[ Chapter XIV (14): "GLUTTON ANTS; PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE DETECTORS" ]
A bloodied-like rhino, a small green chested monkey walking on 2 feet, and a group of vulture flying up in the air, one of them holding a skull the same size as it before then dropping it to the ground;
Alastor watches carefully as it then cracks, bones shattering and scattering nearby, disturbing the group of monkeys and a small iguana-like monster in the process.
He watches the thick foggy covered landscape in front of him and couldn't help but despair, as he realizes that this grassland that looks more dead than his Undead, isn't safe.
And that, inside the forest, which looks unsafe, is safer than this hellspace... So without any hesitation Alastor walked back to the forest, wanting to find some experience for himself and his Undead before he could venture to the big boy areas...
If this was a game, then the forest where he spawned is the tutorial area. [ "W-we're going back..." ]
Brutal and not normal already, but it is still considered a tutorial area in comparison to this place which is filled with many gruesome, grotesque, unique and shouldn't be existence that prowls and could easily kill him.
Things that should have only existed in creepy horror stories.
[ "H-hey, hey. Don't-don't fight that." ] He noticed his Undead Ant which is only Lvl. 3 ready to square up against a confused minding his own business but hostile aligned black-skinned alligator.
Not wanting to fight that thing, or even die again. Alastor motioned for his Undead to get a move on. First of all because he can't fight it no matter what he does, he'll be a light snack for that thing. Second of all because that monster is Lvl. 9.
Lastly because he doesn't want to make a scene, all the monsters here except for that unsuspecting iguana whose Lvl. 2 is all higher than Alastor and his Undead Ants... This gave him a wake-up call, and he'll die even before he could scream ice-cream.
[ "T-that forest doesn't seem that bad, y-yeah?" ] Seeing their happy reactions, Alastor smiled at them, the sweat dripping from the side of his forehead dropping on the ground as he smiled... [ "H-how about a snack, I-you guys want some bug snack?" ]
As Alastor, Undead Ant 1, and Undead Ant 2 walk back to the forest... The shade of the grassland with the unhealthy waters nearby disappears to them, as they went and go back inside where it's safest for them.
The animals that did notice them didn't bother, as they then resumed with their lives... Not chasing, not wanting to go into the forest, as they then lived on.
On Alastor's side on the other hand, he could be seen sitting on the dirt below him, back facing the trees as he tries to calm down his confused, adrenaline-fueled, scaredy-scared heart... Which wouldn't do what he wishes.
In his head he imagines what would have happened if one of the monsters did pay attention to him. That alligator could have rushed to him killing him.
That rhino could have trampled or impaled him. Those monkeys could have murdered him with their bite. Those vultures could have... Dropped him from hundreds of feet up in the air.
This fear accelerated from plausible to plain delusional and impossible scenarios as he imagines any and all plausible monsters that he hasn't found out yet; causing him to hammer his chest using his fist to calm it down. [ "I need to level the fuck up." ]
[ "Or I'm gonna die." ] Multiple such words came into mind as he then overloaded, his gaze focused at the growing grass in front of him, in a dazed... Not noticing that his Undead have gone and went, eating some bugs nearby.
As he on the other hand holds his head on his arms, thinking about life. Only stopping when he noticed his Undead Ant nearby through his peripheral, looking up, he could see the little bugger squeezing a moving larvae into its mouth.
Noticing his gaze, it looked back in turn, tilting its head slightly to the side before waving at him using one of its many legs... Then continuing to its meal, as it then chows down on the still moving larvae; the notification of this popping in front not soon after.
[ HONEY LARVAE LVL. 0 ]
[ +3 EXPERIENCE TO PLAYER ]
[ +3 EXPERIENCE TO UNDEAD SUMMON ]
About to go back into his inner monologue, he stopped. In noticing another notification pop in front of him, the same notification with the experience disparity is slightly different. He stared at the Undead Ant in front and realized it wasn't it, as it continues to chow down on the previous larvae.
Then he looked around him, wanting to find his other Undead Ant curious to where it went. Instantaneously he found out where it went, as he noticed the mossy butt of the thing sticking out from the ground seemingly digging for something. [ "What are you...?" ]
He craned his neck to look at what the Ant is digging, and noticed multiple groups of larvae, moving, but still not fully developed. The Ant not bothering with etiquette faceplanted on the ground and ate as much as it could... Yummers.
[ "Holy is the..." ] Name. What the hell is this? Alastor crouched down right beside his Ant as he watches the hole in curiosity, apparently dozens or so of Honey Larvae are living underground, near a tree, with his Undead feasting on their corpse.
His vision was partially filled with the System alerting him of his Undead kills, all of which being Honey Larvae which are Lvl. 0. The experience that they gave either in the 2s, 3s and 4s.
Small in comparison to killing other monsters, but weirdly enough, more effective and easier than hunting a Wolf or Ant. [ "Yeah-no, c-continue on that, yeah?" ]
Seeing that his friend is hunting experience for the both of them, he patted it in the head, feeling the mossy covered head of the giant Ant as it continues eating. Purring in response.
Turning to his side, he then noticed the other Undead Ant busy eating on its own Honey Larvae, gold-like substance dripping from its maw to the floor...
