Wang Lei had a long time to think inside that cold, dark cave. It was the only thing he could really do.
And in all that time, he had come to accept one truth:
No one was coming to rescue him.
How could he be so sure?
Because of the creature standing in front of him.
The flashlight attached in his helmet was the only thing that could show its appearance.
An ant the size of a dog stared at him, its deep, obsidian eyes watching him with strange curiosity. Its antennae twitched, sensing him, studying him.
What the heck is that creature!? Is that... an ant? How could it be so big!? Wang Lei horrifyingly thought.
Wang Lei's mind raced in disbelief. No matter how he looked at it, there was just no way a normal ant could grow this massive.
Then a terrifying thought struck him.
That voice.
If it had the power to grant him an ability like Ore Consumption, who's to say it couldn't do the same to others?
The only problem was... he never expected "others" to include insects.
And to think… it even allowed an insect this small to become that large.
But then, an even more terrifying thought crept into Wang Lei's mind.
What if it wasn't just humans? What if every living thing, animals… insects… even plants—could evolve like this?
That kind of unchecked transformation could only lead to one thing.
Chaos.
Suddenly, the lack of a rescue made perfect sense. Maybe it wasn't that no one came for me, maybe they couldn't.
Wang Lei didn't have the luxury to dwell on his thoughts any longer, because the giant ant began to move.
Its six spindly legs clicked against the stone floor, each step bringing it closer… and closer.
Wang Lei was frozen in place, barely breathing. He didn't even dare to blink. One wrong move, and he knew, he'd be dead.
Just one look at those massive mandibles, and Wang Lei was certain, they could snap his arm like a twig. Ants were supposed to be strong, after all.
But Wang Lei wasn't about to sit still and wait for death.
His fingers tightened around the wooden handle of his pickaxe lying beside him. He held his breath; eyes fixed on the ant. The moment it lowered its guard, he'd strike, straight for the head.
Unfortunately, the creature was faster than he expected. Whether it was the twitch of his hand or the shift in his breathing, the ant noticed.
It jerked backward in an instant. Now, its stance had changed, it no longer saw him as harmless.
It saw him as prey.
Wang Lei stopped pretending.
He rose to his feet, eyes locked onto the creature's, those pitch-black orbs, composed of countless smaller ones, all glinting with eerie focus.
It noticed me, huh? he thought grimly.
He recalled something he'd once read: ants are highly sensitive to movement, vibration, even scent. But to react from just that slight twitch...? A small part of him was impressed. The rest? Terrified.
Despite the cold expression on his face, Wang Lei's body betrayed him. His heart thudded like a war drum, loud and relentless, as if he'd just sprinted a 10km marathon.
His legs tensed. His grip on the pickaxe tightened.
One wrong move, and it'd be over.
The two stared at each other, locked in a silent standoff.
Tension thickened the air, every second stretching like an eternity.
Then, the ant moved.
Without warning, it lunged forward, lowering its head like a charging bull. Its mandibles snapped open, ready to tear into anything in its path.
Wang Lei's breath hitched.
Here it comes!
Wang Lei had no intention of losing.
He took his stance, lifting the pickaxe high above his head. It wasn't a fighter's pose, his form was wide open, full of holes. But this was how he always swung it. This was how he worked.
He wasn't a warrior. He was a miner.
And now, he would smash this ant's skull just like the ore he used to break apart.
The ant was fast. In the blink of an eye, it closed the distance, mandibles gleaming, head barreling forward like a battering ram.
But Wang Lei wasn't about to let it have its way.
With a roar, he planted his feet firmly into the ground, channeling every ounce of strength into his arms.
The pickaxe came crashing down.
Swish!
The air split with the force of the swing.
Clang!
Wang Lei staggered back a step, arms trembling from the recoil. His pickaxe had struck true, but instead of sinking into the ant's skull, it had merely scraped its armored shell.
"Grgh… I didn't expect its exoskeleton to be this hard!" he grunted, gritting his teeth.
The ant reeled slightly from the blow but didn't falter. Its charge was far from over.
Without giving him even a moment to breathe, the ant charged again, slamming its head into Wang Lei with relentless force.
