~~~ Kib Ruk : Location - Goblin village - ??? ~~~

Kib had been running tirelessly, not stopping until he finally reached the village to report the imminent danger.

"Danger, God stone, near," he managed to gasp out to the shaman, who held the responsibility for raid parties and protecting the village.

"Tell me where," the shaman, distinguished by greater intellect than other goblins, inquired. His magical abilities had required a higher level of intelligence, enabling him to become the village shaman.

"Behind, in forest, mountain," Kib exclaimed, dropping to his knees from sheer exhaustion.

Before he could provide more details, Kib succumbed to his fatigue, passing out. Exhaustion had overtaken him, given that he hadn't taken a break during his three-hour run.

Unlike Kib, the other goblins failed to grasp the true power of a god stone. None of them had experienced its effects, as Kib was the sole individual who returned with his mind intact. The rest either perished or lost their sanity, facing exile or starvation. However, the shaman, having retained his mental faculties, should comprehend the severity of this news.

"Prepare for an attack," the shaman declared to the raid parties. Despite being more intelligent than other goblins, it appeared that even he might not fully grasp the extent of the impending danger.

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The queen ant has laid 120 eggs, and now my task is to observe their growth. The two worker ants that remain are diligently moving and caring for the eggs. In the meantime, I conduct experiments with the corpses of the fallen ants in the cave. As expected, I discover that I cannot infuse my mana into the lifeless bodies. It merely passes through them, rendering them unresponsive to my influence. Deciding to leave the corpses be, I focus my attention on expanding and enhancing the cave.

Ignoring the inert ant bodies, I begin to work on tunnelling out the cave. I create a corridor opposite the entrance, branching it into four smaller corridors—two leading left and two leading right. At the end of each of these four corridors, I design dome-shaped rooms akin to the entrance. Along the main corridor, I construct a larger room, significantly grander than the others.

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To facilitate my operations, I relocate my pillar, housing my heart, to the more expansive room. I give the pillar makeshift feet, enabling it to traverse the corridors. Adjusting its size, I shrink the pillar to fit through the narrower sections and expand it upon reaching the new room. This room becomes the central hub of my underground domain for now.

I relocated the ants to the left room closest to the entrance, ensuring that proximity to my heart was unnecessary for their well-being. Observing the eggs, it's apparent that around 120 are on the verge of hatching, and the total number of eggs, excluding those nearing hatching, is 200. This rapid hatching process bodes well for my plans, with an estimated 30 minutes until complete hatching.

With the impending emergence of the ants, I decide to conduct a final experiment. Selecting one of the two worker ants, I ponder what might happen if I infuse more mana into it. Given that the initial infusion granted control and increased strength beyond that of a soldier ant, I'm curious about the potential outcomes.

As I pour additional mana into the worker ant, the changes are immediate. The area where the mana makes contact, in this case, the ant's head, undergoes a transformation. Spikes protrude, jaws become quicker and sharper, and the eyes take on a keener appearance. The process repeats, resulting in a head comparable in size to that of a super major ant. However, the increased size disrupts the ant's balance, causing it to move in a peculiar, limping manner.

Curiosity piqued, I extend the enhancement to other body parts. Each segment receives mana individually. The ant's head, now a mass of spikes with an enlarged jaw, attains a size similar to that of a super major ant. The overall appearance is a moving patch of spikes, with the ant reaching the size of a pebble or even larger, given my altered perspective.

Having concluded my experiments, I decide not to alter the design of the other rooms in the cave, preserving their original structure. Instead, I extend the fog effect throughout the entire cave, creating an environment conducive to my plans, which involve creating an ant-hill. Since I may not receive assistance, I indulge in my hobby of studying ants for protection and to fully understand my capabilities.

With the ants having hatched, a concern lingers about retaining control. Fortunately, they are obedient, and notably, they skip the pupal stage entirely. I proceed to modify all the ants, excluding the queen who remains essential for egg laying. During this process, I observe a peculiar phenomenon: each ant undergoes unique changes. While some grow and transform similarly to the initial worker ant, others become sleeker and quicker. Strikingly, a few develop wings and a large spike at the front of their heads, resembling bullets in their swift flight.

Upon closer inspection, I confirm that all the ants, regardless of the variations in their changes, were workers. I intentionally postpone altering the soldier ants, aiming to complete the transformation of the workers first. However, the question lingers: why did the workers exhibit such diverse changes during the transformation process?

Contemplating the diverse changes in the ants, I return to the drawing board of assumptions. The idea that the ants adapted differently to suit their needs doesn't hold up, as they are fundamentally the same. Another possibility crosses my mind: their differences may lie in their minds rather than their physical forms. It could be that my mental state during the transformation process influenced the outcomes.

Considering this, I decide to test the hypothesis later. Meanwhile, my attention is drawn to something at the entrance of my cave.