Wang Lei released an exhausted sigh.
"Status." He muttered.
---
[Name: Wang Lei]
[LV. 7]
[Health: 257/280]
[Stamina: 15/50]
[Mana: 80/???] (Ancient True Immortal's Qi Circulation Technique)
[Strength: 20] [Agility: 6 (20+)] [Defense: 28] [Stamina: 5] [Magic: 7] [Mana: 8]
[Status Points: 12]
…
---
"My Health Points are recovering… slowly," Wang Lei muttered as he checked his status screen.
That was way too close… I only had ten Health points left before hitting zero. He shuddered at the thought. I don't even want to know what would've happened if it actually reached zero…
Wang Lei had been severely injured. His fists were bruised from punching the ant's metal-like skin with his bare hands, his shoulder had been punctured by its mandibles, and his bones felt shattered all over. The fact that he had even survived was pure luck.
But now, those injuries had vanished—like they'd never happened in the first place.
All thanks to this Poison Resistance skill…
The Poison Resistance skill Wang Lei had obtained turned out to be incredibly useful. It allowed his body to take in poisonous substances and convert them into healing energy.
Given how severe his injuries were, he needed a lot of poison to recover—so he absorbed an immense amount of the poisonous mist around him. As a result, the thick haze that once blanketed the area had thinned considerably, making the surroundings much clearer than before.
The thinning mist also allowed Wang Lei to see farther than before—far enough to spot where the mountain of dead cave ants had come from.
Beyond that pile lay even more scattered corpses, stretching out farther into the distance.
"These ants must've been subordinates of that white ant… or something like it," Wang Lei muttered. "Looks like they couldn't handle the poison and died here."
But… why would they do this in the first place? Wang Lei frowned, sensing something odd. These ants are clearly intelligent. I'm sure they're capable of independent thought—yet they follow orders as if they were absolute, even when it puts their lives in danger…
The absolute reign of the highest hierarchy… is that just the way their kind lives?
He glanced back toward the sky-blue mist, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Besides that… why didn't the white ant come after me? It was the perfect chance to finish off its enemy…"
Wang Lei walked forward and stopped only when he was inches away from the sky-blue mist. He didn't enter right away—instead, he leaned in, just enough to peek his head through, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening beyond.
This is… Wang Lei narrowed his eyes, focusing on the scene before him.
The massive white ant lay still, its giant body facing away from him. Its head remained buried in the ground, unmoving—as if frozen in the exact position where he had last struck it.
Is this a trap? Wang Lei narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
Hm? Something caught his attention.
In the ant's open mandibles… were those foams? A strange white foam was bubbling at the edges of its mouth.
…I see! Wang Lei's eyes widened as realization struck him. The poison must've already spread throughout its entire body…
So it kept fighting, even knowing that even if it killed me, it would still end up dead in the end… He clenched his fists. Goodness… just how far does their dedication go?!
Wang Lei let out a sigh. I do feel a little guilty… but it was the one who came at me with murderous intent. I was just trying to survive.
He suddenly shook his head. "No point dwelling on it."
"What I should be thinking about," he said, a grin creeping across his face, "is how to deal with all these spoils of war. Hehehe…" A wicked laugh escaped his lips.
***
In a vast cavern, the air echoed with the constant sound of skittering.
Cave ants poured out from numerous holes in the walls, each one carrying various types of food—some raw, some half-rotted, others freshly gathered.
They hurried to the front of another ant, a much larger one that loomed over the rest. One by one, they laid down their offerings, as if trying to appease its mood.
The ant in question was crimson red, its body glowing faintly under the cavern's dim light. Despite being an insect, it sat upon a stone throne with a posture almost eerily human.
It was enormous—so large that the cave ants scurrying before it looked like mere specks of dust in comparison. Towering over fifteen feet tall, it exuded an overwhelming presence that made the air feel heavy.
Beneath the crimson ant stood another—this one white in color. Unlike the others, it was roughly the height of an average human and stood upright on two legs, its posture formal as it bowed respectfully before the crimson ant.
The white ant opened its mandibles, releasing a voice that was sharp and grating, like claws on stone.
"Your Majesty, the warrior ant you dispatched… has yet to return," it said cautiously. "I believe…" The white ant trailed off, unwilling to finish the sentence, fearing that speaking further might enrage the crimson ant even more.
"Who was it?" the crimson ant said, its voice flat and devoid of emotion. Yet each word landed like a boulder, pressing down on the shoulders of every ant present.
"According to the reports…" the standing white ant said, his voice strained as if a crushing weight pressed down on his back. "It was a human… I believe it's the descendant… of the master of this mountain."
"The True Immortal, huh?" the crimson ant muttered, flinching slightly at the name. "In that case, do not pursue him any further. Focus on gathering our forces."
"Understood, Your Majesty." the white ant replied with a deep bow before turning to leave.
***
"Hmm…" Wang Lei hummed as he sat on the ground, rubbing his chin.
Resting in his palm was a marble-sized orange orb.
It came from the corpse of the white ant. Wang Lei had leveled up significantly from the battle.
When the level-up notification appeared, it also revealed the class name of the ant—and the sight of it nearly gave Wang Lei a heart attack.
"I can't believe I was fighting a monster over twenty levels above me…" he muttered. "The only reason I won was because it was already horribly poisoned…"
When Wang Lei first encountered the white ant, he hadn't held even the slightest hope of defeating it. He could feel it deep in his core—every fiber of his being screamed that the creature before him was on an entirely different level. It was as if his very soul recognized the difference in their existence.
"I must have felt that way because it was a First Order monster…"
Wang Lei had a few First Order skills himself, but that didn't mean he was a First Order being.
This must be how the strength of monsters is ranked… First Order might be the lowest tier, but that doesn't mean they're weak.
If it had been at full strength, in perfect condition… I'm sure I wouldn't have stood a chance.
Wang Lei wondered if he might also be able to evolve and gain a class someday, but he had no idea how to make it happen.
"…Well, no use thinking too hard about it. I'm sure it'll happen eventually if I just keep leveling up," he muttered, setting the thought aside for now.
"What I should be thinking about is…" Wang Lei turned his gaze to the orange orb in his palm.
"Should I use this to obtain a treasure, or consume it to enhance my stats?" he pondered aloud.
Using it to get a treasure might be a good option. Judging by how intense the mana inside this orb is, it's probably even more valuable than my current agility boots. But… there's no guarantee the item I get will actually be useful.
Basically, it all comes down to luck.
On the other hand, consuming it would drastically boost all of my stats…
"Then it's decided." Wang Lei grinned.
He picked up the orange orb with his fingers and tossed it into his mouth.
Gulp!—He swallowed it in one go.
A floating screen appeared before him:
[Strength +20 Agility +7 Defense +29 Stamina +13 Mana +4]
"Ohhh!!" Wang Lei let out a strange sound as a powerful sensation surged through him—he could feel every part of his body growing stronger.
"Status!" Wang Lei shouted in excitement, eager to see just how much stronger he had become.
---
[Name: Wang Lei]
[LV. 16]
[Health: 570/570]
[Stamina: 180/180]
[Mana: 120/???] (Ancient True Immortal's Qi Circulation Technique)
[Strength: 40] [Agility: 13 (20+)] [Defense: 57] [Stamina: 18] [Magic: 7] [Mana: 12]
[Status Points: 30]
...
---