The Antventure Begins

66. The Human Factor

Dreams of the upcoming ant conquest will have to wait for a while, there’s 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. There are a few options for the next course of action to be carefully considered before I simply run off and engage in something without thinking it through.

The war turned out ok for the colony this time. Even so, there are the deaths of tens of workers resting on my head and it could have been far worse. Even I didn’t know the Forceful Mana ball would be able to one shot the titan-croc. If it hadn’t, the entire battlefield may have become a sea of flame, barbequing dozens more workers. My own siblings!

I must avoid making such errors going forward. I certainly don’t want to get belted on the head by the queen again.

The tunnels leading farther downwards that connect to the queen’s chamber concern me. The Berserkers were able to invade through those tunnels and cause major problems. Without me intervening, the colony would have suffered far worse than it did. I’m a bit scared to go 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.

After I’ve successfully evolved, I’ll be a little more confident to explore those deeper areas. Hopefully my stats will receive a sizable boost that might enable me to be a bit more survivable against whatever threats lie below.

Let’s hope 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 colony.

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

Too risky. I’ll have to abandon this option.

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. It’s just hampered by a stunning lack of original thought.

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

Let’s attack this problem from another viewpoint. What are the roles workers perform in the colony? Taking care of the brood—not really my style. There are plenty of workers for that. Defending the nest—I’m the best fighter 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 pick and choose 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 toothache, the pain is constant and always grating on my mind.

I want it to go away!

Which means, 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. 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 towards the peak of the ant hill and the open space above. It takes Tiny 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 freeloader 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 they’re 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 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 more experience I’ll be able to react swiftly to the information my new sense is giving me.

Tiny managed 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, we head in a different direction, towards the area the battle against the rabbits and centipedes occurred. I turn about until I determine the angle the centipedes came from. The huge number of crawlies that joined in, and at such speeds, suggests there is a sizable centipede mound somewhere around here.

I don’t really want to attack the nest itself, I also want to know if there is a large collection of monsters that are close to the colony. Once again, the forest is completely alive with noise. Everywhere I turn, monsters battle and hunt each other.

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.

It takes all my Stealth and Cunning to navigate my way around without running into a fight I don’t want. I’m strong enough to fight most of the monsters for sure. Except 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 Infrared Antennae.

Concentrating hard, I crouch and move towards cover. This heat signature feels a little different than the monsters from before… 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 give up.

Just… stay quiet, would you!

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

Slowly making my way around, I manage to get a slight view of whatever it is.

I think that’s… a hand?

Is this a human!