"Chieftain, I'm really not sure if we should be heading out just by ourselves like this."
Even as they continued their march, one of the shamans couldn't shake off his unease and cautiously broached the subject with the chieftain beside him.
"Going after those abyssal monsters first? It's like poking a hornet's nest."
"Don't whine like a weakling. You think we'll lose? No, we're the ones who'll fulfill the oracle first!"
The goblin chieftain, his helmet pulled low, furrowed his brow at the feeble complaint.
Those 'monsters' had only started appearing in the area recently.
Monstrous ants that popped up out of nowhere. From the moment they showed up, they devoured anything in sight indiscriminately, unleashing a slaughter without mercy.
They made no distinction between goblins, humans, magical beasts, or wild animals.
These horrors that ignored reason or pleas had laid waste to the region, slaughtering a great number of the goblins active there as well.
Their infamy had already spread far and wide.
Even the chieftain wouldn't have bothered facing these unknown monsters if not for the oracle promising a reward for slaying them.
"The rumors are blown way out of proportion to begin with. They're just another type of magical beast, nothing more. If we band together properly and fight, those pathetic beasts won't stand a chance."
The chieftain glanced around, taking stock of the forces he'd assembled, and exuded confidence.
For this operation, he'd mobilized his full strength.
The warriors he'd always commanded, plus those he'd diligently absorbed and recruited—numbering in the hundreds—along with several times that many soldiers. A total of a thousand strong.
Even his ace in the hole, the goblin shamans, numbered over twenty.
With this much power, they could ravage the entire region. No matter how strong those monsters were, he was certain his organized army wouldn't be defeated.
'This force can handle two or three times our number. We'll be the first to slay them, claim the glory, and reap the Great Spirits' reward.'
Standing out by earning merit and receiving a reward was common sense among them.
He intended to outpace the other chieftains this time.
"Ch-Chief! Look over there!"
"No way... so many of them...?"
But when they arrived near the ants' nest.
The chieftain's eyes widened at the sight of the hundreds of massive ants already assembled in orderly ranks, waiting for them.
Their numbers were clearly fewer than the goblins'.
Yet their sheer size and unnaturally precise formation made their presence far more intimidating.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙*This is a restricted function *This is a restricted function
"Argh, what the hell!?"
System notifications kept popping up. The problem was they were all "restricted functions," so I had no idea why.
My heart was already pounding from the tension, so it was only natural that my nerves were on edge.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Your subordinates recognize the prey]
At least the notification spam stopped right before the battle kicked off.
The assembled ants, rather than fearing the enemies swarming before them, saw them as food.
Special prey that would grow the colony and evolve them.
'Aren't you scared at all?'
I was the one more worried and afraid than they were.
Faced with a horde of enemies, the ants showed not a flicker of hesitation, moving in perfect order to prepare for combat.
Maybe because they were insects, I couldn't read any emotion in those ants at all.
'Here it comes.'
With no trace of doubt or fear, the ants launched their plan the instant conditions were met.
Unlike the goblins, who panicked at the sight of the assembled ants, their actions were swift and precise.
The ants spread out to both flanks, as if to envelop the goblins.
With soldier ants—larger than even the evolved workers—holding the center against the enemy, the flanking forces aimed to encircle and overwhelm.
"Block them!"
The goblins counterattacked in turn.
Contrary to my prejudices, their commanders and some individuals seemed to possess human-level intelligence, directing their units with sophisticated tactics.
Cloaked figures with staffs chanted spells, summoning thick tree roots from the earth and hurling boulders skyward, instantly blocking the ants' charge with obstacles.
Their response was quick and fluid, as if they were seasoned in such tactics.
If charging cavalry had been barreling toward them at full speed, they'd have smashed right into those sudden barriers.
'But... they're ants?'
Just as I questioned it, the charging ants—massive as they were—were still fundamentally ants.
Mutant ants that could scale walls and cling to ceilings with those huge bodies.
They vaulted the obstacles effortlessly, pressing the assault with minimal losses.
"Damn it, shamans—spew flames in the meantime! The rest of you, grab your spears!"
"Keeek! Spears up! Fight!"
Under the frantic commands of a goblin leader in a ornate helmet adorned with feathers, the goblins braced for frontal collision with the encroaching ants.
The shamans abandoned their futile barriers and unleashed blazing fireballs, which proved somewhat effective.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Your subordinates show vulnerability to flames]
"Yeah, figures. They're ants."
