Re:Ant Lord-Chapter 36: A new journey

---

Kai moved through the underbrush, every step calculated, every breath measured. The thick leaves whispered under his feet, brushing against his hardened carapace as sunlight filtered through in broken rays. The brief encounter with Luna still played in his mind: her silver eyes, the softness of her touch on his shoulder, the way she laughed—even when the world around them was chaos. He could still feel her body’s warmth on his back. The way she sat on his back, the feeling of her big fat warm butt still making him tingle on his ant stick.

But she is gone now. And he was alone again.

With Luna gone and the strange territory ahead offering no signs of the Ant Kingdom, he had no choice but to push forward alone.

The land was vibrant but ominous—beautiful in a way that promised death if one misstepped.

Kai’s body still bore the aches of the last battle. Bruises darkened the edges of his limbs. Small cracks along his sides throbbed with every breath. He had no time to rest, not in this unknown stretch of wilderness.

"I need to find a landmark," Kai muttered. "Something that tells me I’m not just going in circles."

[DING! Passive Skill: Ant’s Instinct Activated. Directional Vibration Sensing Calibrated]

The system’s familiar voice guided him with faint pulses. He turned northeast. The path was overgrown and wild, but his instincts urged him forward.

[Ding! Daily mission available: Kill three Beast.

System Note: Dear host, the system advises you to kill stronger beasts and level up as soon as possible.]

Before Kai could ask anything to the system. Suddenly, the ground rumbled beneath him.

Kai froze.

A chilling snarl echoed from the ferns ahead.

A massive creature stepped into his view, Like a fusion of a panther and beetle, with glistening black fur covering a chitinous body. Its eyes were yellow, vertical slits gleaming with hunger.

[DING! Wild Beast Detected – Deathclaw Burrow Cat (★★ Rank 2-Star Beast)]

Kai’s claws flexed. "No time to think. Pussycat, Let’s make you my next meal."

The Burrowcat lunged with terrifying speed, its clawed paws tearing through the ground. Kai leapt back, his Reflex Mode triggering instantly.

[DING! Reflex Mode Activated: +40% Speed Boost.]

The world slowed around him. Every twitch of the predator’s muscles, every flick of its ears, appeared as if in slow motion. He darted to the side as the beast’s front claws cleaved the space where he had just been.

Kai struck, slicing across the cat’s leg. His mandibles bit into the thinner fur between its plating, but he didn’t break through. The beast roared and rolled its body, slamming him with a shoulder swipe that sent Kai flying into a tree.

Pain exploded across his side.

HP: 820/1000

Kai shook his head, stunned. "Okay, that hurt."

The Burrowcat stalked toward him, saliva dripping from its jaws. Its tail was a segmented blade of bone and fur, which swung behind it, ready to impale.

Kai narrowed his eyes. "Time to tank."

[Tiny Tank Activated – Exoskeleton Reinforced. Duration: 5 minutes]

The creature charged. This time, Kai didn’t dodge. He met it head-on.

Their clash cracked the forest floor. The cat’s fangs closed around Kai’s shoulder, but its teeth skidded off the reinforced chitin. Kai responded with a headbutt directly into its snout, dazing it.

Then, he activated the Essence Eater.

[Essence Eater Activated. Drain Commencing... Collecting essence liquid.]

His mandibles sank into the base of the Burrowcat’s neck. The creature shrieked as its aura began to siphon into Kai’s own. It thrashed violently, trying to dislodge him, but he held on.

The cat tried one last swipe, claws dragging down Kai’s back, but failed to break through the defense boost.

With a final twitch, it slumped.

[DING! Beast Defeated.

Deathclaw Burrow Cat.

+1000 EXP.

Stats points: +5.

Aura Increased: +100]

Kai stumbled back, breathing hard.

"First one down."

[Ding! System Notifications:

Level Up: 17 → 18.]

"Great, Keep moving." He advises himself.

An hour passed since he ate the pussycat.

Kai crept through a shallow ravine, using his antennae to sense any shift in vibrations. His aura was still drained, only partially recovered from the last battle.

Then he heard the buzz. A loud, rhythmic beat of wings, too fast, too strong. He looked up and found the source.

A massive hornet, easily the size of a wolf (ten feet long), dropped from the treetops. Its carapace shimmered with golden-black stripes. Its wings beat like a drum, pushing air away with every flap.

Its stinger was longer than Kai’s arm—and dripping venom.

[DING! Wild Beast Detected – Razorglare Hornet (★★ Rank 2-Star Beast)]

Kai ducked just as the stinger shot past his head, impaling a nearby tree log. The hornet retracted it with a shriek, then aimed again.

Kai ran.

The hornet pursued.

He activated Predator’s Instinct.

[P.I. Activated, Weak point detected: Underbelly – Vibration patterns suggest attack delay of 1.2 seconds post-lunge]

Kai rolled into a crevice as the hornet lunged again, wings slashing the air like knives.

He jumped upward, his claws digging into its thorax. The hornet buzzed, twisting violently.

Kai reached under and stabbed his mandibles into the thin membrane along its stomach.

Green ichor burst from the wound. But the hornet wasn’t dead. It flipped in the air and slammed him to the ground.

BAM!

Kai coughed, vision blurring. He barely had time to harden his armor before the stinger came down.

Tiny Tank reactivated just in time.

CLANK!

The stinger bent slightly on impact, failing to pierce. Kai twisted, biting into the stinger base. Then, with a growl, he activated Essence Eater again.

"BE MY MEAL!"

The hornet twitched violently. Its wings sputtered. And finally with a Thud it collapsed on the ground.

[DING! Beast Defeated.

Razor glare Hornet.

+1000 EXP.

Level Up: 18 → 19.

Aura Increased: +100

Stats points : +5.]

Kai fell to his knees, panting. Two beasts down. Still no sign of the kingdom. Still no safe place to rest. The sun was dipping lower now. He doesn’t have much time left. In a few hours the day will be over. He needed to complete his daily mission before that.