Lightning.
That was all Ethan saw.
A brilliant blue bolt exploded from the emerald beetle's horn, illuminating the tunnel for the briefest instant.
His instincts screamed.
Move!
Ethan threw himself to the side.
BOOM!
The bolt slammed into the glowing mushrooms behind him.
The entire cluster erupted into blue flames.
"...WHAT KIND OF BEETLE SHOOTS LIGHTNING?!"
Survival Instinct Activated
Threat Level: High
Recommendation:
Run.
"I was already planning on it!"
The injured worker ant had frozen in terror.
Her remaining antenna trembled violently.
Fear poured through Ant Instinct like icy water.
Ethan didn't need Iris to translate.
Run.
Hide.
Predator.
The emerald beetle clicked its mandibles together.
Its horn crackled again.
"...Nope."
Ethan rushed toward the worker ant and nudged her hard with his head.
"Move!"
She couldn't understand the words...
But she understood the urgency.
The two ants sprinted deeper into the tunnels.
Another bolt struck.
The stone wall beside Ethan exploded.
Chunks of crystal showered the passage.
One shard sliced across his shoulder.
A burning pain shot through his body.
HP: 18 → 15
"...Ow!"
"You are injured."
"I noticed!"
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
The tunnel forked into three directions.
Left.
Right.
Forward.
"...Iris!"
"Which way?!"
"..."
"...Iris?"
"I do not know."
"...You're unbelievably useless sometimes."
"I strive for honesty."
Ethan ground his mandibles together.
Think.
Think.
The left tunnel smelled damp.
The right tunnel carried a faint breeze.
Forward...
He could hear clicking.
More clicking.
"...Forward is definitely bad."
He turned toward the tunnel with the breeze.
"Come on!"
The injured ant followed without hesitation.
Behind them...
The emerald beetle stopped.
It didn't chase immediately.
Instead...
It slowly turned its head toward the other tunnel.
Almost...
As if it had heard something.
"..."
"...That's weird."
The tunnel opened into a wide underground chamber.
Moonlight poured through cracks in the ceiling.
Tiny glowing flowers covered the ground.
The place was beautiful.
Peaceful.
"..."
"...This has trap written all over it."
"You are learning."
"I'm learning because everything wants to kill me!"
The worker ant suddenly relaxed.
Her fear faded.
Instead...
Curiosity.
She walked toward one of the glowing flowers.
Ethan quickly Appraised it.
Moonbell Flower
Level: 1
Classification:
Medicinal Plant
Effects:
Restores minor wounds.
Safe for consumption.
"Oh."
"Finally!"
"Something nice!"
"Statistically..."
"No."
"Don't ruin it."
Ethan bit off one of the petals.
A cool sensation spread through his body.
The cut on his shoulder closed almost instantly.
HP Restored
15 → 18
"Now that's useful."
He looked around.
There were dozens of Moonbell Flowers.
An idea formed in his mind.
"..."
"...This could become a food source."
A safe place.
Healing plants.
An escape route.
"..."
"...Not bad."
Suddenly...
The worker ant froze.
Again.
Her antennae pointed upward.
Not behind them.
Above.
Ethan looked up.
The ceiling...
Moved.
"..."
"...That's..."
No.
The ceiling wasn't moving.
Hundreds of tiny green cocoons hung upside down.
They gently swayed.
One...
Cracked open.
A small winged insect crawled out.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds...
Dozens of tiny creatures hovered in the air.
They looked almost like dragonflies.
Except...
Their wings resembled stained glass.
Each beat scattered tiny glowing particles.
Appraisal
???
Appraisal Failed
"...Again?"
"Your level remains insufficient."
One of the creatures landed on Ethan's head.
"..."
"...Hello?"
It tilted its head.
Touched one antenna.
Then...
It happily chirped.
The rest immediately surrounded Ethan.
"..."
"..."
"...Why are they staring at me?"
"Unknown."
One of them placed a glowing seed at Ethan's feet.
Another followed.
Then another.
Soon...
A tiny pile of seeds sat before him.
The injured worker ant stared in confusion.
Ethan stared harder.
"..."
"...Did..."
"...Did they just give me presents?"
Before Iris could answer...
A notification appeared.
Hidden Title Earned!
"Not all tiny creatures fear you."
Effects:
Small, non-hostile creatures are more likely to approach you peacefully.
Charisma toward small creatures +10%
"..."
"...I got a title..."
"...for accidentally making friends?"
"Correct."
"I love this world."
A distant roar echoed through the tunnels.
The tiny winged creatures instantly panicked.
Every single one flew upward and disappeared into the cracks.
The worker ant crouched low.
Fear returned.
Ethan's smile vanished.
"...That roar again..."
"This individual is not responsible."
"What?"
"The creature you encountered earlier."
"The lightning beetle."
"It fears the roar as well."
"..."
"...Hold on."
"...Something strong enough to scare that thing...?"
"Correct."
A cold silence settled over the chamber.
For the first time...
Ethan realized something terrifying.
The emerald beetle...
The hunting spider...
The carnivorous plants...
They weren't the rulers of this forest.
They were surviving in it...
Just like he was.
Somewhere out there...
Something existed that every predator feared.
And Ethan had just entered its territory.
Far away...
Deep beneath the roots of the ancient forest...
A pair of enormous golden eyes slowly opened.
For just a single moment...
They looked in Ethan's direction.
Then closed once more.