---
Kai scurried back along the familiar corridors of the Ant Kingdom, each step echoing softly on the cool stone floor. The mory of Princess Mia’s gentle promise still burned like a secret fla in his heart. As he approached the modest worker ants quarters—a small chamber lined with carved chitin panels and ward by the faint glow of silver crystal lights. He felt both excitent and a quiet trepidation.
Inside the room, Kai went straight to his resting place. Here, his inner system always revealed his progress. "System, show my current stats," Kai whispered, his many legs twitching with anticipation.
Almost imdiately, a soft chi filled his mind and the status window shimred into view. For a mont, Kai read the numbers that had been his foundation up to this point:
[Na: Kai (Elite Worker Ant)
Species: Monarch Devourer Ant
Level: 20 (⭐⭐)
Exp: 10/1000
HP: 2000/2000
Aura: 2000/2000
Lifespan: 10 years
Strength: 80
Speed: 65
Stamina: 65
Unallocated stats: 53
Ultimate Skill: Essence Eater
Sub Skills: Essence Overlord, Devourer’s Bite
Inventory: Soul-Bonded Storage Cube (2x2x2)
Skill Set:
Antenna Sensory Boost, Worker’s Resilience, Tiny Tank, Ant’s Instinct, Reflex Mode, Adaptive Armor (Passive), Predator’s Instinct (Passive)
Aura Cost: –200 per use.]
"My... my lifespan increased to ten years. Before my star rank-up, it was one year. So I get almost nine tis more lifespan. If it goes up like this in each rank up then I can live for hundreds or maybe thousands of years."
Kai’s heart thumped in his tiny chest as he saw his unallocated stats—a wealth of raw potential waiting silently. He knew the ti had co to shape his destiny further. He rembered the cold glances from Captain Darius and the upcoming hunting expedition that threatened him. Now, every unspent point could be the edge he needed in the coming battles.
Carefully, he began his allocation. First, he decided to bolster his strength. The very quality that would allow him to wield the ferocious power of his Essence Eater with even greater force. He allocated 20 points to Strength. The display updated instantly, and Kai smiled inwardly at the new number:
Strength: 80 20 = 100
Next, knowing that speed was critical. Both for evading the traps and for closing in on his enemies—he cast 15 points into Speed. His nimble form would need every advantage when the ground beneath him trembled with the threat of ambushes. Again, the system responded:
Speed: 65 15 = 80
Lastly, he raised his stamina. The long, harsh journeys and brutal battles demanded that his body endure pain and recover quickly. He applied 15 points here, and the numbers shifted once more:
Stamina: 65 15 = 80
With these allocations, Kai had used a total of 20 15 15 = 50 unallocated points. He had started with 53. So, the remaining points were a modest 3, which he decided to save for a later ti when the need might be greater. Based on the situation one stats point could make a huge difference.
Kai closed his eyes for a brief mont, savoring the quiet thrill of progress. Then, his system chid one last ti, displaying the newly updated status window—the parts that had changed:
Strength: 100
Speed: 80
Stamina: 80
Unallocated stats: 3
A soft, lodic chi echoed in his mind as the notification finished:
[Ding! System notifications:
Status window –
Na: Kai (Elite Worker Ant)
Species: Monarch Devourer Ant
Level: 20 (⭐⭐)
Exp: 10/1000
HP: 2000/2000
Aura: 2000/2000
Lifespan: 10 years
Strength: 100
Speed: 80
Stamina: 80
Unallocated stats: 3
Ultimate Skill: Essence Eater (Sub Skills: Essence Overlord, Devourer’s Bite)
Inventory: Soul-Bonded Storage Cube (2x2x2)
Skill Set: Antenna Sensory Boost, Worker’s Resilience, Tiny Tank, Ant’s Instinct, Reflex Mode, Adaptive Armor (Passive), Predator’s Instinct (Passive)
Aura Cost: –200 upon use]
Kai exhaled slowly, letting the warmth of these numbers settle within him. Each point, each change, was like a small promise of power, a pledge that he was ready for the unknown trials that lay ahead. He knew that the coming days would be full of danger, and relentless battles in the wild lands outside the kingdom.
Finally he noticed sothing, "Ohh, my cost went up. It’s now 200 per skill use. It’s a relief that I have a passive predator instinct. It doesn’t cost any aura. If it cost aura then I would have sucked dry in five minutes."
Kai felt the weight of both his past and his future upon his tiny shoulders. The newfound strength coursed through him like a pulsing river of light. In his heart, a firm resolve took root: he would stand tall against all challenges, and soday prove that the destiny entrusted to him by the mysterious forces—and by Princess Mia’s fervent hope—was his to command.
Unable to sleep, Kai stepped out into the corridor, his mind alive with plans. What trials might lie beyond the great gate? What traps would be laid by enemies lurking in the shadows? Yet, for the first ti in a long while, he felt ready. His body—now strengthened, swifter, and more endurance glead in the soft light of the coming dawn. And within him, that silent, steady promise of growth and power burned brighter than ever.
He recalled Mia’s parting words from the secret eting. They had been full of hope and caution, a mixture of desire and duty. That promise, along with his newly allocated stats, gave him a montary pause—a reflective calm in the storm of his ambitions.
One worker, seeing Kai outside, asked, "What happened? Can’t sleep? Are your injuries acting up? Should I call the elders Rael?’
Kai responded by saying, "I am okay, no need to trouble elder Rael. I was assigned to a new job. I was just thinking about that. You should go to rest. I will be back in a minute."
"Alright man, but what’s your new job?" The worker ant asked.
After a few seconds of pause Kai replied, "It... it’s a job outside the gate. If I leave very early in the morning. Make sure to tell elder Rael about that. I have to do so work for a month outside the gate."
"Sure, man."
The rest of the night passed by in the blink of an eye.
User Comments
0 comments from readers