Soldier Ant, Foolish

The old Druid flashed through System's mind.

If the locust plague were not annihilated, these locusts would breed their offspring in the following year. In turn, they would contribute to a greater plague that would destroy the entire forest.

If he were a forest guardian Druid, System would probably do the same.

However, what did the locusts do wrong?

What did Quin do wrong?

There was no right and wrong to this issue.

System knew that the difference lay in their knowledge and perspectives. And he was no longer human…

…

Grasshoppers were not skilled at digging, so the night had fallen when System finally settled Quin's carcass.

System did not feel any fatigue, which might be due to the newly gained [Mind Transmission]. He felt as though he could last for two to three days without any rest.

Thanks to Quin, System seemed to have gained a mysterious power and had the sensation that something in the surrounding air was surging into his body. His EXP bar was also constantly increasing.

Due to Quin's transmitted energy, his EXP bar was at the maximum of Level 10. Even if he did nothing, he would reach Level 11 after a couple of hours.

However, System did not bother pondering over it. Instead, he used his foreleg to bury Quin into the mud while secreting some [Corrosive Slime] on it.

He had to get rid as much of Quin's carcass stench as possible. This was to prevent bugs like ants from discovering her.

…

The next morning, System advanced to Level 11. He grew to 14cm and was almost as large as a bird, though he possessed greater speed and power.

Because of the advancement, some of System's abilities were upgraded,

[Hunger Tolerance Physique] (5/11) → [Hunger Tolerance Physique] (6/11)

[Dark Vision] (4/5) → [Dark Vision] (5/5)

He could see better at night, but his appetite had grown as well.

Furthermore, he had received a new ability—[Subtlety Vision]. With this power, his compound eyes could see much further.

…

[Subtlety Vision] (3/9): An ability derived from [Insect Adaptability] and [Mind Transmission]. Your vision has been strengthened.

…

System turned to look at the sky. Despite the blurriness, he was able to spot the rolling clouds in the sky, just like Quin.

"Quin, what should I do?"

…

System suppressed and buried all his emotions deep in his heart. He had to try his best to extend his lifespan and live past this winter.

Due to the old Druid's trap, the number of bugs in the forest had depleted greatly, and they were mostly bugs able to fly and travel at a higher speed.

The numbers of ants, spiders, and mosquitoes, which could only travel with their limbs, or bugs with slow traveling speed were not depleted at all.

However, as the old Druid's trap was situated too far away, some bugs would take a great deal of time to travel several miles to reach there.

By the time they reached the location, the old Druid's trap spheres would have been long gone.

After building Quin's tomb, System searched for a new hunting ground and nest while foraging bugs. He also took the chance to try out [Mind Transmission] and [Spirit Transmission] that he inherited from Quin.

[Mind Transmission] was a peculiar ability, as by expanding a small amount of spirit, it enabled him to communicate with creatures.

However, his [Mind Transmission] was only partially activated, which might be due to the low level or some other reasons.

He was able to link up with the plants half meters away and understand their emotions using [Spirit Connection]. The plants' emotions were rather basic. They thrived in sunlight and rain at their roots. After getting ripped apart by System, they would express pain as well.

However, the plants lacked the form of thought. Hence, they failed to give any replies even after System messaged them using [Mind Transmission].

Other than the plants, System also used [Mind Transmission] and [Spirit Connection] to interact with bugs. Arthropods such as spiders gave no response to System's [Mind Transmission].

System used [Spirit Connection] to establish a spiritual linkage with the bugs and was able to receive their feedback. Although the interactions were not as in-depth as Quin, he could still understand some of the bugs' thoughts.

An example would be when he used telepathy on a caterpillar to inform it that the ingesting leaf was toxic. The caterpillar stopped its consumption and revealed a confused expression as it still wanted to ingest the leaf, but did not dare to.

"Toxic? Toxic? Toxic? Toxic? Toxic…"

It repeated the telepathic message repeatedly to System like a robot before System replied, "Yes, the leaf is poisonous."

The caterpillar was bewilderment, before finally leaving the leaf alone.

System was unable to locate any more caterpillars, so he could not conclude that this would happen to all caterpillars.

As compared to caterpillars, System had a greater variety of tests for the ants due to their vast numbers.

Other than informing them that the food they were transporting was poisonous, Systems would also spout other nonsensical jokes.

When he told the ants that he was one of them, they would believe him and care for him. However, they would realize that they were tricked soon later, and would then attack him together.

Soon after, regardless of the messages System sent with [Mind Transmission], the ants would ignore them and just attack head-on.

Of course, there was an exception to everything.

System's lie seemed to have worked on a 3-centimeter large soldier ant.

That soldier ant seemed to be of the same breed as those that System had robbed previously. Its bulbous head took up half of its body surface area, and there was a stinger at its tail.

System did not have high hopes in regard to his experiment with the soldier ant. Soldier ants were temperamental and would probably attack without any hesitation like the former two ants.

However, the results of the experiment with the soldier ant were beyond System's expectations. After using [Mind Transmission] on the ant, System realized that it had become extremely obedient.

It regarded System as one of its kind and believed he was the queen ant. Thus, it followed his instructions to the letter.

When it was told to raise its front left leg, it would raise all three left legs. When it was told to raise its mid-left leg, it would still raise all three left legs. When it was told to raise its left hind leg, it would be obedient and only raise the hind leg.

Other than its low intelligence, the soldier ant was perfect.

Due to its silly appearance, System named it Foolish.

…

Due to Foolish, System arranged its hunting grounds near to the ants' nest. This allowed System to observe Foolish while instructing it to perform certain tasks.

Although Foolish believed System's lies, it was as silly as it seemed. It would guard loyally by the ants' nest while commanding the wandering worker ants. It would also charge forward when there were intruders.

Of course, when System arrived, other than completing its daily tasks, Foolish would also steal the food that the worker ants were transporting and deliver it to System.