least this is the plan.

It takes another hour of digging to finally break through to the nest. My tunnel has connected to the shaft that descends from the ant hill about a third of the way down. I didn't want to dig further down, it would make the tunnel significantly longer and if I did connect to the brood chamber it would pose an unnecessary risk to the colony itself.

As I break through there is some dirt and rubble that falls down the tunnel, dropping down to the colony below. Oops, sorry about that! A few workers making their way up and down look at me oddly before going back on their merry way. Everything seems fine I guess? I might wander down and check how things are going.

Descending back into the nest I can see the workforce continues to be busy in my absence, food is being shuffled around and the nest being constantly maintained. Poking my nose in on the brood chambers I can see that the larvae are bigger now but don't look nearly so full. In the new chamber the many eggs that were stored there have hatched but the larvae look anything but full. We have a food issue.

Not to worry little grubs! I shall provide!

Straight back to the trap network I go!

Tiny is still sleeping when I return, slumped against the tunnel wall with both arms tucked under his chin. The guy is much taller than me now, which is an achievement for him even if I am much longer than I am tall. Gone are the days I could look down on his bat face.

Seems all of the traps are set but no prey thus far. Hmmm. The colony needs an injection of food in order to keep the brood growing quickly. I could leave my trap network and risk hunting in the open, but that could get complicated very quickly. Best case I get into a nasty fight which may drag the workers in again, worst case I get myself killed, buried beneath a flood of monsters.

Reluctantly I decide to wait. The idea behind the trap networks is solid and has proven to be effective so far, allowing me to fight prey one on one and quietly dispose of the Biomass without attracting unwanted attention. With humans scurrying about above ground and the hordes of monsters swarming everywhere, discretion is called for.

If the trap network is not getting results quickly enough, add more traps!

Work on traps four and five begins immediately! Before they are finished a small group of Wolf-Dragon cubs tumbles into a pitfall and Tiny joins me in battling them. Between the two of us they are quickly dispatched, Tiny even steals one last hit from me! I won't mind that however.

I give one body to Tiny and use two others to ensure all of my traps a baited which leaves me one to donate to the colony. Gripping it in my mandibles I carry it back to the junction between my tunnel and the colony and drop it on the edge.

It isn't long before a worker spies the Biomass and grabs it, carrying it back down into the heart of the colony to be dispensed.

Good on you buddy!

Feels good to contribute to the colony again, even only a little.

Back to the network I go. I spend another day battling the soil and occasional monsters before my new traps are fully prepared and baited. Tiny takes a good chunk of the Biomass and I forfeit my share to the colony for the time being. Those larvae need feedin'. I'm so exhausted by this point that I fall into a very welcome state of torpor.

Feels good to nap!

Crash!

I startle awake to the welcome sound of snapping branches and rustling vegetation as another pitfall cover collapses under the tread of a monster. Hopefully not an unevolved centipede again, what is the point of fighting a single centipede, honestly?

I prod Tiny awake and scurry off towards the trap, six legs flickering with speed. Time is always of the essence when a trap is triggered, the faster I get there the more disoriented and tangled the prey will be.

ROAR!

An ear splitting, shattering roar echoes down the tunnel.

The sheer power of that roar hits me almost like a physical blow. I can feel the blood inside me running cold. What the heck was that?!

As I approach the pit I can see the head of a terrifying monster glaring at me down the tunnel. It seems this monster is too large to fit entirely in the pitfall, it appears to have stepped on the pit with its front legs and tumbled into the pit head first. I can only imagine the rear of this creature is currently sticking out of the pitfall above ground, its bum exposed to the air even as its face is ground into the dirt.

It would all be so amusing if it weren't for just how fearsome this creature looks.

It's a bear. A massive, massive bear. Thick dark brown fur streaked with green frames its brutal, furious eyes. It's snout opens wide to reveal its gaping map as it roars again, stunning me senseless with the force of its rage.

Holy moly!

Two front paws, each the size of my midsection, scratch and shove at the ground as the bear tries to push its massive body out of the hole. On the end of each paw, long claws gouge into the ground, raking long grooves into the dirt walls of the pit.

You know what. I don't have to fight everything that drops into my traps, right? Not sure if ant vs bear is something I want to experience, could just let this one go, right?

As I'm wavering in my decision, watching this enormous bear, almost blind with rage as it struggles to right itself, I hear a shuffling noise behind me and my heart just drops.

Please don't.

Just...

Not now.

My silent pleas go completely unheard on this occasion as Tiny dashes past me, his eyes alight with the joy of battle and his body radiating enthusiasm for the fight.

I mean... I ... fine.

FINE!

You may be dumber than a stump that has been uprooted and carved into the shape of a smaller, less intelligent stump but nobody could question your courage Tiny.

Or are you just too stupid to understand odds?

How could I let Tiny risk himself and not assist? Obviously I cannot! This action will not stand! Onward Anthony, to battle!

I kick the motor into high gear and hurl myself forward as fast as I can. I want to try and reach the bear before Tiny does so I can draw the aggro and protect my ape friend.

You haven't finished paying me back yet Tiny, you're not allowed to kick the bucket!

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Chapter 76 I can"t bear i

When Tiny notices I'm running forward, about to overtake him, he speeds up!

Stop it you stupid ape! I'm trying to save your damn life!

Oblivious to my good intentions, Tiny is sprinting with all of his ape might, grinning from ear to ear and screeching out his simple minded lust for battle.

Bless you, you idiot.

Gritting my mandibles tight I exert every ounce of my strength into my legs, moving them so quickly they flicker in my eyesight. Is this the legendary shadow step technique?!

It's enough. Triumph surging in my heart I pass my ape companion at the last possible moment and break out of the tunnel and into the open pit.

Ha ha! Take that Tiny you slug!

Oh right, the bear.

Before I have a chance to throw the breaks on I smash into the bear, effectively head butting it rather close to the eye, quite hard due to my impressive momentum. The bear of course is extremely impressed by this action and attempts to repay me by levering its face out of the dirt and biting my head off.

Duck!

The massive jaws snap shut directly over my head. Thankfully I've learned from past experience and remembered to pull my antennae down when I ducked, I'm not losing my antennae this time!

Ok. Now I'm face to face with a truly terrifying and enormous bear monster. Now that I'm closer to it the scale of the monster is even more impressive. This thing is probably the same size as Tiny or the Titan-Croc, but is most likely even more massive. I suspect this thing weighs even more that Titan-Croc, it's carrying some serious heft.

Watch out! Paw!

Leaping back I manage to avoid a fearsome swipe of the beasts paw, the claws whistling past my face.

Thankfully the monster is considerably restrained in this pit, it's massive upper body and head occupy almost all of the available space, making it rather crowded in here now that Tiny and I have joined the fray.

It would be nice if I try and build up a mana ball to blast this thing but since Tiny has decided to engage in melee with it

In these narrow confines I can only make use of my finest ant-like qualities to make the best of this situation.

Scrabbling up the wall I make my way out of the reach of those fearsome teeth and begin to charge up my infused mandibles. Waves of mana flow from my core, streaming through my body and charging my mandibles with vibrant energy.

Hope you're ready for this, bear!

Crushing bite!

THUNK!

Holy bristling eyebrows of Gandalf, that is tough!

When I snap my mandibles down on the bear's hide, right on his flank, it feels like I'm digging into a tree trunk with a knife! This bear is ridiculously tough! Tougher than anything I've come across so far in this place, I can't bite through it, even with my infused mandibles!

The bear roars indignantly in response to my attempted wounding and struggles even more violently to free itself from the trap, finally pushing managing to push its paws under its face and start to lever his head out of the dirt.

I'm not sure were Tiny has got to, no doubt punching the bear in the eyeball or something else horrifically dangerous. In order to keep the monster distracting I keep biting, hoping to eventually carve through this creatures ridiculously thick hide!

Using the piercing chomp this time I bite again at the creatures side.

THUNK!

What the heck is this bear made of!?

His hide feels as tough as nails. My mandibles, aided by the bonus penetrating power of the piercing bite are able to dig deeper than before, but I still don't feel as if I'm getting meaningful internal damage to this monster.

This guy is tank!

From the other side of the bear, above the constant grunting and growls as the massive monster tries to free itself, I can hear the chirping crackle of electricity. Clearly Tiny has warmed up his fists and is ready to go to work!

There comes a thumping noise and the entire body of the bear flashes with electrical light. The bear groans and slumps momentarily as the potent energy rips through its body.

Nice, Tiny! I'll give him another chomp!

THUNK!

Dammit!

I think I was able to bite a little deeper that time but this bear is a tough nut to crack! I try to pull more mana from my core, drawing it out faster and faster before it packs into my mandibles, causing the light they give off to be more intense each passing second.

As the bear is making more headway in extricating itself I decide to jump off the wall and clamber onto its back. Pushing off I latch onto the beasts fur with all six of my claws, holding fast even as I'm rocked back and forth. I can see from here that the hind legs of the bear are getting a decent hold of the ground outside the pit, allowing the monster to pull itself out more effectively, it won't be long now and this guy will be free!

If possible I need to deal some damage before then!

I pour more and more of my mana into my mandibles, causing them to be crackling with intense power, I swear my face feels like it's on fire. I don't think this is particularly safe...

Taking care not to hit Tiny who continues to fling lightning punches into the bear's side I aim and quickly fire off some rapid acid shots!

POW! POW! POW!

How do you like that?!

...

To be honest this bear doesn't seem to mind all that much at all. The restrictive acid is doing its job, hardening and sticking to everything that it hit. I can see it sizzling and biting into the creatures hide on it's right side and front leg, but the bear doesn't seem to respond in any meaningful way.

I think he's too damn strong for the restriction to be effective and his hide is too thick for the acid to deal meaningful damage to him...

If this bit doesn't work then I hope I can grab Tiny in my mandibles and drag him into the tunnel where the bear can't follow because me might be snowed!

My last ditch effort might have to be the forceful mana shout but I'm not sure I can fight this creature head on and condense enough mana to do meaningful damage...

Whatever, just bite now and worry about the rest after!

Piercing chomp!

CRUNCH!

Snapping down so hard the muscles in my head positively creak my mandibles gouge into the bear meeting the incredible resistance that had frustrated me so far, and then they keep going, biting deep.

Finally!

[Piercing Chomp has reached level 4]

This time I get a reaction!

The bear bellows in outrage and violently twists itself left and right, redoubling its efforts to extract itself. Pushing hard with its front legs and lowering its back it finally manages to lever enough momentum to drag the top half of its body up, pressing its paws into the pitfall wall to prevent falling in again.

Time for one more piercing chomp!

CRUNCH!

Every part of my face is screaming at me and I'm not sure if it's because I've focused too much mana or that I'm on the verge of pulling a face muscle but once again my mandibles bite home, ripping through the bear and lacerating muscle and bone.

The bear roars furiously and slumps down slightly in response to my assault, giving Tiny just enough time to ready himself in the bottom of the pit. He charges himself up with electricity until it crackles over his arms like writhing electric eels before leaping and delivering a two handed punch directly to the belly of the bear!

I have two thoughts at this moment, first, good job Tiny that looks so awesome! Second, don't you dare steal the last hit from me you cheeky ape!!!

As the electrical attack zaps straight through the beast, stunning it and causing tremendous internal damage I pull everything I can from my core, desperate for one last strike!

The place where I've bitten the bear twice now is looking quite rough, the bears brown and green hide is torn and punctured, offering far less protection.

This will be the last strike, I really don't think my mandibles can take any more mana, I swear they are starting to give off smoke!

Crushing Bite!

Tearing straight through the monsters defence my mandibles exhibit unparalleled crushing force, tearing through bone and organs without mercy. I ram my face straight into the wound, giving myself a truly unpleasant eyeful but also allowing my mandibles to reach as deep into the bear's vitals as possible.

This had better work!

Finally my mandibles can take no more and the flow of mana from my core slows before stopping entirely. I've spent almost all of my mana on these few bite attacks!

But it worked.

[You have slain level 14 Ursus Terra Tyrannos]

[You have gained experience]

[You have reached the level 10]

[You have reached the level cap, evolution menu available]

...

Take that Tiny! The XP is MINE!

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Chapter 77 Crossroads

I've finally done it... FINALLY!

I played the patient game, minimised my risks, limited my exposure and it slowed me down for sure but I've finally reached this point. I've been so tempted! Gandalf knows how tempted I've been! I could have just dashed out of the tunnels and into the forest, battling monsters with reckless abandon!

It would have been glorious, a sea of battle and endless challenge. Only a true monster would be able to rise above that struggle to evolve, this the choice of the brave, the bold and the courageous!

Also the choice of the idiot!

I, Anthony, am not an idiot! The proof is in the pudding! I am alive and I have reached level ten without drawing unwanted attention to myself or putting the colony at risk! Who could possibly argue that I made the wrong decision?

Bwahahahaha!

Honestly I'm extremely delighted right now.

Tiny is giving me a look of betrayal, as if I'd stolen candy straight from his hands. Are you that addicted to kill stealing from me you cheeky monkey?!

Cheer up Tiny, we are going to have plenty of Biomass for the moment!

As pumped as I am to evolve we have to deal with everything in order, things must be in their proper place before evolution can occur. For now we have an enormous bear worth of Biomass that we need to deal with.

For starters, this bear is so damn big we can't just drag it down into the tunnel in one piece so the unpleasant task of butchery falls to me. Thankfully now that the monster is no longer alive its unnatural toughness is somewhat reduced, so despite being rough going I eventually manage to get all of the food down into the tunnel. Then I take a few more moments to reset the cover for the pitfall.

Down in the tunnels Tiny is already drooling all over himself, ready to start cramming his face. There is so much food down here it is taking up an inordinate amount of space. No way we finish all of this in one go.

May as well get to it!

Om nom nom.

[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Ursus Terra Tyrannos; you are awarded one Biomass]

[Basic profile of the Ursus Terra Tyrannos unlocked]

[Ursus Terra Tyrannos: Earth Bear Tyrant, This monster is known for its extreme toughness and strength. Surprisingly fast, this beast is ferocious and easily aggravated. Known for its affinity to the earth and natural environs this monster has powerful regenerative abilities.]

It was damn tough alright. Not sure I was able to witness these regenerative abilities though? Perhaps Tiny zapping him with electricity was mucking up his internals?

At any rate, he's food now.

By the time Tiny and I are groaning and full I've managed to stow away seven points of Biomass from the bear, which takes me up to 15. Despite this, we've only eaten half of the damn thing!

Before mutating and having a nice nap I start transporting the remainder down the tunnel to the colony. On the third trip I'm met on the way by a fellow mature worker ant. There seems to be more of these guys around at the moment, perhaps the experience harvested by my earlier actions has been successful as I'd hoped?

When we pass each other we do something I've seen a few times but haven't experienced much myself. I have seen ants do this a lot in the wild and also in my own pet colony when I was a human. When two workers meet each other they frequently inspect each other using their antennae. Communicating in some strange way, checking the scent of the other ant to ensure they are of the same colony.

So as this worker comes towards me, it approaches me head on, stops, and then we engage in a short moment of slapping each other about the antennae.

To me it feels almost like an extended high five. I'm not precisely sure what information is communicated, but I get a vague feeling we are generally pleased to see each other and then off he goes, exploring down the tunnel towards the traps, probably following the scent of the Biomass I've been carrying.

I pass the same worker on the way back to the traps, apparently they had little trouble finding the rest of the food and has started transporting it back to the colony. I can probably leave the rest of that task to the workers who will no doubt show up after following the trail.

Looks like my trap network will officially become colony territory soon as I've no doubt these workers are going to start laying down food pheromone trails leading here. This could be a good thing in the end as I may not even need to be here for the traps to provide food for the colony. If I set and bait the traps and leave, there will probably be some workers hanging about looking for food due to the trails. When a monster falls into the pit, these workers will immediately attack and call for reinforcements, with which they should be able to take on most monsters without my help.

This could work out much better than I thought!

With the rest of the bear taken care of it's time to take care of the next order of business. I need to spend my Biomass!

I need twelve points in order to take my pheromones from their current 2 all the way to 5, which will leave me with three, enough to take my legs from 1 to 2 and have one point left in change.

It's a shame I wasn't able to fully upgrade everything prior to evolution, I don't think it would make much difference to anything but for the sake of completeness I'd been hoping for it.

Don't be too choosy Anthony! Be grateful for what you've got!

Ok, here we go!

[Do you want to mutate pheromones to 5 and legs to 2? This will cost 14 Biomass]

Yes!

[At this level you can choose a mutation advancement, please select from the menu]

There must be some juicy choices for this one!

The menu in my mind doesn't fail to impress, an almost extravagantly long list of possible upgrades to choose from each with its own pros and cons. Longer lasting pheromones, wider range pheromones, mind affecting pheromones?! Sensory manipulation pheromones?! Poisonous invasive pheromones!?

Holy crap! There are so many ridiculous options! Control your saliva Anthony! Preserve your dignity as the highest levelled worker in the colony!

I continue to scroll down and there are more and more juicy choices appearing every moment. Who would have thought the pheromone gland would have such a wide variety of directions to choose from? Offensive pheromones? Defensive pheromones? Manipulative pheromones? It's all here!

Then I see an option that I'm not sure I can turn down.

[Pheromone Language. Vastly increases the variety of pheromones produced and increases the sophistication of the pheromone release system, creating a more robust way of communicating using pheromones].

