Re:Ant Lord-Chapter 54: Star Cores

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Despite the fatigue that weighed on every joint, a surge of renewed vitality coursed through him. His newly attained Level 21 status meant he was no longer the same ant he had been mere moments earlier.

Yet, amid the relief that the alpha was finally dead, anxiety still clung to the clearing. Darius looked at them and let out a dry hiss: "Everyone, collect all the beast cores. Hand them over to me at once. No exceptions."

His voice, rasping with suppressed malice, betrayed an undercurrent of annoyance. He glanced at Kai with an expression that was cold as polished steel. "How did this lowly ant get so strong?" The flicker in his eyes suggested not only curiosity but a festering envy that roiled beneath his calm facade.

A few of the other ants, Thren, Lomar, Vexor, and Renna obediently scattered around the carcasses of lesser beasts that had followed the alpha. While the alpha had overshadowed its minions, these smaller monsters were nonetheless formidable in their own right, each leaving behind a distinct beast core glowing faintly with the last traces of their aura.

The stench of blood and spent rage hung in the humid air, and the battered clearing felt more like a graveyard than the site of any triumph.

Kai, ignoring the throbbing ache in his limbs, stooped beside one of the fallen beasts to pry out its shimmering core. He let out a steadying breath, mind racing with new plans.

"This bastard Darius wants all the beast cores!"

Darius was orchestrating something, that much was clear. But Kai, too, had his own secret objective. The alpha beast’s towering body lay not far off, broken and still, its monstrous heart silent after that final blow. And in that heart, Kai sensed, lay an unimaginable bounty of essence liquid, something that would feed his hunger for leveling up and unlocking new power.

As the ants scurried around collecting cores, Darius’s simmering hostility radiated across the clearing. "Damn ant... how did he survive that alpha?" The captain’s internal monologue was practically visible in his narrowed stare. He must have assumed the alpha would finish Kai off, or at least leave him crippled.

And yet, Kai remained standing, bruised but far from broken, even claiming the final blow. Nothing about that fact sat well with Darius. He thinks, "This Kai must be lucky. All the fates love him or something. I need a better plan to rid myself of this pest." Darius’s scowl deepened as he oversaw the gathering of lesser beast cores.

Meanwhile, Kai discreetly circled the alpha’s body. He needed an opportunity to use his ultimate skill, Essence Eater—a skill that devoured an enemy’s residual essence and granted him additional stats. But if he devoured the alpha in plain view, the entire team would see. That wouldn’t do. Not only would it raise suspicions, it might make Darius realize that Kai possessed a hidden power—an advantage the captain would certainly try to stifle.

An idea sparked in Kai’s mind: under the pretense of harvesting the alpha’s own beast core, he could slip inside the creature’s massive chest cavity for a few precious moments, burying his mandibles in the alpha’s heart to gulp down its potent essence.

He scanned the clearing. The other ants were spread out, retrieving smaller beast star cores from the rest of the scattered carcasses, still half-frozen in exhausted shock. Darius glowered from a short distance, but was largely preoccupied with surveying the entire clearing. That meant, if Kai was clever, he could remain unseen for just long enough to consume the alpha’s essence liquid.

Approaching the alpha’s fallen frame, Kai found it resting heavily on its side. The beast was enormous—twice as large as any pack monster they’d faced. Its fur was matted with blood and gore, and its eyes stared lifelessly at the empty sky. A hush seemed to surround the body, as though even the forest held its breath at the end of such a fearsome creature.

With practiced subtlety, Kai lowered himself next to the alpha’s chest. "Time to get the alpha’s beast core," he said loudly, glancing about to be sure Darius heard. The captain indeed turned his icy stare briefly upon him, but said nothing.

"Good. Now is the moment."

Kai allowed half his body to slip inside the alpha’s chest, just as if rummaging for the thickly pulsing heart to remove the beast core. The stench was overwhelming a hot, metallic reek that churned his stomach but the raw aura swirling in the alpha’s remains only spurred him onward.

He clenched his mandibles in a silent hiss, biting down on the alpha’s massive heart. The texture was vile, but the reward more than justified it. Furtively, he slurped the last drops of the alpha’s potent aura-laced fluid. His inner system flared excitedly:

[Ding! System notifications:

Essence Eater is now active. freewebnσvel.cѳm

Target: Alpha Beast.

Estimated Essence Extraction: 85%... 90%... 100%.]

He tried to remain outwardly calm, but inside a storm of power swirled as the alpha’s essence was ripped free and devoured. A burning surge of strength rushed through Kai’s every limb, making him tremble with euphoria.

[Ding! Additional Stats Awarded: +7]

His body felt momentarily on fire, each muscle fiber taut with newfound essence liquid. It was as if a thousand surges of life force had converged upon him. The system chimed again:

[Essence Overlord triggered: host receives an additional random buff. Predator’s Instinct extension: Senses sharpened.]

Kai nearly gasped. He was trembling from the power that now coursed through him. With a final push, he yanked free the alpha’s official beast core, an enormous gemlike object that glimmered faintly in the half-light. That was the trophy he had to present to Darius.

Exiting the corpse, Kai made a show of panting heavily as though he had struggled to tear loose the alpha’s heart. He cast a quick glance around and no one had noticed the "extended harvest." A sense of triumph sang in his chest. He had just grown stronger in secret, a quiet victory that only his system recognized.