The Antventure Begins

93. The Second War of the Hill

The Adult Centipede hurls through the air 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. I could defeat them easily before, and now that I’m so much larger, there is no lingering fear of them at all.

CRUNCH!

I greet the arriving monster with a fearsome snap of my jaws, directly severing the creature in two.

[You have defeated a Level 6 Adult Claw Centipede.]

[You have gained XP.]

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 squashed into a broad, circular grand melee, with monsters hurling themselves into the fight as far as my eyes can see. The constant noise from all this fighting is only serving to attract more creatures, and with each passing moment, the fight extends farther into the forest and grows even louder.

Tiny is already in 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 wouldn’t 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 toward me and right out from under the confused ape’s nose.

Haha! Take that, you ape.

This monster is a little quicker to react, lowering its many pointed antlers toward me and bellowing with fury at having been summarily pulled through the air.

Yikes!

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 smashed into the anthill 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 like a 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 looking a little worse for 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 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 those sharp tips.

Thanks for giving me your neck.

Chomp!

[You have defeated a Level 9 Rapit Cervum.]

[You have gained XP.]

Now I’m getting into the swing of it. Just to satisfy my curiosity, I quickly lean down and take a bite out of the creature.

[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. Its metallic element antlers are a deadly weapon.]

Bulky Deer? Even the system thinks this creature is overly ripped.

As I turn to identify my next target, the first of the colony’s 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. In a trickle that quickly swells to a flood, more and more ants pour out of the top of the anthill. As soon as they spy the sprawling melee, these workers don’t hesitate to leap in, charging without pause or thought for personal safety!

Streaks of acid fly into the air, workers presenting the business district to their foes and letting fly. In mere moments, almost all the combatants close to the anthill have become drenched in acid.

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 broods waiting to hatch—the new workers born after the first big battle next to the anthill. 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.

Seeing the hordes of workers so close to me sparks a sudden thought. Rather than the workers running out into the battle and risking their lives, what if I brought the battle to them?

No sooner had the thought occurred, I reached out and latched onto a fearsome Lion Ogre rampaging through smaller foes at the foot of the hill.

Come on up, big guy!

Once again, the monster is yanked my way as if fired out of a cannon. By shifting my position at the last moment, I make sure the poor beast slams into the side of the hill without crushing me to death.

When the dust settles, a dazed and angry Lion Ogre is starting to pick itself up, not realising it is currently surrounded by hundreds of monstrous ants.

In an instant, the monster is completely covered in hatchlings biting furiously and spraying acid at close range.

Lion Ogre, your sacrifice shall not be in vain.

Checking on my gland, my Infused Mandibles are draining the gravitational energy at a rapid pace. Each use of this new ability 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 is enduring its final moments, I’m already searching for another target.

Aha, a croca-beast!

YOINK!

After casting my hook, the unsuspecting monster is yanked at speed, slamming into the anthill as I dodge to one side at the last moment. Once again, the monster is completely covered in workers before it can make sense of the situation.

Hopefully I can do this for a bit longer and keep most of the ants out of the main battle as long as possible!