Chapter 37: A Feast
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Kai’s limbs ached, each step a silent scream through his cracked exoskeleton. His chitinous plates bore deep dents from earlier clashes, streaked with dried ichor and mud. His legs dragged slightly as he trudged through the forest, a tangled grove of fallen trees and bioluminescent moss that pulsed faintly beneath his feet. Humidity clung to him like wet cloth, soaking into his joints and slowing every motion. Even breathing felt heavier.
His internal system clock blinked a soft orange. It’s been eight hours since he’d parted ways with Luna. One hour since he’d fought and killed not one, but two fully grown two-star beasts. One hour of relentless travel through predator-infested wilds. His aura gauge was dangerously low. His stamina bar was still recovering.
He was surviving on instinct now. Grit, stubbornness, and just a little rage. Any other ant in his place would’ve been dead by now. But Kai wasn’t any other ant. He was a Monarch Devourer Ant. A system user. A survivor. Maybe future Ant Lord.
Still, even his resolve had limits. He had pushed his skills hard... too hard. Tiny Tank had absorbed two direct hits. Reflex Mode had burned through his legs with speed. Essence Eater had taken in more power than his body was ready to hold. Every use drained him further.
He needed rest. He needed a safe place to rest for at least thirty minutes. But the forest would give him neither. A faint tremor shivered through the ground.
Kai froze again. His antennae flicked sharply. This wasn’t the same as before. It wasn’t a whisper of air or the clicking of stealth claws. It wasn’t the wingbeat of the Razor glare Hornet or the soft rumble of a stalking cat.
This was weight. This was thunder in slow motion. Something... lumbered. A tree in the distance creaked. Then another. Birds type beasts scattered from the canopy. The earth began to tremble beneath his feet.
Then it emerged. It moved with the deliberate, unshakable pace of a creature that feared nothing. Towering as tall as a small hill, the Boulder Hide Tusk Beast smashed its way through the underbrush.
Its body resembled a walking fortress, a thick stone-like armor covered its entire frame, a lattice of moss-streaked gray plates fused together like volcanic rock. Its tusks curved upward like sickles, glinting in the sunlight with ominous sharpness.
Steam puffed from its nostrils as it snorted, scenting Kai. The beast’s crimson eyes locked onto him like spears.