The Antventure Begins

63. Core Concern

The aftermath of a monster battle is a fairly gruesome place. Especially when it’s ants picking over the field.

This area of the forest has a veritable carpet of deceased monsters. Black furred rabbits mixed with centipedes and the two Wolf Dragons cover the ground. On top of them, the ants make another layer, bustling with insect urgency. Their job is now the rather messy work of butchery. Most of these workers are still hatchlings, only a few having evolved into Mature Workers like me. This means they can’t carry an entire monster body back into the nest in one go and are forced to break up the food and transport it in pieces.

All around this somewhat distasteful work is being done. Workers using mandibles to carve away and lift their prize, merrily sprinting off towards the nest to make their delivery as quickly as possible and return for more.

Even with over sixty workers here it’s going to take a little while.

With the queen retreated to the nest, I’ve decided to stick around until the workers have completed their task. If more monsters come to act like vultures and try to steal our hard-won prize, I want to be here to help defend it. I didn’t struggle this hard and make the queen mad just to risk losing everything we worked for!

And glancing over the remains of the battlefield fills me with a slight sense of accomplishment. Each of those monster bodies represents experience that has been funnelled into the workers, fuelling their growth and bringing more and more of them closer to evolution.

As long as the colony can last until the next generation emerges, we’ll be in a tremendous spot, growing explosively and becoming safer.

Tiny’s already started to feast, his little hands shovelling Biomass into his face with incredible speed.

Slow down there, little buddy. You might get a stomachache.

I’m pleased to see his appetite has increased. The sooner he grows and begins to show the fearsome strength of the monster whose core he was reconstituted from, the better off we’ll be. Knowing his core came from a creature strong enough to go toe to toe with a titan-croc makes me hopeful that Tiny will be able to exert that same kind of strength in the future.

With all of the monsters here focused on the Biomass, I have a different prize in my sights.

There are a few large, evolved monsters in the bunch and hopefully they will have some cores for me. I refuse to evolve without maxing out my core!

First up, the two Wolf Dragons, gaining not just Biomass but also a possible gem. My own core is deep within the centre of my body. It’s been thereabouts in every monster I’ve found one in so far. Chew, chew, chewing to eat my way down to find it.

I gain two Biomass from the first before I decide there probably isn’t a core. Rather than finish it off, I rush to the other one, pushing a few workers out of the way in order to secure my place to hunt for that precious sphere.

[You have gained one Biomass.]

[Compatible monster core detected. Would you like to reinforce your core or reconstitute a monster?]

Bwahahahaha! The prize is mine!

Even though I have the Core Mechanic skill, I’m not willing to waste any monster core on practicing it until my most important goal is achieved—the maxed-out core.

Absorb that thing!

As the core melts into the air, the energy flows into my own, strengthening and enlarging it, increasing its capacity to store the Mana infused in this world.

Excellent! Keep hustling, Anthony, there is more to go.

Having checked both Wolf Dragons, it’s time to abandon the centre of the battle and sprint over to where a few workers are starting to pick over the croca-beasts.

Mine, mine, mine!

Pushing them aside, I greedily dive into the first croca. This one was the monster the queen directly cut in half, making it fairly easy to look for the core. After barely eating at all, I decide there isn’t anything to be had and hustle to the next one.

Hopefully my worker brethren don’t feel I’m being too greedy… If I can evolve with a fully maxed core, I’ll be able to repay the investment many-fold! Forgive me, guys.

[You have gained one Biomass.]

[Compatible monster core detected. Would you like to reinforce your core or reconstitute a monster?]

Yessss, reinforce dat core!

A pleasant stretching sensation occurs as my core absorbs more energy, growing denser and larger. The power!

With this, my Max MP has reached 40. Double what I was able to sustain before evolving. Does this mean I’ve reached my maximum?

Only one way to find out. Crossing my metaphorical toes, the titan-croc is up next. The body was leaned against the stump of the shattered tree, it’s chest a broken ruin.

I cannot believe I was able to fell such a massive creature in one blow. The power of Forceful Mana is not to be underestimated! It may be a little cumbersome to use in a fight right now, but with more Levels and a stronger core, what sort of power will I be able to unleash? My mind is boggling.

Concentrate on the present, Anthony. Control your drool, man!

Almost unable to believe it’s dead, I tentatively approach the titan-croc, fearing the massive creature could open its eyes and start wrecking my face at any moment.

Which is impossible. The all-seeing voice of Gandalf spoke to me, so the beast is surely dead. The whole situation just feels unreal. It wasn’t long ago I was riding on the coattails of one of these monsters, depending on it for safety and feeding on the few scraps it left behind.

Now I have conquered one and will feast on Biomass. No need to hesitate any further, time to dig in!

[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Crescente Gula Garralosh. You are awarded one Biomass.]

[Basic profile of the Crescente Gula Garralosh unlocked.]

[Crescente Gula Garralosh: Growing Maw Garralosh. The evolved form of the Garralosh Infant, this still growing offspring of Garralosh has reached its development stage. Able to convert Mana to fire, beware of the fireballs released from its mouth.]

What the hell?

Are you telling me this enormous monster, the beast of nightmares dubbed the “titan-croc,” is still in its development stage? Exactly how stupidly massive are these damn things supposed to get!

And again with the Garralosh… All these damnable crocodiles are the offspring of a single monster? Is this thing like the croc version of Godzilla? How would something that big even move through the tunnels down here?

Gah, don’t even bother guessing, Anthony. You still have very little idea what lies in the tunnels beneath this place. For all I know, if you go deeper, you might find even larger open spaces than this. Huge areas the size of continents. Why the hell not? I didn’t think an underground area like this one could possibly exist, but here I am, chewing on a giant croc-monster right underneath a sparkly glowing tree with purple leaves.

So, who knows?

I’m not going to prejudge anymore. I’ve been shocked so many times, there’s no longer a point.

[You have gained one Biomass.]

Thanks, Gandalf. Nice to be kept informed.

[Compatible Special Monster Core detected. Would you like to reinforce your Core or Reconstitute a monster?]

A what? Special Monster Core… What the heck is that?

After thinking for a moment, I decide to dig out the core and take a look at it. After a few more minutes of chomping, I’m able to free the core and drag it out with my mandibles.

It’s frickin’ huge.

What the hell is with this core? It’s massive! Easily larger than the core that birthed Tiny.

This titan-croc must have reinforced the heck out of his core for it to reach this tremendous size. I’m absolutely gobsmacked.

I can’t be exactly sure how large my own core is, but I’m certain it can’t be even close to half this size, maybe a fifth as large?

According to Gandalf, I can absorb this bad boy. Seems bizarre that a core this large is still compatible… Maybe because the titan-croc has also only evolved once?

I feel a little nervous about this. It should be fine… right?

Uh… reinforce my core?

[Your core has already reached maximum capacity for your Level of evolution. Absorbing the Special Core will take you beyond this limit. Do you still wish to proceed?]

What the heck! So talkative all of a sudden. Why can’t you just give me information when it’s not the last possible second!

My core did cap out at 40 MP. For some reason this core is special and will allow me to further improve my core beyond the normal limit?

Doesn’t this mean my evolution will be even further fuelled next time?

Maybe there’s a downside to absorbing the core now. Perhaps I’ll only be able to draw limited benefit, say only increasing my max MP by four points, whereas if I waited until after I evolved to absorb it, I could take the full benefit and get eight.

It still seems worth it to take the core now. Knowing a stronger monster core means more energy to fuel evolution, I just can’t turn it down.

Reinforce my core!