Four furious blue crystal ants charged toward Tristan's group. Tristan advanced, extending his right arm, causing a 15 cm (6") black blade to appear in his hand. The ants were almost the same height as Tristan, but their bodies were much wider.

He aimed for the joint of one of the front legs of the ant closest to him, but the creature was agile and managed to leap to the side. The ant jumped, its mandibles threatening to tear Tristan's neck. He saw the crystal's glint approaching and ducked at the last second. The creature's mandibles snapped shut in the air, making a loud noise.

"Damn, they're fast."

The other ant aimed for Tristan's leg. He analyzed its movements and waited for the right moment. He jumped over the ant just before it could bite his leg. The ant couldn't stop its movement properly and crashed into the ground. Tristan then spun his entire body in the air, his black blade slicing through the ant's antennae, leaving it disoriented.

The first ant leaped, trying to bite Tristan in midair. Its mandibles were just a second away from closing and crushing Tristan's abdomen. He had to grab the ant's mandibles with his hands, grimacing in pain as the sharp crystals cut into his skin. Gathering his body's essence and channeling it into his arms, he slammed the ant into the ground with all his strength.

The ant fell on its back, seeing Tristan descend upon it. A black blade formed on his arm once again, and Tristan swiftly cut the ant's neck with a quick motion.

Wasting no time, he ran towards the ant that had lost its antennae. The disoriented ant moved in erratic patterns, trying to bite its enemy but hitting only the air. Tristan easily cut the joints of the ant's legs, making it stumble to the ground. Then he drove his black blade into the creature's eye, ending its life.

He looked around and saw that Jian was already finishing his fight with the other two ants.

With the battle over, Tristan thrust his black blade into what he believed was the creature's solar plexus. He searched for the creature's power core in various parts of its body for a while but found nothing. He then did the same with the other ants, but they had no core.

Tristan let out a disappointed sigh and said to the others, "These ants don't have a power core; they aren't awakened."

Jian, understanding the significance of Tristan's words, looked disappointed by the lack of something as valuable as magic gems.

However, Lan, Yue, and Feiyan had confused expressions; they didn't understand what Tristan was talking about.

"Aren't these ants magical beasts? Why don't they have a core?" Yue asked Tristan curiously.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Hmm... Right, unlike Jian and me, ordinary people like them don't have much knowledge about the magic of this world."

"The beast race is similar to us humans. Some can form a core, and others cannot. Those ants were like ordinary humans who were not capable of cultivating. That's why they don't have a core or any special abilities."

"This is good news for us. As long as we only encounter common beasts and not magical ones, we should be able to handle them," Jian said.

image [https://i.imgur.com/CJALaUN.png]

Now that Tristan had another characteristic of the crystal ants, their color, he felt he would have better luck obtaining information from the divine fragment. His first attempt was a failure because he discovered that there were several different species of crystal ants, each with distinct characteristics and abilities. He didn't have time to study each one.

But now, he could narrow down the results.

"Giant blue crystal ant, very hostile, creates tunnels in the mountains." Tristan spoke this into the divine fragment, significantly reducing the number of golden pages.

After some time researching, he reflected on the most important information he had discovered.

"These ants have an affinity for the Water element. Their magical version is almost as large as an adult human and can shoot acid. Their nest is usually several kilometers underground."

When Tristan had the opportunity, he shared this information with the others so they could adjust their plans accordingly. He didn't bother coming up with an elaborate excuse for his knowledge, especially since he could now move his arms and hands a little better, reducing his dependence on them.

Over the next few days, Tristan and the others encountered more ant beasts along the way. Once the ants spotted them, they had no choice but to fight.

"We can't let any ant escape after they spot us, or they'll alert the rest of the colony that someone is invading their territory."

His breathing was heavier, and beads of sweat could be seen on his face. But Jian, who was only a Mist Red, seemed to be in a much worse situation than him.

"Wouldn't it be better if you rested? You've been fighting those ants nonstop for a while now," Feiyan said to Jian.

Jian looked at Tristan, who shook his head slowly.

"We need to get out of here as quickly as possible. The longer we stay, the more likely the ant colony will find us," Jian said with a tired sigh.

Suddenly, Yue stopped walking, her expression becoming more serious than usual. Everyone fell silent for a few seconds to give her time to concentrate.

"What is it? Is another group of ants coming?" Tristan asked with a bit of irritation in his voice.

"No, I think it's just one ant," she replied.

Tristan noticed the fear in her voice.

"But the sound is much louder than before. It sounds heavy and fast. Very fast!"

Hearing this, Jian gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

Tristan took a deep breath and prepared for what was coming.

After a few seconds, everyone could hear the noise too. From the front of the tunnel, they could listen to the sound of something heavy striking the ground repeatedly, like a horse in heavy armor running toward them.

This noise sent a chill down everyone's spine.

Tristan was the first to notice it due to his eyes. He saw an ant nearly two meters (6'7") tall, with a body covered in sharp blue crystals, rushing toward them. Yue hadn't exaggerated when she said it seemed fast. Contrary to its weight, the giant ant was as fast as a motorcycle in Tristan's old world.

He had no doubt that this ant was a true magical beast. He also believed it was much stronger than the one he nearly died fighting the last time.