Could any living creature be fireproof? At least those shaman-made flames didn't spread like wildfire upon hitting oil or anything.
But the ants had other strengths: overwhelming power and size in close-quarters brawls.
Fire was potent, but in a battlefield where hundreds clashed in a tangled melee, it was too sparse in number and output.
"Keeiik!?"
The goblins colliding head-on with the ants were the rank-and-file soldiers, who looked a bit dimmer in wits and weaker overall.
And those spearmen trying to hold the line? They were utterly crushed the moment they met the ants.
'Regular goblins can't match their strength. Especially the evolved ones—their exoskeletons are tough enough to deflect arrows.'
I kept my phone up, recording observations nonstop, my eyes glued to the fight without a blink.
The close combat erupted everywhere, a brutal melee.
Ants shoved in with razor-sharp, powerful mandibles, shattering formations, while goblins—crushed under legs or torn by jaws—still desperately stabbed at the ants' bodies with their weapons.
'But some goblins are exceptionally tough. And well-armed, too.'
An evolved worker ant smashed a spear-thrusting goblin soldier flat with its foreleg in one go, then bisected another with its jaws.
At that instant, a stronger goblin slashed the leg clean off with its sword.
Just as there were further-evolved ants among them, the goblins had their elite warriors too.
"One-on-one, we might lose...?"
I muttered at their prowess, biting my lip.
Between the shamans' spells and the goblin warriors' combat prowess, even the step-evolved workers struggled in single combat.
They had superior strength over regular goblins, but technique was the issue.
Skilled handling of blades with brute force meant a penetrated exoskeleton spelled doom.
They hadn't charged in so boldly for nothing.
"Chieftain! The lines are completely broken! We need to retreat!"
"N-No way... this strong?!"
But contrary to my worries, the goblin leader was panicking and venting frustration, while the battlefield momentum was shifting our way.
The goblin warriors fought valiantly, but ordinary goblins couldn't even hold formation against the onslaught—especially since regular workers were far stronger than them.
The lines collapsed, and soon the goblins were encircled and on the defensive.
At this point, no amount of warrior or shaman strength could turn the tide.
Had there been more elites, or some way to shore up the weaklings' shortcomings, the outcome might've differed—but for now, we were winning.
"Can we wipe them out?"
I mumbled blankly, watching the goblin leader and his elites desperately trying to break the encirclement and flee.
I didn't want to let any escape, lest they return with reinforcements later.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Your subordinates detect your will and aim to exterminate every last enemy without mercy]
"Huh?"
For whatever reason, the ants interpreted my intent and redoubled their assault on the goblins.
Ignoring spears and swords piercing or slashing their bodies.
They charged solely to kill, trampling fallen comrades to press forward.
'Gotta watch my words.'
The ants, already relentless hunters heedless of losses, ramped up even further.
Watching them pursue and slay to the bitter end, I swallowed hard.
If I were there in their path, facing those massive ants charging without a second thought? My heart would've stopped on the spot.
'Not exactly a pretty sight.'
The ants finally clamped their mandibles on the last goblin, severing the chieftain's neck.
His ornate helmet tumbled from the severed head, rolling across the ground.
I shifted my view from the ants industriously chewing corpses into pellets, scanning the surroundings.
We'd won, barely—but victory wasn't free.
Piles of bodies mingled goblin and ant alike.
With their current flesh-and-blood melee style, casualties were inevitable.
'When will we recover? Even if the growing eggs and larvae mature, it won't be enough, right?'
I couldn't help worrying about the colony's survival.
Most of the deployed ants were workers, despite some soldier ants.
Workers handled everything vital in the colony: combat, foraging, maintenance—the backbone of the entire system.
Losing hundreds meant an immediate hit to sustaining our size.
Foraging would slow, larval growth would lag, and the colony would shrink.
"Yeah, you're all just hungry for food, huh."
While I fretted, the ants were busy feeding the new spoils to the queen and larvae.
I clicked my tongue in exasperation.
If only we could communicate properly. Even goblin-level speech would ease this frustration.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Your subordinate, the Hive Queen, accumulates vast mana and Demonic Power, and finally molts]
"?!"
Then, a startling notification appeared.
I was absently unpacking my late dinner delivery when my eyes widened, and I hurriedly checked the queen in the breeding chamber underground.
As the alert said, her carapace split wide with a crack, revealing the queen in her new form.
Just like some workers had evolved, the queen had advanced a step.
< The Beginning of Evolution (2) > End