...

So... I could ... Talk?

This would actually give me the ability to talk? That is fantastic Gandalf! I've been living inside my own head this entire time, it would wonderful to be able to talk, even if I'm just talking to myself! I don't have vocal chords, the best I've managed so far is to snap my mandibles at things in an attempt to express mood.

I'm not exactly sure who I'd be able to talk to... I mean, the workers can sense pheromones but without this particular upgrade they wouldn't really be able to talk back. Would they be able to understand what I'm saying anyway?

Even if there is nobody in the colony I can speak to, so far this is the only method I've come across that gives me a chance to communicate at all. If I pass it up who knows if I'll be able to find another option? Perhaps at some point telepathy will come up as a brain upgrade or a type of magic I could learn, but how far in the future would that be, if it even happened?

No. I'm not willing to let this chance slide, I will seize it!

Select the Pheromone language upgrade!

HUGRACHAFLUZZZZ!!

Time to writhe on the ground again!

...

After a few minutes, when the mutation is completed I stand up and inspect my status.

Name: Anthony

Level: 10 (core)

Might: 31

Toughness: 22

Cunning: 25

Will: 18

HP: 50/50

MP: 50/50

Skills: Excavation Level 4; Improved Acid Shot Level 5; Grip Level 4; Crushing Bite Level 7; Advanced Stealth Level 4; Piercing Chomp Level 4; Tunnel Map Level 1; Mana Shaping level 2; Forceful Mana Level 2; External Mana Manipulation Level 1; Mana Sensing Level 1; Core Mechanic Level 1; Exo-Skeleton Defence level 1

Mutations: Focused Eyes 5, Infrared Antennae 5, Restrictive Acid 5, Legs 2, Infused Mandibles 5, Diamond Carapace 5, Limb Regeneration Gland 5, Pheromone Language 5

Species: Mature Ant Worker (Formica)

Skill points: 1

Biomass: 1

So this is it. This is me before my second evolution!

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Chapter 78 The actual evolving situation

Biomass has been spent, food has been dispensed, traps are taken care of and Tiny is happily sleeping off his food coma.

The time is ripe!

There is something so exciting and freeing about being able to become a completely new creature via evolution. A human changes over their lifetime also, going from baby to toddler to child to teen to adult but the process is so slow that the change doesn't always feel meaningful. Only in hindsight can you appreciate the different stages of your life.

I didn't even make it to adult in my life as a human! After more than ten years!

I've not even been in my new world of Pangera for a single year and I've already reached my second evolution. If I were to line it up with the stages of human life, then I've been a baby monster, currently I'm a toddler monster and I shall promote myself to child monster!

Considering how weak the ant species is individually, these analogies actually feel pretty accurate to me.

Ok, no more stalling Anthony, time to go for it!

[Would you like to use the Evolution menu?]

I would!

[Congratulations on reaching the maximum level for your current species. Evolution will allow you change your form and increase your stats as a monster.

Warning: evolving will make securing XP and Biomass more difficult as fewer rewards are given for preying on creatures less evolved than yourself.

A special core has been detected, by advancing your core beyond normal limits special options may be available.

Your evolution options are as follows:

- Juvenile Queen (formica)

- Soldier (formica)

- Monster Worker Ant

- (Special) Command ant (formica)

- (Special) Mind ant (formica)]

What the heck!? So many choices?! I only had two last time, and one of those involved changing my species! Ok... Let's slow down and not prejudge. Take the options one by one and let Gandalf explain each one.

[Juvenile Queen (formica). A young queen of the formica species, this evolution includes wings and an egg laying organ allowing the new Queen to begin her own colony.]

Ok. Wings! Egg laying! All very Queen like stuff. Just one problem... one little query that I have... I'm a boy! Why the heck do I have a queen option?!

Wait.

I remember now... How could I be so stupid? I've known this for ages. All workers in a colony are female!

I'M A FEMALE ANT!

DAMMIT GANDALF!

Is it funny?! Huh?! Taking someone who was a boy and stuffing them into a female monster body?! Is this your hobby? You lousy bearded buffoon! May your robes be ever grey!

Grrrrr...

Look, when I calm down and think about it, being a male ant wouldn't be that good. Male ants basically mate with a Queen and then crawl away to die, acting like disposable fertilisation machines who are then frequently eaten by the colony. In this world I'm not even sure male ants exist at all. The queen seems to be doing just fine without mating, laying eggs at a steady rate. I'm not really sure monsters in this place procreate in a normal way at all.

So I guess gender isn't all that important to a monster. But still! I'm annoyed.

Not really sure I want to be a Queen anyway, to be honest. The wings sound awesome but I don't really want to be stuck inside the colony laying eggs all the time. I mean... I may be moving away from my humanity but laying eggs out of the business district just doesn't sit right with me.

Next option.

[Soldier (formica), a larger, more combat oriented worker, this evolution includes 10 might bonus to size].

Ok. So if I was to avoid the Queen route then becoming a larger, fighting oriented worker would be the choice. This selections seems to come without any free body upgrades but instead a significant boost to the might stat all of which is dumped into size. With all of the energy in my core I could probably take my might score up another ten or fifteen points easily, making me a seriously strong ant!

This seems interesting but let's move on.

[Monster worker ant, losing the species formica and becoming a generic Monster worker ant, this selection allows two free body part choices as compensation].

This selection is back. I would lose my species, but this time I would get two free choices of body part. Is this because my species would change but generally everything else would stay the same?

As nice as two free new body parts would be, I would be forced to abandon the colony and go back to leading the solitary monster life. I guess I would still have Tiny with me but I'm reluctant to take this choice. I like staying with the colony, it's almost like having a family, something I didn't get to experience as a human.

Just having a place with other creatures in it who won't attack me is a nice feeling.

I don't think I'll take this choice.

Now for the real juice. Let's see if the special evolutions meet my expectations!

[(Special) Command Ant (formica), this special evolution unlocks a new evolutionary chain a formica commander. With this evolution comes a 5 bonus to might and a choice of aura gland which would be tuned to affect nearby monsters of the same species].

Oooohhhh. Special indeed! This choice completely lives up to the hype! A new evolutionary path of commander ant eh? The might bonus is nice but I'd get a free aura effect to buff nearby workers?! That is super sweet!

So when I fight with the colony all of the workers would be stronger? Oh boy, that is tough to pass up!

One to go.

[(special) Mind Ant (formica), this special evolution unlocks a new evolutionary chain, a formica mind ant. This evolution grants a 5 bonus to cunning and a free magic affinity gland]

Ohhhhhhhhh baby.

This is also tasty! Cunning was freakin' expensive for me to upgrade last time so a free boost is pretty damn attractive. Not to mention the magic affinity gland, would that let me produce one kind of force naturally? Like how Tiny can make lightning or the Titan-Croc spits fire balls?

As expected of the special evolution choices. They really do live up to the billing. I definitely plan to choose one of the special options, they both give me options that are extremely tempting and hard to come by, with the added bonus of not removing my formica species tag, so I don't have to risk expulsion by the colony.

But which one to choooooose?!

The command option is obviously more fighty, and the aura bonus is so tasty, the idea of being an incredible ant general, leading troops into battle is so appealing my heart is thumping just picturing that scene!

Whereas the mind ant, magical ant supreme, fast tracking my development as a magic monster user, giving me a free affinity to boot. I could be spitting fireballs or lightning, or goodness knows what?! I don't even have a clue what the extent of the possible choices could be.

Gah!

This is hard!

I mean, the commander choice obviously makes me much stronger when acting together with other ants, since the aura will be able to show its full effect only when I'm with the rest of the workforce, whereas the mind ant will be more suited to a lone ant style, although that isn't to say I wouldn't be effective when fighting together with the colony due to my increased magical prowess...

The Queen may even have a magic affinity organ for healing magic... making her the ideal support mage. I could do something similar possibly, or I could just max out on damage...

I just can't decide!

I need some time to think.

It would be so nice to have someone to consult on this...

I only just gained the ability to talk and I've yet to test it out. Maybe I'll go and try to chat with a few ants, see if the Queen is awake. I doubt they'll be able to understand me but I might get some inspiration during my trip.

After quickly checking on my traps and making sure Tiny is still sleeping soundly I make my way down the long tunnel towards the colony. Whilst I'm walking I try to get the hang of my new pheromone gland.

Using it before was extremely easy, my ant instincts were able to discern which scents could be released and there only about eight to choose from. Post upgrade I can tell that the number of scents has dramatically increased and the organ itself has improved the complexity at which it can release them, blending them to create an even wider variety of signals.

As part of the mutation process my innate understanding of the gland has improved but I still need a little practice properly controlling it. After all this time being unable to speak it feels really strange to be communicating, even if it is by a sophisticated scent language.

Let's try this...

"Hoii!"

Er...

"Happo!"

Nope.

"Hello!"

Ah ha!

A passing worker suddenly stops and gives me a few friendly taps with the antennae before moving on.

...

What the heck? Was that ant responding to my greeting?!

Just to check I wait for another worker to move past and I try again.

"Hello!"

Again, the worker stops, turns to face me and engages in what I'm increasingly feeling is the ant high five before moving on.

This is working! They can't really talk back but at least they are able to detect the friendly nature of my communication.

I could almost cry. It's so nice to speak!

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Chapter 79 Chatterbox

Now that I know I can talk to my colony members, even if they can't talk back, I don't hold back and start to throw words at every worker I meet on my way into the nest.

"Hey, how are yor?"

Still needs a bit of work on that one.

"Hoos that work goging for yar?"

So close!

"Blice to see you ablarn".

Nearly had it!

As I wander about cheerfully greeting the ants around me they typically respond in the same way, by turning and tapping me about the antennae before going back on their way.

I'm not really fussed by the lack of response to my blather, just talking and getting the hang of my new mutation is reward enough for me.

Checking in on the brood I can see the little grubs are looking a little larger and a little less sad than they were before, pleasingly plump and growing they'll become new workers soon enough.

After shouting "See you flater!" to the workers I make my way down to the Queens chamber. By this time I've gotten used to saying whatever is on my mind to every ant I see so when I walk in front of the Queen, who is standing still and accepting a grooming for her attendant workers I give a friendly wave of the antennae and say "Hey there! How's it hambing Queen?"

The enormous ant turns her head slowly and ponderously before looking down at me with her large, unblinking eyes.

"Hambing?" she said.

...

"Uhhhh".

...

She can talk?

The Queen continues to look down at me quizzically as I stare dumbfounded.

"Hambing?" she asks again.

This sensation of talking and listening using scent is very different to what I'm used to. When the Queen speaks I'm finding my antennae are not only able to distinguish the words she is speaking but also the difference in tone and voice. Her voice sounds patient and warm.

I concentrate harder to try and not make a mistake in my words.

"I uh, misspoke, your, uh, Queen... Ness".

"Ah" she said, before turning away and once again becoming still as the workers continue to groom her.

I'm still a bit stunned! So the Queen can use pheromone language too? Did she choose this as a mutation advancement or is it something that she gets for being a Queen? Does it really matter? I have someone to talk to!

After a moment I try to strike up the conversation again.

"Hey Queen, uh. How are you?"

This is apparently the best I can come up with.

Once more the Queen troubles herself to turn back and face me before replying.

"Well. Are you well?" she replies.

I'm almost giddy. A conversation! An actual conversation!

"Oh... uh, I'm good! I mean, well!'

"I am glad" she says, before beginning to turn away again.

"Could I get some advice?" I blurt out.

The Queen once again looks back to me, patiently waiting for my words. Actually talking to a giant monster ant is a little more difficult than I expected it to be, much more difficult than say, having a chat with your school friend, not that I did much of that...

It seems kind of obvious, but I need to keep in mind that the Queen isn't human and unlike me, she never was. I'm not exactly sure how her mind works, what it is that is important to her. She's probably not even that old, I mean, technically in this world I'm less than a year old! Not that it really matters to monsters I guess.

"I'm uh, getting ready to evolve! I just wondered if you, uh, had any advice on what I should choose?"

The Queen didn't respond for a long moment and I was starting to think I might need to repeat the question when eventually her antennae reached down and tapped mine before tapping me on the head.

"I sense a strong core in you" she said.

"Uh... Yes?" I respond.

"You have fought well for our kind. Choose as you wish, and continue to use your strength on behalf of your family".

"But I'm not certain what evolution is best!"

I can sense a faint amusement in the words of the Queen as she responds to me.

"All paths lead to greater strength and greater strength will improve the lives of our people. To the colony, it matters not what you choose".

Having said that she decisively turns away, giving me one last pat on the head with her antennae. I think I've gotten all the help I'm likely to get from her majesty at this time.

Turning around I start to make my way back to my trap network.

Putting aside the buzz I'm getting from having my first conversation in months, I have to say that what the Queen had to say makes perfect sense from the colony perspective.

Every evolution makes the monster stronger, the colony itself doesn't give a rats ass which one you pick, as long as you use your new power to assist the growth of the colony.

So in the end, it just comes down to my personal preference.

Do I want to a commander or do I want to be a magic ant.

A general or a wizard.

I mean, when I think about it like that.

It has to be wizard right? Like, this is magic we are talking about... MAGIC. I could lord over the battlefield like a friggin' god if I can throw fireballs and lightning bolts around! Even what little magic I've seen has been super powerful!

I want to be a magic user for sure!

Mind ant is the only way!

I rush back to the trap network and find everything much the same as I left it. Tiny still sleeping and the traps are prepared but without any prey for the moment.

Excellent.

Waste no more time on your doubt Anthony! Commence the evolution!

Select Mind Ant!

[Your monster core has been formed and enhanced, it will provide bonus energy to your evolution]

[Manual evolution is active]

As it did the first time my consciousness is pulled into the evolution space, with dizzying menus and options available to customise the process of my evolution.

The first that strikes me is that I have far more energy to spend this time around. My core only contained 10mp when I first evolved and that provided a significant boost to my stats. This time I have five times that amount, I can't wait to see what I can do with it.

The first order of business that I need to take care of is to select my magic affinity organ.

[Magic affinity organ - this body part will attach to the core and drain magic power from it, converting that magic power into a specific type of energy to be used by the owner. This shortcuts manual energy transformation and makes the selected type of magic much easier for a monster to use. When the organ is filled to capacity the drain on the core will cease].

Ok then. So basically the organ takes mp from core until it is full, converting it into the type of energy I select when I choose the organ itself...

Alright then, let's see the list!

...

Holy mother of Gandalf! Why is this list so long?!

All the usual elements are here: fire, water, lightning (clearly Tiny has this one), air, earth, poison, metal, wood, light, dark and more. Then there are some more far out ones: death, mental, space, entropy, time, healing, creation, illusion, chaos and on it goes!

There are so many!

What the hell am I supposed to choose, Gandalf?!

Okokokok. Seek calm, seek calm!

Imagine digging! Digging away at the soil one mandible load at a time, tunnelling into the earth for ages and ages...

Phew.

Think through the process logically. Firstly, we will put aside all of the natural elemental choices. Why? Because they are boring! I'm sure they'd be powerful and effective, but they sound so simple! Shoot fire or ice... Its simplistic. Who is to say I won't be able to just learn that magic without the aid of an organ? I've seen humans casting fire spells and I'm fairly sure they aren't drawing on special body parts or monster cores to do so!

If they can cast that magic, then, as a former human, I can cast it as well!

It would be a waste to select something plain like that for my one choice organ!

Nonono. I'll have to choose something more wild, something more strange and difficult, something that would be much harder for me to learn on my own!

But which should I choose?

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Chapter 80 Birth of the Mage... Ant.

So which magical energy type to choose?

Death sounds awesome, an unstoppable tide of undead ants would be cool but my own family would need to be killed first! Plus there may be a chance I'll end up zombified like the death rabbit! No thanks!

Time? I mean, time would be amazing but how the heck would it work? Stopping time? Speeding up time? Travelling through time?!?! Maybe too complicated.

Entropy? Perhaps a bit too grim and macabre.

I want something I can use in a fight but also something that has some utility to it, something I can make use of outside of combat in a significant way.

I will always choose the all-around option!

No weak points is my motto!

Perhaps it is wasteful to think this way but I just don't like the idea of something that has only one purpose. I want options dammit!

Illusion? Too artsy. I was always terrible at mental imagery and drawing.

Space? Could be amazing but I'm not certain it'll be fighty enough.

Healing is tempting but won't help me out much when I'm on my own.

Chaos? Sounds a little... Unpredictable?

Mental would almost certain allow telepathy of some kind... I'm not quite as starved for conversation now that I have the pheromone language though... There is always a chance I'll be able to gain this ability another way without spending this precious selection on it. I'll pass on this for now.

Maybe... Maybe this one?

Gravity.

I feel like it has potential!

What does Gandalf have to say about it?

[Gravitational energy allows for the creation and exertion of push and pull forces beyond natural limits].

Soooooo. What would happen if I used my forceful mana ball and made it out of gravitational energy? Would I be able to push monsters away even more powerfully?

Could I lift them into the air and then drop them?

Could I make myself float?

Could I crush my enemies into the ground!?

Could I even squash them in on themselves, squishing them into a tiny little ball?! Compacting the Biomass into a super dense bite sized snack!?

I like it! I like it a lot Gandalf!

I'll pick this one!

Ok with that selection out of the way I need to decide what to do with the remainder of my evolutionary energy.

I've got cash to spend and I'm gonna make use of it!

