The Antventure Begins

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.

When 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. 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 gifted me.

What 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 in 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. While there’s plenty of dirt, the farther down I dig, the more bits of rock start cropping up. 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 functions. Rather than creating a magical shovel of light that emerges from my face to help me dig—which would be awesome — I almost feel as if my instincts are being guided by a knowledgeable digging master.

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

The overall effect minimises mistakes, 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, 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 wide and deep pitfall sufficient enough 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 pit, I’ve dug a small tunnel that runs several meters parallel to 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 these creatures lately, they would battle to the death the moment they laid eyes on me—I’m so irresistible! 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’s nothing to do but await the juicy prey that will fall directly into my greedy mandibles.

Muahaha!

However… 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 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 monsters directly to the pitfall. Now for what to use…

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 Tiny were 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 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.

And this idle time should not be wasted. The spirit of the worker pulses within me, demanding my time be used productively. For the colony!

Ranging a little distance away from the trap, I survey the terrain for a space that will suit my needs, finding an appealing patch of earth thirty metres away. 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, a huge part of the effort is spreading the dirt around in a way that looks reasonably natural, creating an enormous mound directly next to your hole is not necessarily the greatest way to lure prey. One’s pitfall trap does not require advertising.

After thirty minutes of digging, I’m startled out of my reverie by a crash followed by an indignant screech.

What!

I’m so shocked that I was frozen 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 a worker is to dig.

Scuttling over to my original pitfall, I 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 and finish it off.

[You have gained XP.]

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. Being patient now, by giving up this little bit of Biomass, greater rewards will later be reaped.

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 centre, 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 all of this digging would achieve nothing except help me along the path of ant-Zen.

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

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

Now, to perform my true calling and dig!