Re:Ant Lord-Chapter 38: Evolution

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His antennae twitched in confusion. He glanced down at his inventory. Inside the soul-bound storage cube sat four two-star beast cores, obtained from the previous battles. Three from earlier, and one freshly harvested from the Boulder Hide Tusk Beast.

He clenched his mandibles. "Only four cores..."

His voice came out dry, frustrated. "System, is there any other way?"

The system responded promptly.

[Alternative Detected: Higher-Rank Core Substitution Possible. Host can use the two three star rank beast cores.]

Kai’s heart thudded. That meant... freewebnøvel.com

"I have two of them," he muttered, recalling the glittering core stones he had looted from the corpses of the Ravager and the Lurker. Both three-star monsters.

[Ding! Would you like to initiate Rank-Up Evolution now? This process is irreversible and requires several uninterrupted hours.]

Kai stared at the forest around him. Danger lurked in every shadow. But he didn’t hesitate.

"Do it. I am ready for the next stage."

He sank down beside the Boulder Hide corpse and pulled out the cores from his inventory. They glowed like molten gems, one red, one emerald green, one silver-blue. One by one, he devoured them.

"The taste was... awful." He murmured to himself.

The core felt like burning metal and acid in the back of his throat. But the moment they slid down his throat, he felt it. Power.

[Core Absorption: Initiated.

Combining Essence Signatures...

Blood Compatibility: Monarch Devourer Ant confirmed.

System Notification: Milestone Achieved. One-Star to Two-Star Evolution processing.

New Trait Pending: Choose after rank promotion.]

His body began to shift. Kai groaned as his exoskeleton pulsed, expanding slightly. His carapace grew darker and sleeker, reinforced in places that had once been weak points. His aura surged, doubling in volume. His limbs cracked as muscle-like fibers formed beneath the chitin, giving him greater strength and speed.

The pain was intense, but he needed to endure it. It was proof that he was ascending.

[Ding! Stat Boost: +20 to all Attributes from Evolution.

New Base Stats :

Strength: 80

Speed: 65

Stamina: 65

Unallocated stats: 53

Aura: 2000 (Aura Regeneration Rate Improved.)

Durability Enhanced.

Devour Efficiency 15%. Faster. ]

He could feel it. The flow of energy, the pull of magic running deeper than ever before. His senses were sharper, and his vision expanded into subtle aura signatures in the forest. Every breath tasted like fire and life.

The power was intoxicating. It thrummed through his limbs like music. It made the pain vanish. He took a deep breath... and exhaled.

Then, as if his legs couldn’t hold his victory, he collapsed beside the Boulderhide’s corpse. His heart pounded against his ribs like war drums.

He lay there for minutes. Maybe longer. Birds returned to their trees. The wind rustled the canopy. And Kai whispered, "I did it..."

Without any help, He had killed three two-star beasts in one day. He had reached level 20. He had started his evolution.

Kai closed his eyes. For the first time in days, he felt peace. Then he felt something strange. Not a vibration. Not the heavy steps of a beast.

A silent whisper and a cold breeze. A voice rang in his ears deep, cruel, amused.

"FOUND YOU."

Kai’s eyes snapped open. His antennae flicked. Every sense screamed at him, pointing to danger. He rolled to his feet in a flash, instinct already pulling energy into his limbs.

From the shadows, a figure stepped into view.

Tall. Muscular. Hair wild like the wind. Armor made of gleaming silver thread. A tail that shimmered with latent energy. That smug, hate-inducing smirk curled across his lips.

Roddick.

The self-proclaimed fiancé. The Silver Tail Clan heir. The idiot wolf, who is after Luna.

"You ran pretty far, insect," he said, cracking his knuckles. "But you should’ve known. I don’t give up what’s mine."

Kai didn’t speak. He just stared at the enemy. Analyzing! Measuring!

Roddick tilted his head. "No words? You’re not going to talk back? Mock my moves again?"

Kai slowly stood upright, his newly leveled frame humming with power. His carapace glinted with raw strength. His eyes were sharper, his antennae already reacting to the shift in Roddick’s aura.

Roddick’s smirk deepened. "Ah. I see. You got a little stronger. Good. That’ll make breaking you more satisfying. I hope you don’t die until I have some fun."

Kai’s mandibles clicked. And then he said one word. "Bring it on butt cracker."

The forest fell silent again. Even the birds held their breath. Then Roddick’s smile vanished.

"Alright, bug. No holding back. You humiliated me. You interfered with my bride. And worst of all, you punched me in the ass."

Kai snorted. "You named your move ’Butt Bloom Nova.’ I should’ve punched harder."

Roddick roared in anger. "You insect!" He leapt into the air, spinning midair like a cyclone.

"Tail Tornado Elegance!"

Kai didn’t dodge. This time, he activated Tiny Tank. His body hardened, his shell glowing faintly. The tail collided.

CRACK!

The blow sent Kai skidding backward, his claws digging deep into the earth to stop himself from flying. His exoskeleton cracked but didn’t break.

"Stronger," Roddick growled. "But still soft."

Kai’s body stung, but he grinned. "You hit like a pampered brat."

"Butt Blast Barrage!" Silver energy burst from Roddick’s rear in a repeating salvo. The air quaked. Trees splintered. Moss and stone exploded.

Kai activated Reflex Mode, zipping between the blasts like a shadow. Each time the shockwave got close, he twisted, ducked, and kept moving.

He wasn’t running. He was waiting and Observing. Finally, he found it, Roddick’s flank exposed for a second too long.

Kai lunged forward. "Devourer’s Bite!"

His mandibles snapped around Roddick’s side, piercing the cloth armor and drawing blood.

"ARGH!"

Roddick elbowed him back and spun away. "You little shit!"

Kai didn’t retreat. He dashed forward, claws slashing. The two clashed in a blur, muscle versus agility, tail versus technique.

For the first time, Kai could match him. Strike for strike. Blow for blow. Roddick snarled. "I had my fun. Let’s end this!"

He jumped skyward, his tail glowing with blinding silver energy. He barked...

"Ultimate Art- Butt Nova Detonation!"

Kai’s eyes widened. His system screamed warnings.