The first thing is my 5 bonus to cunning for choosing Mind Ant. With my cunning already so high the cost of five cunning is extreme, much higher than spending on might. Just by my feeling I estimate that 5 cunning would cost as much energy as 20 might.

After all, the might stat is effectively just adding more muscle, bone and sinew whereas making changes to cunning involves creating and connecting millions of neurons to form new and better brain matter.

I've decided to use my bonus and some of my reserve to do what I didn't dare consider in my first evolution. I shall create a second brain!

Normally, creating new brain matter would be a rather complicated matter I don't doubt, but thankfully it is relatively simple for me. The evolution menu assists and guides my thoughts as I try to shape what I want. A small, additional brain to help bare the mental load of shifting and shaping mana. Practicing my mana skills been so mentally demanding that the rate of progress is too slow. In addition, practicing these skills leaves me so tired that I can't reasonably be levelling these skills and doing something else at the same time. To raise my skills all the way I'd have to become a recluse in the colony, letting the rest of the workers feed me and never leaving, I'm not about to become a sponge!

Hopefully with this second brain I'll be able to reduce the strain and be able to practice my magic skills whilst also being out hunting and levelling. Maximum efficiency!

In the end I use a significant amount of my energy finalising my new brain matter, resulting in an overall gain of 7 to my cunning. There isn't any point investing in this brain if it isn't able to perform its job properly so I gave a significant amount of extra kick in there to make sure it can take the load I'm going to demand of it.

There really isn't enough energy left to consider going into the body part menus, idly I take a quick look at the aura organs and their cost in energy is simply staggering! For a moment my heart twinges with regret but I push it to one side. The organs are in the menu so there is still a chance I'll be able to purchase one someday in a future evolution down the road.

The focus for this evolution is building the magical foundation!

I briefly consider putting more energy towards cunning but eventually dismiss the thought. The cost is simply too high and there is lower hanging fruit to pick. I turn my attention instead to the Will stat. This one is also costly but I feel that boosting the strength of my thoughts and my mental defences will only serve me well in my pursuit of magical excellence.

After weighing the gains against the costs I spend a good chunk of energy on my Will, raising it by 4.

About thirty percent of my evolutionary energy is left to spend and I apportion it evenly to might and toughness.

To get more bang for my buck I reluctantly decide to emphasise size over density, going for a 3 to 1 ratio. This will make me significantly larger than before but gives a higher raw stat boost. For toughness I make the split roughly the same, increasing my external defence over my internal by a 3 to 1 ratio.

Anthony is tanking up!

I was already able to fight reasonably well against most creatures in the forest and hopefully with these upgrades I'll be physically capable of holding my own against most monsters before my magical abilities can level up and show their true strength.

After every last drop of evolutionary energy has been spent I take a step back and have a look at my stats.

Name: Anthony

Level: 1 (core)

Might: 41

Toughness: 29

Cunning: 32

Will: 22

HP: 50/50

MP: 50/50

Skills: Excavation Level 4; Improved Acid Shot Level 5; Grip Level 4; Crushing Bite Level 7; Advanced Stealth Level 4; Piercing Chomp Level 4; Tunnel Map Level 1; Mana Shaping level 2; Forceful Mana Level 2; External Mana Manipulation Level 1; Mana Sensing Level 1; Core Mechanic Level 1; Exo-Skeleton Defence level 1

Mutations: Focused Eyes 5, Infrared Antennae 5, Restrictive Acid 5, Legs 2, Infused Mandibles 5, Diamond Carapace 5, Limb Regeneration Gland 5, Pheromone Language 5, Gravity Magic Gland;

Species: Mind Ant (Formica)

Skill points: 1

Biomass: 1

Ok. This seems satisfactory to me. By focusing more on size I've been able to gain a solid ten points of might but I'll be increasing my size significantly as the trade-off. I'll probably need to focus on increasing my muscle density in a future evolution so that I can regain my balance between size and strength.

With my increased external toughness and my diamond carapace I'm more confident than ever before in my defence. Despite the relatively smaller stat changes my gains in cunning and will are the big ticket items in this evolution. The numbers may be small but I'm sure the results will be impressive.

Checking over my body parts I'm still annoyed that I haven't managed to get all of them to 5. The long neglected legs will be next, followed by my new Gravity gland! I can't wait to advance both of them. It'll be harder though, since after this evolution my ability to take in Biomass will be penalized yet again. Even a Titan-Croc will provide half the Biomass it did before, since I'm now actually further evolved than it is!

Bwahahahaha! Feels good!

Ok. Confirm the evolution!

Once again my mind starts to spiral away, like water down a drain when the plug is removed and before long, everything has sunk into black.

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Chapter 81 Flex the mental muscle!

Consciousness slowly returns by drips, a tiny thought falling on top of a little sensation until my mind pools together and I awake.

HOOGEDAH!

Whoa!

For some reason I feel like I was deep under that time! I technically don't actually sleep so fully losing my awareness is becoming more and more strange to me. The sensation of actually 'waking up' is starting to feel unnerving.

The next thing to hit me is...

Ah! Everything feels weird!

My body is larger, my brain is different, I have new organs and my carapace feels strange!

This sensation is really weird Gandalf!

I mean, it was bad the first time but this evolution has been a much larger change overall!

Especially the brain! The feeling of having more brain than before is so strange I can't even properly define it. It's like I can think... More? I feel as if I'm constantly thinking about the flow of energy in my core (which is almost empty) even when I'm not thinking about it...

So weird.

The other thing is the sharp increase in size! Last time I spend my might on half size, half density so my change in height and length was not quite as pronounced as it is this time. It's hard to estimate clearly but I think my size has increased by about thirty percent? It's a lot!

I take a moment to stretch out my legs and wiggle each of my three body segments, just trying to become accustomed to the new me.

Waking up as a whole new creature is just so strange, I don't think I'll ever get used to it. I can almost feel that I'm leaving my human-self further and further behind with every evolution. I mean, I have an extra brain now for goodness sake!

It's ok, just going to take a little getting used to, nothing to worry about.

I start flicking my antennae around to get my bearings. Seems like I've been sleeping for a little while, but not too much has changed in here. Tiny has woken up but doesn't seem willing to actually bother himself by moving at all. I think he's just waiting for more prey to drop into the traps.

Here and there a few workers are poking about, attracted by the scent of prey that lingers in this place. This is good since they'll be able to assist and call for aid if anything were to fall into the trap.

I'm so excited to try and practice my magic skills. It's a shame that my core has basically been emptied over the course of my evolution, so I won't be able to do much, but I just have to check it out and see how effective it is.

Eagerly I sink my mind deep into my core.

So fast?!

Almost as if I was already there my mind flashes into the core, the trailing wisps of magical energy floating and billowing like smoke.

I tease some of energy out, grasping it in my thoughts, then directing it out of my core and into my body.

The sensation is so strange. Compared to before the strain is greatly reduced!

Before, moving the mana was like lifting a super heavy rope, which I then had to drag about to put it where I wanted it to go. Mana shaping was even more difficult, not only did I have to lift this stupidly heavy rope, I also had to try and make designs and patterns on the floor with it, and if I made a mistake the whole thing would get knocked out of order.

Now I feel like the weight of the rope has been reduced. Actually that isn't even it. I feel as if the rope weighs the same but someone else is helping to carry it, so I can mostly focus on moving it rather than lifting it.

What makes the feeling doubly strange is that the person helping me lift the burden is also me, just a different part of my mind.

It's... Odd.

But the effect is everything I was hoping for! Without the sheer, mandible gritting difficulty of moving the mana I can instead devote my mind much more clearly to the task of shaping and directing the energy as I wish.

So much better!

This is going to make my magic skills practice dozens of times simpler!

Excited, I activate my mana sensing ability and once more I'm pleased to discover just how much quicker and easier it is to activate.

Immediately my mental senses extend, reaching out into the tunnels around me. I can quickly detect the core I had saved and stored away in the tunnel wall, and it also appears as if there is another one nearby...

Tiny?

That cheeky little chimp has a core already?! I though his core was consumed when he was recreated... Did it grow back? Or did he already gain enough experience to condense one?

I guess it doesn't matter. For now the core is small, not containing much energy at all. I'm going to have to help him charge that thing up so he can evolve with a little more pizazz!

Finally, I exert my mind on the external mana in the air around me. Now this, is still very difficult. My new sub-brain is still able to lend a hand here but shifting external mana is far more difficult than shifting internal mana. Thankfully it isn't as draining as before so I'll still be able to practice it.

My priorities will be on raising mana shaping and mana detection for the moment. Forceful mana has proven to be effective but the efficiency is terrible. I can practice mana shaping for a long time using the same amount of mana firing one forceful mana ball will take up.

When taking into account the fact that my mana regeneration will actually be slower now than it was before whenever my Gravitational energy gland is empty, like it is now. I'm so excited to see what I can do when that little thing is packed full of energy and ready to go!

I can feel it now inside me, a slow drip of mana is being diverted from my core and into the new body part where some process is being undertaken to transform it, changing it into the new energy type.

Now there is still something I need to experiment with that I haven't really had a chance to do yet. The core mechanic skill. I feel like it will do something critically important but I'm just not sure what.

I have a vague feeling in my mind, scattered thoughts that tickle away at the edges of my perception, thanks to the ideas planted in my head when I purchased the skill and they hint at some amazing possibilities. With my second evolution successfully concluded I think it's time to divert a little attention to exploring this skill.

I crawl along the now more cramped tunnels and use my now larger mandibles to lever the core out of the dirt. Once I have it I move back toward Tiny and away from the workers. I'm a little concerned they might try and grab it, returning it to the Queen before I get a chance to check it out myself.

The Queen has enough cores for the moment thanks guys! This one is mine!

When I finally drop the core onto the ground near Tiny the bat faced ape monster looks curiously at the little spherical crystal on the ground. For a moment I think he's going to snatch it up but before I can even prepare to slap him on the head he has already grown tired of it and rolled back over.

Odd... I thought he want this to reinforce his own core... Seems like he's not too interested. You'll max out that core Tiny, even if I have to ram monster cores down your throat!

Just not yet.

Turning my attention back to the core I slowly bring both of my antennae into contact with it before activating the Core Mechanic skill.

Immediately a wealth of information blooms in my thoughts. I can sense all sorts of things about the monster the core came from, the Death Rabbit. More importantly I can sense the ... instructions of the monster, the DNA. It's almost as if within this core is the design and instructions for the Death Rabbit and I can read them all!

Not only that. I can change them!

I can redesign this creature using the core mechanic skill!

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Chapter 82 Mechanic in training

There is so much information contained within this core. It's hard to describe exactly how my mind perceives it. I feel as if there is a massive filing cabinet full of data, numbers and values under my antennae, but I can't open all of the drawers.

I can sense that there are things I don't have access to, things beneath the surface that my current level of skill won't allow me to influence, but this is a big development! Using this skill, it would possible to custom design your own monsters! Tweaking every body part and stat, potentially even their behaviour!

Eagerly I give it a try. I'll do something simple to start with... I'll take the instructions regarding the statistics and I'll shift them slightly, swapping points from might to toughness. Simple.

How hard can this be? Let's try it!

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRUNNNNNNGGGGAAAFLOOEY!!!

Are you kidding me!?

As soon as I attempt to exert my mind and change the instructions I can feel powerful resistance against my will. The information recorded in the core does NOT want to change. Only by a supreme effort of mind was I able to shift it ever so slightly and then grip the change tight in my mind, refusing to let it return back to what it was before.

After holding my change in place for a few seconds it gradually settled and became stable, the new normal for this monster core.

Holy munching mandibles that was difficult!

To be honest, if I handed upgraded my will and cunning I'm not even sure that I would have been able to do it at all. Clearly the path of core manipulation is just as draining as that of magic, requiring extremely potent mental resources in order to use these skills effectively.

I see a tremendous amount of potential in this skill. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do with it, but levelling it up and hopefully upgrading it at level five will reveal more secrets and uses for me. Besides, it would be a waste not to try and make use of my new mental faculties. If I have the juice, I should put it to use!

Heh.

CRASH!

Oh hello! It seems some prey has decided to drop in! Dashing towards the source of the noise I see that there are several workers already ahead of me, rushing towards the scent of prey. The hatchling workers look even smaller to me now after my size increase, little adorable things that can scuttle about under my legs.

To think I was one of them not that long ago, desperately trying to scrape xp and Biomass for myself out of the hostile caves by myself.

Not to worry little guys! Together we shall overcome!

The prey turns out to be just another large centipede which is quickly covered in acid and carved up for transport. More and more workers appear once the message gets out and there is a solid crowd of them chomping on the Biomass before long. I manage to snag a chunk and give it to Tiny before returning to the rabbit core and burying it in the wall again. I want to see if I can keep making changes to the same core in order to grind out Xp for the skill.

No sooner have I finished burying the core when I am disturbed by yet another crashing sound. Another trap has been triggered!

This particular prey is sensationally unlucky, falling into the pitfall at a time when the traps are swarming with workers, many of them working over the centipede and others just milling about, attracted by the pheromone trails left behind by the traffic.

Rushing over I can see that our new guest is a wolf-dragon, writhing and rolling at the bottom of the pit, attempting to release itself from all of the vines and branches. I wince as many of them are snapped by the creature's struggle. I'm going to have to replace all of those you mutt!

Behold the fury of the insect!

Workers are already launching acid and are preparing to swarm the beast, I simply join in the tide and land a few pleasing chomps before the monster is put out of its misery. For some reason the traps seem quite popular at the moment. Before the ants can start their messy work of transporting the Biomass I quickly activate mana detection skill to see if there is a core in the body. Sadly not.

I manage to secure another slice of Biomass for Tiny and sneak a few mouthfuls myself. I don't gain any points from it but it's enough to abate my hunger a little.

Tiny fed, I crawl up my pitfall traps and start to reset them, covering over the opening with layers of branches vines and vegetation until they blend fairly well with the forest floor.

I manage to pick up on something almost as soon as I crawl out of the dirt and into the open. There is a freaking ton of monsters about. Like, a lot.

The sounds of prowling beasts are everywhere around me, their low growls rumbling through the air and the snarling, furious impacts of battle can be heard in almost every direction. Where the hell are all of these guys coming from?!

Several times I have to pause my work and descend into my pitfalls and out of sight when groups of monsters or particularly large individuals pass through. With so many enemies in the area I feel it's even more important that the colony keep a low profile. Even if they are enormous for ants and even if there are hundreds of them, the colony does not have the strength to fight off a never ending horde of much larger and stronger beasts.

The pitfall trap plan is working well for the moment, no need to change course.

In fact, the pitfall trap is working even better than I'd anticipated. With a steady stream of workers scrabbling around the trap network, attracted by the calls to battle and food trails, I'm not really needed to help them win the individual battles against their surprised and incapacitated victims.

With the traps set I can trust that the workers will be able to handle the situation on their own. The only problem I can imagine is if the workers start to climb out of the pitfalls and explore the forest above, potentially attracting monsters that will start a loud fight.

To try and prevent this from happening I do several laps around the upper edge of every pitfall, laying a thick pheromone message of "dangerous! Don't come here!".

Claws crossed the workers will comprehend the message and won't climb out of the pitfalls. I can't really think of anything else I can do, hopefully the workers will be able to take care of the prey that drops into the network whenever I'm absent.

When I finished my work on the traps I've managed to regenerate a bit of mana which I immediately put to use practicing my shaping skills. The difference in difficulty to before is like night and day, putting a smile on my ant dial even as I continue to draw the mana out of my core and bend it to my will.

[Mana Shaping has reached level 3].

Yes! Already the sub brain is paying dividends!

As an added bonus I'm not even particularly tired after emptying my core for practice. What a refreshing feeling!

I find Tiny sleeping after he finishing off his snack and I rudely poke him awake with one foot. C'mon you ape! Let's go exploring!

I've been cooped up in the trap network for a while now, I want to head up to the top of the ant hill and see what is happening in the forest up there.

Eventually Tiny grumblingly complies with my repeated prodding and we head towards the nest and then up the tunnel to the ant hill. My little ape friend is getting less and less little with every passing meal. The tunnel is going to get a bit cramped for him soon! I might have to make a few modifications in order to ensure my ape companion can fit...

After a bit of climbing we emerge out of the top of the ant hill and survey the forest around us. Time to go scouting!

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Chapter 83 The ants new move

Ever since I arrived in this strange underground forest it has been bustling with activity, monsters appearing from all over the place, coming out of goodness knows where and fighting constantly.

But now ... something seems a bit ... off.

As Tiny and I emerge from within the nest to the top of the anthill we are greeted with a sheer wall of sound. The cacophony from the surrounding trees and giant mushrooms is piercing. Howling roars, filled with endless bloodlust and thirst for battle echo from the ceiling and the distant walls over and over again.

The forest, has lost its chill.

I think we can officially call it, there is absolutely nothing calm about this forest in the present moment! Is everyone having a bad hair day? Wake up on the wrong side of the ... cave?

Even as Tiny and I stand and stare from the top of the hill, elevated above the tree line I notice a few things have changed from the colony perspective.

I don't notice any trails of ants leading off into the forest right now. Having a quick sniff around I notice the scent paths have dissipated as well. It seems that conditions out in the woods have been too hot for the workers to handle so they've retreated back into the nest. Even the ever present guard detail is positioned much higher up the mound than before, retreating from the trees edging up to the base of the ant hill.

