Chapter 9 Queen

The centipede had established a few facts he had learned for a week spent solely on training and gathering information, something he should've done earlier. So far, it wasn't hard to understand. 

Like he stated before, [CON] directly affects his HP, but it also relates to endurance/defense and stamina. Same with [AGI] which extends to speed, reaction time, and attack speed. [INT] was still a bit of a mystery, though…

Skills depended on stats, and although it isn't obvious…his body gets gradually stronger even without using [SP]. It felt more like…the system was just a small boost to his already strong body, rather than a tool he can rely on too frequently like he first assumed.

Although the benefits of seeing it generalized in numbers and being able to distribute them to decide his growth did help; he's sure the system had the extra benefit of helping him evolve too, when comparing his own progress to the scorpion's.

From there, he realized more miniscule details he usually wouldn't have noticed. Although it seemed as if his skills conjured up strength randomly, it actually used up the power he already had inside of him and focused it in certain areas depending on his usage. 

The first few days had been spent trying to level his skills, before he realized that fact and began to concentrate on that sensation. His proficiency went up fast.

Fortunately, during this time, he had found a new hideout for them to live in on the side of a mountain that was near the plains.

It was close enough to be convenient, and far enough to be considered safe. They couldn't keep using the tall grass as cover, especially because the tip of his body could be seen above the foliage. The majority of the time, he had the scorpion go out to get him meals.

Because of this, he hadn't gotten many evolution points and…he was still debating with himself whether or not to evolve his skills. So far, everything other than the ones he recently acquired had reached max level…compared to [Cognizance], everything else cost between 3-50 points…

Currently, he was between [Regeneration], [Sixth Sense], and [Cognizance] which was 50, 35, and 80 respectively. Evolving had allowed the price to go down, which also made him think…skills themselves were "intrinsic" abilities he obtained from evolution.

He wasn't technically a true centipede anymore. This could mean that if he kept growing stronger, these skills wouldn't need a forced evolution.

…But that's not beneficial for him. Even after going through his 5th evolution which he assumed was one of his major hurdles, it only decreased by 20. It was too slow in comparison to just gathering the [EP] needed.

Hesitation stopped him from making a decision, but as he thought about the pros and cons, he decided what to do.

[Would you like to evolve [Regeneration], [Sixth Sense], [Poison Spray], [Defensive Curl], [Dash], and [Lock] for 120 [EP]?]

He said yes, even nodding his head.

[Evolving the following to [Speedy Regeneration], [Extrasensory Perception], [Toxic Volley], [Steel Wall], [Charge], and [Unyielding Seize]. You are left with 5.4 [EP].]

It hurt to see that, but he felt better when looking at his skills. The first one wasn't impressive in name, but it was twice, maybe thrice as effective now.

The most interesting one of them all, though, was [Extrasensory Perception]. It was directly affected by his [INT] and [AGI]. At least, that's what it felt like.

Depending on how he uses it, it could grant him telepathy…maybe [INT] affects the world beyond mother nature? Or does it still follow her will? He was leaning on the former. It felt more like a supernatural ability than a natural one. But that's not all it did…this was the second skill that affected his stats greatly besides [Ferocious Frenzy].

It utilized his [AGI], making it twice as effective(which he is still trying to fully master full body control), and allows him to practically see things in a bullet-time kind of slow, potentially seconds into the future if it's high enough.

His mind wandered to outside the cave entrance for a moment, something moving about. His antennae twitched, feeling them moving closer in the dim lighting. He slinked more towards the back, observing. From the shape, he knew it was a fellow insect, but something wasn't right.

The creature collapsed with a "Thump!". The centipede tilted his head in confusion. Were they injured? Perhaps they simply wanted to take shelter? He was about to approach, but it got up again and crawled closer to him without realizing the dangers. 

There was a sudden pop-up that startled him out of his trance once it was practically 5 meters from him.

[Warning: [Delirious]Ant Queen(Aphaenogaster Praerelicta(Giant variation)) has appeared.] 

This reminded him of his time with the salamander…but the difference between them and now was that he was stronger.

Without any hesitation, he approached the weakened queen, raising his scythe-like legs above his head. He'll take advantage of her status condition to-

"SCREEE!!!" His antennae shook erratically, a sense of dizziness overcoming him.

[Warning: The Queen has used [Soldier Call].]

[Tip: It is recommended not to let a Queen Ant use [Soldier Call].]

Think that was a bit too late...now what? Several seconds passed as he tried to rid himself of his dizziness, but nothing happened.

No vibrations of an army coming, no noise…nothing. He didn't even see a single bug. He looked down at the queen, calling out with a strange gargle.

The queen didn't even have the strength to lift her head, giving up. Right…if she had an army, why weren't they with her? Could it be that…she was kicked out of her colony?

There was a strange bitterness forming inside of him at the thought.

But like he had said before, he didn't have the courtesy of having mercy. Again, he raised his long, jointed legs in a downward slice, but he was once more stopped by a voice in his head.

'M…ercy…' That wasn't…English…but he could understand it as words. An inherent insect language? He didn't know.

But the thought excited him at the prospect of speaking to another intelligent creature. The scorpion was sufficient as a listener, but they acted more like one would a dog, rather than a person. He took a deep breath, trying to catch the sensation he had just felt; telepathy perhaps?

He pulled on that weak connection, making it stronger. He could feel his energy draining quickly, so it wasn't something he could maintain for a long time.

'Can…you hear me?' He tried. The queen didn't react, so he thought it hadn't worked in disappointment. The next thing he knew, there was that same voice in his head.

'You..understand..?' It was said in broken up words, but that was fine. He nodded his head in agreement but it didn't seem like she understood what it meant. 'Yes..' he cleared up. 'Have…mercy…babies..' she said, voicing growing weaker. Babies? Was she a pregnant queen? 

For a moment, he wondered if she reproduced asexually since there were no fertile males from what he could tell, but then why would she bother having children without a proper home?

It seemed she knew what was on his mind, answering for him.

'Attack…colony...gone….hungry…" Were the only words he heard before the connection was suddenly severed.

To be continued…