Following the officer we ran to the stronghold, which had another name.

The baby room.

The other ants looked scared and that made me nervous.

“I hope it is not the fire ants!!” my friend prayed.

The alarms continued to ring as more and more ants our age kept on entering the baby room.

This place had a strong door, a lot of food and the future generation, hence called the stronghold.

I saw the officer helping the others entering the room, and decided to help him.

{Charm has become lv 5}

“Ah! It’s thanks to ants like you that we are still standing.”

I calmed down distressed ants, helped them join with their group and keep watch.

But I couldn’t help for much as five big, black ants tore through the wall on the left, and came screeching out of it.

{Fear resistance has become lv 4}

“It’s there” They shouted and cruised towards us leaving behind a trail of pheromones.

{Ant language has become lv 4}

I saw the hall officer looking between the room full of ants, and the coming invaders.

He then looked at two other ants his age, and jumped into the frying pan to save some ants.

{Admirer has become lv 5}

Then I saw him in a struggling with a much bigger and meaner ant than him.

He pushed the invader, dogged his mandible and took out one of his leg with his charge.

*Ting*

[Skill: Battle tactics gained.]

The situation became stable as the other hall master handled the other two invaders alone.

But just as it looked like our seniors would win, five more black army ants came rushing through following the trail.

The invaders fighting the masters smirked and their newly arrived support yelled happily on seeing the room filled to the brim with food.

{Anger has become lv 4}

It angered me to see them coming so near us, but then calmed down and focused.

{Focus has become lv 5}

I saw more and more ants entering the tunnel and gritted my teeth.

{Determination has become lv 3}

Understanding that it was a do or die situation now, I moved, but my friend held my hand.

“Don’t go, you will die.”

But I just smiled and then started running.

{Focus has become lv 6}

{Movement has become lv 5}

I reached training hall officer’s neck just in time to push the black invader and interrupt his attack.

{Push has become lv 3}

{Lucky has become lv 3}

“Thanks kid you saved my life.” He said looking at me with pride.

*Ting*

[Skill: Pride gained.]

He told me to go back because I hadn’t trained enough, but I refused saying there was no time for training.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The officer patted my back and nodded his head.

“Follow me.”

Following the officers lead, I attacked or pushed one of the invader ants from the sides, by slamming it with my body.

*Ting*

[Skill: Slam gained]

It dogged by jumping back, but I caught up with him before it could touch the ground.

The officer dug in mandible into his flesh and spoke, “Do it kid! Kill him!”

My mind wavered for a second, but I focused on the task.

‘It was your decision. You can’t back out now.’ I said to myself.

{Determination has become lv 4}

{Strong willed has become lv 2}

My mandibles pierced its soft bottom and it cried out in pain.

*Ting*

[Skill: Pierce gained.]

I took a bite and rolled on the ground as a pair of pincers closed where once my neck was.

{Bite has become lv 3}

{Evade has become lv 3}

I stood up, jumped back and front flipped over two biting mandibles.

Touched the ground and back flipped kicking one of the ants directly on its face.

{Movement has become lv 6}

{Battle tactics has become lv 2}

*Ting*

[Skill: kick gained.]

Someone got jealous from seeing me in action and bought his goons to the fray.

{Charm has become lv 6}

They didn’t add to our momentum, but didn’t take anything away either.

Following my kick I ran to the front where a hall master was getting pressured into a corner by two black invaders.

I ran and jumped and missiled my mandibles into the neck of one of the ants.

As the momentum made it flatter and I closed my pincers, taking it out of the game.

{Bite has become lv 4}

*Level up*

{Every skill has leveled by one}

That was my first kill, and to others astonishment my second kill came when an ant the same size of me tried to sneak up to me.

{Ant sense has become lv 7}

It tried but failed, and I scored.

“Shriek!!”

A sudden cry stopped me in my tracks, as I saw the wall right next to the room being dug through, and another five black invader ants coming through it.