For whatever reason, the place is going completely gonzo.

Every time I come up here I think the monsters have reached peak crazy town but it seems there is always further to go!

Tiny doesn't seem to care, his somewhat glassy eyed stare darts from sound to sound, almost as if he's calculating the nearest fight he can hurl himself into. If you start running off into the forest Tiny, I swear on the facial follicles of the bearded one I will drag you back into the nest by your head!

Almost as if he can feel my simmering rage the bat faced ape slowly settles onto his heels, adopting a waiting posture.

Damn right!

I'm determined to scout out the surrounding terrain. If the humans have returned or there are creatures massing against the nest, I want to know about it! I can't be gone for long however. The fact that the workers have effectively abandoned food gathering operations up here means the colony is even more reliant on the trap network than I thought. Without me to undertake the tedious work of resetting the pitfalls that food source will quickly dry up.

I'll give myself a few hours, see what I can see and then return.

Onward Tiny! Let us move out!

With my ape companion in tow I cautiously begin to make my way into the forest, ensuring Tiny stays behind me at all times so I can scout the way.

The stealth skill must show its incredible strength now!

Luckily it does. As we slowly make our way through the forest we are frequently held up by battling monsters of all kinds. Some types I'd seen before but others were entirely new. Possibly the most fearsome was a silver panther looking creature. With each swipe of its paws blades of air would fly forward, slashing through everything they touched.

No thanks!

When I saw what was going on, Tiny and I backed up slowly and then skedaddled out of there.

After half an hour of careful stalking I finally come across something I'd been wanting to find for a long time.

In the center of a small clearing in the forest is an ugly looking mound with several holes punched in the side, each about fifty centimetres in diameter.

The mound itself is three metres high and I suspect the space inside extends down in the ground.

This here, is a centipede mound!

Probably the source of those damn crawlies that barged into the fight with the rabbits. We aren't far from the nest here in this location, if possible I don't want to leave this mound undisturbed.

How can I deal with it though? Only myself and my ape companion are here, I'm not convinced that we can take on every centipede inside that mound, there could be as many as fifty in there, slithering over each other in a hideous tangle of legs.

Yuck!

I settle Tiny a little distance away from the mound and slowly creep forward, antennae pointing directly forward.

My heat detection is picking up a whole mess of sources inside the mound. No doubt about it, this pile of dirt is jam packed full of claw centipedes.

Out of curiosity I briefly engage my mana detection skill and what I see is quiet surprising!

From within my mind I can sense the eddy and flow of magic as it constantly shifts in the space around me. To this sense, dirt and rock are meaningless and the movement of the mana within the mound is clear to see.

Two small beads of light pulse with energy inside, two monster cores!

Something else though...

Deep in the base of the mound, several metres below ground, the mana there is dense. Rather than wisps of smoke the energy is moving in potent ropes, twisting and rotating like a miniature storm.

What the heck is down there!?

I seriously want to know... I want to know so bad Gandalf!

The only way to look is to somehow deal with this entire mound of centipedes...

I think it's time... time to break out the big guns!

Cautiously, I retreat back towards the tree where Tiny is waiting, about fifteen metres away from the base of the mound. Scanning the surroundings I can tell that I have a moment of peace in which to do my work without being interrupted, but to be sure, Tiny and I ascend into the tree and blend with the foliage.

Gripping tightly to a branch with my claws I begin to employ my most potent move.

Reaching inside of myself I can sense the Gravitational Mana gland and the mysterious energy held within it. Slowly, and carefully, I begin to draw out that power, bringing it towards my throat where I start to condense it, forming a small ball of furious gravitational force.

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Chapter 84 The gravity of the situation

Even after nearly a day my gravitational energy gland is still not full. With my sub-brain offering a heightened awareness of all things core related I can tell that there has been a steady drip of mana flowing out of my core and into the new gland.

The conversion rate seems to be very slow, the gland is only thirty percent full after slowly charging since my evolution. Even with my core as enhanced as it is, it has been unable to provide enough mana to fill up the gland.

I'm starting to think that gravitational energy is actually super hard to make. At my current rate it would take several days for the gland to be fully charged from empty. I don't know if that would be the case for every type of energy. I suspect that if I had chosen fire or one of the other elemental selections then the process of converting mana to the particular energy type would not nearly be so slow.

It's possible other types of energy are even more demanding, time and space are potentially just as difficult. However the slow rate of charge actually reinforces my confidence that this was a good choice. If it was easy to do then I would have just waited until I could have done it manually myself, there would be no need to invest a precious body upgrade to achieve this result. Since Gravity magic appears to be so difficult then the choosing to shortcut the process of converting raw mana into gravity energy is well worth it!

With my sub-brain helping reduce the strain I continue to draw out the energy from my new gland and pack it tightly into a tiny ball that sits in my throat. The energy flows like immaterial water, hundreds of small streams leaving the gland and twisting through my body before they are caught by the rapidly growing ball.

Thanks to the reduced effort I'm able to keep a better eye on my surroundings during the process. Concealed high in my tree and remaining still my stealth skill is able to properly display its full potential, I'm not concerned that I'll be detected. Tiny however, is becoming increasingly difficult to hide. The ape is getting larger with every meal, he currently looms over me even after my evolution. He's achieved roughly half of his full grown size at this point. On the one hand I'm glad that he is getting stronger, on the other hand we want to hide more than we want to fight right now!

He's doing his best, I'll give him that. In my nearly 360 degrees of vision I can see him behind me, curled into a ball, resting on the intersection of the branch and trunk. It looks like he has snapped a leafy branch off and is holding it in front of his body to try and conceal his muscular, gorilla like frame.

The idea itself isn't bad but he's chosen such a tiny branch that he is barely covered at all. Overall the effect reminds me a person trying to cover their privates with a fig leaf.

Still, it appears as if he put some thought into it, which is a win?

From the mound a centipede sticks its nose out of a hole and quickly peeks about before retreating out of sight. I think these creatures are also finding it difficult to hunt in the current forest. Where once upon a time roving gangs of five centipedes were enough to threaten most things, the number of larger and more threatening beasts is constantly growing. One of those Lion Ogres would thrash a dozen unevolved centipedes without an issue.

My guess is the centipedes in this mound are clustering together and leaping on any prey that approaches too close to their nest using their full numbers to suppress the foe.

Which means that the number of the little crawlers inside the mound is extremely high.

Excellent.

As more mana pours into the force ball a qualitative change occurs. I can already tell that the gravitational energy doesn't quite feel the same as normal, raw mana. The colour is certainly different. Normal mana is an intense, bright blue but this energy is a deep purple. In my mental awareness I can see the ball of dense power growing darker as it becomes more compact.

Then, with an almost audible sound the force ball ... changes. From a small, tightly packed energy cloud it suddenly shrinks and congeals itself into a perfectly spherical, rapidly rotating ball. The colour has become so deep as to be almost black. As soon as the change happens the pressure on my mind to control the process has doubled! The energy in my gland roars out in a constant stream, almost against my will, as it gets pulled into the sphere faster and faster.

Soon the ball appears almost like a spiral galaxy in my mind's eye, the flowing mana caught in the irresistible pull of gravity as it circles around the sphere in tighter circles before finally merging with it. With each passing moment the sphere grows imperceptibly larger and the pull on my mana becomes more powerful!

What the heck is this?!

Have I made a mana black hole or what?! I have to frantically focus all of the mental energy I can summon from both of my brains in order to maintain even a semblance of control over the energy. If I lost concentration for even a second I'm not sure what would happen as all of the mana packed into the sphere would slip out of my control!

[Forceful Mana has reached level 3]

Not now dammit! Claws crossed this skill improves my control and not the speed that the mana is compressed!

When the last faint trails of gravitational energy have been drawn out of my gland I can feel the almost unstoppable pull begin to affect the mana inside my core. Not good!

If I don't release this damn thing it's going to drain me completely dry of mana, even if I don't want it to.

I open my mouth wide.

The centipede mound is perfectly still before me.

The dense ball of mana, so deep is the purple now it appears to a fathomless black, gradually becomes still.

I bring all my will to bear on the sphere, forcing with every ounce of mental strength. This is far more difficult than the normal force mana ball. I feel like I'm shifting a mountain with my bare hands!

Slowly, minutely, the sphere begins to move. With every moment I continue to exert my mind it accelerates out of my throat and then out of my mouth.

BAM!

Like a dam breaking, once the momentum has risen from a trickle to a stream it suddenly explodes into a torrent.

As soon as the gravity sphere leaves my mouth a high pitched shrieking sound shatters the silence. The sphere blasts forward, slowly rotating all the while. An unfathomable pulling force can be felt, ripping leaves out of the tree I'm standing in as it streaks away.

In response to the sudden cacophony of sound, centipedes begin to pour out of the mound, claws thrashing in the air as they rush to meet the threat.

It's too late for them.

Even before the sphere impacts against the nest, several centipedes are caught in the inexorable pull. Though they attempt to resist the monsters are ripped from the ground and drawn towards the sphere. Once they come into direct contact with it they are ripped apart.

[You have slain ...]

[You have slain ...]

Ignoring the voice of Gandalf I stare wide eyed as the sphere finally thuds into the mound.

At first nothing.

Then the sphere flickers and expands rapidly! In a millisecond it has grown to be a swirling vortex of death at least three metres in diameter. Everything close to the edges is pulled in by the unfathomable force and summarily destroyed.

After a second the sphere flickers again and then vanishes. The awful shrieking sound finally disappears.

In the mound a large spherical chunk has been cleanly carved out, exposing the inside of the nest where the unsightly remains of dozens of centipedes can be seen.

[You have slain ...]

[You have slain ...]

[You have slain ...]

As the voice of Gandalf rains like a chorus in my ears I can only behold the destruction wrought by my new ultimate attack in awe.

I shall call it... the Gravity Bomb!

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Chapter 85 Voluntary beating

The effect of the gravity bomb is far beyond my expectations. That was only forty percent of the gland being charged! What would one hundred percent look like? I shudder to imagine. To be honest I'm not even sure if I would be able to control that much energy. The gravity bomb I just fired had almost escaped my grasp, even after my upgraded mental capacity.

Just goes to show how difficult magic is to perform in this world, even with my heavy investment to upgrade my mental capacity it isn't necessarily going to be enough to take me all the way to the end of the magic road. In future evolutions I may need to further invest in expanding my sub-brain and increasing my will stat.

For now the results are certainly good enough.

[You have gained experience]

[You have gained experience]

The voice of Gandalf continues to echo in chorus in my mind dozens of times, announcing the same message.

[You have reached level 2]

Even after smashing all of those of claw centipedes I only gained enough experience for one level. The penalty for defeating creatures a whole two evolutions below me is being displayed.

In the aftermath of the gravity bomb there is an eerie silence for a moment. Tiny and I begin to descend the tree in order to survey the damage more closely. As grow closer to the mound several centipedes begin to crawl out from deep within their nest, clearly protected from the blast by their position below the ground level.

These guys are seriously mad, claws snatching at the air and mandibles viciously chomping in a clear display of their rage. Tiny and I are quite delighted to see them and happily hurl ourselves upon the foes, ready to do battle.

I'm especially glad to see these centipedes survive as they are perfect for training a new skill I've wanted to level up for some time.

My Exo-skeleton defense skill!

This particular purchase was part of my effort to tank up, buffing my defense to the point I wouldn't have to fear little beasties like these guys, but I haven't had a good opportunity to test it and gain experience in it yet.

This handy skill doesn't actually improve my carapace in any physical way, what it does do is give me insights and instincts to help make best use out of my external skeleton. I can feel the skill at work in my mind as I close in on the claw centipedes and deliberately allow them to strike towards my body. Seeing the angle of the attack I almost subconsciously shift the position of my body to present a greater slope to the enemy, blunting the impact and reducing the surface the clawed beastie can grab hold of.

Gweheheheh. Behold my skillful maneuvers!

Ouch!

Another claw centipede has approached from the side and bitten me! Damn thing!

Clearly my skills need improving...

In this way I allow several of the skittering monsters to approach me and attack whilst I stand there and take it like an ant! I try to react as fast as I can, adjusting my position with all the speed and precision I can in order to reduce any damage taken.

To be honest, very little damage has actually been taken. My diamond carapace and improved toughness is showing itself to be more than capable of blunting the attacks of these monsters, my double, core boosted evolutions are displaying their effects now! These yet to evolve centipedes are simply no threat to me!

[Exo-skeleton defense has reached level 2]

Haha! The perfect way to improve ones' defensive skills, tanking blows from weak enemies! This is the ultimate wisdom of humanity on display you foolish centipedes!

Four of the ugly monsters have surrounded me now, battering me on all sides as I continue to make small adjustments in my stance and posture.

[Exo-skeleton defense has reached level 3]

Bwahahaha!

Wait, Tiny nooo!

Having finished off his own opponents my ape companion has gleefully rushed over, impressive fists crackling will blue electricity and in only a few short moments he has pounded the centipedes around me into paste.

As I stand stunned and staring, Tiny turns his bat face towards me, beaming with pride.

... Well done buddy. Well done.

Tiny flaps his little bat ears and leaps into eating scooping up handfuls of monster and cramming it into his face.

... gross.

Ok fine then. I start to hunt around the mound, curiously prodding here and there to see what I can find. After searching around the outside of the mound I manage to find a small, tennis ball sized lump which I cannot really describe. When I try and pick it up I find that it is seriously heavy!

Is this the compressed remains of the gravity bomb?! Did it really manage to squish all of that dirt and Biomass into this little ball?!

That is a truly terrifying level of compression Gandalf!

It's like having a car crusher launched from my mouth!

It's almost a shame that I can't really eat this ball, it would appear to be a rather disgusting cocktail, three parts dirt, one part crushed centipede. There is probably a couple of points of Biomass mashed into here, it's a shame to see them go to waste but a stomach full of dirt wasn't really what I had in mind for a snack...

Tiny will probably eat it.

Now where were those cores?

I detected two monster cores when I scanned the mound as well as that strange convergence of energy at the deepest recesses of this nest. I'm very keen to discover just what on Pangera that was.

Quickly activating magic detection it seems as if one of the cores has simply vanished, perhaps crushed by the gravity bomb... Whilst the second is deep in the mound, close to that strange energy I had sensed.

Climbing over the edge of the mound I get my first glimpse of the inside of the centipedes home. It appears as if the outer layer of the mound covers a large hollow space on the inside, a space that extends several meters underground. These mounds contain even more space that I'd assumed! No wonder so many centipedes can fit in one of these things!

Right down the bottom of the mound the open space converges again into a narrow hole that extends deeper still. Right in the bottom I can see an extremely bright source of concentrated mana. The mana is so thick I can visibly see it swirling in place, leaking out of the dirt and hovering like smoke in the air.

What the heck is this?!

I can also see a centipede attempting to hide itself by curling it's body together beneath the mana. This centipede appears to have a slight blue tinge to its carapace, and is slightly smaller than the normal claw centipede. This must be an evolved specimen!

Attempting to hide eh? Perhaps you were smart enough to realise you couldn't win in a fight against something that could obliterate the nest in one hit? Thought your only chance to survive was to conceal yourself down here eh?

Tough luck buddy! Nobody slips past this ant!

Before the monster can discover it has been found I turn to present the commercial harbour to the foe and blast it with acid!

POW!

Immediately a horrified screech can be heard and the monster immediately writhes and attempts to charge out of its hidey hole towards me in one last desperate charge.

CHOMP!

[You have slain level 3 Nobiles iuuenes scolopendra]

One snap of the mandibles is enough to fatally wound my smaller opponent. Weak! This is an evolved monster?

Better grab a bite.

[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Nobiles iuuenes scolopendra, you are awarded one Biomass]

[Basic profile of the Nobiles iuuenes scolopendra unlocked]

[Nobiles iuuenes scolopendra: Noble centipede young, This evolution of the claw centipede is weaker than the base monster in terms of raw fighting strength but instead gains intelligence and the ability to coordinate its more primitive brethren]

Interesting! So this evolution of the centipede is like a leader caste? It appears as if the centipedes who successfully evolve into the adult claw centipede have to leave the nest of their kind, they could hardly fit after all, whereas this evolution stays in the mound and helps coordinate their fellow kind.

Also, young? That word leads me to believe there are quite a few evolutions ahead of this noble centipede, increasing its cunning and becoming a more capable leader?

Interesting...

I quickly rummage through the Biomass until I manage to locate the monster core which I quickly absorb, taking my maximum mana up to 52.

It'll be a long road to 100...

I then start to consume the food whilst watching the bizarre mana phenomenon below me. What on earth is going on down there?

By the time I finish my meal, gaining another two Biomass for my trouble I get an answer.

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Chapter 86 Still much to learn

As I ate the mana cloud beneath me grew more intense, radiating a blinding glow that forced me to turn my head away to avert my eyes.

Curse my lack of eyelids! Sometimes an entity just has to blink!

There is a bright flash and then the intensity of the light fades, allowing me to turn back and observe what the heck just took place.

The mana cloud is still there, lazily swirling as the glowing energy leeches out of the walls, but there is also a centipede! A brand new claw centipede uncurls itself and upon seeing me staring down at it, immediately opens its claws and charges!

CHOMP!

[You have defeated level 1 claw centipede]

[You have gained experience]

That was one short life...

Holy bushiness of the grey one! This is a spawn point?!

