After leaving the City Lord's Mansion, Ethan didn't head straight home. Instead, he returned once again to Darunhua, the high-end gear and materials store that had helped him out before.
As soon as he entered, the same cheerful store attendant welcomed him with a bright smile.
"You're back again!" she said with excitement. "Everyone in our store saw your battle rankings this morning—you were incredible!"
She quickly added, "Also, Darunhua has decided to upgrade your account to Diamond VIP status for free. From now on, you'll receive a 20% discount on all purchases!"
Ethan accepted the offered tea with a bit of embarrassment. He wasn't exactly the social type, so being the center of attention made him a little uncomfortable.
It's not like I'm some big shot, he thought. I've just got cheat skills. There's nothing to be proud of when you beat others your age with advantages like that.
"I'm here to buy some new materials and information about Zerg-type wild monsters, similar to what I got with the 'Big Sword Mantis' last time," he explained politely.
"Understood!" the guide said, immediately entering work mode. "Please check out the materials catalog while I pull the data you asked for."
---
Ethan took a tablet and began scrolling through the material listings.
This time, his plan was clear—he wanted to strengthen the Queen Ant to match with his newly unlocked SSS-rank talent: Damage Transfer.
His summoned beast Anti-Bone Boy's strength attribute was already over 20,000 thanks to his unique talent. But the Queen Ant's constitution was still below 7,000, and that just wouldn't do.
That's unacceptable, he thought. If I boost the Queen Ant, it'll also boost her offspring, so the investment pays off more than upgrading the other beasts individually.
He dove straight into the Dark Gold-tier materials list. As expected, the number of options had dropped significantly at this tier.
Before long, one material caught his attention: "Dark Gold Grade – Black Rock Lizard Tail."
Ethan remembered this creature—it looked like a massive gecko, and it had the unique ability to regenerate its tail after breaking it off, much like real-world lizards. Its black stone-like scales also provided excellent natural armor.
Perfect match for the Queen Ant's role.
---
Ethan tapped the screen. "How many of these do you have in stock?"
The store guide, who had assumed Ethan would browse lower-tier gold materials again, was surprised. She glanced at the item and nearly choked.
"You're buying Dark Gold materials... again?!" she asked carefully. "Are you sure about this?"
"Absolutely," Ethan nodded.
"Alright—please give me a moment!"
Maybe it was because of that terrifying sandstorm battle Ethan was shown in during the live broadcast earlier, but the guide's entire demeanor shifted. She was now twice as respectful and cautious. Clearly, she didn't want to get on his bad side.
She returned shortly after. "We have 36 units of that material in stock. Do you want all of them?"
"Yes," Ethan said without hesitation.
"Very well. I'll have someone bring them over."
---
Meanwhile, the guide returned with the requested Zerg info. "About those crawling-type beasts you asked about—would this be helpful?"
On the tablet screen, Ethan saw a large and intimidating creature: a "Crypt Spider."
While spiders weren't technically insects, they fell under the broader 'crawling pet' classification. That was good enough for him.
Ethan really liked this one—it had a monstrous, fierce look, exactly what he envisioned. But the dungeon it came from was level 40, and he needed to be at least level 25 just to enter.
So, it would have to wait.
The rest of the catalog was disappointing. Just weird creatures like millipedes, giant locusts, and farting bugs. None of them were worth investing in.
"I'll take the info on the Crypt Spider," Ethan said. "Also, if you find more good-quality Zerg-type monsters, send them my way. I'm happy to pay for it."
He transferred one million credits on the spot. For someone like Ethan, money wasn't a concern—he had enough power and confidence that no one dared scam him.
The shop calculated info prices based on the difficulty and tier of the monster's dungeon origin, so it was fairly regulated.
---
Soon, a fully-armored professional arrived carrying 36 Black Rock Lizard Tails. Each one cost a staggering 2.8 million credits, but with his new VIP status and 20% discount, the total dropped from 100.8 million to just 80 million.
"Just saved 20 million," Ethan thought with a smirk. "Being a Diamond VIP actually paid off."
Still, watching the majority of his 100 million credits vanish in one go left a weird feeling. Earlier, it felt like a fortune. But now?
This is just the cost of becoming stronger. Professionals burn money like crazy.
He looked around at Darunhua. Honestly, this store is kind of my lucky spot.
It was here that he had first been offered the chance to buy Anti-Bone Boy, and later, this is where he found Da Dao Zai.
---
"Excuse me," Ethan asked, "can I use one of your private reception rooms to rest for a while?"
He wasn't planning on wasting a single moment. In fact, he intended to complete the alienation process for the Queen Ant right here.
There were still people lurking around outside, possibly hunting him. He needed every edge he could get.
Combining the Alienated Queen Ant with his new SSS talent, Damage Transfer, would be a serious game-changer.
"Of course," the shopping guide said warmly. "Would you like me to arrange some service personnel to help you relax?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "You offer that kind of service too?"
The guide smiled slyly. "For someone of your status, it would be their honor to serve you."
"...Forget it. Not interested."
---
Once the door closed behind the guide, Ethan got to work.
He activated his Infinite Alienation talent. On the left, he placed the Queen Ant, and on the right, he stacked the 36 Black Rock Lizard Tails along with the Crystal Shell Tortoise Shell he'd acquired earlier.
> "System Notification: Infinite Alienation Process Initiated.
Please select the form of alienation."
---
Three options appeared before him:
A. Barren Rock Ant Queen
Gains powerful healing abilities
New skill: Regeneration
Can recover limbs and HP quickly after damage
B. Crystal Wall Ant Queen
Gains high defense and armor
New passive: Crystal Wall Carapace, likely doubles resistance to damage
C. Barren Land Ant Queen
Focuses on breeding ability
Boosts speed and efficiency of Zerg army training and evolution
---
Ethan leaned back, brows furrowed.
All three options were powerful.
Option A meant the Queen Ant could take tons of damage and heal rapidly—a great combo with Damage Transfer.
Option B provided solid defense, letting her withstand even more punishment, especially useful as his frontline tank.
But Option C fit his original purpose—the Queen Ant didn't need to fight directly. Her job was to keep producing an ever-growing Zerg army.
He sighed.
Why can't I pick them all?
But the rules were clear—only one evolution path could be chosen.
Ethan stared at the screen and weighed the options. This choice would define not only the Queen Ant's future, but also his overall strategy in battles ahead.
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