About to pat it also in the head, he paused, especially when amidst the notification he noticed something; a level-up notification both for himself and for his Undead Ant;
[ PLAYER NO. 1 YOU HAVE LEVEL-UP! ]
[ PLAYER LVL. 5 ---> PLAYER LVL. 6 ]
[ UNDEAD SUMMON (FORMICA MUSCO) HAVE LEVEL-UP! ]
[ UNDEAD SUMMON LVL. 2 ---> UNDEAD SUMMON LVL. 3 ]
Which is a good thing, a great thing actually. It means he'll be stronger through this, and that he would be able to increase his army bit-by-bit as the more he levels up.
Still he doesn't know how to increase his mana, or Undead aside from the mission that he failed. He does hope that in leveling up, it'll be the way; just like in any and all games does...
He thinks. You see Alastor didn't play that much RPG as he grew up. But the logic makes sense, so who's to say it doesn't work that way, especially with some things going the way he predicted it.
Alastor looked beside him and noticed his other Undead Ant looking at its kin eating something, seemingly jealous, it then scatter and went towards a nearby tree; digging a hole, and doing the same thing as what his newly leveled up Ant is doing...
Seemingly in a contest, [ "You guys can...?" ] Apparently they can, these things even though Reanimated into his loyal subordinates still have their senses, taste, smell still being there.
And no sooner than later, his Ant seemingly found gold... Literal gold in the form of honey liquids that came from the many larvae that it is currently eating. And the experience Alastor is gaining from both sides slightly overwhelms him... Before then;
[ UNDEAD SUMMON (FORMICA MUSCO) HAVE LEVEL-UP! ]
[ UNDEAD SUMMON LVL. 2 ---> UNDEAD SUMMON LVL. 3 ]
[ UNDEAD SUMMON (FORMICA MUSCO) HAVE LEVEL-UP! ]
[ UNDEAD SUMMON LVL. 3 ---> UNDEAD SUMMON LVL. 4 ]
[ PLAYER NO. 1 YOU HAVE LEVEL-UP! ]
[ PLAYER LVL. 6 ---> PLAYER LVL. 7 ]
[ UNDEAD SUMMON (FORMICA MUSCO) HAVE LEVEL-UP! ]
[ UNDEAD SUMMON LVL. 3 ---> UNDEAD SUMMON LVL. 4 ]
Realizing that he found a cheat code, a way to easily level-up without seemingly lifting a finger. Alastor became happy, jumping in joy as he watched his Undead Ants sit in front of him, their heads tilted slightly to the side as they looked up at him.
[ "I-I love you guys!" ] Genuine, he patted them in the heads intensely which causes them to purr in response. Their golden blood covered faces not bothering Alastor, or the stench of it, as these two lovely just gave him plenty of experience in mere minutes. Something which he isn't even capable of in an hour.
[ "Y-you guys still hungry?" ] Noticing the Undead Ants seemingly asking for permission, looking up at him pleadingly... He then of course gave them his approval; for them to not be hungry of course, [ "O-of course, eat as much as you guys want!" ]
Grinning joyfully, like a maniac, Alastor's previous depression and sense of despair disappeared as something deep inside him activates. His want to grow stronger... Through cheats of course.
He watches as his cute little glutton Ants dig the holes for any and all Honey Larvae that they could feast on... The latter being Lvl. 0, but due to the sheer quantity that they have, gives both Alastor and his Undead more than enough! So eat, and be plenty by little Ants.
With a smile Alastor opened up his Player Status and invested all of his vacant points into Strength... Before then sitting quietly in the corner, looking at his Undead eat and murder dozens of unsuspecting honey gooey larvae... [ "Go on, eat." ]
With the support of their master, they did what they wanted to do... And that is to eat to their hearts content.
———
[ FORMICA MUSCO LVL. 4 ]
After quite some time, in another part of the forest... A seemingly mossy Ant, alone in his hunt could be seen crunching on some animal skull in-between its mouth. Not at all bothered by the toughness, roughness, and hardness that the skull provides; happily eating it in so.
Amongst its peers, as a Lvl. 4 Ant, it is considered quite strong, big, and violent compared to others. This stems from it being lucky, generally gifted, and also because it ate many things in the short span of its law, causing it to grow exceptionally well compared to other Formica Musco which is smaller.
Arrogant in its ways, it then had spotted a delicious Honey Larvae nearby, following it, it then bitten it and swallowed it with practical ease. The Ant's face bloodied in gold, in which it licked...
Smelling much more delicious things not far away, it followed what its nose told him where to go, as his eyes are unreliable, blurred and due to the environment being blocked...
So with the help of its developed sense of smell, it whiffed the air and finally found... A half eaten moving larvae? The Ant opened its eyes and sure enough, it was right.
A precious Honey Larvae is just halfheartedly thrown to the ground, not fully eaten, with it in near death state crawling on the dirt below, covered slightly by grass as yellow-blood painted below.
Not wasting its time, the lone Ant quickly ate the monster, filling his first stomach before then licking up the remaining golden honey blood on the grass, trees, and dirt unbothered by the pebbles it often accidentally ate...
For it, it was truly delicious, worth it even— except for the rocks, dirt, and grass in-between. He hates those things... After finishing it's meal, it then continued on its journey— the Ants smell seemingly picking up another wave of aroma, this one, much thicker, tastier, and heavenly compared to the previous.
So with glee, and a bounce to it's lanky 6 legs. The Formica Musco moved on, unaware of it's impending death in the hands of the newly leveled up Alastor, Undead Ant 1, and Undead Ant 2... With this one seemingly being the soon-to-be Undead Ant 3.
[ "Huh... Would you look at that?" ]
[ ——— ] [ ——— ] [ ——— ] [ ——— ]
[ 05/09/2025 ]
[ 05/10/2025 ]