I hadn't had confirmation of this point yet, I had no idea how all of these monsters were being created. I hadn't seen any monsters procreating, giving birth or any such thing, but that didn't mean that it didn't or couldn't happen. Here though I have proof! Evidence! Monsters are spawned from concentrated mana points in the ground, possibly also in caves!

But why? And how?! Is the creation mana I saw in the menu? If so, who is doing the creating? Is this simply a natural phenomenon in this world, a by-product of mana? It seems ridiculous to suggest that in any place the strange energy form that is mana exists, monsters will begin to spontaneously pop out of the ground!

Just what is going on in this place?

This doesn't explain the behaviour of the centipedes however , it makes so much sense. Of course the centipedes would construct a mound around a spawn point, reinforcements would literally pop out of thin air and begin to work with the rest of them.

Perhaps in each mound a noble can also be found? Is it the noble centipede that gathers its followers together, creating the mound around a spawn point? Or do the centipedes perform this action themselves?

Interesting nonetheless.

Of course, the other aspect of this discovery is what it could mean for the colony...

A spawn point is essentially a creature manufacturing location. Looking down the mana cloud is already beginning to recover its intensity, growing brighter with each passing second. It is entirely possible this location will spit out a new centipede every hour! Free food for the colony! An endless supply of weak individual monsters to plump up those larvae and swell our numbers!

The only problem is.. How to connect it to the nest without drawing too much attention. We aren't too far from the ant hill here, it should be possible, if tedious to dig a tunnel that will connect this location to the nest. Such an endeavor would probably take a full day of digging, even with the excavation skill.

Once connected how will I manage this location? I would probably need to put down a pheromone trail to bring workers here so they are in position the moment the centipede spawns.

It doesn't seem worth it to create such a long tunnel and divert the workforce just for one centipede an hour... but securing such a safe and reliable food supply is also important!

With a sinking feeling I gradually realize what I should do.

It makes a lot of sense to connect this spawn point to the colony underground, so the tunnel will be constructed. To make the investment of workers worth the time and effort, I should also create another pitfall network here, so that a number of workers could remain in this location and still be efficient in food gathering.

This will increase the amount of work I need to do in terms of trap resetting but once a day should still be sufficient for both networks.

The only problem I have, is this is going to be a whole lotta digging...

Time to embrace the zen of ants! Dig Anthony! Dig with your very soul!

In the end it takes me almost two days of non-stop work.

Tiny amuses himself by immediately smashing the spawned centipedes and consuming the Biomass, then napping until the next one spawns, roughly an hour later. I'm starting to notice a few changes to my ape companion, his hands seem larger, his fur thicker and even his eyes appear to be sharper than before. I can't be certain but I think he might be starting to spend the Biomass he is gaining. Perhaps he couldn't before since he wasn't sufficiently grown?

In any case, if he is getting stronger then it's all for the best.

I lost myself to the timeless mantra of the ant, digging, carrying dirt and rock to the surface, only to return and dig again. I'm once again grateful for my improved stats since I was able to power through the work better than I could before.

I was also able to level the excavation skill another two times, raising it to level 6.

Through sheer minded, mandible grippingly bloody mindedness I complete this project.

Five new pitfall traps, fully completed, covered and baited with fresh centipede await their first guests. I took the time to lay down my warning message to try and keep the workers from climbing out of the traps before laying another trail, a 'food this way' message, back to the colony.

After connecting the main tunnel I visited the first network to see how things were getting on. Four of the traps needed to be reset, which was pleasing to see. Judging by the number of workers scurrying about they'd been quite successful at grabbing food from this location and were keen for more.

I re-lay the food trail a few times until I manage to lure a couple of workers from the ant hill shaft across to the new trap network. When they get there I manage to shoo Tiny away from the spawn point long enough for the new workers to find a freshly created claw centipede and quickly dispatch it, rushing back to the colony with the Biomass and sure laying down more pheromones to recruit further workers to this location.

Excellent.

I hold down the fort for a little while until the number of ants in this network has risen to a suitable level. I while away the time by practicing my mana shaping and taking care of the one Croca-Beast who dropped into a pitfall.

Once again I fed the Biomass to Tiny and let the colony take another portion. The Croca, despite still being fearsome beasts, are unevolved after all. If I were to eat them I'd end up with a full stomach and little else. Rather than waste so many points of Biomass, let Tiny and colony gain the full benefit.

Finally, as the number of workers increases I feel comfortable enough to take a well-deserved nap. Which is to say torpor.

HAGA!

After shaking myself awake it's pleasing to see that the second network has become reasonably populated with workers, enough that I feel comfortable leaving the area to them and moving on. After one last sweep to reset the traps at both networks I kick tiny awake and we are once again ready to depart and explore!

Hopefully the colony is able to benefit fully from all of this work I've done!

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Chapter 87 Tunnel solution

With the colony as well provided for as I can manage for the time being, Tiny and I once again venture out from beneath the surface and into the forest, resuming our role as scouts.

I really wish I could find out why the forest has been so much more active than when I first arrived here. Is this a permanent increase in monsters or will it start to die down after a while? Because it is getting increasingly crazy up here.

When my fuzzy companion and I start to make our way through the forest we immediately encounter another Bear Tyrant battling furiously against a Lion Ogre. The two massive monsters slash and bite at each other, every blow carrying their immense weight and force behind it.

The Lion Ogre leaps forward and attempts to bite with its impressive fangs, trying to rip a huge chunk out of the indomitable bear. However, the part lion monsters is shocked to find just how tough the hide of that bear can be.

Growling like a rumbling volcano the Tyrant bear shrugs off the Lion ogre with a toss of its head before drawing back one paw for a colossal strike. I can see the small puncture wounds on the bear's back closing over, even as it strikes savagely against its foe.

As impressive as this fight between these monsters is, are you guys really sure you want to be slugging it out in this place?

Sure enough, drawn by the roar of combat the scent of Biomass more monstrous beasts begin to show their faces. First a small pack of Dragon-Wolf cubs, then a Titan-Croc thunders into the scene, followed by a horde of blade tailed mice.

Tiny is practically clawing at the ground, desperate to throw himself into what I can only describe as a monstrous blender of death. Only my indomitable stare and a few threatening snaps of the mandibles manage to prevent him from embracing his inner lemming.

At about this point I decide to NOPE the heck out of there. There is no way that melee stops growing anytime soon! If I thought I could get away with it I'd love to try and nip up a tree, charge a truly massive gravity bomb and drop it on the lot of them. After two days of solid digging the gravitational energy gland is about eighty percent full, twice what I had available to annihilate the centipede nest!

In the end I decide to err on the side of caution. Some of these monsters may have been able to detect me as I charged up such a powerful magic, and if I were to be attacked with all of that energy stuck in my throat who knows what could happen?

With an increasing cacophony of sound rising in the forest, Tiny and I retreat and find another path. The scene does bring into the focus the biggest problem I have hunting out here on the surface. Any sort of fight is going to quickly escalate into a similar picture rapidly in this forest. Even moving through the forest undetected has elevated in difficulty once again, testing my stealth to the limit.

Eventually, I've had enough.

Enough!

I'm so tired of bumping into monsters I could fight and win but having to let that Biomass and Xp slip out of my mandibles!

There has to be a better way to scope out the situation than this!

Grudgingly, I start to shepherd Tiny to towards the edge of the forest, where the trees and overgrown mushrooms give way to the sheer, craggy walls that support the colossal ceiling to this comically large underground space.

It takes two hours of careful treading, during which I level up stealth once more, before we manage to reach the edge of the forest and take shelter amongst the stone outcroppings at the base of the wall.

Tiny despondently scratches at the rocks as I ponder our next move, I don't doubt he still regrets having to abandon his plan to submit himself to mortal danger in the forest for little to no reason. You may be an increasingly strong lightning ape with a bat face, but you are thick as several bricks stacked on one another, aren't you buddy?

This open space has become too deadly for safe travel, too dangerous for safe hunting and generally a massive pain in my ant backside!

Actually... That might be the answer.

The open forest has become a complete no go zone, an area probably filled with monster spawn points, pumping out fresh Biomass 24/7 like a franchise fast food joint. The rate of monster appearance and the general level and evolution seems to be constantly be climbing! If the forest is out, let's try and explore a few tunnels then!

I know that there are a number of tunnels that connect to the edges of this massive place, I arrived through one such tunnel after all! There are also caves and small monster habitats that have been carved into the outer wall here. All of these places are probably much safer for me to conduct my investigations and hunting!

This could work!

Excited, I rouse Tiny with a quick poke and we begin to clamber over the rocks as we follow the edge of the forest around the wall. I don't want to get too far from the anthill so we move clockwise, a path that will take us close to the hill from our current position.

We still come across the occasional monster but they generally wander out of the woods, take a look around and then return back into the forest when they can't find anything.

It's during one of those moments, as Tiny and I scurry behind a few rocks waiting for a strange panther like creature to get bored and leave that the voice of Gandalf once again perturbs my musings.

[Advanced Stealth has reached level five].

Oh ho! After all of my sneaking about through the forest of death I finally get another level in stealth! Excellent!

Seriously though, this skill is hard to raise! Perhaps I need to be more consciously hiding from a particular target for the skill to gain proper experience? I don't know. The level has raised, this can only be a good thing.

After ten more minutes of searching we finally discover a tunnel entrance part way up the wall. From the outside the tunnel appears to be slightly narrow, but I think Tiny will still fit ok, if a little squeezed.

It isn't hard for me to skitter up to the opening but my ape companion has to make a more difficult climb before he can enter. Not in the open spaces now Tiny! Welcome back to the tunnels, ant country!

Once inside, I almost feel relieved to be back into the narrow, stony confines of a wild, unexplored tunnel again. The walls of the tunnel are brightly illuminated by the scrolling veins of light that have become so familiar to me now. In fact, the light is pulsing more rapidly than ever before, the tunnel is so well lit it almost feels like daytime in here.

Curiously I activate my mana detection skill and sure enough I get a strong response from the walls, providing the final proof that the these twining vines are in fact full of mana, almost like veins, transporting mana through the walls and throughout this entire underground realm. The realization is quite strange, it almost feels as if I'm inside a giant organism, the tunnels forming the arteries that move the blood like mana throughout a strange body.

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Chapter 88 Once more to battle!

Muahaha!

Here in the tunnels my supreme senses are once again able to display their full dominance! Enhanced compound eyes! Heat detecting antennae! Mana detection! All of these things combine to ensure nothing can sneak up on me in here.

In fact, it will be I who will do the sneaking!

So long as Tiny stays a reasonable distance behind.

According to the Tunnel Map this cave seems to be winding slightly downward and curving to the left. There are various twists and turns but that seems to be the overall trend. After being in the forest, where mayhem seems to reign at all times at the moment, entering these quiet tunnels is a shocking difference. Being able to hear the faint echoes of my legs skittering or Tiny's hands gripping on the rocks has me jumping at shadows!

What a sec!

My antennae start furiously wiggling in the air as I attempt to confirm the faint sensation I just detected. Yes! A heat signature has whispered against my antennae, something is approaching, not far away at all!

Turning quickly, I hustle Tiny into a crevice against the wall of the tunnel and wait, hoping we haven't been discovered. I want to be able to get the jump on these monsters, whatever they may be! This ant is hungry for battle! Mainly for the Xp and Biomass but also to battle!

This may just be another aspect of my adjusting attitude after being reborn in this world but the thrill and excitement of fighting for your own food, the contest to see which lifeform is worthy to go on, growing stronger on the remains of the other...

It's just really fulfilling... somehow?

I tense myself as the heat readings draw closer. I think I'm picking up multiple heat sources actually... or perhaps one large one? I'm sensing multiple sources, each very similar. Perhaps multiple monsters of the same type?

I'm still not used to my heat detection sense dammit!

A moment later they come into sight. There are three of them, climbing upside down on the roof. The first impression I get is, these guys didn't skip leg day. Each of them has four seriously long legs, similar to a spider's legs, that extend far below their heads before reaching a joint and returning to grip the ceiling. Suspended in the middle of these limbs is their main body, similar to a leech they resemble a tube with a hideous fanged mouth capping one end. Two clawed hands extend from the center of their... Torso.

I'm not currently seeing any eyes on these things... can they see at all?

Just as the trio of ... spider leeches... is about to pass over my head I slowly turn and reposition myself to display the business district in all of its glory. Thankfully my subtle movement isn't spotted and the tree monsters pass over Tiny and I without twitching.

POW!

Receive the acid of justice!

The spider leech bringing up the rear is doused in restrictive acid before it has a chance to respond, the sticky acid immediately congeals and burns away at its soft body, steam begins rising from it.

My victim unleashes a horrifying yowl that penetrates my ears instantly. Holy heck! It sounds like one hundred cats just got trod on their tail! What is this ungodly noise Gandalf!?

All three monsters turn towards me with dizzying speed and before I can release my second acid blast the world goes black!

What the heck happened! I can't see a damned thing!

My antennae continue to wave frantically and I'm relieved to find I can still detect the body heat of our three opponents, as well as Tiny next to me. Gritting my mandibles I activate mana sensing as I dodge to one side.

No sooner had I leapt to the left than I feel a sharp wind rush past followed by the crunching sound of something piercing into stone. Yikes!

Unsurprisingly, each of these monsters has a core, lighting them up like a Christmas tree. Although it's distracting and difficult to keep the skill active for a long time, I'm going to leave it on for the time being. Combined with my heat detection it'll allow me to locate the enemy at the very least!

Tiny started bellowing in rage as soon as the lights went out, frustrated he can't strike at his enemy in the darkness. Electricity immediately begins to crackle around his body, twisting and writhing down his arms like deadly serpents, but he has no idea what to do with it and continues to shout and beat his chest, daring the enemy to show themselves to him.

I refuse to slow down and continue to dodge here and there, anticipating a strike at any moment. My sense are telling me that the three spider leeches are still attached to roof, roughly were they were when I last saw them, which leads to believe they have some method of attacking from range, I can't sit still!

Sure enough, as I continue to erratically leap from place to place I hear the occasional crunch as some projectile smashes in the rock and dirt around my feet.

This is dangerous!

Turning suddenly I rush with all my strength towards and then up the wall. Three versus one they'll certainly win the ranged battle, so I'm going to join them on the ceiling! Frankly it's my favorite place to fight!

[mana sensing has reached level 2]

I can feel my sub-brain burning out, maintaining the detection skill requires a lot of concentration and I'm not really helping to carry the load with my main mind, since I'm focusing on the fight. Hold on for a bit longer little brain!

Whatever they've done to block my eyesight is still in effect, the entire tunnel has become completely dark, not a whisper of light is reaching my eyes, even from the walls under my very feet. I can't imagine anything natural would be able to produce such an effect, it must be a magical phenomenon of some kind!

Now I'm even more keen to take a bite out of these creatures. Anything with a core advanced enough to cast spells must have evolved several times, surely! Give me that Biomass!

As I skitter up the tunnel wall in a zigzagging pattern dodging their projectiles as best I can, Tiny has finally had enough. I can almost feel the rage burning in his bat eyes as he opens his maw wide and unleashes a piercing supersonic scream!

As the waves of sound wash over me I manage to resist the mind numbing effect but the spiders don't appear to have been so lucky, I can feel their heat signature flinch and the mana in their bodies appears disrupted for a moment before it recovers.

A moment is all I need! With the speed of a leopard ... ant, I rush onto the ceiling and dash forward to engage in upside down combat!

Approaching from the monster's left I weave in between its long legs and clamp down with a mighty crunch!

How to describe the feeling of biting down a spider legged leech monster's tube like body?

...

Disgusting.

Seriously disgusting.

My mandibles snap shut with a horrible squelching sound, like feet stuck in deep mud, before the monster basically... pops, showering my face with indescribable substances.

I mean... YUCK!

Dammit Gandalf!

[you have slain level 16 tenebris serpere]

[You have gained experience]

[You have reached level 3]

Muahaha!

I may be covered in goop, but worth it!

As the now lifeless body of the monster loses its grip and falls to the floor I am already advancing on the second spider leech, mandibles open wide and ready to deliver my justice.

Sensing my approach I can feel the monster quiver and leap off the ceiling, seeking to put some distance between us. I can see the flow of mana flare in the creatures core for a moment and I immediately scrabble to dodge, just as another sharp impact threads between my legs, narrowly missing.

What the heck is that spell!?

The spider leech may have been pleased with its strategy for a moment but after it lands and attacks me it is soon set upon by a truly irritated Tiny, who was clearly able to hear the monster land. Swinging wildly with his electric fists my ape companion soon manages to connect with his invisible foe and splatters them in a single punch.

Meanwhile I commit to the final target, running a random pattern to throw off the projectiles I close quickly, charging my infused mandibles to end it quickly!

SNAP!

The monster manages to narrowly avoid my strike, jerking back its body at the last moment, but I still manage to seize of the legs.

CRUNCH!

Showing no mercy I sever the leg, closing my ears to the almost demonic yowling of the beast as I plunge forward to deliver a crushing bite!

POP!

[You have defeated level 14 tenebris serpere]

[You have gained experience]

[You have reached level 4]

UGH! DISGUSTING!

Chapter 89 Splendid Chap

Flush with the glow of a hard won victory, Tiny and I are unusually not looking forward to the next reward, the Biomass.

Unfortunately, whatever was blocking our sight ended with the defeat of the last monster, clearing our vision to take in a truly wonderful scene.