Wang Lei gritted his teeth and dug his heels into the ground, pushing back with the shaft of his pickaxe. The clash sent vibrations up his arms, but he held on.
Unfortunately, strength-wise, he was no match.
Damn it, it's stronger than me!
Inch by inch, he was being forced backward.
But what caught his attention wasn't the ant, it was the sudden gust of wind that whipped against his back.
His eyes widened.
Wait... wind?
Without even glancing behind, he knew what was behind him.
Behind him was the mouth of the cave. Beyond it? A sheer drop into the endless night sky.
This bastard! It's trying to push me off the cave!
How could an insect be this smart!? Regardless of the answer, Wang Lei was in a pinch.
If he didn't act now, he'd be pushed out of the cave and sent rag dolling down the mountainside, his body crushed to pieces long before he reached the bottom.
F*ck! What do I do!?
His mind raced, but every possibility led to the same conclusion: death.
There's no way out of this… No matter how hard he tried to think, nothing seemed to work. The ant's strength was overwhelming; his feet were slipping, he was seconds from falling.
Wait… the ant's strength?
An idea sparked in Wang Lei's mind, cutting through the panic like lightning. He didn't waste a second.
Suddenly, he loosened his footing and relaxed his grip on the pickaxe, just enough to stop resisting.
The ant, still barreling forward with full momentum, wasn't expecting the sudden shift. Its weight and force carried it straight through Wang Lei's weakened stance.
Wang Lei twisted his body to the side.
Now!
The ant hadn't expected it. It thought it had already won, its mandibles twitching in triumph. But in the next moment, the human who should've been falling was no longer in front of it, vanished from sight.
Instead, the open dark sky greeted the ant.
KKRIEEEK!!
It let out a piercing screech as it tumbled through the air, glaring with hateful eyes at the human standing just beyond the cave's edge.
Wang Lei grinned down at it, victorious.
Then his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground. He fell to his rear, chest heaving, breath ragged. Completely spent.
"Hah…hah…That was too close…hah…"
Wang Lei had been just one misstep away from death. If he'd mistimed it, by even a second, it would've been him plummeting off the cliff, not the ant.
Thankfully, luck, or instinct, had been on his side.
He stayed on his knees, catching his breath as sweat dripped from his brow, heart still pounding like a war drum.
Then, without warning, a familiar blue screen shimmered into existence in front of him.
Ding!
[You have killed an Evolved Cave Ant! Congratulations!]
[Experience threshold has been met. You have leveled up!]
[A part of its soul will merge with you.]
Wang Lei blinked at the glowing notifications.
"Ohh! I've leveled up? Sweet!"
But his excitement dimmed as his eyes lingered on the last line.
A part of its soul will… merge with me?
"What does that mean?" he muttered, glancing down at his hands, half-expecting mandibles to sprout from his face.
A sudden flash of light forced Wang Lei to shield his eyes.
From the entrance of the cave, a radiant orb, roughly the size of a basketball, floated silently into view. It shimmered against the dark canvas of the night sky, glowing like a misplaced star.
Wang Lei squinted, eyes adjusting. The orb hovered, unmoving… yet unmistakably watching him.
Its gaze, if such a thing was possible, felt heavy, as if it had finally located something it had been seeking for a long, long time.
And that something… was him.
Then, without a single warning, the orb darted forward.
The closer it came, the smaller and more condensed it became, like a collapsing star focused on a single point.
It moved so fast that Wang Lei couldn't even register it. One moment it was hovering in the distance… the next, a blur streaked through the air and slammed straight toward him.
Before he could even blink, the ball of light forced itself into his mouth, slipping past his teeth and down his throat in a single motion.
"Guh—!?"
He gagged and stumbled backward, eyes wide in disbelief.
What the hell did I just swallow?!
It kind of tasted… sour?
Wang Lei scrunched up his face like he just bit into a lemon.
"Why does it taste like expired citrus!?" he groaned, wiping his mouth.
Then, before he could fully process what just happened, another blue screen blinked into existence right in front of his face.
[Strength +4 Defense +5 Agility +2 Stamina +1]