RinoZ

Chapter 260 - First words of a new era

With my delivery done I head back to the nest to await the looming emergence of my finest creations.

These ants could change many things. For one it would be nice to have more options for conversation. Vibrant talks, probably too much for my comfort, and mother has many responsibilities, not to mention many children, so I can't exactly monopolise her time, in good conscience.

Tiny and Crinis aren't the best conversationalists either. Tiny barel...

Chapter 259 - The final preparation

After slumping back into our chamber and putting Vibrant on guard duty, it was time for me to spend my newly amassed wealth. The last few days have been extremely productive, both for the colony and the village, not to mention the significant gains I've made within my own personal strength.

The knowledge that I've gained has proven itself to be valuable almost immediately, my skills have been rapidly levelling. It'll probably take weeks to get things...

Chapter 258 - The feast, the grind, the spend

There isn't much time and I still want to work on myself as much as possible. I have skills I need to grow and a whole heck of mutations I need to purchase to get myself in fighting shape. 

I don't want to take my superiority for granted anymore. After losing half of my commercial district to a hostile takeover by the child of Garralosh, I know I need to wise up and get as strong as I can, as fast as I can. My family needs to protected until it ...

Chapter 257 - The day draws near

Author note: I only just realised that my chapter numbering had been off by two... Fixed now!

Still, it isn't as though my efforts have gone completely to waste. Rushing into the thick of the battle and chomping away certainly got me fairly battered, but the harvest of skill levels is still worth it. It's a bit unfortunate that these enemies are so unevolved but I suppose a large mass of monsters like this would be far too much for the col...

Chapter 254 - Time advances rapidly

The next day I dedicated myself to digging out the channels for the village to use for irrigation. With Tiny helping we shifted a heck of a lot of dirt, very quickly indeed. As a side project we used the extra dirt to erect a nice and high bank for the channel network, as well as building up the height of the river bank. It never hurts to have a few extra layers of protection in case of flooding!

The villagers were only too happy to pitch in and thei...

Chapter 253 - Grinding all day, grinding all night

The next few days pass in a blur. Crinis, Tiny and I continue to use our skills over and over again in the search of those elusive levels. In order to push harder, we forego sleep. No true training montage includes sleep!

This does mean things get a little hazy after a while

Tiny and I managed to take the next group of villagers to change their class into the shortcut in order to power level them through the transition. Supposedly this boost wi...

Chapter 252 - Check out my skillz

I'm exhausted and my mandibles are aching something fierce after all that digging, but is it time to rest?

NOPE.

Those damn pupae are teasing me with their very existence. The twenty large casings are resting against the side of a chamber, taunting me with their stillness. Within them, the hope of ant kind is taking the final steps of their gestation, turning from a grub into something more, something incredible. The ant species to end all ant ...

Chapter 251 - Preparations continue

It would be utterly ridiculous if the humans were to be working harder than the ants. That is a situation that could never be borne! Never! Ants are the hardest working, most industrious species on the face of the earth.

Never tiring! Never slowing!

Now it's time to show it!

Watching the humans feverishly working as if possessed by a spirit of madness has ignited a fire within my ant soul. I refuse to be outworked!

I mean … the re...

Chapter 250 - Getting down to work

It's time to get down to work and we have a long laundry list of things to do.

When Crinis revives, I put her on guard duty and take Tiny topside. The first order of business is to lend our muscle to the villagers as they struggle to make space for the growing number of refugees. 

With Tiny's significant physical prowess we were able to fell trees and clear a wider area for the villagers to use. My own expertise in digging is also put to g...

Chapter 249 - The new Crinis

[Crinis, you look wonderful!]

[R,r,r,r, really, Master?!]

[Absolutely. What a wonderful evolution! Such an incredible difference! You positively radiate power and strength! Surely you are my most potent servant]

Crinis wiggles with glee in front of me.

[D, don't praise me too much] she says, embarrassed but also delighted.

[Nonsense. I insist you come over here so I can check on your core immediately!]