The monsters practically exploded when bitten and the remains are scattered over the tunnel floor in a truly unpleasant image. Something this abstract would have to be a Picasso? The spattered goop certainly leaves a strong impression.

Sharing an unwilling look with Tiny we both begin to pick over the tunnel floor reluctantly, looking for something that looks like edible Biomass.

[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Tenebris Serpere, you are awarded one Biomass]

[Basic profile of the Tenebris Serpere unlocked]

[Tenebris Serpere: Dark Crawler, Produced in the Monster Forges of the Troglodyte engineering guilds, these creatures are tailor made for reconnaissance and stealth missions, deploying an arsenal of shadow magic for offensive and defensive purposes]

Uh...

WhatyousayGandalf?

What am I reading here? Produced? Monster Forges? Troglodyte Guilds?

What the heck was all o that?!

So these, truly unpleasant to eat creatures were created? By... Troglodytes?

I've never heard of a Troglodyte. What is that?

Well. Focusing back on this fight, the Xp from these creatures was perfectly acceptable. Two whole levels! Once for each! Not to mention the three cores that were able to secure as a result of this battle! Such rewards are almost unprecedented!

Surely this cannot be an omen of something bad about to happen!

...

Ok, nothing terrible so far.

I won't count it out yet.

After splitting the Biomass with Tiny I gain a further four points, leaving my total on nine. Enough to take my legs from 2 to 4 and enhance my Gravity gland to 1 with one point spare.

I quickly confirm those upgrades with Gandalf while I distract myself from the unpleasant itch by rounding up the monster cores we've gained. Three small, round gem-like stones sit on the dirt in front of us. Apparently these monsters were engineered or created outright by a kind of people called the Troglodytes?

I wonder if there is anything special about these cores?

Extending my antennae to touch one of the cores, I activate the core mechanic skill and begin to study the information contained inside. There is still much that I can't see in there, but what I can see is quite shocking. These monsters have almost no toughness at all, and very little might, the energy is instead diverted into Cunning, to make them more intelligent and towards magical proficiency, including a shadow magic gland.

These are probably the first monsters I've seen with such tanked physical stats in favour of mental and magical prowess. It makes sense if you consider them as designed monsters, to compensate for their physical weakness they were equipped with their darkness cloud spell and whatever projectile they were firing.

Interesting.

Out of curiosity I try and shift the values a little, just divert a touch of energy over to toughness and I find that it is impossible. When I attempt to make the change I feel as if I'm lifting a mountain with my fingers, there is no way that is going to happen Gandalf! No way at all!

Although it was difficult when I made a change to the undead rabbit core, it was nowhere near this hard! Perhaps the more a core has been engineered and changed the harder it becomes to make additional changes? I can test this theory by working on the rabbit core again when I get back to the nest...

Well, since I can't practice on these cores, I may as well absorb them!

[Compatible monster core detected. Would you like to reinforce your core or reconstitute a monster?]

Reinforce that sucka!

I take in two of the cores which increase my Mp by three points each, which is interesting. For the final core I push it towards Tiny and try to get him to absorb it.

When he sees I've pushed the core towards him he stares blankly at it for a moment before pushing it back to me.

...

Thinking he didn't understand what I wanted I use my mandibles to push it right up to him and then step back, watching him.

He looks at the core.

He looks at me.

He sits down.

He looks back to the core.

Then he reaches out with one hand, picks up the core and throws it back at me.

...

You damned cheeky ape! That hit me right in the face!

Losing my temper, I pick up the core in my mandibles and rush at him. He seems stunned to see my charge but I don't give him a chance to escape and start beating him over the head with the core.

Whack! Bash!

Absorb the stupid core you moron! Don't give me any of your cheek!

After hitting him probably ten times I notice that I'm only hitting him with my mandibles now and the core is gone. Stepping back Tiny is looking at me with a reproachful expression, clearly not happy with my violent treatment. I gift you a core and this is how you react?! I had to beat you up before you would even accept it!

Hopefully you'll remember this lesson next time I pass you a core!

If my thoughts are correct then Tiny has only evolved once, from those small apes to his larger gorilla form. If he's going to follow me around then he needs to be as strong as possible, so it's worth it to invest cores to ensure that his evolution provides the largest gains possible.

With the rewards distributed I start to think about whether I should investigate further into this tunnel or retreat for the time being when I feel something strange from the tunnel in front of us.

What the heck is this...

My antennae start to wave vaguely in the air in front of me as I try to understand the feeling I'm getting.

I think this is...

Air pressure?

Like.. A wind? From the tunnel?

How does that make sense... You would only get wind underground if.. Something ... large... Was pushing the air... As it.. Rushed...down...the...tunnel...

...

Suddenly my heat senses begin to detect a massive heat signature approaching, fast. Not just fast, Olympic sprinter fast!

By the shining beard of the wizardly one, get the heck out of here Tiny!!!!

I grab my ape follower on the arm and start sprinting back towards the forest but I already know it's too late. Turning my head slightly as I run I can see a looming shadow growing in the tunnel behind, filling the empty space with impenetrable shadow.

Almost unwillingly I activate my Mana Sense and my mind is immediately rocked with a blinding light radiating off a truly massive monster core!

I quickly shut off my mana sense but before I do I vaguely pick up on a strange concentration of mana positioned just above the core.

I don't have any time to think about it though!

Knowing I can't run I dive into the scant cover provided by a fold in the rock and Tiny leaps in after me, fairly crushing me with growing bulk.

Sigh. This must be a comical sight, a giant and a gorilla trying to hide behind a bit of rock that is almost large enough to fit a medium sized dog behind...

As the approaching darkness grows ever closer a terrifying sense of foreboding grows inside me. There is something especially scary when you know there is a giant monster in front of you but you can't even see it!

Whatever it is, it slows down as it approaches and the impenetrable darkness gradually fades away, revealing the beast one feature at a time.

It's a massive worm, it's huge, segmented mouth fills the tunnel from top to bottom, blocking my view completely. The outer skin of the worm appears to be thickly armoured, I can hear it grinding against the rock as the monster moves.

Is this it Gandalf? Worm food? After all of this time?

I don't want to go out like this!

An irascible voice erupts in my mind.

[What in the BLAZES do you chaps think you are doing here?!]

...

Uhhhhhh...

Was that the worm?

[No it isn't the worm you BLIGHTER! Humph! No respect these days, that's the trouble with the Dungeon nowadays, no RESPECT at all!]

As the gruff voice continues to echo in my mind the gigantic worm gradually... stretches and thins itself out to reveal a smaller creature riding on its back.

This new monster is like nothing I've seen before. Eyeless, earless, with a large bulging forehead that tapers down to a wide, toothy mouth. The leathery looking skin is a splotchy red colour and wraps around a fairly scraggly, unimpressive looking frame. Thin, stick like arms and legs emerge from a torso so thin the ribs are showing.

[Are you QUITE finished you CRETIN?!] rages the voice in my mind.

Oh! Uh! Sorry!?

...

You wouldn't happen to be an ... uh... Troglodyte would you?

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Chapter 90 Conversation with a mind

[Troglodyte?! Where in the BLAZES did you get that thought?!]

This guy is so touchy! Judging from the 'sound' his voice makes in my mind I definitely consider him to be male, he sounds like a British general from the 1800's.

Oh.. Uh... I took a look at the ... Dark Crawler core and it said they were engineered by... Troglodytes... so I assumed...

[BOSH and POPPYCOCK! Only the BLASTED system in this Dungeon refers to my great people as "cave dwellers"! We refer to ourselves as the Sophos and have done since before this SMARMY Dungeon existed!]

Uh... poppycock?

What is a Dungeon anyway?

[... You are inside the Dungeon you BLITHERING simpleton! You're smart enough to talk to me but have no idea where you are?!]

I'm... not local? Sir?

I have no idea how to talk to this guy. He doesn't have eyes I can focus on, I feel rude staring at his wrinkly forehead.

[What do you mean not local? You're here aren't you?! I can't imagine a BLASTED thing like you could get out of the Dungeon at all! Those DUNDERHEADED surface dwellers lack the sophistication and senses of us Sophos! If they'd seen you they'd think you were any old monster and squashed you flat I dare say!]

Despite his voice frequently rising to a mighty roar, filled with energy and outrage, his body never moves, not even a twitch. The juxtaposition of voice to frame is completely bewildering, I'm finding it hard to focus on all of the incredible information he's passing me!

Please... Sir! I haven't had a chance to ask anyone as... knowledgeable as yourself about this... Dungeon! If I have caused offense by eating your crawlers I am very sorry! I thought they were just monsters and attacked them.

[Just monsters? BALDERDASH! I laboured many hours in the monster forge to produce those beasts! How am I to complete my reconnaissance of the forest expanse without them? HMPH! If you weren't so unique I'd have already fed you to Crinitus here!]

You can tell I'm not a normal monster?

[Of course! What do you take me for? Some primping, pink, puffy HUMAN? My people are renowned over Pangera for our unsurpassed mental magic. UNSURPASSED I SAY!]

AHH! Yes! Clearly unsurpassed!

My bootlicking seems to mollify him a little, though it is hard to tell since he basically has no face. I try not to think such thoughts too loudly lest he pick up on them and feed me to his worm.

[Hurrumph! I could detect the movement of your thoughts long before I came upon you here. Clearly not the mind of a monster spawned from this WALLY of a Dungeon! What say you, ant?! How did you come to be?!]

Uhhhhh.

How can I explain this... I... died? On another world? And then I ... uh.. Woke up here in an ant body... ?

...

...

[By the MAGNIFICENT MINDS OF THE MIGHTY SOPHOS! You were reborn here you say?!]

Shocked by the sheer volume of the response I can barely think a reply. I think I'm getting a headache.

.. Yes!?

[I see!]

A moment of silence follows as my brusque new associate absorbs this news.

[According to the recorded wisdom of my people you are not the first we have encountered in these circumstances].

Really?! Holy moly! You mean there have been more people like me that were reborn in the .. Dungeon ... as monsters?

[Yes].

...

Are they still around? What happened to them?

Another pause.

[Most were driven rather insane, or at least they had been when they encountered us. Others were killed either by the Dungeon or hunted by surface dwellers].

For once he gets through a full statement without shouting, perhaps he understand how that statement would make me feel.

Insane? Driven mad or dead?

[You don't seem particularly insane]

Uh.. No?

[Interesting. You don't find your new environs to be ... difficult?]

I .. Guess so? I mean... I was pretty used to being on my own with nobody to talk to... and it kind of feels nice to be out and about doing things... Lots of excitement and action... You know?

[... You were a human previously as I understand it from your thoughts, you don't find it strange to be a monstrous ant?]

...

It did take a bit of getting used to, I guess? I don't really think I had that much time to worry about it really, I was too concerned about staying alive and then I was too busy trying to level up and evolve, then I found the colony and looking after them has been fun... I suppose I already had a human life and it was ok to be something new the next time around?

...

More silence. I wish this guy would move or something! I can't even tell if he's breathing!

...

[Well that is GOSH DARNED IMPRESSIVE I SAY! A good STIFF UPPER LIP, that's the stuff! You won't survive long in the Dungeon being SOFT!]

Holy Gandalf! He got his pep back in a hurry!

[You know, I do seem to recall word that one of your kind had survived and gone deep into the Dungeon. Whether or not they had come from the same place as you before they were reborn, I dare not say. The old records detail many powerful monsters who survived countless battles and descended deep beneath the surface. To my people they are known as Ancients.]

Ancients eh? Seriously though, just how deep does this Dungeon go? We must be nearly a kilometre down where we are, it surely doesn't get much deeper than this, right?

...

[BWAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAAAA. Oh I SAY! What a jape! Where you a joker in your last life also? HAHA! I SAY INDEED!]

... I'm wrong then am I?

I can almost hear him mentally wiping a tear from his eye as he replies.

[We are INDEED a kilometre under the surface here, but common knowledge amongst my people puts the radius of Pangera at slightly over 10,000 kilometres. As far as we know the Dungeon extends all the way to the center].

... Right.

Why are things so stupidly dangerous already then! Not even 1% into the stupid thing?!

[Well because of the wave of course!]

Wave?!

...

[My PARDON old BEAN! I shouldn't forget that you know nothing of this place! Have you not noticed that the number of monsters and the density of mana has been increasing over these last weeks?]

I have!

[INDEED! Soon a phenomenon known on this world as a 'wave' will occur. Simply put the Dungeon will start to spit out massive numbers of monsters, pretty much constantly for a period of time, usually between one day to a week].

This is a bit alarming!

Isn't it already spitting out massive numbers? And where will they come from?!

[HAHA! This is just a DRIZZLE before the STORM my boy! When the wave breaks you can expect the spawn rate to go up at least ten times! TEN TIMES I SAY! The other BLASTED thing about a wave is that the BLIGHTERS will pop right out of the walls! Don't even need a spawn point!]

Out of the walls?! By the bristling bushy beard of big G!

All around me the pulsing mana lines that curl throughout the tunnel in their ever splitting intricate scrollwork appear incredibly threatening. Monsters will start ripping straight out of the walls?!

Wait.

Haven't these mana veins been extending into the... Nest?!

The colony!

[Oh yes! This wave promises to be RATHER UNPRECEDENTED! We've not had a wave build this high for AGES. I myself was sent to estimate the strength by scouting the forest. You wouldn't happen to have any intelligence for me on the spawn rate OLD SPICE?!]

My mind whirls in confusion and panic but I manage to formulate a reply.

Uh.. I found a ... spawn point for claw centipedes, it produced a new centipede every hour, that I saw... Uh.. Sir.

[OH I SAY! That is bad news INDEED, I think this wave promises to be a BLIGHTED DISASTER!]

His response startles me.

Is it that unusual?

[Those hideous things would usually spawn at half that rate leading to a wave! If we were to assume that the wave will be double the size of a normal one that would already be disastrous. When did you measure the speed of this spawn point?!]

He seems very intent with this question.

... Yesterday?

[Hurrumph! Bad news indeed! INDEED I SAY! I think you may find the rate has increased even further over the last day. These things will accelerate faster the closer we get].

A thought occurs to me.

Is it really ok for you to be sharing this information with strange monster? Even if I am ... somewhat unique?

[We Sophos are pacifists for the most part. Against the Dungeon we will show NO QUARTER, but to other intelligent life we like to foster positive relations. We have dwelt underground on Pangera for thousands of years before the Dungeon extended out of the depths and here we still remain].

He actually moves his body and gestures down at the fearsome worm beneath him.

[We have adapted ourselves to survive in this place, these OLD DOGS learned a few new tricks I SAY! However, our fundamental way of life has not changed. Should you find your way to my people they will welcome you so long as you do not harm us].

I hardly expected to hear this kind of talk from him considering the manner of his arrival but he has certainly been very helpful.

Thank you sir! Do you have a name? In case I see you again?

[WELL SAID LAD! My name is Formosus Bellus Pulcher, I was given this cognomen due to my incredible handsome form, as you can no doubt testify!]

I can detect no sarcasm at all in his voice...

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Chapter 91 Breaking

Well then ... Formo... Could you tell me more about the Ancient you mentioned?

[Oh yes! Ha! Now let me consult my people a moment]

... You can still talk to them?

He doesn't respond. After a moments' thought I activate my Mana Sensing and look more closely at this strange but friendly fellow Dungeon dweller.

The blazingly powerful core of the monster he is sitting on is hugely distracting. This worm has a core that is easily twice the size of the Queen's! If not larger! I shudder to think just how strong this thing is. Thankfully Formo turned out to be so peaceful!

Ignoring the blazing sun that is the worm I take a good look at this Sophos.

The first thing I notice is that he has no core. I suppose this means he isn't born from the Dungeon and is instead a natural creature of this world. Regardless of not having a core he is clearly able to control mana extremely well. The mana around his body swirls and flows constantly. If I focus heavily I can see a faint, shining bridge of mana, shaped like a braided rope, connecting my mind and his. Is this how we can communicate? Is this Mind magic?

The energy is clearly not of the normal type, rather than a blue it is a shimmering golden colour. If I focus closely I can see another bridge leaving Formo that vanishes into the far distance. He really must be communicating with his people goodness knows how far away! Incredible!

I desperately try to examine the connection he has constructed to my mind. If I learn how to do this I'll be able to communicate telepathically! Even without having to invest in a magical energy gland.

Looking as closely as I can the little I can see leaves me in awe. The construction of this bridge is breathtaking, each thread twisted precisely in a pattern that supports and extends, allowing two minds to interact. My control is far away from being able to achieve something on this level.

[Ahem! Yes! As I was saying. According to the records we encountered an intelligent monster who claimed to have been reborn into this world seventy years ago. After many years of struggling to was able to evolve enough that she could push into the deeper Dungeon and we hadn't heard from her since. Her name was Sarah as we understand it].

That sounds like a name from Earth! Is it possible another person like me is still alive here in the Dungeon? Somewhere deep?

I'd love to try and find them but I don't think I'm strong enough to survive that far down and explore. Apparently I'm not even 1% of the way to the middle! I have to admit that news has been a blow to my ego. I thought I was finally becoming strong! It seems there is a long way to go.

Hang on.

...

Something has changed. There is a different feeling in the air and I can't quite work out what it is.

Temperature?

...

No. My heat senses aren't noticing anything strange. What the heck could it be?

[Oh bother].

For the first time my new Sophos friend seems to have completely lost his vigour. He sounds ... worried?