{Vision has become lv 8}

Though two soldier ants of our colony also chased behind them, but the group killed them before anyone could move.

{Fear resistance has become lv 5}

I concentrated on the light dots above their heads and saw,

He is not someone you can handle.

Black Soldier Ant. (Common)

Level

5/25

Type

Insect

Rank

1

Skills:

Bite(5), Slam(8), Command(5), Leader(4), Stomp(5), Pierce(4), Basic battle planning(5), Manidable mastery(3), Movement(7)

{Appraisal has become lv 4}

Between the choice to let them massacre innocent ants in cold blood or face them, I choose the latter.

{Strong willed has become lv 4}

And deeply regretted my decision.

I saw that the one creating the commotion was the bully who was being surrounded by two black soldier ants.

‘Finally he is being payed back.’ I thought, but then felt a prickling sensation in my chest.

I looked away from him and ran toward the incoming enemy ant.

It was a ranker, but I didn’t let it de-motivate me and charged at him.

{Determination has become lv 6}

Like I said, I regretted my decision.

It stopped my charge with one slap, as it made me fly through the air and collided with some little ants.

{Wind resistance has become lv 4}

{Shock resistance has become lv 5}

{Blunt force & Pain resistance has become lv 7}

My head rotating and vision blurring, I stood up and saw a sharply pointed foot coming toward my forehead.

I moved my neck and somehow dodged the attack, but lost balance and fell.

{Evade has become lv 5}

The ranker then kicked, stomped & stomped. To which I rolled, rolled and rolled away, but then a kick got me.

{Blunt force resistance has become lv 8}

{Push resistance has become lv 3… 4}

I flew through the air, and once luckily collided with an enemy ant.

{Wind resistance has become lv 5}

{Iron skin & Hard surface have become lv 6}

*Ting*

[Skill: Feather Fall gained.]

It cushioned my fall, and I hurriedly snapped its neck, and stood back up.

*Level up*

{All skills gain one level.}

The ranker came murdering my kin toward me, and I shouted in anger.

{Anger has become lv 6}

{Yell has become lv4}

{Determination has become lv 7}

Three skills activated at once and the ranker stopped right on its tracks.

My health regeneration kicked in and brought me out of my dizziness.

I saw it not moving and ran towards it,

I pierced my pincers into his chest and it flinched.

{Pierce has become lv 4}

My skill didn’t kill, and it fell instead. I noticed a broken leg sticking out of its back.

And nearby was the bully who was missing a leg.

I gave him a glance and gave him a hand.

He hesitated at first, but then ended up taking my help.

We looked at each other nodded my head and moved out of the room.

I looked around and saw that while I was busy with my attacker, our reinforcements had come and swept through the remaining invaders.

Moving out of the room, I went into the tunnel they had come from and saw a lone ant moving stealthily.

{Sneak has become lv 6}

{Silent steps has become lv 6}

I followed it, and reached outside the mound.

‘Ah! So they had a way out ready in case of a misfire.’

{Lucky has become lv 6}

My heart pounded with anticipation.

*Ting*

[Skill: Anticipation gained.]

I followed the ant and reached their camp of operations.

{Sneak has become lv 7}

*Ting*

[Skill: Tracking gained.]

And saw that there were at least 200 ants alive and healthy, excluding the wounded that were being brought from our mound.

The aura those many enemy ants emitted took my breath away.

{Overwhelm resistance has become lv 5}

*Ting*

[Skill: Breath control gained.]

Noting their position on the map I returned to the mound and saw our soldiers celebrating.

{Map has become lv 6}

“Those fuckers got nothing on me, mate!! I am telling ya, if I ever met them again, I’ll eat em’ alive.”

One of the soldiers spoke as other cheered him.

I looked at our fallen which numbered in the hundreds,

{Anger has become lv 7}

I gritted my teeth and went to the captain.

I bowed my head and spoke,

“Let’s have revenge, sir. I know where they are!!”

*Ting*

[Skill: Manners gained.