Buttered up by my ...

Chapter 248 - The ancient itch

Somewhere in the forest expanse a predator lay. Old and implacable it had hunted these tunnels for hundreds of years. How many creatures had perished between these jaws? How many had been torn by these claws? It was a number too vast to have meaning. Uncountable. 

In the early times, where the memories are dim and blurred, it had hunted with such intensity, such ferocity, nothing was safe from its grasp, nothing could escape its immolat...

Chapter 247 - Hey Big Spender

This is a big moment for me. I've nearly upgraded every body part to +10. It isn't the full milestone that +15 would be, but it's partway there! My mutations have been lagging behind for way too long, it's nice to finally be able to boost up this side of the power equation. I've been neglecting the various aspects that can contribute to my strength, apparently to my detriment. 

Ensuring that my core is fully upgraded and evolving has certainly h...

Chapter 246 - I mutate, therefore I am

Ho God! What the heck is this overwhelming itchiness!? From what depths of skin irritant hell did Gandalf find this sensation? My body is fire! My mind is breaking! Why am I the only one who seems to be bothered by this? When Tiny spends Biomass he barely twitches and Crinis doesn't have a face so I can't tell what her reaction is but they don't seem to suffer like this!

Why Meeeeee!?

Eventually the torture ends and I slowly pick myself up from...

Chapter 247 - Changer of ways

Right then. For the time being, my skills had been dealt with. Now for the juicy bit.

The Biomass.

But first.

[Crinis…]

When she received my mental communication the little ball shrinks in on herself, withdrawing her stalk until she's almost touching the ground.

[Um… Y… yes? Master?] she stammers.

…

[Is there something you want to tell me? Has some sort of milestone been achieved?] I enquire.

[N, no? ...

Chapter 246 - Changing ways

When you spend your entire life learning to kill something, then killing that thing, it's awfully hard to turn around and refuse those instincts, Morrelia reflected.

Thinking back to her childhood, the long days spent drilling skills with her brother in the practice court whilst Mother watched, laughing at their exuberance. When her father was home he would take them the Legionary fort in Liria and they would practice with the trainees. Even from a y...

Chapter 245 - Gathering Thoughts

All work and no play makes Anthony, something, something.

Things have been way too busy! I need some rest! 

Not to mention they're only going to get more busy from this point… I need to help the humans out a little, get them up and running so they can look after themselves, especially now it looks like there will be more attacks from those damnable crocodiles, over the surface this time. I need to train up my own skills and fill myself w...

Chapter 244 - Battle of unity

The frustrating thing about a battle such as this, where the numbers on both sides were relatively high and the fight was spread over a wider front, was just how hard it was to keep track of what was taking place. 

My senses were overwhelmed on every front. Heat was thick in air from the exertion of thousands of bodies, my eyes were filled with the blur of rapid movement in every direction and my antennae were drowned in the pheromones of my fel...

Chapter 243 - The troops arrive

Despite my misgivings about the current situation, I can see that Crinis is having a field day. I've been steadily making my way towards the area my two pets are active, trying together knots of monsters and hitting the occasional heavy hitter with a pair of gravity bolts, effectively locking them down for a period of time.

When I finally get a view of Crinis, she is merrily carving away at the monsters around her, rending them, twisting them apart, ...

Chapter 242 - the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

"RAAA!" Morrelia bellowed and her muscles bunched and shifted beneath her skin before she stabbed her hand out once more.

To describe it as a stab wouldn't be doing it justice. The strength, the control, the sheer force of that strike went beyond what I had imagined was possible. As if she were cutting apart the very air, the sword pierced the atmosphere. As it did so, pure light coalesced around her arm and hand, flowing onto the sword itse...

Schedule troubles

Sorry to all Patrons, IRL has kicked my schedule right in the backside lately and I've been struggling to provide the advance chapters. I'm hoping to fix that today and tomorrow and get back into the black.

Sorry for any delays!