What is it Formo? What's happening?

[Look at the walls lad].

Confused, I turn towards the tunnel walls and look closely at them. I can't quite see anything new? I'm not sure. The pulsing veins of mana are still there, the same as they ever were. Wait.

WAIT.

They seem a little... dimmer?

Quickly activating my mana sensing I stare hard at the walls. Yes! The mana level is slowly dropping! The difference is incredibly faint, almost imperceptible but it is absolutely dropping!

Isn't this a good thing Formo?! We want it to go down and slow the spawn rate, right?

The Sophos has actually begun to move his physical body, reaching down to pat his fearsome worm mount and stir it to alertness.

[No lad. Think of the waters of your own world, Anthony. When a giant wave comes to the shore, the water will first retreat, yes?]

How the heck did you learn my name Formo?

[With our minds connected for so long it is natural I can glean many things. It is very difficult to keep secrets amongst my people. The mana is acting much like the water in your world. It will retreat and dim to almost nothing before crashing back with irresistible force].

So.. So that means?

[The wave is coming lad. One day, maybe two].

Holy moly!

I need to get the heck out of here! I have to save the colony!

[What you choose to do now is up to you my boy, take your pet and find a safe place. I hope you both will survive the coming disaster].

Wait... pet?

[Yes. Your pet, lad. Right there].

He actually troubles himself to point at Tiny after I continue to stare at him blankly.

Tiny is a pet? How is he a pet?

I reconstituted him from a core, does that make him my pet?

[Of course it BLOODY does! Do you think monsters in this Dungeon are always so loyal to others? When you reconstituted him from a core he became attached to you. In this world we call them pets! Have you not taken any of the pet management skills from the BLASTED system?]

Pet skills? I think I might have seen some there... I didn't think they applied to me!

[How you have survived this long is DARNED mystery, a MYSTERY I SAY! Raising, controlling and engineering pet monsters is how we Sophos have survived to this day! We are the best in world at it lad, WITHOUT COMPARE I SAY! Raise young... Tiny ... well and he will protect you!]

The giant worm has roused itself now, it's cavernous mouth writhing and flexing as it slowly begins to turn around, digging itself into the rock wall of the tunnel.

[I must return to my people now lad. They must be warned of the scale of this disaster. I fear this wave will be greater than anything seen in a thousand years! We Sophos will not be caught unawares!]

Ok! I'd better get back to my the colony. They have no chance of survival without my help.

[Right you are YOUNG CHAP. I say you go AND GIVE THE DUNGEON JOLLY WHAT FOR! Do your best to survive and we may meet again!]

With that the worm once again expands its head, hiding the shrivelled form of Formo from view. Accelerating with each passing moment the worm burrows directly into the wall, shredding through the rock and dirt as if it were paper.

Just how long is this freakin' worm?!

Tiny and I watch in amazement as the scaly, rocky form of the worm continues to move past us in a seemingly never ending, ever accelerating blur.

Finally it tapers and disappears, leaving Tiny and myself staring at an empty tunnel with a brand new to hole in the side.

A moment later I shake myself out of it.

I don't have a second to lose I SAY!

Dammit! I've picked up his thinking habits!

I need to get the hell out of here! Only a day, two at the most before an endless horde of monsters starts leaping out the walls and ripping into the colony! The brood! Those poor helpless larvae will get shredded to bits!

I don't have enough time! I have to get stronger, have to save the colony.

I have no idea how I'm going to do it!

Turning around, Tiny and I sprint back towards the forest. Even as I run I start trying to practice my mana shaping, desperate to do anything that might improve my chances of survival and allow me to help the colony make it through the upcoming struggle.

I have the Gravity Magic gland, and that's awesome, but other than the Gravity Bomb, with all of its flaws, I don't have a method to use it!

My best chance of getting stronger in the short term is to try and find a way to apply the gravitational energy in a battle that doesn't require me to hide and charge it up for multiple minutes!

It is ridiculously difficult to do anything at the same time as manipulating mana but I'm going to do my best!

Arr nuts! I tripped!

Chapter 92 Prelude to the second war

Tiny and I continue to retreat back towards the nest as fast as we can. As we run I continuously attempt to draw out and shape mana, frequently stuffing it up and tangling my legs as we run.

This is so damn difficult Gandalf! How did you perform so much magic on the back of the horse?!

I'm not sure if this will help anyone in anyway but I'm feeling desperate to get stronger. With only a day or two left until impending Armageddon I want to improve at something!

The entire conversation I had with Formo keeps running through my mind. So much new information to drop on a person! I feel like it'll take ages for me to be able to come through of all the gems my chatty new friend dropped in our brief exchange.

Tiny and I make it back to the open space of the forest without incident, although I do trip a few times.

Even with my sub-brain assisting to draw the mana out of my core and direct it, to actually manage that process, seize the prepared mana before shaping it into the one of the many patterns that the skill inserted knowledge is telling me to use is exceedingly difficult.

However, I must practice!

Back to the nest Tiny! With all speed!

The forest is just as chaotic as it was when we left it a few hours ago, but we don't waste time trying to sneak through now. As we encounter creatures we simple continue running straight past them, leaving a trail of bewildered and confused beasts in our wake.

However, some give chase, bellowing out their challenge as they crash through the brush, snapping branches and crushing the undergrowth beneath their feet.

If I'd not been distracted with mana shaping I might have anticipated this, but there is no stopping now...

Stop chasing us you idiots! There's a thousand other monsters you could fight, why don't you just leave us alone? Can't you see we aren't interested? Nobody likes a desperate monster!

It's no use however.

With their blood up, every monster is seeing red pretty much constantly right now and is isn't long before the one or two creatures tailing along behind us have attracted the attention of other nearby monsters.

Gradually more beasts emerge from the trees, chasing the tails of the monsters who are chasing Tiny and myself.

Of course, the increased ruckus only manages to draw yet more monsters out from between the trees and giant mushrooms. Soon a conga line of Bears, chimps, giant rabbits centipedes and other monsters I'd not yet seen has formed behind us.

Are you serious Gandalf!?

How stupid are you monsters?! I don't have time for this!

By the time we reach the ant hill there must be more than a hundred monsters that I can see behind us, all hurtling forward, ignoring the cavalcade of ravenous beasts behind, solely focused on the target in front of them.

I'm actually speechless.

Just how dumb can these beasts get?

All I wanted to do was get back quickly!

[Mana shaping has reached level 4]

Not now dammit!

As Tiny and I begin our sprint up the ant hill the guards take a look and the train of monsters behind us and immediately prepare to fight, one of them ducks into the nest, clearly going to summon reinforcements to deal with the threat.

Dang!

These guys couldn't just run away for once?

I'd been hoping we could just duck into the nest and leave these stupid monsters to battle it out amongst themselves whilst I tried to devise a save the colony from the deadly wave plan.

Alas, it is not to be.

Clacking my mandibles in irritation I turn to face the oncoming beast conga once I reach the top of the hill. Tiny, tired of running and eager for battle, takes his cue from me and gleefully turns to fight, electricity already beginning to spark off his body.

After all the effort I went through to avoid this very situation, one run through the forest and here we are. A massive brawl right on top of the ant hill!

As I turn I can see the full train of monsters, suddenly stop as the creature in front of them stops.

There is a pause.

The beast immediately in front of me is a heavily mutated Wolf-Dragon. Any monster that can survive in the forest these days is going to amass levels and Biomass at a pretty furious rate after all.

The monster paws at the ground, baring its teeth in a menacing snarl, its powerful tail swinging and curling behind it.

Look you stupid monster, you chased along behind me and brought this enormous trail of villains here to threaten my nest? Do you know who I am? Do you know what I do here?

I guess I only have one question left for you Wolf...

Do you want to dance?

Perhaps sensing my change in my mood Tiny hoots in delight and starts beating his chest with his fists. Those fists and that chest are still getting larger by the day. I would estimate Tiny has achieved half of his previous size and he is certainly growing stronger. Judging by his bristling fur and thick, meaty fists I'm starting to suspect he has already achieved a mutation advancement or two...

Unable to contain himself anymore, the ape bounds forward and with one swing of his arm delivers a stunning uppercut to the chin of the Dragon-Wolf. The poor beast is shattered by the blow and cartwheels backwards, smacking directly into the monster behind it.

One punch?!

I never saw you doing push ups Tiny?! You certainly never went for a run? Where did this strength come from?

Like a starting gun, Tiny's aggression seems to have been the signal to all of the attending combatants to begin the festivities.

With a mighty roar the second major battle to be conducted next to this ant hill has begun!

Filled with rage I begin to channel my mana into my infused mandibles and then, almost as an after-thought, I try to channel mana from my gravitational energy gland instead of my core.

To my surprise, it instantly works, the deep purple energy flowing out from my body and along those familiar lines through my head, pouring into my mandibles and dyeing them with the energies' colour.

Holy moly! Gravity mandibles?! What the heck do these do?

As the mana continues to build up I vaguely feel as if I could reach out with it, as if it wanted to take hold of something, with more mana flooding into the mandibles every moment the feeling only grows stronger.

I start to charge towards the melee and spot my target, an adult centipede is slipping towards the frontlines of the battle from the flank, already raising its tail for a sneaky poison attack.

You never lose your cheap tactics, do you centipedes?

Without entirely knowing how, I extending the gravitational energy from my mandibles towards the centipede and like a rope it twists through the air with blinding speed, almost as if I'd fired a grappling hook through the air.

A strange sensation of latching on reverbs through the coil of mana and into my mandibles, and gain, without really knowing how, I pull on the rope.

With spectacular effect.

As if kicked by an invisible giant the centipede is suddenly yanked into the air directly towards me! The movement seems to defy all the laws of physics as I manage to pull this far heavier creature towards me without actually moving a muscle!

I doubt the poor centipede has absolutely no clue what is going on as it is very suddenly airborne, flying in a straight line towards the waiting jaws of a particularly menacing ant

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Chapter 93 The second war of the hill

The adult centipede hurled towards me as if pulled by an invisible string.

Haha! Behold the power of gravity mandibles!

After my evolution these larger centipedes don't look nearly as threatening to me, I could defeat them easily before and now that I'm so much larger than I was I hold no fear of them at all.

CRUNCH!

I great the arriving monster with a fearsome snap of my jaws, directly severing the creature in two!

[You have defeated level 6 Adult Claw Centipede]

[You have gained experience]

This is amazing! The power of gravity eh?

With my first foe defeated I turn my eye to the progress of the battle.

What had begun as a long line of monsters battling each other has quickly squashed into a broad, circular grand melee, with monsters hurling themselves into battle with each other as far as my eyes can see. The constant noise from all of this fighting is only serving to attract more creatures and so with each passing moment the fight extends further into the forest and grows yet more louder.

Tiny is already is the thick of it, smashing out devastating electrical punches with reckless abandon, the joy of battle sparking in his bat eyes. I hope he doesn't get carried away.

As a matter of fact, it would do for a master to be outperformed by his own pet!

Just as Tiny is about to join battle against a fearsome looking antlered monster I reach out to it with my gravitational energy and latch on, yanking it towards me and right out from under the confused apes nose.

Haha! Take that you ape!

The monster is a little quicker to react than I would have expected however, lowering its many pointed antlers towards me and bellowing with fury at having been summarily pulled through the air.

Yikes!

Quickly jumping out of the way I totally forgot that what the beast was being pulled towards was none other than myself!

Idiot!

CRASH!

Luckily the sudden change in direction was enough to throw the point of impact off and the antlered creature smashing in the ant hill beneath my feet. Even so my legs get clipped and I'm sent spinning madly into the dirt.

Shaking my head I get my feet under me and prepare to do battle with this new beast. My opponent looks similar to buck, or at least, what I imagine a buck would look like if it had been on a steady diet of steroids and its antlers were made of glittering steel.

This beast is absolutely bulging with muscle! What sort of gym junkie of a deer are you?! You need to be more mindful of your health, deer! Those supplements aren't legal!

Staggering to its feet the poor monster is still looking a little the worse of wear after the sudden journey it was forced to undertake. I won't miss this chance! Dashing forward I don't give the beast the time to gain its bearings and chomp down on one of its legs with my mandibles!

Crushing Bite!

The deer howls in agony as my mandibles squeeze down on the leg, tearing muscle and splintering the bone.

Monsters in this Dungeon don't go down without a fight though! Before I can release my grip and bite again the deer has swung its head, smashing into me with those fearsome metallic horns.

Crash!

The impact staggers me but my carapace holds up under the pressure and isn't punctured by the sharp tips of the antlers.

Thanks for giving me your neck!

Chomp!

[You have slain level 9 rapit cervum]

[You have gained experience]

Haha! Now I'm getting into the swing of it.

Just to satisfy my curiosity I quickly lean down and take a quick bite out of the creature I just defeated.

[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Rapit Cervum; you are awarded one Biomass]

[Basic profile of the Rapit Cervum unlocked]

[Rapit Cervum: Bulky Deer, this impressively muscled monster is incredibly strong and specialises in offense, being somewhat vulnerable. It's metallic element antlers are a deadly weapon].

Bulky deer?! Even Gandalf thinks this creature is overly ripped!

As I turn to identify my next target the first of the colonies reinforcements has begun to appear. Too fast you guys! Why don't you stay down in the nest and let me deal with things for a while?

It's no use however, at first in a trickle that quickly swells to a flood, more and more ants begin pouring out of the top of the ant hill. As soon as they spy the sprawling melee, these workers don't hesitate to leap into battle, charging forward without pause or thought for personal safety!

Streaks of acid begin flying into the air as more and more workers emerge, presenting the business district to their foes and letting fly! In mere moments, almost all of the combatants close to the ant hill have become drenched in acid as yet more ants pour out of the nets.

And then more.

And then more!?

Holy heck? How many of us are there now?!

When I last checked there were several hundred workers and hundred more brood waiting to hatch, the new workers who had been born after the first big battle next to the ant hill. Judging by the sheer number of hatchling workers emerging from the top of the nest some of these must have completed their pupal stage recently!

There must be five hundred monstrous ants here!

Several workers seize on the Biomass I've already secured by yanking it towards me and start dissecting it for transport to the nest.

Seeing the hordes of workers pouring out of the ant hill so close to me a sudden though strikes me. Rather than the workers running out into the battle and risking their lives, what if I brought the battle to them?!

No sooner has the thought occurred to me than I have reached out and latched onto the fearsome Lion Ogre, rampaging through smaller foes at the foot of the hill.

Come on up, big guy!

Once again the monster is yanked towards me as if fired out of a cannon. By shifting my position at the last moment I make sure that the poor beast slams into the side of the ant hill without crushing me to death.

When the dust settles, a dazed and angry Lion Ogre is slowly starting to pick itself up, not realising that it is currently surrounded by hundreds of monstrous ants.

In an instant, the monster is completely covered in hatchling workers, biting furiously and spraying acid and close range.

Vale Lion Ogre, your sacrifice shall not be in vain!

Checking on my gland I can see that my infused mandibles are draining the gravitational energy gland at a fairly rapid pace, each use is fairly mana intensive. If I can pluck a few more monsters out for the colony to take care of that would help the situation greatly.

Even as the Lion Ogre is enduring its final moments I'm already searching my next target.

Aha!

A Croca-Beast!

YOINK!

After casting out my hook, the unsuspecting monster is pulled towards me at speed, slamming into the ant hill as I dodge to one side at the last moment.

Once again the monster is completely covered in workers before it even manages to make sense of the situation.

Hopefully I can do this for a bit longer and keep the most of the ants out of the main battle as long as possible!

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Chapter 94 The colony erupts

The Croca-Beast doesn't last much longer than the Lion Ogre, with the sheer number of ants swarming over the top of the hill, any individual monster is going to get chomped apart without any chance to retaliate.

I almost feel sorry for these guys, covered in much smaller monsters that bite them and spray acid on them from point blank range. The Croca-Beast had six hatchling workers pulling on just one leg, ensuring it couldn't move, before I looked away.

It's a tough Dungeon! Don't look at me like that Croca-Beast!

Clearly I don't feel too badly for the monster, since I'm already searching for my next target.

There, that Adult Centipede!

YOINK!

Aha! Another ripped deer!

YOINK!

Yet more victims are pulled to the top of the ant hill, only to be summarily devoured by the hungry swarm of hatchlings.

It doesn't take long before I start to see workers transporting the Biomass down into the nest, already industriously dispensing that food throughout the colony. At this point the gravy train is over however. As fun as it's been pulling monsters out of the battle to their immediate doom, the drain on my gravitational magic gland has been severe, I'm already down to twenty percent!

Reluctantly I shut off the infused mandibles and the mana gradually fades out of them. At least the advantage of the gravity gland shows itself inn my still fully charged core. If push comes to shove I can still activate my regular infused mandibles to give myself some added cutting power.

Somewhat at a loss for what to do next I turn about to survey the situation.

A scene of chaos meets my eyes.

All around the base of the ant hill a wild free for all is taking place. Larger monsters stand tall amidst a veritable sea of smaller beasts. Titan Crocs, Bear Tyrants, Death Rabbits are all battling against each other whilst around their feet, spark chimps, centipedes, blade tailed rats and others crash into each other like angry waves.

What a catastrophic scene! This is the last thing I wanted to happen leading into the wave! I should be talking to the Queen and trying to work out a strategy to ensure the colony can survive, we don't have time for this stupid free for all!