Chapter 241 - Sudden Attack

The monsters came from the north. They swept south in a hungry pack, seeking, destroying and devouring everything in their path like a tide of beastly Vikings.

As the monsters drew closer their snarling and growls rang louder in the peoples ears and panic quickly raced across their faces. The fear spread so quickly from person to person around me, clouding their faces and twisting their expressions.

So quickly they lost the will to fight, these...

Chapter 240 - Learnings and Worship

We stand now on the brink of the final ascension. There is tremendous fear amongst the people now, but also great anticipation. Such a momentous moment in history, the ambition of it still takes my breath away.

Who else but we would ever dream of something like this? None of the other peoples would have the mettle, the commitment, to see such a project through to the end. In my eyes, it is yet another example of our superiority. The others don't see ...

Chapter 239 - The Priest

Morrelia blinks a few times.

[You can't seriously expect me to accept that].

This is one stubborn person.

[We've already established that you won't accept anything I say].

Her eyes narrow.

[Then would you answer a few questions?]

It's amazing how patient everyone is being watching this. I have a crowd of people standing about watching a woman stare at a monster with absolutely nothing happening on the outside. For some r...

Chapter 238 - Confrontation

Sobbing uncontrollably with joy, the priest raised his one hand towards me and fell to his knees, quite obviously performing some kind of worship. So caught up with emotion was he, that nearby refugees, temporarily taking leave of their senses, were also swept up in the moment and mimicked his action.

Surrounded by villagers giving praise on their knees, my ego begins to stir.

Down, Dark One! You shall not rise here this day! Nor any day!

Chapter 237 - Misunderstanding

If I'm going to be honest, I don't really want to go and talk to the humans. The priest will probably be there, a crowd might form, it just feels so irritating. However, they may have information that can help me and I can't help but feel a little responsible for them.

In some ways I feel responsible for them in much the same way a human might feel responsible for their pets. They're a collective of individuals who need me to make sure they ...

Chapter 236 - Discussions

Skills, their structure, nature and import, was one of the first things that required attention when we began to study the System in earnest. The reason why the Chrysalis felt the need to implement such measures in the way it did was irrelevant to us, understanding and disseminating this information to allow for the spread of knowledge and to allow for proper planning.

There was a great deal of knowledge to be discovered. Mapping out trees, discoveri...

Chapter 235 - The spoils and return to surface

We feasted on the Croc until there was nothing left. Our stomachs were full to bursting and our wounds gradually closed. In hindsight, it probably wasn't too smart of us to eat until we were completely comatose but oddly enough it turned out fine.

With the Commander and its oppressive aura gone the creatures of the expanse began to slowly regain their former bustle. Around us I could hear their growling and clashing as the normal, frenetic pace of th...

DYK 1.2 Registration part 1

It took some time  for Theo to finally settle himself into the reality he now inhabited. How much  time, who could say? On a small patch of rock floating in an endless nothing,  beneath the ever-burning sky of the Endless Chaos, what the heck does time  matter? All in all, he didn't consider it to be completely his fault, no  matter how irritated Bbl became. He had appeared here, without any clear  memory of his past, in...

Chapter 234 - To consume the Beast

Turns out, letting  a giant Crocodile take a sizeable chunk out of your business district is  exceedingly painful. Like, it hurts a frickin' lot.

FTAGN!

MY ASS!

Is this a hostile  takeover of my commercial operations!? What the hell, Croc?!

In that one strike  my Hp has plunged perilously low. I activate my regen gland once again to let  whatever regeneration that has accumulated up to this point flow ...

Chapter 233 - Eye of the Beast 4

When Water mana affinity levelled up to Advanced water mana affinity, I'd learned many things. I'd poured a lot of resources and evolutionary energy into beefing up my spellcasting ability to the point I was happy with it, but the spells hadn't been quite as impactful as I'd hoped. The mana affinity skills were my first window into increasing the power of my magic. The human mages I'd seen had almost all been specialised in a particular type of mana, espec...