Glancing quickly at the workers around me I can see that their blood is up. There is Biomass to be had for the colony and by golly they are going to go and get it! I don't think I could possibly dissuade them from doing something so fundamental to their identity.

Thankfully they are at the very least cautious enough to continue launching acid into the crowd of monsters swirling around the base of the hill. With the combatants so thick on the ground it is impossible to miss! Hundreds of individual shots are launched into the sky, literally making it rain acid on the crowded creatures down below.

Holy moly!

With five hundred ants firing their acid out at once, it makes for a fairly impressive sight! Hopefully Tiny managed to avoid getting hit...

Thinking I may as well join in on the action I present my commercial zone towards the enemies and begin to pick out some of the larger targets in the fray to hit.

POW!

Take that Titan-Croc!

POW!

Actually, take a second shot Titan-Croc, I hate you guys!

POW!

Stupid bear! Feel the burn of my acidic law!

Since my evolution my acid gland has expanded its capacity once more, allowing me to fire ten shots at a time. I continue to pick out the largest and most threatening targets in the crowd to inflict my adhesive acid upon, hopefully weakening them for any battle to come.

Even as the acid burns away at dozens of monsters in the melee I'm still concerned for these workers advancing into that maelstrom of battle. Several hundred of these workers were only just hatched! If they die now they won't be able to protect the colony during the true disaster to come!

I'm so annoyed at myself! I tried so hard to avoid bringing harm down on the colony and now, because I was rushing and in a hurry I brought the very disaster I was hoping to avoid at the moment I could least afford to do it!

Dammit Anthony! You've got to fix this somehow!

At this moment I can feel the anthill shudder beneath my feet. The dirt is shifting, as if something in the ground beneath my feet were pushing upwards.

My heart sinks as I think I realise what is about to happen.

Sure enough, from the top of the ant hill emerges two long antennae, followed by a massive ant head. In a familiar scene, the peak of the ant hill collapses as the Queen drags herself out the top and onto the field of battle.

Dammit! Not this again!

What if something happens to her?!

I run up to the Queen, I'm not even sure why, perhaps to try and reason with her so she goes back down into the nest?

"Queen! What are you doing up here?! Shouldn't you go back down into the colony?!" I yell.

It's kind of strange, I actually 'shout' in the sense that I 'speak' loudly with my pheromones due to the sheer amount of noise around us, but it is completely unnecessary since we are actually communicating using smell rather than sound. I could whisper, barely releasing any scent at all and she would still be able to understand me perfectly well.

"The colony is threatened" she replies, "we must defend it".

"Do you need to be here though?!" I plead. If the Queen ends up dead because of this I'll be giving myself a right kicking.

"I will protect my children!" the Queen replies in her deep, matronly voice.

Without any delay she immediately begins to race down the anthill, charging forward with unstoppable momentum. The workers eyes are literally on fire, blazing with a feverish energy so intense it may well scorch their foes to death before any bite is applied.

I can't stop them now...

All around the ant hill the workers are rushing into battle, eagerly, joyfully even. With the Queen by their side I can see that they are implacable. I feel as though I need to keep reminding myself that these are ants, not people. A person would hesitate whereas these workers will gladly die for the colony.

The only way to protect them now is to fight!

If I destroy every monster here then there won't be any left to kill my fellow ants!

Let's do this Anthony!

Chaaaaarge!

I hurtle down the ant hill with such speed I feel I'm in constant danger of tripping with each step. I'm going so fast I pass the Queen and find myself in front of my fellow ants!

In the brawl below I can see Tiny, mighty fists swinging, hooting in Triumph as he moves from opponent to opponent, destroying his enemies with electrified punches.

As the combatants at the base of the hill grow rapidly larger in my sight I begin infusing my mandibles with mana from my core, causing them to glow brighter and brighter.

Closer! Faster!

Out of the melee I pick one target, a mighty Bear Tyrant, mottled green streaks through his fur glowing with fierce energy as the wounds and cuts in his body regenerate at a tremendous pace.

I rush closer! Closer!

Mandibles wide, here we go!

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Chapter 95 Anthony"s figh

This is it. To save as many members of the colony as possible I have no choice but to fight!

Come on then Bear! Let's see how you go!

Pushing off all six legs I leap high onto the bear's back. These stupid Earth Bear Tyrants are a pain in the neck to kill with their innate toughness and regeneration, but I was able to kill one before I evolved so I'm sure as heck going to kill one now!

Mandibles fiercely glowing I crunch down on the bear's back!

Piercing Chomp!

The mana charged mandibles, powered by every ounce of strength I can summon from the musculature of my face dig deep into the bear's hide.

ROAR!

Enraged by this sudden strike the Earth Bear Tyrant twists its massive body, trying to see what creature has dared to strike at it in such a manner.

It's me, fool!

Piercing Chomp!

[Piercing Chomp has reached level 5]

Unrelenting, I draw out yet more mana into my mandibles and chomp down again, by jaws biting ever deeper into the bear's indomitable hide.

The bear is seriously angry now, not to mention in severe pain. My second piercing chomp has penetrated deeper through the bear's defence, making it more vulnerable. In response, green energy flashes through the monster's hide and I can see the wound I've caused visibly closing before my eyes, even as the bear reaches back to try and claw me from his back.

Not happening Yogi!

Focusing my will, I draw out more mana from my core, forcing it into my mandibles until they hurt.

Crushing bite!

This time I target the wound I've already created with my crushing bite. At first my mandibles thunk into the fur before slowly at first, then with increasing speed I tear through the muscle and start to crush the bone.

Ha! Take that!

My victim bellows in pain and throws its body to one side, rolling onto its back in an attempt to throw me off or crush me.

I'm too quick for that! Leaping high I launch myself from my perch, landing on the ground nearby. As soon as my foe has regained its feet I charge in again fearlessly. You won't get the time to regenerate bear! You're mine!

Surrender your Biomass to me.

My mandibles are aching from the sheer amount of mana I've forced into them but I don't stop the flow, instead it ever increases. Unseen by my opponent I run towards a back leg and fiercely bite down, crushing the muscle in my vice-like mandibles.

The bear staggers, the wound crippling its rear leg!

It turns to face me, bringing terrifying teeth and claws to bare but I'm already gone, circling around it with my greater mobility and jumping onto its back once more!

Crushing Bite!

Before the wound I'd previously caused can heal over I bite again! Tearing open the gash once more and ripping into the muscle and bone once more.

Again!

Crushing Bite!

This time my mandibles shred even deeper into the bear, dealing critical damage. The bear slumps to the ground beneath me and I bite down once again to finish it off.

[you have slain level 8 Earth Bear Tyrant]

[You have gained experience]

Having defeated the bear I slow the flow of mana from my core, I don't want to exhaust it so early in the battle and such a high amount of mana is unnecessary for most foes. Of all the creatures I've met only these damn bears have been able to display such a tough defense!

Who is next?!

The maelstrom of battle surrounds me on all sides, my compound eyes giving me a near 360 degree view of the chaos.

Isolated duels and mass battles are occurring all around the ant hill, and now the wave of ants has crashed into the fight. Hundreds of workers, biting furiously and tearing at every limb they can get to. The acid rain still falls from above, splashing over every monster, seemingly regardless of friend of foe.

The damage is starting to pile up, many monsters are looking the worse for wear just from the sheer volume of acid being projected by so many ants.

Come on Anthony! This battle has just begun!

I turn to a monster who has its back to me and charge, mandibles wide!

[You have slain level 2 Infant Garralosh]

[you have gained experience]

[You have slain level 9 Decaying Death Rabit]

[you have gained experience]

[Crushing Bite has reached level 8]

Gah! Those death rabbits still taste disgusting!

Surrounding the Death Rabbit is a horde of the smaller Blood Tooth Rabbits and having defeated their evolved defender I descend on them like thunder. Every snap of my jaws sends another rabbit to the beyond.

They pepper me with bites, extended fangs screeching against my diamond carapace.

[Exo-Skeleton defence has reached level 4]

[you have slain level 3 Blood Toothed Rabbit

[You have slain level 2...

[You have slain level 3..

[You have reached level five, one skill point awarded]

When I can see no more rabbits around me try to find another large monster to target. They are the greatest threat to the workers, the more I can take out the better!

Looming out of the battlefield I can see a Titan-Croc currently duking it out with a massive Dog-Snake. The terrible snake is absolutely massive, probably an evolved version of the smaller kind I'd seen earlier. It's snarling, wolf like head darts here and there, snapping with bone crunching force at the Titan-Croc, who tries to rip back with its own fearsome crocodile teeth.

The snakes long body coils and whips around as it moves, crushing smaller creatures under its bulk as it moves. The body must be at least twenty metres long! At its thickest the twisting body is almost as thick as I am!

Sorry snake, you've got to go!

Trying to force my way through the battle I have to snap and bite my way towards my target.

This is going to be tough, but I've got to try!

Even as I fight, dodging left and right, lashing out with my mandibles, I begin to draw out the gravitational energy inside, letting it flow from the gravitational energy gland and then compressing it into a tight ball of death.

The Gravity Bomb!

To try and handle this violently fluctuating energy in the midst of a battle is going to be tough but hopefully it doesn't spin out of control and kill me!

I almost can't take a step without running into another monster, each and every one of them is red eyed and ready to battle to the death, the fervour of the fight has seemingly infected them with unstoppable bloodlust.

Moving inexorably forward I get battered and bitten, slashed and belted from all sides. I can't react or respond to every strike, the majority of my focus being dedicated to handling the growing Gravity Bomb in my throat, gaining energy and density with each passing second!

Snapping left and right I bisect a centipede and shear straight through the leg of a Wolf-Dragon before continuing forward. I can't afford to stop for a second, as the Gravity Bomb grows larger, more and more of my attention is required to contain it!

The mass of energy in my throat is starting to rotate faster as it greedily sucks in all the gravitational mana I can provide. Holding nothing back I draw out every drop I have and send it circling into the Gravity Bomb.

Suddenly it undergoes that qualitative change I observed last time, changing from an ultra-dense fog into a seamless sphere, so dark as to be almost black.

Just in time! I can't hold on any longer!

I've reached within twenty metres of my chosen targets. The fearsome Snake has wrapped itself around the Titan Croc, constricting its arms and savagely biting its constrained prey.

Perfect for me!

Feel the wrath of Anthony!

Opening my mouth wide I finally release my grip on the Gravity Bomb and it blasts out of my mouth, filling the air immediately with the piercing wail I hear last time. Even through the din of monstrous battle the Gravity Bomb cuts with ease, the horrific, high pitched shriek assaulting every monsters senses.

The Dog Snake immediately sees the source of the noise and tries to disengage itself but the Titan Croc, ignorant of the danger, seizing on its opponents sudden attempt at retreat to latch hold with its claws and bite at its foe, locking them both in the path of the bomb!

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Chapter 96 Anthony"s decision

The Gravity Bomb howls through the air like an angry demon. The air itself being sucked into it, causing a rushing wind as it blasts through the air.

Trapped in the grip of the Titan Croc, the unfortunate snake frantically twists its body in an attempt to escape the impending threat, but to no avail.

As it impacts against the entwined beasts the Gravity Bomb flickers for an instant, before expanding in a blink. The high pitched shriek emitted by the ball turns immediately into a thundering roar. The two hapless monsters are gradually pulled inside the ball, consumed by it, as other nearby monsters are also caught in its inexorable pull.

Like the maw of an insatiable demon, the black sphere drags its victims in before they complete disappear, crushed within the void.

[You have defeated level 9 Canem Pythonem]

[You have defeated level 11 Growing Maw Garralosh]

[You have gained experience]

[You have reached level 6]

The horrific sight persists for only a few seconds but the impact it has on the battlefield is immense. Nearby monsters, suddenly freed from the gravity that had seized them slump to the ground, their desperate efforts to resist no longer required.

Several of these monsters, stunningly, turn and flee into the forest! Perhaps they were so intimidated or startled by their near death experience the bloodlust was knocked out of them, causing them to flee?

Whatever the reason, the panic proves to be contagious as more monsters begin to flee the field, their fear spreading to others who, intimidated out of their frenzy, turn and retreat into the shelter of the forest.

Yeah you better run!

...

Because my core and gravitational energy are completely exhausted. I'm so damn tired!

Even with so many adversaries quitting the field, the battle still rages on, turning around I can see the workforce continues to be locked it combat with other smaller creatures, here and there a larger monster is being swarmed, covered in over a dozen workers at once and pulled to the ground.

The Queen stands tall above the fray, her antennae flaring brightly with healing mana every now and again as she targets smaller groups of workers for her ministrations. To my relief she hasn't pushed herself to the very frontline, risking becoming separated from the workers, but instead has remained close to enough to help where she is needed, lunging forward to chomp at troublesome enemies before she retreats back slightly to heal the wounded and look for trouble spots.

Whilst she probably could rampage through the monsters here, I'd glad she hasn't. If she were to die then the colony would have no future.

Despite being so drained, so long as the workforce is engaged in battle I will be also. A dedicated ant worker has no time for slacking!

Staggering forward I mechanically enter the battle, chomping left and right at every monster who comes in front of my path.

The more Crushing Bites I dole out the more drained my stamina becomes, my physical exhaustion rising to match that of my mind. I continue to be battered on all sides in the fight, smaller monsters rushing in biting and slashing at me as I doggedly push through their ranks like a car slowly pushing its way through a crowd.

Eventually I'm forced to activate my regeneration gland, largely because one of my legs becomes complete crippled. My diamond carapace is able to deflect most of the harm but enough 1hp hits will eventually mount up into serious damage.

Thankfully the limb regeneration proves up to the task and my leg is mostly reformed within a minute.

My mind grows increasingly dull as the battle rages on, my actions become almost completely mechanical. Step forward, bite, bite, bite, look around for more enemies and then continue the process. I can barely even acknowledge the voice of Gandalf in my head as the battle continues.

[You have slain...]

[Crushing Bite has reached level 9]

[Exo-Skeleton Defence has reached level 5, upgrade available]

Finally there comes a time where I chomp on a monster and then look around, only to find worker ants picking over the Biomass.

All around me a carpet of remains covers the ground, the anthill rising out of the carnage, a tall spire emerging from refuse.

As my tunnel vision slowly expands and I take in the sights, hundreds of workers are still alive, seemingly unwearied, dragging away Biomass, lifting it in their mandibles before making the journey up the hill. Here and there I can see a large body being picked over by ten or more workers, industriously carving up the Biomass.

The field has been surrendered to the ants. The sheer number of us, combined with my own intervention was enough to chase away all but the most suicidal of monsters, leaving the colony as the ultimate victor.

Tiny staggers over to me.

The poor ape is covered in wounds, a broad smile plastered on his bat face.

You dumb ape... I'm glad you're still alive.

Having seen me and made sure that I'm ok my ape friend turns and begins to chow down on Biomass, wolfing it into his face with wild abandon. It's a good thing, the food will help close over those wounds faster. The big guy must have gained a ton of levels in this fight also, I have to make sure his core is ready to evolve.

No rest for the weary!

Shaking myself and using my own antennae to slap my face, I try to wake up my exhausted mind, much like a human slapping themselves on the cheeks. There is extremely important work to do!

I didn't intend to cause this enormous battle on the doorstep of the colony but since it has happened I will not waste the opportunity provided to help the colony survive!

The Biomass can go to the workers and Queen, I don't need much, but the cores I have to have. Tiny needs to evolve and I have to raise the Core Mechanic skill as quickly as possible. Judging by the ridiculous power demonstrated by the Sophos Formo and his rock worm of death, it is possible to modify and raise monsters to be superlatively powerful. If I can get my skill high enough, maybe I can engineer Tiny or the Queen, and improve our chances of living!

I briefly activate my Mana Sensing and cast my awareness about, seeking those little concentrated balls of mana that are cores.

I'm quite pleased by what I see! Plenty of cores around!

In fact, there is a very large one walking right up to me!

Oh, wait.

"Hello, your, uh, majesty!" I stutter, dropping my Mana Sensing and greeting my new Mother as she looms over me.

...

Thwack!

My heads is knocked down as the Queen whacks me across the head with one of her antennae.

Ouch. I deserve that.

"You must learn to be more cautious child" the Queen warns me gently, "you must not endanger your family".

I squirm internally at her words. Family as a concept is ... a little difficult for me to understand. I mean, my family certainly fed me and clothed me most of the time but ... even this experience of being disciplined by my mother is a bit new.

It feels ... nice. I suppose?

"I'm sorry your majes... Mother. I uh, learned about a great danger and was trying to return and warn the colony".

"Danger? What danger do you speak of?"

"Actually, it's going to happen very soon! I've been told that in one or two days there will be a 'wave' of monsters. Our enemies will appear at incredible rates, coming straight out of the walls! They could appear right inside the colony, right inside the brood chambers!"

As I'm speaking I realise just how crazy this sounds, how crazy this is! I'm talking to a giant ant Queen, who is probably only a few months old. I probably know more about the Dungeon than she does at this point, and what I know came from a single conversation! How is this even going to work?

"Do you believe the colony is threatened?" the Queen's calm, soothing voice breaks into my swirling, tired thoughts.

"I do" I say.

"What should we do, my child?" she asks.

That simple? You believe me just like that?! You'll listen to what I say so quickly?!

Almost as if she can sense the direction of my mind the Queen answers my inner doubts.

"We are family".

...

Ok then.

I guess we are.